Silverstone investing £25M
Discussion
n3il123 said:
What worries me in this "master plan" is the there is a small amount of residential development.. how long before these people are complaining about noise etc despite the track having been there far longer? The way this country is going the circuit will be shut down.. great 
If the circuit is planning the building on site as opposed to a village nearby (eg Castle Combe) then they could put something legal in the deeds/contract that states "...you will be living next to a motor racing circuit, it will be loud, motorsports is dangerous, you may not at anytime complain about the noise, complaints made against the circuit will be burnt and the BRDC board will dance over the ashes whilst singing pagan songs...."£24m wont buy much what with the way business seems to work these days. Donnington spent some cash on itself a while back and it hasn't done the place many favours to the public. Yes better pits etc for the Moto GP lads, yes extra grandstands, but the place is still a dump in some respects. Poor access around the track has become worse and it still turns into Glastonbury Festival when it rains.
With Silverstone, the only improvements will be in places where Bernie and his gang will get to appreciate it.
"Oh this is a lovely VIP lounge, I might come back here next year, but I'll still threaten to cancel the GP, that'll teach them to make me wait 12 minutes to in here! And I'm so glad this good looking chick loves me for who I am and doesn't laugh at my wig... I know she'd still love me if i was poor."
With Silverstone, the only improvements will be in places where Bernie and his gang will get to appreciate it.
"Oh this is a lovely VIP lounge, I might come back here next year, but I'll still threaten to cancel the GP, that'll teach them to make me wait 12 minutes to in here! And I'm so glad this good looking chick loves me for who I am and doesn't laugh at my wig... I know she'd still love me if i was poor."
Conian said:
£24m wont buy much what with the way business seems to work these days. Donnington spent some cash on itself a while back and it hasn't done the place many favours to the public. Yes better pits etc for the Moto GP lads, yes extra grandstands, but the place is still a dump in some respects. Poor access around the track has become worse and it still turns into Glastonbury Festival when it rains.
I was at Donington for the BTCC round, the place was an absolute pit of mud and water. If anyone ever suggest running a GP there again I'll slap them hard around the head to bring them to their senses. Not only the crappy infield just getting in was a headache. We spent over an hour on the sliproad off the M1 just to get to the roundabout at the top of it. One road servicing the circuit and East Midlands airport, rubbish.As for SIlverstone, apart from replacing the crappy scaffolding stands and building a larger pimms cellar for the BRDC I can't see what else they need to do. The access is good, the car parks are good, there's better access and facilities than many other circuits.
FourWheelDrift said:
As for SIlverstone, apart from replacing the crappy scaffolding stands and building a larger pimms cellar for the BRDC I can't see what else they need to do. The access is good, the car parks are good, there's better access and facilities than many other circuits.
Perhaps they could provide concrete terracing all the way round the circuit, rather than at just few corners. Sitting on smashed up tarmac at club this year made me really greatful that I didn't have to pay for my ticket...£25m is a drop in the ocean compared to what needs to be spent, but at least its a start!
What is it with British spending and economy?
USA and Japan invest so much into race tracks and stadiums to make some real glitzy and big places... we get some pretty piss poor race tracks and Wembley stadium. Whoop de do, the roof moves. Even Canada had those 30 years ago!
Britain just seems to do everything so small and cheap and still cant seem to turn a profit!
What's Rockingham like on the whole?
USA and Japan invest so much into race tracks and stadiums to make some real glitzy and big places... we get some pretty piss poor race tracks and Wembley stadium. Whoop de do, the roof moves. Even Canada had those 30 years ago!
Britain just seems to do everything so small and cheap and still cant seem to turn a profit!
What's Rockingham like on the whole?
egomeister said:
Perhaps they could provide concrete terracing all the way round the circuit, rather than at just few corners. Sitting on smashed up tarmac at club this year made me really greatful that I didn't have to pay for my ticket...
I think that's the main area that could benefit from upgrading. Whoever tried to terrace that area this year clearly removed their brain at the main entrance.Conian said:
What's Rockingham like on the whole?
These are my opinions of Rockingham.1. The Oval is unique in the UK. It is a fantastic facility over here.
2. The grandstands are second to none.
3. The toilets are generally clean, and work, and are unlocked.
4. The concessions (food, bar, etc..) are good value.
5. The pit lane is built to US specs, and is the widest in the UK, with a "cold pitlane" in front of the garages which upsets some of the BTCC or GT boys who can't drive straight out of their garage into the hot pitlane.
6. The car parks are good - access is reasonable, exit can be a pain of only one exit is used.
7. The road course is technical. You need a good setup on the car, and have a real head on your shoulders. Or you'll be slow, and complain about it being "naff". When it's wet, the road course is dreadful!
8. The inner paddock is too small - while it's bigger than Brands, it's not really big enough in a European sort of way. With some work, it could get a FIA Grade 2 licence.
Silverstone need to invests in (a) locks for the toilets that don't sieze up so they are open at other meetings. (b) some permanent eateries outside the paddock. (c) some more permanent grandstands, not just a "roof" that they fit the mechanno scaffolding stuff into when F1 comes to town. (d) a new palace for the FIA/Bernie because that's what Bernie wants, (e) a 1/2mile oval on the site, with 30deg banking, and grandstand seats for at least 30000 people. (f) a direct line to the France family in the 'States to learn how to merchandise motorsport and fill the place up with people every meeting.
Other than that, leave the circuit alone, it's fine. It's the facilities that need a tweak. I don't agree that it needs a new pit complex. compared to some of the F1 facilities around Europe, Silverstone is in excellent shape. Perhaps they need to move expand into the support paddock area a little more, and the Woodcote buildings might need replacing with something a little better - more suites for hostility.
The BRDC need to get a grip, and stop treating the public like the great unwashed, and put on some entertaining meetings on their own, promoted by themselves, picking the sort of thing that people want to see from the plethora of championships running in the UK, and reap the profits from filling the place up. It's like owning a shop, but telling customers to sod off you don't need them!
thunderbelmont said:
Conian said:
What's Rockingham like on the whole?
These are my opinions of Rockingham.1. The Oval is unique in the UK. It is a fantastic facility over here.
Unique certainly - in the world. But unfortunately could have been a whole lot better.
Pity really but as it's been said elsewhere it's not really in our blood to have oval racing in Europe and it'll be years before we ever get enough interest/enough tracks/enough competitors - and thus enough serious commercial sponsorship - to make oval racing viable.
Look how long it took NASCAR to make it out of the Deep South from what was essentially a localised series.
You need an infrastructure for Europe to have Oval racing with a ladder and feeder series just like the local NASCAR affiliated series and midget and sportsman racing on dirt tracks leading up to World of Outlaws, IRL, NASCAR etc.
All we had was a headline series trying to draw in existing racers. OK to create a new racegoing market but perhaps you need a bunch of new entrants too rather than spreading it all very thinly over too many series.
Wandered a bit from my original point I guess but essentially Rockingham is never going to work as far its original goals are concerned and it does seem that the various road course are just too fiddly and technical to provide exciting racing.
Also I agree that £25m is pissing in the wind!
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