Donington Park have lost it.. Silverstone will be hosting it instead.
Got to admit, I agree. Plus having seen the plans for the revised track I'm not sure it's an improvement for spectators in many ways, much of the viewing from the infield will likely be obscured by the new pit buildings for starters.
It's the closest circuit to home for me so it's my preference when it comes to venues for MGP. Donington has access problems that make the ones that used to trouble Silverstone look a mere drop in the ocean and they've never made an effort to look after bikes in all the years they've been hosting MGP or WSB so **** 'em.
FFS... -- Veggie Dave http://www.iq18films.co.uk "To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine
Well to be fair I rarely go to the big meetings so am not worried about access but apart from that what's wrong with it? Silverstone's like a prison camp and not a particularly nice one, at that. At least Donington has elevation changes, a few viewing options - even trees! (Okay, the trees may have gone by now).
This makes a big difference. It was okay last time I went to a GP. Mind you, that was in about 1993 when only 30-odd thousand turned up.
I never pay to get into any race meeting. -- Lozzo SV650S K5, ZX-7R P4, CBR600F-W, SR250 SpazzTrakka, SR250 Project SpazzCaffer I see a bright new future, where chickens can cross the road with no fear of having their motives questioned
It took me 5 HOURS to get out of the circuit last time I went! The place is atrocious; the facilities are crap, the food is crap, the staff were crap, the prices took the piss... I could go on. Yes the circuit is fantastic and you can get some good views but taken as a whole it was shit. They took the piss and got away with it for too long.
Last time we tried to get to see the 'Lombard' WRC at Silverstone we didn't even get there the traffic on the approach was so bad. On the occasions we did go the viewing wasn't too bad of 'the complex' form the grandstand, but there was no extra charge on that occasion. We used to go and watch the F1 Friday qualifying years ago - too pikey to pay for the real thing. -- +----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: | | Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z | | Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" | +----------------------------------------------------------------+
Good grief, there's no excuse for that. Fair enough, it does sound piss poor for major events but if I had a choice between good food/facilites with poor viewing and vice-versa, I'd take the first option. As far as I'm concerned, the only place worth specating from at Silverstone is the complex. Anywhere else is so far from the (boring, featureless) track as to be a waste of time.
This is true, but I've not been to a sporting event yet where watching it at the venue is better than watching it on the tv! The atmosphere may be better, but I always find it incredibly dull to miss most of the action because you're sat in one spot and can see ****-all going on around the rest of the track. I'd much rather sit at home and watch it, drinking beer in front of my own tv and see the on-board action and replays. /grump
Last time I went to Donington was for the last round of BSB a few years ago. The best view I had all day was on the infield, looking over Craner Curves, watching the race on the big screen they'd put up. *ding*
Yep. This is why I haven't been to a GP since '93 and BSB since about '98. I only bother with club meetings these days since it's not 10 deep in plebs at the best viewing spots and you can wander round the paddock for a good gawp at the machinery.
I saw an F1 race at Brands many moons ago. FAB. Was at the end of the Turbo era if I recall correctly. 1981 I suspect. Went into a stand on the outside of paddock hill bend looking straight up to the druids hairpin. Could see almost continuously from the exit of Clearways along the straight, round paddock hill bend, round the druids hairpin, round Graham Hill bend and then they disappeared as they went round surtees. Nearly a mile? Best spectator circuit bar none. In my experience http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/images/circuits/brands-circuit-large.pdf I suspect we were in the Disere Wilson Stand.
This would have been before the road between Towcester and Brackley was improved wouldn't it? Ecclestone forced the issue with the facilities at Silverstone and his threat of removing the GP also ensured the road links were constantly improved and at least Northants plod are now used to moving a high number of vehicles out of the area very quickly. The A43 can be shut to non-GP traffic because there are sufficient other routes not to clog the whole county up and while I've never seen road closures because of a bike meeting at Donington I think they'd do it at Silverstone if the numbers were high enough.
