40 ways to survive the off season p4/4

If you’ve not already figured out how to make it to March without going crazy, here are ten more ways to sate your F1 craving this off-season.

31-35 – Watch a classic F1 season

Warm up the winter (assuming it’s winter where you are as well!) with a little F1 nostalgia.

1976

The classic 1976 season was every bit as remarkable as this year. Niki Lauda was running away with the championship for Ferrari until a horrific crash at the Nurburgring. He cheated death, was savagely burned, yet after a few weeks was racing once again. James Hunt seized the opportunity to cut Lauda’s lead, but a series of controversial penalties hindered his progress (some things never change!). The season reached a thrilling conclusion it a tense, rain-hit race in Japan. This DVD is full of contemporary footage that tells the story.

Buy the video: Formula 1 1976 Review

1986

The last three-way title fight until last year. A spectacular battle between fgNigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet at the height of the turbo era. This unforgettable season saw some spectacular action.

Read the review: All over down under (1986 F1 season review video)
Buy the video: Formula 1 Grand Prix Review 1986 – All Over Down Under

1990

The height of the Prost-Senna war. A magnificent hat-trick of wins by Prost in the middle part of the season kept him in contention for the title, but Senna hit back by winning on Ferrari’s home turf. At the penultimate round Senna leapt at the opportunity to ram Prost off the road, sealing the title for himself.

Read the review: 78/71?óÔé¼?ª A clear decision! (1990 F1 season review video)
Buy the video: Formula 1 Grand Prix Review 1990

2003

One of the best season of recent years with memorable races at Melbourne, Interlagos, the N?â??rburging and Silverstone. Michael Schumacher won his sixth title after a year-long battle with Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Read the review: Michael & co. the dream team (2008 F1 season review DVD)
Buy the video: Formula 1 World Championship 2003

2007

Last year’s season review DVD can be picked up for bargain prices now. While civil war raged at McLaren, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen nipped in to snatch the title at the final round.

Read the review: Kimi made it at last! (2007 F1 season review DVD)
Buy the video: Formula One Season Review 2007

The 2008 F1 DVD is coming out soon. See here for more information: 2008 F1 DVD pre-orders open

36-38 – Visit a former F1 track

These three great motor racing venues of the past are in Europe but there are old Grand Prix circuits dotted around other places too.

Brooklands

The huge, banked oval at Brooklands was built in the Edwardian era and used for racing in the decades up to World War II. Fragments of the banking remain and a large Mercedes-Benz dealership has been built on part of the site. Inside a pre-war Mercedes-Benz W194 is on display, along with a couple of more recent McLaren-Mercedes F1 cars and a Sauber C9 sports car.

Nurburgring Nordschleife

The 14-mile Nordschleife is mainly used for car testing these days. You can take a ride around the track that held the German Grand Prix until 1976 in one of the ‘Ring Taxis’ or pay a few Euros and drive it yourself. Make sure you check out the advice at this excellent website first though:

Ben Lovejoy’s Nurburgring Nordschleife website

Reims

The pit boxes at Reims were left to rot after the venue was last used in 1970 (its last Grand Prix was in 1966). It has now been restored to look as it did when the likes of Fangio and Moss raced there in the 1950s and 1960s.

Stuart Codling of F1 Racing went there recently: here are some of his pictures on Flickr and what he had to say about the track.

Two books that can help you plan a motor circuit visit:

• ?óÔé¼?ôClassic Motorsport Routes?óÔé¼?Ø (Richard Meaden, 2007)
• ?óÔé¼?ôAutodrome?óÔé¼?Ø (Sam Collins & Gavin Ireland 2007)

39 – Start an F1 blog

There is already a great and diverse range of F1 blogs out there – just look how many have entered the Weblog Awards this year. But there always room for fresh ideas and new angles.

Starting a blog is very easy even if you’re not technical. Free setups are available at WordPress.com, Blogger, LiveJournal and others. I use a self-hosted version of WordPress from WordPress.org. Make sure you send me an email and let me know about your blog!

40 – Do something completely different

Switch off from F1 for a bit. I know I’m going to! I’ve a stack of classic film DVDs to watch (from “Mr Smith Goes to Washington” to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”), I’m going to a Premier League football match for the first time, and I might even get around to learning Italian. That one’s been on the back burner for a while though.

What else are you doing between now and March?

Over to you

We’ve had plenty more suggestions for off-season activities. Share your plans below…

40 ways to survive the off-season

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• 40 ways to survive the off season p4/4