Silverstone takes MotoGP from Donington

Silverstone will host Britain’s round of the MotoGP World Championship from 2010, taking over from Donington Park which has been MotoGP’s UK home for 22 years. Silverstone’s five-year deal completes a circuit swap between bike racing’s premier series and Formula 1, which next year makes the opposite journey from Silverstone to Donington.

Britain’s top MotoGP rider and former World Superbike champion James Toseland has given the news a cautious welcome. “I enjoy both tracks, though Donington is more of a motorcycle circuit,” said Toseland, who has won world-class races at both venues. “The Silverstone layout is fast and flowing, so it can generate close racing, but they need to sort out a couple of corners and give spectators better viewing areas.”

Silverstone was the first mainland home for the British motorcycle GP, taking over from the deadly Isle of Man TT circuit in 1976. The venue hosted the race for 11 years before Donington won the contract for 1987. Silverstone is undertaking a series of upgrades to make the circuit “more bike- and fan-friendly”. Mat Oxley