Motorcycle Forums

not really a vote winner

i smile ruefully when i hear people pleading for someone with pots of spare cash or government support for Donny.  it just isn't going to happen, particularly as business is still generally in the mire and that UK plc has dished out billions to people who have gambled away our money and now we're all skint as well.  the banks realised that they are now so big that the government dare not let them fail; the alternative being national economic meltdown.

on this basis, the idea of nationalising Donny is absurd.  Donny has to try and find someone or an organisation that can get it back on it's feet and realise that, for the time being at least, it's going to be competing against the likes of Oulton and Snetterton, not Silverstone.  let's face it, the majority of the British population would be happy to have one world class motorsport facility that was self-sufficient and centrally located in the UK that all major series visited - well that's almost what we've got right now.

the reality is that Donny has to progress step-by-step and rebuild it's portfolio of motorsport events.  as far as i'm aware, it still has the BTCC in september this year, but if the circuit isn't fixed soon, they will pull out in the same way as BSB.  with sponsors still bailing out of two and four-wheeled national motorsport at the moment (Airwaves and the RAC spring to mind), it's not an attractive area to invest and see an immediate return.  don't get me wrong, i think Donny must remain as a racing circuit, and i would hate to see it fail, but it will have to do it substantially on it's own with a viable business plan.  i can't see MotoGP going back to Donny for at least 10 to 15 years, and then it would have to be with the pre-requisit of fixing all of the old Donny problems and offering something substantially better than what they can at present.

sadly, it's only money that talks these days,  although i'd be delighted if someone proved me wrong.

clarkson, MotoGP and WSB (and BSB for that matter) will run on the new Arena circuit at Silverstone in 2010.  F1 will use it as well if the FIA can homologate it in time.  i've been told that you wouldn't recognise the place at the moment with the work that's going on both on and off the track.

express

express

Use tax payers money to save a race track (hardly anyone wants to visit?)

if enough people used it to start with it would not have gone bust in the first place

what a dick head of a comment?

premier ? its a dump full stop

it has no BSB no MGP no WSB (i take it you don't work in accounting?) what the hell is the point in saving it

Clarkson

please tell me more about last years silverstone camping ? last time we went was in 05 n it was in that boring golf club park with a 2 mile walk to te circuit .

WSB Silverstone

To Clarkson,     "Use tax payers money to save a race track (hardly anyone wants to visit?)

if enough people used it to start with it would not have gone bust in the first place

what a dick head of a comment?

premier ? its a dump full stop

it has no BSB no MGP no WSB (i take it you don't work in accounting?) what the hell is the point in saving it"
 

  Yes tax payers money, this time to good use at "HOME" instead of wasting it on other countries( WOULD BE NICE FOR A CHANGE) & as far as "hardly anyone want to visit", well i have been there more than a few times recently & even with the crap facilities big crowds were present.

  As far as it going bust , well i dont think that was because of the lack of support for the circuit, more of bad management of available funds & trying to make changes without sufficient funds being in place prior to beginning the work!

     Obviously at the present time Donington has lost all of the major series but had it not have been for the aforementioned mis-management & twisting pussies not having to slum it for a few hours it may not have done so!!

      Some of us, nay a lot of us, will remember the great times we have spent at Donington Park over the years before silly rules were introduced in the camping area etc. We will also remember the Saturday night biker parties in the exibition centre followed by the fantastic racing the next day.

    Just because you have an obvious total hatred of Donington Park please dont asume that the rest of us have the same hatred & also a lot of people who are interested in watching live premier motorcycling events do actually live north of Birmingham & a 200 mile trip not only costs alot but is quite a few hours of boring travel.

     I for one dont like Silverstone as a spectator for bike racing but i will be making the 200+ mile trip there to support motorcycle racing this year & hopefully the new layout will be a much needed improvement to be enjoyed by all .

    At the end of the day if i dont happen to enjoy my trips to Silverstone i still certainly WOULD NOT BE HAPPY TO SEE ITS DEMISE IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM UNLIKE YOURSELF ABOUT DONINGTON PARK.

circuit photos

if anyone was still unsure that Silverstone were serious about making big changes to the circuit, check out the photos on the link below.  great to see the new Abbey corner is actually a kink on the revised schematic.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/01/27/silverstone-knocks-down-grandstands-to-build-new-arena-circuit-pictures/

apologies in advance for straying onto an F1 website ... sack-cloth and ashes for me ...