I didn’t enjoy at all last year’s Red Bull Car Park Drift event but this year was a complete different story only because that I had VIP passes or “Friend” passes as they were called.
I never thought the difference would be that colossal, but it was, to a point where I felt bad for the “regular” viewers.
I left home around 7:15 pm and reached the Forum de Beyrouth by 7:55 pm and traffic was all over the place and I thought we won’t find a place to park, but then I see the Red Bull Friend sign and follow it until I reach an almost empty parking lot just for VIP guests. It’s like hell out there and there’s this small passage for VIP.
Once parked, we could have waited for designated cars to drive us to the entrance door but we thought we’d walk instead as it was near.
Entrance was very easy anywhere we showed the VIP passes and we finally got to the VIP lounge which is two floors above the ground. On the other hand, crowds had to wait endlessly to get searched and allowed in the public entrance gate.
Inside the lounge, there were comfy chairs and couches everywhere, an open and delicious buffet at every corner with small snacks, a Frank Wurst Kiosk, a Crepe Kiosk, a Cotton Candy Kiosk and Ice cream stand. There were also stands for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and all were for free of course.
Added to that, the lounge was very spacious and reasonably crowded and we didn’t have to wait in turn for anything, except the PS3 gaming zone since there were two seats only. To make things better, there were waiters serving us at all time in case we needed anything.
As far as the drifting was concerned, we had an amazing view almost from anywhere inside the lounge and there were screens at every corner to cover what’s happening outside. Also and if you wanted a closer view of the car, you could go down two floors to a VIP designated area where you’d be few meters away from the car, but safely protected unlike the safety barriers outside.
I took lots of pictures and videos which I will be uploading later on and I really enjoyed the whole thing. Of course it was nothing like that outside where people were stacked on the highway and behind barriers steps away from the track, with all the heat and Garbage Mountain’s aweful smells and of course the tyres’ smell from the drifting.
This being said, as much as I loved it, I think organizers should take better care of those without VIP passes as it is unacceptable that they can’t find a safe place to park, a spot to watch from and a bottle of water or some refreshments. Also, I believe organizers should find a better location better suited to welcome large crowds and far away from the busy highway.
You can check out more pictures on the event [Here].