Is Silverstone up the the challenge?
Added on Friday, July 31st, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Is Silverstone up the the challenge?
Well, the curtain finally fell on Donington Park’s MotoGP stage last week, leaving Silverstone with a tough act to follow.
Andrea Dovizioso’s shock win in the British Grand Prix typified the drama and the excitement that we have come to expect from Donington over the past 22 years in a race packed full of incident and intrigue.
Whether it’s the sight of 10 riders all falling victim to the weather in the carnage of 2005, Kevin Schwantz’s last lap move on Wayne Rainey in 1991 or “three in a row” efforts from Schwantz, Doohan and Rossi, Donington has raised the bar high.
OK, not in terms of chemical toilets, car parking, traffic management and general organisation – everybody has a Donington Park horror story on that front, but as far as racing is concerned, there’s plenty for Silverstone to live up to.
Which is perhaps why, as soon as the chequered flag waved Dovizioso across the line, the Silverstone press office were explaining how they would be promising “better experience” all round for MotoGP fans and one that wouldn’t break the bank.
The guys in the marketing office at Silverstone knew that the decision by Dorna to effectively trade places with Formula One and move to Northamptonshire wasn’t a popular one. The idea of MotoGP ditching the drama of the Craner curves for the flats of a former WWII RAF base was not one that bike fans were keen to take to.
As a result Silverstone has promised a £5m investment the circuit which will put the focus very much on bringing the spectators as close to the action as possible and allowing the likes or Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner to ride as fast as possible. The idea of speed is certainly what Silverstone appears to be pushing as its main selling point with circuit modifications making, according to simulations, it the fastest circuit on the calendar next year. Whether it’s out and out speed that people want is the question. I enjoy seeing riders negotiate a tricky set of twists and turns as much as I enjoy them shooting past at 200mph and upwards.
The new “Arena” section, which will see a brand new straight from Abbey head infield before creating a tight hairpin to the National Circuit straight, will also incorporate new grandstands and re-landscaped viewing areas for those with ground tickets, allowing them an all-round better view of the action.
To encourage fans, tickets are also being priced down. A Sunday ticket can be had for £44 in advance with on-the-day tickets at £55 compared to the £60 it cost to get into Donington last week. Friday practice tickets can be had for £12.
It hasn’t got off to the perfect start however. In what seems to be a massive oversight by Dorna, the British Grand Prix in 2010 will clash with Isle of Man TT, providing a massive headache for fans and event organisers alike.
Whether Silverstone will cut it as a flagship MotoGP venue remains to be seen but it would be unfair to start bemoaning the prospect of dull, processional racing on a lifeless circuit at a time when we’re seeing some absolutely superb racing. The rivalries between Stoner, Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and the rest will happily transfer the 65 miles down the M1 and A43. Yes, Silverstone won’t have the glamour of Laguna Seca, the colour of Barcelona or the atmosphere of Mugello but then again, I can’t remember seeing many sweeping valleys and rolling hills in Assen or Losail – two of the calendar’s stand-out circuits.
So let’s head to Silverstone with an open mind shall we? MotoGP is alive and well despite the economic climate and Silverstone is more than capable of playing host to some superb racing.
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