Standing on the balcony of the recently constructed Hilton hotel overlooking the Wing pit complex, as a bike trackday thunders beneath us, brings into focus just how impressive a facility Silverstone has become.
Compared to the first time this writer attended the Northamptonshire venue in 2012, just two years after the wing was constructed, Silverstone has really grown into an impressive complex – complete with hotel, megastore, museum and technology park surrounding the circuit grounds, including Aston Martin’s state of the art new factory.
This year marks the first since 2012 that MotoGP will utilise the wing complex pit and paddock building. Ostensibly space was cited as the reason for using the old National pit and paddock area from 2013 to last year, where the media could enjoy not hearing themselves think in the freezing ‘press centre’ marquee, or enjoy not hearing themselves think in the boiling Woodcote building.
But, as Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle tells an assembled UK bike racing media, that was definitely a cost issue – one Dorna Sports has been happy to help alleviate to allow its championship to use a world class facility. After all, the Wing complex and revised Abbey/Farm/Village/The Loop section of track was constructed with the aim of bringing top flight motorcycle racing back to Silverstone in 2010.
It did so successfully, returning MotoGP to Silverstone for the first time since 1985 having been moved aside in favour of Donington Park from 1986 to 2009.
Fans of a certain ilk fawn over Donington and are all too happy to tell you why it’s far superior to Silverstone. There’s nothing particularly exciting about Milton Keynes or Northampton, but at least they’re not Derby! Joking aside, Silverstone has long borne the brunt of complaints from fans that views at the track aren’t as good as Donington and the overall atmosphere pales in comparison.
Copying a model that it has implemented successfully to its F1 offering (which in 2023 saw half a million fans across the weekend turn up) Silverstone is trying to make the MotoGP British GP more of a festival than a sporting event. Key to this is musical acts playing across the weekend: Chase and Status, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight.
Source: Autosport