Donington to get go ahead for British GP

Eurosport - Tue, 06 Jan 10:31:00 2009

Planning permission to enable Donington Park to press ahead with its £100 million re-development to host the British Grand Prix from next year is "in the bag", according to circuit CEO Simon Gillett.

2008 British GP Donington - 0

Gillett's comments come after a report reasoned that the economic benefits of Formula One coming to the region would outweigh any negative noise disruption.

The Leicestershire venue - previously the scene of the European Grand Prix back in 1993 - was awarded a ten-year contract to welcome Britain's blue riband motorsport event as of 2010, taking over from its traditional home of Silverstone.

There have since been numerous concerns expressed about Donington's lack of current infrastructure to cope with the high demands of F1, poor access and insufficient time to produce the necessary improvements and modifications to host such a large-profile meeting.

However, an environmental study conducted by track bosses has revealed that whilst there will be more traffic and noise levels will increase in some neighbouring communities by 0.2 decibels due to the re-alignment of the track, financial spin-offs will more than compensate for any such inconveniences.

"The development offers substantial economic opportunities," Mark Alflat, director of community services at South Derbyshire District Council told the Derby Evening Telegraph. "The grand prix has the potential to attract both visitor spend and inward investment.

"New facilities, along with associated developments, will create substantial construction employment opportunities. This would bring new investment and highly-skilled employment opportunities to the area.

"Track revisions will generally be positive, or give rise to only very minor changes. However, there are a small number of areas which could experience notable changes in noise levels."

North West Leicestershire District Council is due to make a final decision on planning permission on Thursday (January 8), after hearing recommendations from South Derbyshire District Council's environmental committee.

"We are confident we have the planning in the bag," Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd chief executive Gillett assured.

Should the plans indeed receive final approval, the first phase - due for completion in time for the grand prix - would take in a circuit extension and new pit and paddock complex, as well as a new media centre, medical centre and clubhouse. Phase two, to be completed later, would include the construction of a new main grandstand.

Crash.net / Eurosport

Comment 18 - 37 of 37

Sort comments by: Most recent
  1. i must admit after reading some of these posts Touron­ does have a point.
    Why did glok slow down so much in­ the last lap..
    Why was glok driving on the wet side of­ the track in the last few remaining bends allowing­ hamilton to take the inside DRY line to victory.­
    HHHmmmmmm.....seems a little suspicious to me...Can­ anyone enlighten me as to why Glok was on wet side of­ track in last few bends, considering he had slicks on­ and all
    Whats it all about..
    Why cant this question­ be answered especially by mclaren fans and especially­ by Doughnut Ray $%^&...
    Why has the evidence­ ie..the last lap of the brazilian GB especially the­ last few corners been removed from You Tube..
    Why do­ Mclaren fans keep running away from this question and­ the Truth..
    people keep saying wait till jeremey­ clarkson show..all will be revealed...
    i mean­ considering glok was on slick tyres why was he driving­ right in the wet line of the track on the last few­ corners..everyone keeps saying they are surprised he­ finished at all considering the conditions...Various­ posts state it was like an ice rink...
    So why was Glok­ driving in the WET on SLICKS on the WET LINE NOT/ THE­ DRY LINE on the last few bends....please tell im­ waiting and have been all Day and probably will be for­ a long time yet.­
    SHUYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY­
    77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777­
    TIMESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS­
    WORLDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­
    CHAMPIONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
    LOVE­ ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT­
    RAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
    THIS­ RECORD WILL NEVER BE MATCHED!!!!!!!!!!!
    ps...for the­ record any driver who won the title this year was going­ to inherit a phoney crown After the season weve­ had,,,HOLD YOUR HEADS IN SHAME MCLAREN FOR 2009

    From Farmer of Sheep, on Tue 6 Jan 11:12PM
  2. I'm going to go against the grain and say Donington­ will be ready, it will be up to standard and it will be­ a success. Personally, after years of Silverstone,­ I'd like to see a change of venue for the Brit GP.­ Nothing against Silverstone, I'd just like to sse­ the drivers tackling something different.

    From Graham P, on Tue 6 Jan 11:01PM
  3. HE LOST ALL RESPECT FROM THE DRIVERS
    Then hes team­ mclaren cheat in stealing top f1 secrets in what was­ the biggest spy scandal in f1 history!!
    They should of­ been banned for long Time but continued and so did mr­ hamiltons son continue bashing other drivers out of way­ in hes strive for the ultimate prize the F1 TITLE..­
    Soon came end of season and with all the bashing and­ stealing secrets from mclaren mr hamiltons son had­ blown it all again..OH NO HES FATHER CRY,,
    OOHHH but­ wait a min ,, suddenly out of nowhere from over the­ horizon,
    NO SURELY IT CAN NOT BE!!! YES ITS HIM DADDY­ ITS HIM DADDY!! cried baby hamilton

    YES YES ITS­ FATHER GLOCK DADDY ITS FATHER GLOCK and the little boys­ dream came true...out of nowhare like an ALIEN arriving­ from Mars,,,faher glock had deliverd the ultimate prize­ to Mr hamiltons son....but the cost was so severve it­ ended forever F1 as we no it.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR CHEATIN­ MCLAREN ... LOVE FATHER GLOCK...CHEAT HAMILTON SON­ CHEAT

    From Graham P, on Tue 6 Jan 11:01PM
  4. eloo f1 fools
    mr hamiltons son say he stay with­ mclaren men for life. that nice for him but what do­ mclaren men say? you see mclaren is now german owned.­ the parent company is the mercedes benz which is the­ german. the engine is the german engine. everything­ about the team is the german. mr hamiltons son now the­ swiss gentleman he eat much cheese and sings in the­ morning at mountains. mr hamiltons father is also now­ the swiss man. in fact there nothing british about this­ team at all. even the man who tidy up the garage after­ the race has moved to switzerland with his mother.­ switzerland is owned by the german. my friends the­ whole team is GERMAN - and guess what - so is mr glock.­ now you see why the time stand still for mr glock on­ the last lap. like he in the time warp. not even the­ people abducted by the alien lose the amount of time he­ lost on that last lap. IT IS A DISGRACE!!! ANOTHER­ CHEATIN YEAR IN 2009 FROUM MCLAREN AND CHEATIN BASHIN­ MR HAMILTONS SON MCLAREN VOTED WORLDS BIGGEST CHEATERS

    From Graham P, on Tue 6 Jan 8:52PM
  5. marnio my little hoe... FOR ALL THAT IS HONEST CHEATING­ FERRARI SHOULD LEVE F1 AND BOW THIER HEAD IN SHAME FOR­ ALL THAT IS HOLY THESE OVERPAID CHEATERS SHOULD­ LEAVE....DEMANDING EXTRA MONEY!!!1111!1!1111ONETWOTHREE

    From jimbolina25, on Tue 6 Jan 4:49PM
  6. I personally prefer Silverstone but corrupted Bernie­ want it to go to Donnington. F1 officials never­ consider the fans, anyway. Most sports, consider­ their fans as the most important element. Major,­ international companies are interested in us the fans­ to sell their produce to without us watching or­ attending F1 racing F1 is nothing Bernie and Max­ don't realise this. Bernie and Max thinks they are­ Gods!!!

    From Hell Y, on Tue 6 Jan 3:42PM
  7. quite simply....i will believe it when i see it.

    From carl_the_plasterer, on Tue 6 Jan 1:39PM
  8. Terry, i dont understand your point, if donnington­ takes 89000 spectators at a moto gp and 80000 are on­ bikes as you say that means 9000 in cars to be shipped­ in buy bus, Great idea but most F1 fans drive cars not­ ride bikes !
    Donnington will be like silverstone was­ 10 years ago no access roads and a bloody nightmare to­ get out of, since the new road was put in i can get­ home to w.sussex in 3 hrs thats door to door and thats­ staying to the end of the race and thats in a van,­ sorry but its going to take that long to get on a bus­ and then out of the park and ride car park at­ donnington !
    I love bikes and cars, the bikes and­ donnington are perfect, the cars silverstone, brands,­ anywhere that has the road links to get people in and­ out quickly, not just dependent on your mode of­ transport !

    From PHA TTY, on Tue 6 Jan 12:46PM
  9. Who is getting the back-handers from putting it at­ Donnington? George

    From yokel, on Tue 6 Jan 12:09PM
  10. "Donnington attracts over 89,000 fans to the­ Motogp race each year. F1 at Silverstone pushes only a­ little more. So, the roads can cope easily with the­ demands that F1 will bring."

    80,000 bikers­ traveling three abreast on the lanes to Donnington take­ up a lot less room than 80,000 in cars.
    It has been­ published that there will be no car parking at the­ circuit, access only by coach, on a park and ride basis­ from Derby Leicester & Nottingham.

    From Terry, on Tue 6 Jan 10:56AM
  11. joe b, i think the term you get what you pay for­ springs to mind ! why do you think that you only got­ tickets low down in the grandstand which had an­ obscured view shortly before the event ? for exactly­ that reason, turn up late and you see nowt ! the same­ in all sports, be a real fan get there early do your­ homework and get your pitch, ive done silverstone for­ 10 yrs plus now on the standard general admission­ ticket and have had a great time and seen all the­ action ! and as for not being able to hear the­ commentary ! what planet do you live on, its a motor­ sport event it wasnt ever going to be quiet, the­ speakers would have to be louder than the cars for you­ to hear !!!!!!! buy a radio and some ear phones.

    From PHA TTY, on Tue 6 Jan 9:39AM
  12. Personally, Donnington attracts over 89,000 fans to the­ Motogp race each year. F1 at Silverstone pushes only a­ little more. So, the roads can cope easily with the­ demands that F1 will bring. But, I stress this, the­ track is an amazing track to ride, fast and flowing­ with lots of difficult cambers and braking areas. If­ the track revision to suit F1 take place, it will be­ like so many of the new tracks being built, lifeless,­ boring and dull, with few real challenges to the riders­ or drivers on the world scene.

    From EGK, on Tue 6 Jan 6:09AM
  13. MARI0N - 7th! I went round in a vauxhall vectra (yes­ it was a touring car but still!) and only used 4th on a­ few occasions!!!

    Donny will not work for F1 in its­ current standard.

    From mailric, on Mon 5 Jan 10:12PM
  14. To be honest I hope Donnington does take away the race­ from Silverstone. I went to Silverstone 3 years ago for­ the first and last time. I was in the center stand on­ turn 1 as you looked toward the grid the angle turned­ the wire mesh fencing into something more solid and­ seeing the grid was impossible without standing (and­ you don't want to be standing when there are rows­ of seated people behind you) So from where i was sat i­ could see around 200 yards or so to my left I could see­ the exit of the pitlane and around 200 yards of track­ going into the distance. So basicly not much at all.­ There was a lorry (truck for USA) on the far side of­ the pit exit that was so far away from the stands that­ it resembled a matchbox car. Also the antiquated­ speaker system was an absolute joke you could not­ understand a word that was spoken. Apart from 1st and­ 2nd position i could not really tell who was where. For­ a 3 day stand ticket that i had to buy as a friend and­ I had left it too late to just get raceday ticket was­ £185 and a complete waste of money I would never return­ to Silverstone even if I were given tickets. The whole­ thing from places to get food to toilets and viewing­ left a very sour taste in my mouth. I was totaly­ cheesed off with what i thought would be one of the­ best events I had ever seen. For once Bernie is right­ Silverstone should loose the British GP and i sincerly­ hope they do its one complete ----Hole

    From joe b, on Mon 5 Jan 9:58PM
  15. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    May I ask what is proposed on the Donnington Circuit to­ make it 'fit for purpose' for F1 cars?­ Silverstone already was well up to standard (Bridge­ corner is still a bit unsafe), but I cannot see­ Donnington as a high speed F1 circuit. Will the cars­ use 7th gear there?

    From , on Mon 5 Jan 9:29PM
  16. aormk18200 - i've been going since then and the­ only changes I can think of are bigger hills to stand­ on to watch the action! Progress??

    From mailric, on Mon 5 Jan 8:32PM
  17. last time i was at donnington was when the time that­ norton were racing the rotary engine in the gorgeous­ black and gold paint work in 1991 i think it was­ and i recall then the traffic was a pain in arse and­ took ages to clear the track and surrounding area even­ on a bike, wonder if they have learnt any leassons from­ thet ?

    From piers, on Mon 5 Jan 8:29PM
  18. I've had the pleasure to spectate and drive round­ both circuits and in my opinion, Donnington is not fit­ for purpose. I hope these guys can make 100m stretch­ further than the government can as its going to need­ lots of changes to make it F1 standard.

    From mailric, on Mon 5 Jan 8:27PM
  19. Where is the money going to come from? In the current­ financial climate, I think the redevelopement of­ Donington is absolutely mad! It will take years to­ recoup the outlay, by which time Bernie will have­ scrapped the BGP. Let common sense prevail.....keep it­ at Silverstone.

    From chris, on Mon 5 Jan 8:21PM
  20. Donnington is a great circuit for touring cars and­ motor cycle racing. Unlike Silverstone you can see most­ of the circuit from several places. But it has poor­ infrastructure and poor facilities. It would take a­ massive investment to meet the standards of­ Silverstone. Oh and before the idiots start I have been­ to Donnington twice and Silverstone several times in­ 2008. Surprisingly the best circuit for spectators is­ Rockingham as the stands are massive and you can see­ the whole circuit including the pits which is good for­ GT and touring car fans.
    My worry is that Donnington­ will be a failure and then signal the end of F1­ circuits in the UK.

    From TYGERZI, on Mon 5 Jan 7:45PM
Sort comments by: Most recent

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account