The British Grand Prix will move to Donington Park from 2010, the FIA has announced.Donington, which recently lost the country’s top motorcycle meeting to Silverstone, has signed a 10-year deal with the governing body of four-wheeled motorsport to bring F1 back to the venue for the first time since the European GP in 1993.F1’s commercial supreme Bernie Ecclestone, who has been involved in intense, often-heated negotiations with Silverstone’s owner the British Racing Drivers Club, expressed regret that the British government had not stepped in to secure the race’s future at the Northamptonshire venue.“I am sorry that we could not have helped Silverstone to raise the money to carry out the circuit improvements and run F1,” he said.“I believe that the government should have supported them which would have cost probably less than .002% of the government’s commitment for the Olympic Games.”He added, “We wanted a world-class venue for Formula One in Britain, something that the teams and British F1 fans could be proud of. The major development plans for Donington will give us exactly that: a venue that will put British motorsport back on the map.Donington’s owners and joint CEOs, Simon Gillett and Lee Gill, said, “We are naturally delighted and extremely proud to have acquired the rights to bring Formula One back to Donington Park from 2010.At the beginning of last year when we acquired the circuit and its substantial lands, we made clear our commitment towards realising the full potential of the Park by making the necessary investments in current and future events that will see Donington revitalised ensuring its leading position as one of the most iconic racing circuits in the world.“To that end, we have now entered a new and exciting chapter in the development of the Park and one that will bring significant investment and regional development while securing the future of one of the most important and significant sporting events in Britain.”The deal arguably has just as many potential pitfalls as those that have hampered talks between Silverstone and Ecclestone in recent years. Donington’s track will need to be lengthened and its pits facilities are poor in comparison with those of the current venue.It also shares access with East Midlands Airport, making traffic management tricky. Donington says that a major shareholder is assisting with a five-year investment plan, worth £100m, that will address these issues.
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Re: Donington gets British GP
Does this have anyhting to do with Bernie?????????????????????????? Seem to remeber at the last GP being told its his friends track or he has some interest in it.
Re: Donington gets British GP
Since hearing the announcement on Friday I have had a range of emotions; mainly anger. Firstly at Bernie for moving the GP after the tax payer had lashed out on upgrading the traffic links for Silverstone then (but having lived in Silverstone prior to the bypass its a great thing for the village in some ways).
Then I felt actually its his business and he has to make the best of it.
So its the BRDC who annoy me now. Damon Hill, Jackie Stewart and Martin Brundle all come on and bang on about the home of racing and how much they help the local economy, which economically can't be denied. But when I lived at Silverstone what appreciation did we get as part of the community? Tickets to see a 2CV race in October.
However, these guys at the top of UK motorsport all earn a good amount of cash, the majority live outside the UK to avoid tax, so why didn't they (a) divvy up the cash to make up what as needed to do the development and (b) get on with the redevelopment years ago instead of just builing a business park to get some more money in and stacking some portacabins on top of each other under the heading of 'modern corporate sponsor opportunity'.
They've wasted an opportunity, these people are the custoidans (DAmon Hill's words) of Silverstone, and they blew it.
Still they can all get together in a tax haven and bleat about it from there.
