Editorial, September 2003

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

If Silverstone loses the British Grand Prix, it will be a huge blow to the venue. But we are unlikely to lose the circuit itself.

The same cannot be said for other British tracks: Snetterton, Oulton Park, Cadwell Park and Brands Hatch are all up for grabs. There are monied enthusiasts in the running, of course, but do they possess the financial clout of a supermarket chain or a mainstream builder?

Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who don’t like motorsport and wouldn’t miss a wink of sleep if racing in this country stopped for good. They are perfectly entitled to their opinion, of course. But so are we. And we have tended to be more proactive, which is why motorsport has flourished in this country despite the naysayers. We must not, however, let our guard down, for 99 years of history can be stopped with the stroke of a pen.

That is the threat our oldest motorsport venue is currently faced with. Shelsley Walsh’s lease is up for renewal in March, and the next 99 years will cost the Midland Automobile Club £1.5 million. MAC is a famously go-ahead organisation with a proud history. But it is famous for organising competitive car events, not for dealing with hard-nosed land agents who — shock, horror — couldn’t give a fig about motorsport.

In MAC’s corner, however, is businessman David Grace, the five-time British hillclimb champion who made a good fist of running Rockingham before falling victim to internal politics. He rightly talks positively about Shelsley’s future. And there is a lot (potentially) to be positive about. The new lease will free up the venue to be used for corporate days, something which the old one did not. It also demands that its buildings — the crumbling but impressive courthouse and the (can soon be) working watermill — be repaired. These could provide a museum, a conference centre, an educational facility, could free up the site for all-year use and generate revenue in a rural area — all things that ring Parliament’s bell when it comes to handing out grants. But governmental cogs turn slowly, and for the above to happen, people — MAC members in particular — are going to have to put hands in pockets, not sit on them.

More than £200,000 has been raised in the first six weeks of the programme, but there is still a long way to go. What’s more, there are only two more competitive weekends left this season for prospective donors to fall in love again with this atmospheric venue — to be touched by its ghosts, if you will. True, it will take more than rattling buckets to make up the shortfall, but we need to be seen to be helping ourselves before we can expect outside agencies to step in. So visit www.shelsleytrust.co.uk and make a donation. Or you could sponsor a square yard of the hill — to you, £125 (see p4).