posted Jul 5, 2008

I cannot believe we are taking F1 to Donnington - I attend there regularly for Moto GP etc. It has a dreadful climate, the worst facilities of any race track I know and is under the final approach and very close to East Midlands Airport so landing aircraft waft Jet A1 and aviation fuel vapour over the track every few minutes. It is a totally crass decision when there are beautiful tracks like Brands available. It will certainly kill off the British GP once and for all. How very sad. One hundred million to refurbish it ? you'll be lucky !!

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posted Jul 7, 2008

having just been to motogp at donnington.f1 your having a giraffe.us bike types are used to being treated badly and this year was a vast improvement on previous years,but still bleak.how the 'booted and suited'will cope at donnington is anyones guess.lets just hope it pushes more bikes to silverstone.a circuit that gives a damn about the punters.

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posted Jul 7, 2008

Brands Hatch has absolutely no potential for further development, so there's no point even mentioning it in this context. They have to get permission from local residents to host the few events they still run.

From what I gather the Melbourne Loop will be made quite a bit bigger to accomodate the new paddock and bring the track up to GP length. The track is also only narrow if you compare it to Silverstone, which is very wide indeed. It could be widened a little in places, but there are some fantastic corners that could be ruined if it isn't done right. Any comparisons to Magny Cours are unfounded too, in my experience the uphill section leading up to the Starkey straight naturally creates a lot of overtaking opportunities, either on the straight itself or under braking for the Foggy Esses.

Facilities for fans were never great; a big row of portaloos and more burger vans than you could shake a stick at. However, I've never failed to enjoy a day at Donington, whatever the event. They don't need to change much though, just some permanent facilities and maybe a grandstand. It's the rolling hills of Donington that make it a great spectator's circuit.

People are making too much out of the supposed parking and access issues. They have tons of space for parking, but it's mostly fields so something will need to be done to stop them becoming a quagmire in bad weather. As for getting away from the place, it's only the last mile that's a problem. It can currently take up to an hour to get away from a busy event like the BTCC, Moto GP and then you're home and free. In my experience that's a lot better than trying to leave Silverstone, which makes the A43 one gigantic jam between the M40 and M1. With some improvements to that road (which would also benefit the airport) it'll be much easier, plus a rail link from Leicester to the airport has been in the works for a long time. It would be relatively trivial to extend it to Donington Park from there.

Once that's in place, you could literally get from St Pancras to the circuit in under two hours without any parking or traffic issues.

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posted Jul 8, 2008

How can one wee man have such a say over such a massive sport as F1.It cannot be good for sport.

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posted Jul 8, 2008

I'll believe it when it happens. There is a lot to do to bring the circuit and facilities up to the required standards in what is a relatively short timescale. Staging a F1 Grand Prix is a massive undertaking not to be underestimated, and a lot has changed since 1993 with the 'new' standards set by the recent additions in China, Bahrain etc. If they let Herman Tilke loose on the circuit who knows what might happen. he is responsible for a few memorable sections of circuit but mostly for creating vast, clinical, boring expanses of circuit that lack imagination and atmosphere. Sure the facilities are outstanding for the teams, drivers, media etc., but that's only part of the show, the racing is what really counts. Silverstone has produced some great races over the years, last weekends being a good example, and the place is packed with spectators unlike some of the overseas GP's where the stands are half empty. It's a great shame that the BRDC has provoked 'E' into taking this action, but there is a great deal of water to go under the brige yet. Finally good luck to Donington, I must say their timing is great, what with raging inflation, the very real threat of a recession and all that brings with it, I wonder whether their expectation of raising the many millions they will need from racing fans is a step too far. Anyone remember Interpublic and Octagon Motorsport!

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posted Jul 9, 2008

My real concern here is that the best MotoGP circuit in Britain will be ruined by developing a F1 type track,like Silverstone the really challenging parts of it will be smoothed out or taken away altogether.Formula One if it was to go anywhere other than Silverstone should have returned to the best race circuit in the country,namely Brands Hatch.It always produced the best races,has challenges all around the circuit and was just a great place to go.The World Superbikes there still attract around 250,000 over the weekend and have done during and since the great days of Carl Fogerty.s for Donington well its MotoGP weekends still attract bigger crowds than F1 at Silverstone,but the traffic problems there are downright awefull,folks have been regularily known to leave their cars as far as east midlands airport area and walk.This is a stupid decision and will ruin a great circuit with the usual F1 changes.I remember talking at Silverstone some while back to one of the greatest sportscar drivers who said then that the circuit was ruined,as he put it a typical mickey mouse F1 track,and it was ruining it for classic sports cars because their gearboxes and design were not built for it.Well hopefully Silverstone will return as part of its tracks the classic circuit we all love so well.If it wasn't for the income and so called prestige it carries F1 wouldn't be worth having in the first place,its become all show and poor in delivery ,oh and most of all far too expensive.

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posted Jul 13, 2008

As far as I'm concerned, 2009 will be the last British F1 GP that I'll be attending - my thanks to the increasingly odious Barmy Bernie (Barmie, hereafter) for that! I won't even bother watching.

In 1993, I was at the European GP at Donington, and I thought then, that as a circuit, it was fine for 2 wheels, but not 4. If you thought getting to Silverstone used to be bad, this was 10 times worse! Brands Hatch? I won't even comment on that!

Personally, I think that if Donington is not ready for 2010, it will be used as an excuse to get rid of a British GP and for Barmie to make even more money.

I just wish that Barmie and SMosley would leave F1 alone or leave it altogether. Between these two, F1 has become more and more of a joke - oh for the days of Senna and Mansell wheel-to-wheel!

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posted Jul 15, 2008

when people go on about silverstone being a great race track because of the great races in the past. i'm not the best with my memory but has it not been more to do with the wether rather than the track that has made the races so good
I love the donnington track ok it may not be the best, but silverstone has had chances in the past to meet Bernie's standards and it hasn't come close. granted maybe there should be government money to help but the fact of the matter is that theres none and silverstone isn't up to the stanards Bernis wants. i dont like the fact the Bernie has all the power but he got given some of it (granted he has turn his back on the ones he was ment to protecting)and took over the rest. but thats the way it is, silverstone cant do what donnington are saying they'll (i think we can all remember the plans for brands that never happen) do and thats the fact of the matter. donnington have got in bed with Bernie and silverstone has been kick out.

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posted May 9, 2009

I dont think many people seriously see Donington as a venue for the F1 GP. I believe Donington has only one use for Ecclestone and that is to have the GP fail, then to take the British GP away from us and give it to a country that will pay for it. Ecclestone has thrown his teddy out of the pram with the BRDC at Silverstone, the Brtitish government need all their money to pay for new kitchens, second homes etc for themselves so his only choice is to design a failure grand prix in order to justify not having a British GP at all.

And lets face it, Donington is a pretty dull track, has crappy facilities and traffic in and out is the worst I have seen anywhere. I am going to go if it goes ahead but I am expecting a dismal weekend, spent mostly queueing in traffic, queueing for the porta loos or the ancient toilets full of spiders and then several ours trying to get off the car parks to go home. Im not a suit and boot neither, I'm a proper F1 fan that can see the writing on the wall.

Pah! F1 GP at Donington is a joke. It just aint ready and wont be by 2010.

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posted Jul 31, 2009

After the complete debacle of last weekends Moto GP at Donington I personally won't be sorry to not be returning next year. I've been going there now since the place re-opened both as a competitor and spectator, last weekend had to be the worst ever from a fans point of view. The place has got worse year on year since Tom Wheatcroft leased it out to mr gillette and to be honest the guy has ruined the place. Manned by staff who have no idea where any part of the circuit is or how to get there when asked, facilities that are near enough victorian by now and no organisation or indeed evacuation plan for getting everyone out of the circuit smoothly and effectively. I thought I had been lucky enough to be parked about 100 yards from the exit of our field, sorry car park, it took me 2 1/2 hours just to get out so how long did it take those right at the back? 4 hours maybe more I would guess. F1 fans remember the bad old days at silverstone well they are about to make a return in 2010 and I for 1 wouldn't pay a tenth of what they'll be charging you and quite frankly you'd be better off watching it from the comfort of your armchair. Don't say you weren't warned!!!!!!!

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