Bernie Ecclestone ?
Discussion
He was on TV the other day saying that the British GB may get dropped in favour of another, he said that just because we are British we dont automatically just take everything over, err, my impression of him is that is just what he did with F1.
How and when did he appear ? did he sort of self appoint, is my negative impression of him justified ?
How and when did he appear ? did he sort of self appoint, is my negative impression of him justified ?
Podie said:
TBH, Silverstone does look pretty grotty in comparison with the newer venues....
You mean that an old airfield that has be gradually developed over nearly 70 odd years with private money isn’t quite as sparkly as a $100m+ state of the art facility built in the last 10 years. That’s a surprise.Compare it with some tracks of similar age (or far younger) and it is in great shape.
J4CKO said:
He was on TV the other day saying that the British GB may get dropped in favour of another, he said that just because we are British we dont automatically just take everything over, err, my impression of him is that is just what he did with F1.
How and when did he appear ? did he sort of self appoint, is my negative impression of him justified ?
Read the books about him.How and when did he appear ? did he sort of self appoint, is my negative impression of him justified ?
He bought the Brabham team and seemed to become all teams mouthpiece.
Teams couldn't be bothered to negotiate with circuit owners about contracts etc--so Bernie said he would do it for a percentage and it gradually grew from there with Bernie's cut getting bigger. And then TV rights etc and so on.
Podie said:
TBH, Silverstone does look pretty grotty in comparison with the newer venues....
True, even with the new wing the rest of the place looks tatty as anything, all the old track configurations lying around unused etc. They should have dug them up and laid some grass down.As for the wing, my understanding is that it's one massive waste of money and that basically the only event using it is the F1 mainly due to the horrendous access.
Just seen the Suzi Perry interview on Youtube - I always want to leave the room when they interview him. This typical Youtube comment did make me laugh, though:
"What a f
king compleat wker this tt is I hope a fking wheel comes off a car and hits this old full on in his face the best thing that can happen to F1 is for this bell end to fk off"
"What a f
king compleat wker this tt is I hope a fking wheel comes off a car and hits this old full on in his face the best thing that can happen to F1 is for this bell end to fk off"n3il123 said:
Podie said:
TBH, Silverstone does look pretty grotty in comparison with the newer venues....
True, even with the new wing the rest of the place looks tatty as anything, all the old track configurations lying around unused etc. They should have dug them up and laid some grass down.As for the wing, my understanding is that it's one massive waste of money and that basically the only event using it is the F1 mainly due to the horrendous access.
By the ‘old bit of track that should have been dug up’ I take it you are talking about bridge, the bit that they use for vehicle and pedestrian access to the stands leading away from Abbey and to place the various stalls and displays on? That’s a good idea, rip it up and lay some fresh at a cost of £X0,000+ - waste of money. There is a bit of the old Beckets out the back of the new that has been there for 10+ years now but again this is hard standing and is utilised. All the rest is still in use.
Wing – yes it has its issues, some are stupid ones (anyone been to the cinema? ) but most of them are borne from the fact that it is phase one of a much bigger project and without it there would be no BGP this year, full stop. It is used by a number of other events but is very costly, partly due to the full infrastructure it requires being part of phase 2 iirc – at the minute some is as ‘temporary’ in a way that Monaco or Valencia would consider permanent! Access wise there are other places on the calendar that make access to the Wing look like the M6. Most b
hing I hear about it is down to those who do not have or need access who think that they should!What many people who go to Silverstone for a meet like the MSV one a few weeks ago forget is that this is a 120,000 seat venue. It has all the space and facilities needed for that event and when all that isn’t there it will always look a little empty and care worn. Next time you are at the NEC or similar have a peek into an unused hall.
Don’t get me wrong, it has issues and there is always more that can be done, but don’t ever forget there is no blank chequebook here nor questionable labour practices, etc. Money has been spent where required and there is a list as long as your arm of ‘if we had the cash’ projects. If anyone has a spare £100m, £50m or even just a couple of mil spare I’m sure that Mr Rolt and/or Mr Phillips can make some excellent suggestions as to its use.
Edited by Rude-boy on Monday 13th May 14:31
Rude-boy said:
Wing – yes it has its issues, some are stupid ones (anyone been to the cinema? ) but most of them are borne from the fact that it is phase one of a much bigger project and without it there would be no BGP this year, full stop. It is used by a number of other events but is very costly, partly due to the full infrastructure it requires being part of phase 2 iirc – at the minute some is as ‘temporary’ in a way that Monaco or Valencia would consider permanent! Access wise there are other places on the calendar that make access to the Wing look like the M6. Most bhing I hear about it is down to those who do not have or need access who think that they should!
For information I have worked many times in the wing including F1, Classic and MOTO GP so have every right to make informed comment on the practicalities of it as an operational centre for a major race meeting. I have also spoken to many people involved in these events (organisation, journalists etc) who share the same view.hing I hear about it is down to those who do not have or need access who think that they should!Edited by Rude-boy on Monday 13th May 14:31
n3il123 said:
For information I have worked many times in the wing including F1, Classic and MOTO GP so have every right to make informed comment on the practicalities of it as an operational centre for a major race meeting. I have also spoken to many people involved in these events (organisation, journalists etc) who share the same view.
Motogp is revertin back to the old pit straight.It is quite possible that our paths may have crossed on a number of occasions then. You may feel your comment is informed, and it likely is, but as someone who has also spent a great many days working there I feel it is overly harsh and looks only at the smaller picture.
You'll note I do not suggest that it is perfect, there was after all very little cash to splash, but the point you were making was that access is the major problem and yes it is until the budget for and implementation of phase 2 are put in place. The building of other structures will also bring with them the economies of scale needed to make the outstanding infrastructure demands cost effective to deal with. These are issues but the solutions are there and in the meantime the biggest part of the puzzle is viable.
Your comments about old bits of track were confusing and for a business which has not had money pouring into it your suggestion would be a colossal waste of money, especially as new hard standing would have to be laid.
Lots of people like to have a pop at Silverstone and sometimes they are even right to ask questions but look outside of the agendas, look at almost every other facility which isn't bankrolled by the local government (and a few that are) and they are at best level pegging with Silverstone. Every venue has its good and bad points.
Just to give people some perspective on the size of the place - something I was told a few years ago but have not fully verified - The entire Brands GP track, paddocks, and basically everything owned by MSV on that site, would fit inside the track limits of Silverstone as used for the 2010 BGP.
You'll note I do not suggest that it is perfect, there was after all very little cash to splash, but the point you were making was that access is the major problem and yes it is until the budget for and implementation of phase 2 are put in place. The building of other structures will also bring with them the economies of scale needed to make the outstanding infrastructure demands cost effective to deal with. These are issues but the solutions are there and in the meantime the biggest part of the puzzle is viable.
Your comments about old bits of track were confusing and for a business which has not had money pouring into it your suggestion would be a colossal waste of money, especially as new hard standing would have to be laid.
Lots of people like to have a pop at Silverstone and sometimes they are even right to ask questions but look outside of the agendas, look at almost every other facility which isn't bankrolled by the local government (and a few that are) and they are at best level pegging with Silverstone. Every venue has its good and bad points.
Just to give people some perspective on the size of the place - something I was told a few years ago but have not fully verified - The entire Brands GP track, paddocks, and basically everything owned by MSV on that site, would fit inside the track limits of Silverstone as used for the 2010 BGP.
Janesy B said:
Yeah looks a right tip doesn't it... lol
Actually, if you go to the wing you'll soon realise that it was built on a shoestring budget (or at least appears that way). The fit and finish is very poor and I think it will age very quickly.The new garages are pretty good, but comparing the facilities to those of the new tracks shows Silverstone to be a very poor relation.
Sad, but true.
I was at Silverstone on Saturday. There were the following activities ongoing simultaneously:
Westfields in the car parks
4x4s on the off road course
Experience events on the Stowe layout
Britcar on the International layout
BRSCC clubbie on the National layout
It's a remarkable place, all things considered. If the Porsche Centre had been open that would've been six different activities.
I have seen the interior of a few media centres and the one in the Wing is certainly the most spacious and luxurious of the ones I've visited in the UK. The facilities as a whole for the spctator are no worse than Spa or Monza - though fall short of Catalunya which is my standard-setter. It's not going to match Goodwood for soul but Silverstone has character and it's a wonderful place to drive and spectate. It's our only option in this country at the moment so we might as well enjoy it.
Westfields in the car parks
4x4s on the off road course
Experience events on the Stowe layout
Britcar on the International layout
BRSCC clubbie on the National layout
It's a remarkable place, all things considered. If the Porsche Centre had been open that would've been six different activities.
I have seen the interior of a few media centres and the one in the Wing is certainly the most spacious and luxurious of the ones I've visited in the UK. The facilities as a whole for the spctator are no worse than Spa or Monza - though fall short of Catalunya which is my standard-setter. It's not going to match Goodwood for soul but Silverstone has character and it's a wonderful place to drive and spectate. It's our only option in this country at the moment so we might as well enjoy it.
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