immy
veteran
Reged: 09/11/2006
Posts: 1350
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Its just been on the local news here that there wont be a MotoGp at Donington this year because the circuit will be closed down because of the lack of funding. Is this right?(Hungarian news journalists can lose it in the interpretion some somtimes) Cant find anything on the BBC site-anyone?
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chappers
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 31/12/2006
Posts: 6701
Loc: Mind your own business
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They lost it to Silverstone last year.
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Say what you think and think what you say.
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immy
veteran
Reged: 09/11/2006
Posts: 1350
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Ahhh-anyway its not MotoGp.I didnt listen properly so I just watched the TV news-what actully was said theyve "lost" MGp already and now this year it seems that "Because of the lack of funds there will be no MOTORBIKE racing this season at Donington Park as the circuit will have to close????
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1896
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Quote:
Ahhh-anyway its not MotoGp.I didnt listen properly so I just watched the TV news-what actully was said theyve "lost" MGp already and now this year it seems that "Because of the lack of funds there will be no MOTORBIKE racing this season at Donington Park as the circuit will have to close????
The big practical problem at the moment is that due to the incompetent way they designed and built that tunnel they put in for construction traffic, there is currently no run-off at Redgate. As in anybody leaving the track at Redgate proceeds immediately hits a concrete bridge parapet where there used to be a much visited gravel trap. As a result, both the ACU and the MSA have denied the circuit a safety certificate until the problem is fixed and there is no racing going on there at all at present.
Obviously, this is mind-blowing incompetence all round, since presumably if anybody with half a clue had looked at the plans before the diggers moved in, those plans would have been rejected out of hand.
Presumably this can be fixed, at vast unplanned expense. Or it could be if the lessee of the circuit had any money. But since they apparently can't afford the outstanding rent, currently have next to no income due to all racing being cancelled, and are in the process of being booted out of the place by the Wheatcrofts, it's very hard to work out when this work might be started or who would pay for it. And very hard to work out how eejits who apparently blithely dug up the circuit without clearing their construction tunnel design with anybody who has ever raced anything at Donington Park could be trusted to successfully build a garden shed, let alone a world class racing circuit.
Anyway, until this major civil engineering work is done, there won't be so much as a club race at Donny, on two wheels or four. Given that it's the end of April now, if you make some intelligent assumptions about how long the problem might take to sort out from when a civil engineer first fires up his CAD workstation, and allow sufficient time for the pending legal wrangling to unwind, I'd say we'd be lucky if Donny was back in operation as a racing circuit by this time next year, if ever. Being pessimistic, in the current economic climate it may end up as a storage park for unsold cars...
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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chappers
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 31/12/2006
Posts: 6701
Loc: Mind your own business
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From my point of view I'm not bothered about Donnington shit hole IMO, but from the point of view of Biking/racing it's a sad day.
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Say what you think and think what you say.
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FastBikerBoy
veteran
Reged: 08/11/2006
Posts: 1479
Loc: Norfolk, UK - Police State
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Much more importantly how does this affect the track day I've got booked there in June?
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FBB
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rsv_mark
enthusiast
Reged: 16/11/2006
Posts: 269
Loc: Leamington.....via Oulton Park
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Another not so subtle nuance to this picture is that there is a big punch up looming.
Donington Ventures Ltd (or whoever it is) operate the circuit and have a 150 year lease from the owners. These are the guys who are redeveloping the track....and are about to get sued by the owners as they are in breach of the lease.
The owners are about to sue for £2.5m of arrears in lease payments as they are not up to date. I understand ( but it might not be the whole truth your honour so please don't sue me) that finance has proved very difficult to source for the (ambitious) redevelopment plans so perhaps it is no surprise that they have got themselves into a bit of a funding pickle.
My prediction: This will all end in tears as now the lawyers have got hold of it, it will end up in a big bun fight. The circuit will close semi redeveloped and an acrimonious and protracted dispute will result. The only winners will be lawyers.
I blame F1 - being cynical, Eccleston wanted to take over Silverstone. When the BRDC didn't/wouldn't/couldn't play ball he spat his dummy out and turned his attention to Donington. The operators franlkly couldn't believe their luck and put wildly over ambitious plans in place all with the intention of chasing the F1 dollar.
I hope I am wrong but I wouldn't hold out too much hope for trackdays in the near future.
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Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
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feetuplad
stranger
Reged: 21/11/2006
Posts: 17
Loc: West Sussex
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Go here...
http://www.donington-park.co.uk/business-opportunities/business-news?news_id=613&archive=no
...and you'll see some of the facts aren't quite right there Ken. I know it's Donington's own website and you may be cynical of that but certainly looks like the track is affected in a different place. I was confused when I read Redgate. I couldn't imagine where a tunnel would be on the corner to cause a problem.
Looks like the issue is with the existing large tunnel entrance under (the entry to) Coppice don't you think?
Also seems that bike racing won't be affected only a handful of car events just at the mo.
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KennyP
old hand
Reged: 16/11/2006
Posts: 786
Loc: Croydon via Brussels and Glasg...
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Or try the story on our home page even....
www.superbike.co.uk/news/Donington_WSB_BSB_MotoGP_2009_all_on_dont_panic_news_281493.html
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kenny_pryde@ipcmedia.com
"There are three sides to every story. Yours. Mine. And the truth." Robert Evans.
Waste more time here http://uk.youtube.com/SuperBikeMag
or here
http://www.twitter.com/SuperBikemag/
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FastBikerBoy
veteran
Reged: 08/11/2006
Posts: 1479
Loc: Norfolk, UK - Police State
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Quote:
Or try the story on our home page even....
www.superbike.co.uk/news/Donington_WSB_BSB_MotoGP_2009_all_on_dont_panic_news_281493.html
Strange, I thought this forum was the oracle of truth. 
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FBB
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1896
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Quote:
Go here...
http://www.donington-park.co.uk/business-opportunities/business-news?news_id=613&archive=no
...and you'll see some of the facts aren't quite right there Ken. I know it's Donington's own website and you may be cynical of that but certainly looks like the track is affected in a different place. I was confused when I read Redgate. I couldn't imagine where a tunnel would be on the corner to cause a problem.
Looks like the issue is with the existing large tunnel entrance under (the entry to) Coppice don't you think?
Also seems that bike racing won't be affected only a handful of car events just at the mo.
Yes, I can't work out where you'd put a tunnel at Redgate either! Sorry, brain fade... but my understanding is that the ACU has also refused the circuit a safety certificate as well, for exactly the same reasons, so I'm not sure why you say that bikes aren't affected... it'll be good news if the solutions really are in hand, though!
Edit: Trackdays are OK because it's a well known fact that whereas a racer lowsiding his bike would be killed if he slid off the track and hit a lump of solid concrete, trackday riders will simply bounce off. Err...
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
Edited by KwH (27/04/2009 20:53)
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