After going to my first ever Grand Prix at Silverstone a few weeks ago, and meeting Jenson Button was a bonus, But I also had tickets for the Honda Open Day the Following Sunday after the GP, so this was to round off the whole events, So here is my account of the Honda Open Day.

Sunday 15th July 2007
I woke up at 6am, and left Home at 8:15am, I went to Brackley the usual route I use to going to Silverstone (via Alysbury), and using my sat nav, it took my to Turnweston Airadrome, where we were to park our cars and then get on a coach to the Honda Factory. I arrived at the airadrome at 9:30am, and had to park on grass (and of course brought back reminders of last weekends grass/mud field at Litchlake campsite). I quickly got on a coach, and text Marney just to let her know I was on my way to the factory, as I was meeting up with Marney and Katie outside the factory.

After sitting on the coach with what seamed ages, we finaly left the airadrome at 9:50am, after a short journey we were dropeed outside the Honda factory.
The Queue was really long to get inside, as the doors hadn't been opened yet.
Honda's HQ from the roadside looked totally different to what it was when we went past at Easter, they had knocked down a run-down building.
I got in the queue which was starting to move, but had to pull out as I was still waiting for Marney & Katie.
Two minutes leter she arrived, so we joined the remider of the queue, had our bags checked the bloke took a peek in my bag before going "oh I guess the folder is your stuff to get signed!"

Once inside the grounds, we first headed over to the merchindise stand to see what they had, but they don't stock the fleeces a few of us fans got our hands on at the Silverstone gp (I didn't cos they didn't have it in my size).
We then walked down towards the factory, first of all stopping of to look at three different honda F1 cars (two BAR ones and a blue 555 car), took some pictures, and watched a bloke in a Honda simulator F1 car, and then headed for the factory building. We had to join a little queue, but it was only about 10 of us in the queue.

A Guy took about 6 of us around the factory, stopping at different stools to look at verious parts of the car, bofre then going into see the gearbox stuff, and vibration shocking machine, We were also given freebies, a pot of ear plugs with BAR logo on the pot, and a BAR pen (think they are trying to get rid of there BAR stuff!), we then went round the next bit of the factory, looking at Jenson seat mould, and then trying to find Katies name on the nose cone (but we couldn't) we then looked at the sidepods and still no luck. (myself and Marney wern't on it at all as we couldn't plege our names as our computers wouldn't allow us for some reason). We wern't supose to touch anything, but the Honda guys let us hold the side pods to look for Katie's name. They are so light!
After still no luck on the side pods and another nose cone, it was back to the 1st nose cone, well we found Jenson Buttons name :P ... but still not Katie's, so we gave up.

We are so amazed at when everything is spread out on view to see how it actually all fits inside the Honda car...

We went into the last section of the factory, where they had computers, where you could pledge your name to get it on the car... lets see if it will work for us.. Marney pledged first, and then I did after her, but after I pledge we seached on the other computer to see if our names would appear, but yet Marney's didn't, but mine did.. strange... We picked up a few pledge cards for keepsake, and moved onto the next part, with was another Honda simulator, but this one had Jenson's lap time of 1:18. so people were trying to beat it...
and last but not least, one of Jenson's no. 7 car from this season. Of course I took some piccys of it!
Oh and we saw the steering wheel all broken down in a display cabnet on the wall.

We left the factory, to find a very long queue had formed at the enterance of the factory -we made it just in time!
Though now we had to also queue to go into the truck...
Eventually we got into the truck, and once inside we were told how its made, how the floor is supported, there was big massive tables inside, and some tv screens (which were playing Honda TV videos), there was also desks for laptops, with screens in the middle so you could hock up you laptop monitor onto the screen in front of you!
We then went downstairs and looked under the flaps of the truck to reveal more computers for races.

After we left viewing the truck, we spotted Alistair Weaver who interviewed us for Honda TV back at Silverstone, he was on his phone, but we waved him down and came and chatted to us, one of the questions we asked him was when was our JBHQ video going to be on the website? his reply was it needed alot of editing, and so hopefully by Tuesday (it wasn't up til monday after the German GP -you can see it at Honda F1 racing).
Just as we were about to head away, guess who was walking towards us.... JENSON... with a whole bunch of people following him behind, looked right funny, as we're infront of him and all these people were chasing behind him. He gave us a lil wave and headed into the factory and up the stairs, -totally unexpected, but helerious!! Katie also called out to Jules.. so she then knew we were there!. We were gonna get some lunch, but we hung around the barriers to see if Jenson was gonna come down from the room at the top of the factory... first off I spotted Mike Conway, and I was like "oh isn't that Mike Conway" to Katie and Marney and they were like WHO!

Jenson eventually came down signed a cap for someone, and then headed over to his Honda no.7 car to do a tv interview with Alistair.
Katie managed to sneek thorough a gap in the end of the barrier and then the security guy closed it, before we could get in, so Katie got some great snaps.

Jenson also went over the the simulator in the next section to his car, to see if anyone had beaten his lap time, as well as doing the interview with Alistair, and then he dissapeared back into the factory, Katie came out of the factory to join us behind the barrier, and the Christian turned up -she should have stayed in the factory, but we got some great pictures of Christian being filmed for Honda TV.

After filming for that was over, we went off to try and get some food at the hog roast, but the queues were VERY long, and then we heard on the tannoy Jenson was due on the main stage (a truck was used) so we aborted trying to get food and ran for the stage, where Katie opened her pack of Haribo sweets, which we shared out between us three.. this was my lunch, and the girls brunch!

Jenson appeared on the stage at about 1:30pm, I squeezed into a gap in the crowd, but was trying to get pics over a persons head, I also filmed a video, but you know what was cute.... Jenson was talking and his phone rang, probably virbrated in his pocket, he was like "hang on my phone is ringing... one second let me answer it.." so take its out his pocket... its my mum... The video can be found here on youtube opens in new window -NOT filmed by me).

After appearing onstage, he signed some Autographs around the stage barriers, myself and katie went ot the left of the stage (and totally lost Marney!) Jenson eventually came round, but more further round the barrier from us, of course I got crushed and lost in the crowd, but katie managed to get her pic signed by Jenson, so we did a swap I gave her my JBHQ t-shirt (which Jenson signed on the back), and I held her pic for her. We'd also found Marney who was also trying to then get her t-shirt sign, but it was too late.. he then went :-(
So we sat down on a bit of kerb, near the barriers of the autograph queue, to put our stuff away in our bags, the autograph queue was getting longer, wonder who its for... so we joined it... it was for Christian Klien... and myself, Marney and Katie were the last three to get in the queue before the Honda people cut it to stop his signing session.
when it got to our turn in the queue, Katie told me to go first. I got him to sign my Honda Charity ticket, and then Katie got her ticket signed and a piture with him, and then last was Marney who got her ticket also signed and a picture. His PR woman was like oh we must go, and I quickly ask Christian if I could get my pic with him, so quickly dived in, My hair was everywhere cos it was a bit windy, and Christian said something to me like "ppp your hair in my mouth"!! But Katie got a great pic of me and Christian.. Really Cute...
But then the queue was long again, so wondering who was signing next we joined it, It was for Anthony Davidson (He was born in Hemel Hempstead -up the road from me), but the Honda people stopped the signing queue about 20 ahead of us.... but we were then told we're in queue for JENSON!!! So as I stayed in the queue, whilst Katie and Marney went and grabbed some shots of Anthony signing... oh and it started to rain too!!

5 minutes later they returned, and a Honda person said Jenson would be signing in about an 1:30 mins, So with other people around us with food in there hands, myself and Marney were really starting to get very hungry, so she went off to get some chips for me and food for herself, but then the queue moved further up quite quickly and within some barriers, so in a panic or Marney possibly losing out on getting her t-shirt signed I called her phone and told her to abort the food plan... she came back quickly.
though it would have been possible to eat food before Jenson but, we didn't really know that then as the queue moved forward quickly some some reason! I Marney also said I should wear my JBHQ t-shirt, so in the queue I was standing there putting my JBHQ t-shirt on over the top on my long sleved Polo shirt. We were also told that we were not allowed to have pictures taken with him as the queue was VERY long (you should have seen it) and only one item can be signed and to have it ready to be signed by him.

I think Jenson eventually started signing at 3:45pm.
Again as it got to our turn Katie told me to go first, instantly Jules recognised me, and asked how I was, was I having fun (whilst holding the brolly for Jenson to keep him dry), oh and Jenson said "hello again" I just shoved my little autosport magazine on the table open at the Jenson bit, and he signed it for me, I asked him for a picture too...Katie took one on my camera and Marney took one on her camera. Then it was Marney's turn, She got Jenson to sign her JBHQ t-shirt, and a photo taken by myself and Katie.
Then it was Katie's turn, she was to get her new Jenson no7 cap signed, I lucklier brought my Gold pen with me... as Jenson's black marker wouldn't had shown up on her black cap... but the funnist bit was, the peak of Katies cap was wet fromt he rain.. So theres Jenson and Katie rubbing it down to dry it a bit. He signed it, and then myself and Marney took photos of Katie and Jenson. We then thanked them both (Jules and Jenson) and walked away with big happy smiles on our faces, had a group hug of success/happiness, and then we headed home, as the day was drawing to a close... but we walked Marney over to the Tesco to her parents car, and then myself and Katie joined the queue for getting on the coach to take us back to Turnweston airfield. I was going to take Katie home to her house in Kent, yes a long way, but it was a nice as I didn't really need to rush anywhere, as I was going home to an empty house as dad had gone on holiday this morning himself for a few days...

Once back at the car, I removed my JBHQ t-shirt, set up my sat nav, and then got going... well at more of a snail pace, as the M40 was slowwww moving, but eventually we got going and so with hungry tums, we stopped at a service station for a well deserved KFC, where katie said, it would be really funny if we saw Jenson here, he would be like "Oh no not them girls again"! (of course we didn't, we were just joking, after the amount of times we saw him today), and with food in our tums, it was time to jump back in the car, and carry on our journey, as well as doing some more chimping (talking) over the day.
We eventually arrived at Katie's at 8:45pm, I had a cup of coffee out of her Jenson mug, talked to her mum about the day, and then I left at something like 9:30pm, and arrived back to an empty house here at 11:05pm, Shattered, but excitied after todays meeting....

The whole Honda Day really brought a perfect ending to the most excitng few weeks with: F1 testing, the British Grand Prix where we met Jenson which I didn't know about till we got there, and then this Honda Open Day to a perfect end...
All I can say is Bring on, Autosport Awards, Race on Champions, and anything else that maybe thrown at us!!