The relationship of racing circuits with the communities they're situated in has been the cause of much friction in recent years, Mallory Park just one of several struggling with increasingly vociferous opposition from local anti-noise types. Just last March we ran a story titled '
Mallory Park's Future In Doubt
' following a cancelled crisis meeting between the then operators and local campaigners, a chain of events that eventually led to the circuit
going into administration
and all sorts of rumours of it being closed and demolished to make way for housing.
Thankfully that's not happened, following a buy-out of the lease by motorcycle racers Stuart Hicken and Eddie Roberts last December and confirmation that the circuit's immediate future as a venue for track days and racing on two wheels and four is secure.
PH was at Mallory earlier in the week for a UK launch event of the SEAT Leon Cupra (more on this to follow) but a chance to spend a few minutes chatting with Eddie Roberts was too good to miss. From expansion into less noisy sports - local road cycling clubs have regular evening training events while the lake makes it a perfect venue for triathlons - to measures to improve access and reduce the impact of noise on locals there's clearly plenty going on.
Eddie is co-lease holder with Stuart Hicken
Introduce Real Motorsport and Mallory's new management team...
"So there's myself and Stuart Hicken. We both have other interests and businesses; I do all the tyres for Pirelli at the British Superbikes - I was the racing manager for years - and Stuart runs the Buildbase BMW Superbike team. I've got a biker background but I've been interested in all forms of motorsport. I fell into bikes - I raced at GP level in the Sheene and the Kenny Roberts era. I raced here many times. But my first love really was rallying - that's just the way things turned out really."
Expansion into other sports like the weekday road cycling and triathlon seems like a smart move...
"There's a big interest in the circuit not just for the motorsport. It gives the community usage of the site as it wasn't really used to its full capacity before ... and it doesn't make any noise even if the kids can scream a bit from time to time!"
Euro F5000 Champs, 1970 - pre noise regs
So who actually owns Mallory Park?
"Chris Meek [an ex-racer himself] is still the landowner, we own the lease having taken it over on December 4. To be honest the issues have been to do with the noise but saying that we've been working closely with the local people and in general we have their support. We certainly have the support of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council as they see Mallory Park as a valued part of Leicestershire. We're just working through it in a way we hope will keep everybody happy. I've learned so much in the last six months..."
What do you do when you encounter someone who's deeply entrenched in their views - can you convince them?
"I think there's a point where you can't and you have to let the voice of the majority speak. You've got the classic situation some have moved nearby in recent years and complained about the race track. In general we've built the bridges though. Thousands of people have enjoyment and that far outweighs in my opinion - in my opinion - the views of people who have a beef about the place and, yes we are broadening it with the road cycling, the triathlon and the cyclocross which really doesn't create much nuisance. Nobody's actually said yet we want it closed, everyone has said they want the circuit open and they've said that Real Motorsport in Stuart and myself are the correct people to do it. But of course we have to do it in a way that's financially viable, which means we are at the moment in talks about how many days we can run.
Track days and racing secure for 2014
"This year they've approved the calendar we've already got for noisy days. The big event historically has been the Festival of 1000 Bikes, which is now the Bike Bonanza where we have a parade with a lot of open exhausted MV Agustas and the like. They've given us approval for that and I think the thing is communication. Every day we have a small thing to deal with but I don't think we're alone with this one."
"All we're trying to do is be friends with people. Please, we'll work with you, we're doing a lot of works - we're probably going to spend quite a bit of money over the winter to try and block out the noise from across the lake which is carried over by the prevailing winds."
So if you want to drive a car or ride a bike at Mallory you can?
"Absolutely, if you look at the calendar on our website it's all on there. We have 90-odd noisy days there; they vary between 98 and 105db at a weekend, it's mainly 98 unless it's a race event but people are respecting the noise. We've never had any arguments with people about their car or bike; they understand you're spoiling it for everyone else if you're too noisy."
Healeys, Triumphs and TVRs at a 1963 meet
Is the council insisting on its own noise monitoring equipment?
"We're not doing that, we're not going there. We self-police, we will give the information to the council as and when they request it. We're very fortunate, they see this brings revenue to the area ... £10m a year ... and there are over 50 people employed here. They are people who rely on their income from Mallory Park or its periphery businesses so it's an important part of the community."
It's such a small community, you must know the people who have complained.
"We speak to them on a regular basis ... occasionally you have to swallow hard but ultimately we have to work a balance and if someone wants to dig their heels in and not talk to us then I'm sorry it's your loss."
Have you discussed the issues with other circuit operators who face similar challenges?
"I know Stuart's spoken with Jonathan Palmer, I've spoken with Christopher Tate [Donington] and we do share tips and advice because it's in everyone's interests to keep Mallory open because any circuit that closes has a knock-on effect everywhere. I put it this way, if Mallory was a house or a building it'd be listed building because it's steeped with history. You've had the greatest cars and bikes - especially bikes - competing here. I raced against Agostini right here and he beat me by this much - everyone's got great stories about the place it's that kind of circuit, people are really passionate about it.
What makes Mallory special?
"It's maybe a short race track, OK it's longer than the Indy circuit at Brands and it's demanding - Gerard's is one of the most difficult corners on the planet in my book. I always call it the biggest hairpin - it's the only fifth gear hairpin I know of!"
Archive photos: LAT Photo