Our family love to both participate and watch sports, with
the kids firm favourites being football, athletics, swimming and Formula 1.
Back in November, I
was fortunate enough to be invited to the Lotus F1 Headquarters to watch a race
and enjoy some great hospitality. Whilst organising the visit, I mentioned to
the manager that my children would also love to attend, and to my surprise, they
said bring them along! Lotus said that they welcomed families and groups of all
ages and so they said they were more than happy for all of us to come along
together.
On arrival, we checked in with security who then directed us
where to go. Once we had parked up, we found the entrance easily, and were
given a warm welcome. A nice lady presented us all with our passes, and the
kids were given a quick talk to about what they could and couldn't do.
After a quick nosey round, we were guided to our seats which
were organised in tables of 10. Unfortunately, one woman took one look at the kids
and must have decided that they were going to ruin her experience and so
requested a move to another table, which is a shame, as my kids regularly go to
public events and are very polite and courteous (most of the time)! I wasn't
going to let this ruin our day though. Everyone else on the table was really
nice and we were told by the host to help ourselves to the breakfast buffet,
drinks, and newspapers that were available.
Once everyone had got their food, and had settled, we were
given a brief talk on the background of Lotus. This was a well written
presentation, which was informative but not boring, and the images and sounds
that were used to support it worked well alongside it.
We were then connected via Skype with Sir Jackie Stewart,
who answered some questions and gave an update on what was happening at the
track. After this, we were invited to have a go on some of the simulators, the
reaction test machine and also take part in a wheel change contest. The
children really enjoyed the reaction test machine and although they couldn't
reach the very top ones, the host of the event came over to help them out.
My husband took part in the wheel change contest, and got a
fantastic time. We later found out that he was the fastest out of all of the
guests and he was presented with a Mini replica helmet, which was a great
souvenir to take away from the day.
After lunch, the adults were offered some champagne and
orange juice for the kids, and we were taken over to another building to watch
the race that was taking part that day. This was on a large screen in an air
conditioned auditorium, that had very comfy seats. The doors were left open
which made it possible to go in and out as you pleased, which was of great
benefit to us, as it meant that I could take our youngest for a push in his
pram if he got unsettled, feed him, or take him for a nappy change. The race
day experience concluded following the end of the race, and all the guests were
given a Lotus Bag full of goodies that included pens, hats, and keyrings.
The team were absolutely fantastic throughout the day and
made us feel really welcome. The food was delicious and of a high standard and
there was plenty to keep us entertained throughout the day. The kids thoroughly
enjoyed the experience and couldn't wait to tell all their school friends about
it the next day.