Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[HS93 (RIP)]

The British Grand Prix will leave Silverstone and move to Donington Park from 2010, so there may be some decent facileties at last for the punters. and not just for the BRDC . so maybe  ill start to go again,

Hs93

[alan colson]

You may or may not remember that a good few years ago they ran the British GP at Silverstone and the European GP at Donnington. Did anyone go to both, could anyone afford to go to both and if so which had the better facilities then?
Alan

[Martin (Admin)]

I've been to Donnington, getting a million cars in and out of there is going fun!
I don't know anything about racing tracks, but the Donny circuit seemed quite small......

http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Donington_Park
http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Silverstone

[toesupwa]

You may or may not remember that a good few years ago they ran the British GP at Silverstone and the European GP at Donnington. Did anyone go to both, could anyone afford to go to both and if so which had the better facilities then?
Alan

I went to both that year...

To me, i think Donnington is the better track. Not only from the view for the spectators, but more challenging for the drivers. If i remember rightly, i would say the facilities for the spectators are better at Donnington, though i think the track itself (Garages etc) need a LOT of work to come up to standard to be a true F1 venue equal to places like Malaysia and other 'new' venue's.

[nhp651]

Who is behind this move of venue for the Gp.
If it's the dwarf, why doesn't he put his absolute fortune where his mouth is and have a new purpose built flagship course built in the heartland of the country for all to use and view.
After all he's made enough out of thew sport.

[Alastair_I]

From what I remember of watching the European GP at Donnington on the telly, the circuit was much more interesting and the organisers had invested massive amounts in circuit safety with gravel traps that stopped cars dead long before the barriers.  I've been amazed that it's taken this long for the UK GP to switch (after it became apparent that the European GP was firmly fixed as the German GP 2.0 and not intending on rotating circuits every year) although I was hoping that it might rotate between Silverstone and Donnington on alternate years to add a bit of variety.  Having watched the Clio Cup at the circuit several years ago the facilities and access seemed excellent.

From a purely TV spectator viewpoint I wish they would bring back some of the older circuits once in a while, eg Mexico (a bit of altitude for the engines to work with) and Kyalami (driving round the circuit the "wrong" way).  A bit of variety in the circuits from year-to-year might keep up the interest and distract the tv viewer from the poison dwarf and dungeon master show.  At least until the manufacturers get the gumption to all breakaway together.

[alan colson]

nph651
According to this evenings news, YES it was the dwarf, that bloke is a pain in the armpit.
Alan

[HS93 (RIP)]

Donington Park has a lot of problems the slippery track is one that will keep comming back . they have just spent a fortune on the surface before the bikes used it recently and it was just as bad. they are going to extend it again ,and the amount of run off areas that will have to be built will change it anyway. I went to the last two held at Brands Hatch that was a nice place to watch from you could see a lot from the stands by the first corner, I went to Silverston for a year or two after and it never seemed as good to spectator from, the reason silverstone lost it was because the facileties where really bad, the row with Berni was that they had a loan from him at one time to sort it and they spent it on a BRDC stand and not the pits, or the general spectators, when you have to queue for 40 min to use a toilet and then you wonder where they put the cattle for the day and it's just cost £145 for a ticket I don't blame him even Damon Hill was not defending the fact that they have not done the work as the club are in a power struggle

at least it will stay hear for a few more years

Hs93

[hopeitfloats]

please excuse my ignorance but which part of england is donnington park. i have heard of it but thats my limit of knowledge.  are there plenty of passing opportunities on the circuit or are we going to be stuck with another processional race where they finish in the order they start.

[DickyD]

Donington Park
Castle Donington, Derby, Leicestershire, DE74

Google Earth    52° 49′ 50″ N, 1° 22′ 31″ W

[RickF]

More years ago than I care to remember, I used to attend Silverstone for Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) race meeting. Then the big money started to flow in, hospitality suites replaced the open-top pit garages and ripping-off the paying public became the norm. I stopped going.

At about the same time (1977), Tom Wheatcroft reopened Donnington Park and VSCC meetings began to be held there.

Now, it seems, having raped Silverstone and dropped it, the Poison Dwarf wants to do the same to Donnington. Goodbye  friendly circuit with grassy banks and open paddock. Hello hospitality suites blocking all the good vantage points and rip-off grandstands and catering. Goodbye Donny!

Oh well, there's always Mallory Park - no chance of that ever hosting F1!

Rick

[Robert Davies]

All the powers that be like to arrive at the F1 circuits by helicopter, something that will be point blank impossible at Donnington - it's under the the approach for East Midlands airport.

Donnington's management used to be appallingly idiotic.... eg If you wanted to buy a paddock pass, the only place you could buy it was.... in the paddock.

The road network in and out of Donnington is laughable. I didn't queue at Silverstone this year AT ALL.

This was just the first roll of the dice from Bernie.

-Rob