Silverstone boss praises hardy fans
Added on Monday, June 13th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor
Silverstone boss praises hardy fans
Silverstone bosses labelled were congratulating themselves on a “fantastic weekend” for the British Grand Prix, thanking those fans who turned out despite horrendous weather on Sunday.
Despite the downpour and the disappointing loss of home favourite Cal Crutchlow to injury, a crowd of just under 73,000 flocked to the Northamptonshire circuit on Sunday to see Casey Stoner’s dominant victory, an increase of just under 3,000 on the previous year.
In total, more than 157,000 fans were at Silverstone over the three days of the event, with 32,054 turning up for Friday’s practice session and 53,110 in attendance for qualifying on Saturday.
And Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, took the time to praise the fans, particularly those who braved the torrential rain.
“It’s been a fantastic weekend for Silverstone, despite the weather conditions on Sunday. Early feedback from the fans has been extremely positive and I can’t praise them highly enough. They’ve had to endure some pretty miserable weather today, but they’ve turned out in force and enjoyed a great event. Attendance figures were up on all three days, and we were particularly pleased with the increase on Friday. More fans are making the most of the three-day tickets and official camping facilities.
“MotoGP was the first bike event to inaugurate the new Silverstone Wing and we’re delighted with how it has been received. Dorna and the teams have been highly complimentary, while the riders have raved about the Grand Prix circuit again.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports SL, added: “I have been very impressed with Silverstone again. The new Wing is a fantastic facility for the teams and the circuit has put on a great event for the fans. I am always happy with Silverstone.”
Tickets for the 2012 AirAsia British Grand Prix are now on sale at ‘Early Bird’ prices. The popular three-day and roving grandstand tickets are available once again, while tickets for children aged 15 and under will be free of charge.
