No cars allowed at British Grand Prix

No cars allowed at British Grand Prix

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thehappyotter

Original Poster:

800 posts

203 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
When the F1 racing moves to Donnington it looks like you'll have to go on the bus to get there.

They know how to please motorsport fans don't they!!!

Nottingham Evening Post said:
THE British Grand Prix at Donington Park looks set to be the first no cars event on the Formula One calendar...

Plans are being developed for punters to leave their cars at home on the F1 weekend.

Fans could travel by bus from Nottingham, Leicester or Derby, take the train to East Midlands Parkway Station or fly to East Midlands Airport, Simon Gillett, chief executive of Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd, announced during an open day to showcase Donington's corporate activities.

Mr Gillett said fans could book their transport with their F1 tickets and accommodation.

He said: "This will be the first public transport Grand Prix. We are not bringing cars here.

"We are looking to use public transport from all the major conurbations, the airport and the Parkway station."

He also revealed Donington Park will host a new event – bigger than the Download festival – with details coming in the following weeks.

A planning decision for the £100m track development is expected from North West Leicestershire District Council by next year.

The plans include six grandstands, with 67,890 seats, a new clubhouse, suites for spectators around the track, a medical centre, a media centre, pits and paddocks buildings and toilets.

The track, which is to host the British Grand Prix from 2010, will have a new half-mile section featuring the steepest climb on an F1 circuit and a new "signature" corner, says Mr Gillett. If planners give the green light, construction is set to start immediately.

"We are still on schedule for our construction programme," said Mr Gillett. "We will have a nine-month construction programme in an 18-month window."

Up to 300 jobs will be created in the construction phase and up to 60 jobs will be created at the track because of the event. There will be hospitality for 11,000.

Mr Gillett said: "We have got the time and we have got the money. It is going to be the world's best circuit."

chris.birkle@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews/Doningt...


tomTVR

6,909 posts

242 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Just as well it wont be ready in time then. What the hell is their problem with cars?

sjg

7,454 posts

266 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Hardly surprising if you've ever driven to Donington - it's nowhere near as well set up for road links as Silverstone, which grinds to a halt despite closing off the A43 to through traffic for the GP weekend.

MotoGP is chaotic, and that's with most people turning up on bikes. They have nowhere near enough parking to accommodate F1, especially as they're losing some space with the track redesign.

hardcorehobbit

1,103 posts

196 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
It's not their problem with cars, it's just that the access to Donington is even worse than Silverstone, which is pretty appalling.

This way, they don't have to upgrade the roads around the circuit and spend any more money.

Having said that, I agree that it won't be ready, since when was any British sporting venue completed on time.


ETA - Took a bit too long over it.

Edited by hardcorehobbit on Thursday 27th November 00:35

BlueMR2

8,656 posts

203 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Thats if they get permission to do it.

haggy

1,955 posts

215 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
No chance

deviant

4,316 posts

211 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Where on earth are they going to find enough busses to run that many people around? The existing public transport system will collapse.

Airbag

3,466 posts

197 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Donington turning into a fiasco?


Well I never!

XJSJohn

15,966 posts

220 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
but part of the fun of every GP i have ever been to is seeing all the exotica driving about .... sounds like the long and the short of it is that they have picked the wrong track ...

what was wrong with throwing some money at Brands? (or is that another can of worms? )

nicklondon

14 posts

237 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
So where is the British G P next year? The track, which is to host the British Grand Prix from 2010,

Edited by nicklondon on Thursday 27th November 07:11

AndyBe

6,640 posts

208 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
All it'll do is move the chaos elsewhere. People still need somewhere to park. So Nottingham/Derby, etc will be a nightmare instead.

Rob P

5,770 posts

265 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
nicklondon said:
So where is the British G P next year? The track, which is to host the British Grand Prix from 2010,

Edited by nicklondon on Thursday 27th November 07:11
http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=f1+calender+2009

Gun

13,431 posts

219 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Oh yeah, I can see that working really well, 100000 odd thousand people using buses to get to and from the track, they're determined not to have a GP in this country in the future.

deviant

4,316 posts

211 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
I wonder if this has come about simply because they are to late to get anything on the roads organised...just a patch up solution so they can tick the 'access problems' off of the to do list.

evenflow

8,788 posts

283 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Rob P said:
nicklondon said:
So where is the British G P next year? The track, which is to host the British Grand Prix from 2010,

Edited by nicklondon on Thursday 27th November 07:11
http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=f1+calender+2009
Haha brilliant link!

stew-S160

8,006 posts

239 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
it was obvious they would do something like this, simply because the road network around the track won't allow for that many cars at the time. and the likely hood of them making a direct bypass road from the M1 is very very unlikely and expensive.

If the GP does take place at Donny, expect smallish crowds.

courtster

1,487 posts

217 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Rob P said:
nicklondon said:
So where is the British G P next year? The track, which is to host the British Grand Prix from 2010,

Edited by nicklondon on Thursday 27th November 07:11
http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=f1+calender+2009
Bloody brilliant!

cj_eds

1,567 posts

222 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Out of interest do Nottingham, Leicester or Derby have decent Park and Ride sites?
Its the way Knockhill has operated for many years - parking a field 10 minutes from the circuit and bussing everyone into the circuit in Fife's finest 30 year old school busses.

ChasMill

270 posts

217 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Don't see what the fuss is all about. I went to the GP at Monza a couple of years ago (Schumacher win for Ferrari) and everyone had to walk in / park and ride from the outskirts of the city. Even with the legendary Italian lack of organisation it worked like a dream. No sitting in endless queues of traffic.

odyssey2200

18,650 posts

210 months

Thursday 27th November 2008
quotequote all
Just stay at home an watch it on the telly!

Why should people who pay well OTT for tickets to the GP be treated with such utter contempt?