Comments on: The drive to save Donington

By: alex boyle

alex boyle — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:07:23 +0000

Good idea Peter Robinson ( 1/3/10).If every motorsport enthusiast in UK donated £1 this would more than pay to restore circuit.I also agree that it is largely Ecclestones fault;he must have realised early on that that dreamer Gillett could never pull it off.Have raced Donington myself;great drivers circuit.

By: peter robinson

peter robinson — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:07:40 +0000

Why not give fans/drivers/teams a chance to buy a share(s) in the ‘restored Donnington? You then get a future discount on ticket price/track day cost/testing costs etc. Simple, effective, raises cash from the sport

By: jim reed

jim reed — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:35:49 +0000

Iread with interest it will cost £600m to put the track back at donnington, why not ask every dedicated fan like myself to donate the admission price it would have cost to watch a race at donnington, after all we would have been there if racing had been possible. just an idea how we can help.

By: Andy Reeves

Andy Reeves — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:01:12 +0000

Could not agree more with the previous comment.BE is responsible for the vandalism,and I am sure that Tom had doubts about it too.But the promise of the GP was too good to miss.
If the situation arose that a cooperative was needed then it is now.
It is in the interests of british motorsport to
reinstate the circuit.

By: DAVE HOTCHIN

DAVE HOTCHIN — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:23:24 +0000

Donington is a superb circuit for bikes, Silverstone is a F1 venue, totally unsuited to bikes. B.E. employed somebody totally inept to vandalise a going concern for whatever polical reasons Popular opinion was that the whole wacky idea was a non-starter This has left MotoGP, WSB and BSB plus club level bikes and cars minus a venue that everyone enjoyed.
I think the least Bernie can do is to finance the work required to put the circuit back to what it was.
I’m overwhelmed by the support Donington is receiving and wish everyone concerned in its revival success.

By: Lee Coombs

Lee Coombs — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:38:51 +0000

Please visit the website for all the latest, very exciting, news.

Thanks for your support.

Lee

By: Ade

Ade — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:00:54 +0000

This whole mess is Bernies fault… the least he could do is stump up a fraction of his many millions to at least set the track back to it’s original condition

By: Stephen G

Stephen G — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:42:08 +0000

I know he is a popular punchbag, but for me Bernie really is the villain of the piece when it comes to Donington. Surely a guy as smart as him never really thought the GP was going to happen there? Just look at the access for one thing, and he made them build a dual carraigeway to Silverstone. I think it was all part of his bargaining with the BRDC, and he didnt really care what happened at Donington (unless of course he is now looking to buy it up cheap !)

By: Mullarkian

Mullarkian — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:38:16 +0000

Silverstone is not the home of British motor racing. It was and always will be and airfield. Donington was used before WWII and it and any of the ‘park’ circuits provide better viewing facilities than an airfield. Brands Hatch was always the best circuit to view the GP on, at Silverstone you can watch the cars for 300 yards at the most.

By: Keith Moralee

Keith Moralee — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:57:00 +0000

When people talk of the British GP they think naturally of Silverstone. When you talk about Brands Hatch and Donington it is from the heart. Donington is very central within England and has good travel networks close by. I am sure racing will resume soon in 2010 and will throw up some great weekends. Think back to Senna in `93, Mansell in THAT BTCC Mondeo, Ron Haslam on the Norton, Rossi in recent years, and then all the classic racing that goes on. There is the fantastic Donington Collection built by Tom Wheatcroft and various other events that take place there, this is the reason so many people do not want Donington to die.

By: peter robinson

peter robinson — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:45:45 +0000

As Donnington has such significant pre-war history it is particularly important to keep it as an operating circuit. As a spectator, it is an attractive circuit because the changes in altitude provide something missing from tracks such as Silverstone and Snetterton. The nature of the landscape allows one to walk round the whole circuit and see corners from varied angles. To oldies like me it has the same appeal as the GP circuit at Brands: a road circuit a million miles away from Bernie’s sterile ersatz, Legoland/Scalectrix ideal. I hope Donnington survives.

By: David Meadus

David Meadus — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:12:13 +0000

Silverstone is the home of the British Grand Prix. Donnington could be argued is the home of the clubman racer. I found it the most enjoyable circuit to drive, much more so than Silverstone, as Donnington in a lower powered car was much more technical. It is a travesty what happened to Donnington, but thank goodness it wasn’t damaged further during the terrible farce last year.
I’m not unduly concerned, as I’m confident that the circuit will be returned to its former self. It will be great to see the different shows of support to raise awareness and funds, such as the drive being organised by Lee Coombs

By: Ed Foster

Ed Foster — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:14:54 +0000

Michael,

Both are great tracks, but Silverstone – in my eyes – is very much the home of the British Grand Prix. This certainly doesn’t mean that Donington is superfluous as it is a great track.

The more circuits we have up and running to a high standard in Britain the better as it creates some competition between them all, which in turn leads to better facilities.

Having spent much of my life up in Scotland I’m not sure I’d have had even half the amount of time on track as I have if it wasn’t for Knockhill. It’s not renowned for having the best facilities (or weather) but it’s great that it’s still running and supporting local interest!

I think the chances of Donington regaining some of its headline races in the near future are slim, but as long as it can be brought back to what it was, there’s no reason why it can’t in the more distant future. Especially if some money is spent on it. Where that will come from is anyone’s guess….!

By: Michael Spitale

Michael Spitale — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:21:15 +0000

So what I am hearing is Silverstone is bigger on a world stage, but Donington is more “British” at heart….

By: Keith Moralee

Keith Moralee — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:42:22 +0000

Donington is special because is is The Heart of British Motorsport. An ideal location and well attended as well as housing Tom Wheatcroft`s Collection which is a must for any fan! Silverstone may have the big races but Donington just has an atmosphere that is waiting to be experienced. I do not race (yet) but from a spectators point of view it is a great place to go. Added to that is the fact that in the pre war years the big guns came from Germany to do battle on the original circuit, most of which is still trace-able and the views of the surrounding countyside – well… long live Donington!!

By: CasinoSquare

CasinoSquare — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:42:55 +0000

Michael, in a personal opinion to your question, Donington was more fun to race saloons as Silverstone always felt too ‘wide’, although Silverstone is where I learnt to race open-wheelers and is a special place.

That said the most fun i ever had was in an Alfa 155 at Snetterton…

By: Young Clive

Young Clive — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:27:57 +0000

It is a great idea of Lee Coombs to organize the drive to Donnington.
A surefire way of getting at least local publicity, & maybe a National motoring magazine might take it up?
It will probably take years to get Donnington back to the National & International useage that it used to enjoy, & the person who runs it will need to be dedicated to that project & nothing else for it to succeed.
To keep mentioning Jonathan Palmer & his Team in this matter, is like calling on him to be the saviour of ALL the British Circuits, except Silverstone of course.
How about one of the F1 Teams Buy/Leasing it? If you remember McLaren were going to buy Lydden Hill, for a test track, at one time.
Think about all the problems that Silverstone had making its mind up about how to move forward after it lost the British Grand Prix, & even more mind searching when it was offered back to them.
Just a thought, are there to many Race Tracks in the UK now, could we do without Donnington? It is just a thought!!
Young Clive..

By: Michael Spitale

Michael Spitale — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:35:20 +0000

as an American I am curious… Which track is more near and dear to Brits hearts… Silverstone or Donington? and part 2… which track was the better track for racing?

By: N. Weingart

N. Weingart — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:13:37 +0000

Bravo Coombs! Brilliant idea to make a day of it. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a historic event like the Goodwood Revival at Donington? There is so much potential there I can’t see it going to seed. I thought Palmer’s organization would snatch it up, may yet.
It’s a real pity what Gillette did to Donington.