Should I take my 2 year old son to Donnington for Moto GP?

[New Leaf]

I'm thinking of taking my missus and son to Donnington park for the Moto GP later this month. I've never been before though and wanted to know if you have been and if you think it would be suitable for kids.

I was thinking of just paying the general admission and not bothering with the grandstand cos i can't see him sitting still in his seat for long. Is there generally enough room to take a picnic blanket and sit around munching sausage rolls while we watch the action?

If its gonna be really crowded with nowhere for us to sit where the little one can run around a bit then i probably won't bother. :-(

Ta very much.

[GregK2]

Dunno about taking kids, but if you get a general admisstion ticket go into the infield, there's loads of room to throw down a blanket and have a picnic - but you won't necessarily get a good view unless you get there mega early.

All the popular viewing areas get pretty crowded, but I watched from the infield near the foggy chicane and from there you can see a fair amount of the track.

May be a good idea to take earplugs for the littl'un, it's pretty noisy (even the 125 & 250 classes).

[kitkat]

i went to brand hatch for super bikes about 3 years ago my son would have been about 8 and he was bored silly. watched first warm up and asked if it was time to go. ended up wandering about with him and not watching any racing. Unless he is really into it and your mrs you may be better saving your money and going yourself.

[mister c]

Used to be ok years ago before the massive crowds. I used to take my lads when they were about 5 or 6, but I think I would think twice now because there are so many spectators at these events.

[Tim in Belgium]

Better off taking him to a club race first and seeing how he reacts, if he doesn't like it and you miss some racing you won't be too peeved.

My dad took me racing first at the age of 3 (camping out of the boot of a Frogeye Sprite), but we had a friend competing (vintage cars) so in between practice/quali/racing I thought I was mending the car, when I was probably just loosing spanners for them! But from then on we uesd to support our mate and I love the paddock atmosphere...

[Elma Fudd]

i have a 4 yr old son, he is 5 at the end of July. He has always been into bikes but a bit sensitive to noise. So last October I took him to a track day (free to get in...) He loved it. Since then we have been to the qualifying days at Brands BSB - It's loads quieter and cheaper than the race, and he still got to see all the bikes he saw on TV... In October I'll probably take him to both the qualifying and race day at Brands BSB. Next year I may take him to MotoGP qualifying (MotoGP bikes are even louder than BSB/WSB). So far he has been totally captivated by the whole thing, and I've had to drag him away from the racing when I've needed a toilet break..and he hasn't even been too interested in the shops...

[fizzwheel]

I wouldnt, I'd wait till he was a bit older.

it fills very quickly on race day, and depending on where you sit there isnt a huge amount of room.

if the weathers wet it'll be a nightmare with a little one IMHO, as theres nowhere to shelter and the wind whips across the circuit so it gets quite cold on bad weather days.

[Rog]

took my kids to BSB at donny last year so not to crowded. Although they both love bikes, at 4 and 7 they got very bored after about 2 laps. Spent most of my time wandering around trying to keep them occupied. Now I think they got in free and BSB isnt that much anyway so not an expensive test, but MotoGP aint cheap so my advice is dont take them.

[carty]

I guess only you know what his attention span is like and whether he will like it etc, I have to agree that if he doesn't like it, it could potentially spoil the day (and £100 + getting there!) for you and your wife.

In terms of facilities, etc, as Fizzwheel said, Donington is very open to the elements, so if it's cold and wet you get cold and wet; and if it's sunny and hot there's no shade whatsoever.

Food is generally rubbish (well ok if you want something greasy and expensive) but better to take your own.

There is a huge amount of space which means you'll have no trouble finding space to have your picnic but it's not a great track for getting close to the action and to actually watch any racing you might find yourself jostling for position which is not good if you're concerned about your lad getting trampled on :(. I imagine it's going to be very busy there this year too with Toseland doing so well.

So lots of things to consider really but hope whatever you do you enjoy it. I'll be wandering around and prob watching the GP from Craner Curves infield :cool:

If it was me I'd get a babysitter and wait til he's older. Just my opinion though.

Cheers,
Matt

[New Leaf]

Hmm, i guess u guys are right.

I really wanted to take him cos he loves my bikes. Hes only 2 and atleast once everyday he gets my bike keys and points to the door shouting 'bike', so i'll take him into the garage to see it. He knows how to start it up and rev the engine already :-)

But i guess u guys are right - ?100 for me and the missus is expensive when atleast one of us will have to miss the racing and entertain the little one.

So i'm just gonna watch the GP on the telly and take my littleone to a track day at Snetteron - its just up the road and free - and he's not gonna know the difference between some dude in a novice vest on an old bandit, and Valentino Rossi. Missus says she might even bring him to watch me in my 2nd track day on wednesday.

[wheelnut]

I wouldnt bother till he grows up a bit, even for die hard fans it can become boring between the start and finish of each support race unless you can see the action.

I reckon you would be better off taking your missus out somewhere for a meal and going on your own, or leave the lad with his grandparents and have a weekend away with the missus.

Moto GP is very noisy, very busy and I would think a 2 year old will be fed up in 10 minutes

[ThEGr33k]

TBH id not. The main reason is the noise! Its loud enough (especially first GP lap) to hurt my ears, thats after all the abuse they have had. His would no doubt be hurt. :(

Cool that he can start and rev the bike! ;)

[G]

I defo would not.

Donington doesnt have great facilities and get stupidly packed out and cramped.

I went to silverstone last year for the F1 which is equally as loud as the motogp and after 20 minutes I was moaning like a baby about how loud it was (I had been up for 48hrs and been involved in the bad accident in that time mind)

I'll be honest and say having a young child there will only remove some of the enjoyment of being there.

[malks]

yeah surely your kid will just want to run around and do normal things that they do. you'll want them to still still and watch the bike racing, so your missus will end up having to look after the child and get pee'd off with you and everyone will go home unhappy!

[fizzwheel]

If you are going to take your little ones. Then last year and the year before they had a little kiddies playground down by all the trade stands. They had swings and a bouncy castle and few other rides like that.

Trouble is with all the rain last year it got flooded out and it was a like a mud bath.