London Grand Prix

[Casper]

Whenever BE opens his mouth to the press he has an ulterior motive. Note to BE. I have a better idea and it won't cost as much, run it around the Isle of Man, at least the residents are used to this sort of thing and the whole idea makes about as much sense. Come to think about it the idea really appeals to me for some perverse reason, come on Bernie and it won't cost $60 million. Do those who have responded to this thread in anything other than tongue in cheek really believe it could happen? I suggest that a reality check might be called for if you do.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Despite what others may think, I reckon it's a great idea.

Don't see much point in posting on a forum if all your going to do is tear every idea to pieces before it even gets off the ground. Go watch an oval race or something.

I'd love to see Grand Prix cars on an oval too. The cherry on the cake would have been Indianapolis... and given the CART/IRL mess at the time... Bernie should have opened his wallet and gnabbed the Indy 500 for F1... that would have been something else.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Despite what others may think, I reckon it's a great idea.

Don't see much point in posting on a forum if all your going to do is tear every idea to pieces before it even gets off the ground. Go watch an oval race or something.

I agree entirely but this was always a BE effort to deflect interest in the German court case and any suggestion that he could have been anything other than an innocent bystander. Given the fact that he was flying that kite then it deserves nothing but ridicule as he was never serious. The flag to how serious he was is him volunteering to pay for it. Snow will melt at the north pole before BE reaches into his pocket and pays for anything that smacks of event promotion as he knows that these events lose money as a standalone event. The idea may have merit like a lot of ideas but it can never be a serious consideration so it should not be treated as such by anyone.

[Yannick]

I guess all the talk in the press about a possible London GP is just a testing balloon to find out if the local community is up for it or not. They did that before with the "Rome GP".

I guess FOM might have more luck for something like this in Pescara.

[Flavio Galtieri]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Despite what others may think, I reckon it's a great idea.

Don't see much point in posting on a forum if all your going to do is tear every idea to pieces before it even gets off the ground. Go watch an oval race or something.

To be fair, I don't think the cynics like me are "tearing (the) idea to pieces".

Personally I'd love to see a city centre Grand Prix somewhere in London, I just don't think this is a serious proposal. I see this entire project as serving two objectives. Cheap and effective marketing for Santander before the British GP and diverting from Bernie's likely problems with HMRC and the German prosecutor.

Not only that but the timing couldn't possibly have been worse. This will be portrayed by some very powerful lobby groups as a bunch of tax-exiles, supported by very questionable bankers and financiers, closing the streets and parks in the capital which, thanks to the government's austerity measures, far too many UK citizens are forced to call home.

It'll never happen.

[Jim H]

Bernie and FIA every year wants to make F1 more entertaining and have more overtaking opportunities, he changes the rules in the hope it will. So where will that happen on a narrow street circuit?

I agree with 'Mekola' what's wrong with Donington or Brands? If they are not could they be improved to get them back up to F1 standard?

[johntt]

Originally Posted by Jim H

Bernie and FIA every year wants to make F1 more entertaining and have more overtaking opportunities, he changes the rules in the hope it will. So where will that happen on a narrow street circuit?

I agree with 'Mekola' what's wrong with Donington or Brands? If they are not could they be improved to get them back up to F1 standard?

Donington had a decent plan and they managed to preserve the important parts of the track, however from a marketing POV it doesn't have anything special going for it compared to a London GP.

Brands would never happen due to the urban sprawl near the top end of the GP loop, that and it would get rather badly mangled in bringing it up to F1's standards.

[Greem]

Donington almost didn't survive the F1 debacle. They've only just (a few days ago) been granted planning permission to undo the earthworks and restore the infield for spectators.

London or any other city are welcome to try to hold an F1 street race. Let's not ruin any more classic circuits just for one race a year (and even then not a guaranteed race).

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Agreed. But what F1 really needs right now is an oval race, so that we can really see what racing is all about.

Rockingham is ready when you are.

I'd love to see F1 include an oval race.

[ascarmarshal]

Originally Posted by johntt

Brands would never happen due to the urban sprawl near the top end of the GP loop, that and it would get rather badly mangled in bringing it up to F1's standards.

What urban sprawl. There are 13 cottages near Westfields and a few back gardens between Sheene and Clearways. Not excately urban spawl is it? The reason why Brands will never get a GP back is because MSV don't want it.

Bringing up to F1 standards would change the GP loop not the indy circuit. Plans were submitted and passed by SDC around 2000 to bring the circuit upto F1 standards and would have held the GP had Octagon not got its claws into Silverstone after the Labour Government called in the plans

[johntt]

Originally Posted by ascarmarshal

What urban sprawl. There are 13 cottages near Westfields and a few back gardens between Sheene and Clearways. Not excately urban spawl is it? The reason why Brands will never get a GP back is because MSV don't want it.

Bringing up to F1 standards would change the GP loop not the indy circuit. Plans were submitted and passed by SDC around 2000 to bring the circuit upto F1 standards and would have held the GP had Octagon not got its claws into Silverstone after the Labour Government called in the plans

What I meant by urban sprawl was theres houses near the track that weren't there previously.

The GP loop of Brands is what makes it great, most forms of racing have outgrown the Indy loop, the proposals for F1 in 2000 would have ruined it: http://www.gdecarli.it/Circuiti/GBR/...tch%201999.gif

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Agreed. But what F1 really needs right now is an oval race, so that we can really see what racing is all about.

Rockingham is ready when you are.

Last I heard - from a racer who visited recently - is that Rockingham is falling down due to subsidence....

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by ascarmarshal

What urban sprawl. There are 13 cottages near Westfields and a few back gardens between Sheene and Clearways. Not excately urban spawl is it? The reason why Brands will never get a GP back is because MSV don't want it.

Brands will never host the GP as long as Bernie is around. He wanted to buy Brands in 1986 but Grovewood securities snubbed him and sold the track to John Foulston. Bernie subsequently got Jean-Marie Balestre to switch the British GP to Silverstone, permanently.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by phoenix

Last I heard - from a racer who visited recently - is that Rockingham is falling down due to subsidence....

What, all of it? The track has no subsidence that I am aware of, and I've walked on most of it in the last year or so.

[ascarmarshal]

Originally Posted by johntt

What I meant by urban sprawl was theres houses near the track that weren't there previously.

The GP loop of Brands is what makes it great, most forms of racing have outgrown the Indy loop, the proposals for F1 in 2000 would have ruined it: http://www.gdecarli.it/Circuiti/GBR/...tch%201999.gif

There have been no new houses built next to the track for at least 35 years

[JohnD]

Ahem!

Thread drift is usual, but this has turned into an argument about other UK circuits suitbaility for F1. And it looks like getting nasty and trivial!

Focus, please!

John

[nicanary]

A) What's the point of an Oval Race in the F1 championship, if the cars are not designed for that style of racing? Do you really expect the teams to pay for a one-off chassis, just for one race?

B) If BCE was hoping for major exposure of the London GP pipedream in order to deflect attention from his misdemeanours (allegedly) , he's getting the result he wanted. It's in just about every paper I read, and in the motoring supplement of the Sunday Times today. That guy's a sharp cookie.

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by nicanary

A) What's the point of an Oval Race in the F1 championship, if the cars are not designed for that style of racing? Do you really expect the teams to pay for a one-off chassis, just for one race?

Would there actually be a need for a one-off chassis? Because it wasn't ever the case that a one-off chassis was necessary, even when there was a 50/50 split between ovals and road courses. Quite often, the only things to be changed were suspension and wings. They (Champcar/CART/Indycar) also manage it all on about 10% of the budget of your typical F1 team.

Originally Posted by nicanary

B) If BCE was hoping for major exposure of the London GP pipedream in order to deflect attention from his misdemeanours (allegedly) , he's getting the result he wanted. It's in just about every paper I read, and in the motoring supplement of the Sunday Times today. That guy's a sharp cookie.

Oh yeah! He's everyone friend, just at the moment.

[nicanary]

Originally Posted by Marbot

Would there actually be a need for a one-off chassis? Because it wasn't ever the case that a one-off chassis was necessary, even when there was a 50/50 split between ovals and road courses. Quite often, the only things to be changed were suspension and wings. They (Champcar/CART/Indycar) also manage it all on about 10% of the budget of your typical F1 team.

I know little or nothing about chassis design, but assumed that there would be different stresses involved with constantly turning in one direction. I have no idea if the present Indy cars have off-set suspension like the Loti 29 and 38 - I just thought that the last thing teams would want would be even more expense.

Oh yeah! He's everyone friend, just at the moment.

And dropped like a hot potato if things go sour! I suspect,however , that he's a sort of Teflon Don.

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by Greem

Donington almost didn't survive the F1 debacle. They've only just (a few days ago) been granted planning permission to undo the earthworks and restore the infield for spectators.

London or any other city are welcome to try to hold an F1 street race. Let's not ruin any more classic circuits just for one race a year (and even then not a guaranteed race).

Thats great to hear about Donington. Its a great venue and am so grateful to see it improving and "surviving".

[wolfhound]

Another article on a London GP.

Maybe Bernie really would like to see it happen as part of his legacy. If anybody has the ability to see it happen he has.

http://www.pitpass.com/46697-Bernies-London-Legacy

[JohnD]

The author, writing abaout London, says that Boris Johnson is, "the first British Politician to ride out accusations of being a philanderer." After Lloyd George, David Blunkett, Paddy (Pantsdown) Ashdown, Etc.Etc. so much so that the "wronged wife, standing by her man" is a political cliche?

If that is the quality of the knowledge and judgement of the writer, I don't think we need credit his mind reading of Ecclestone.

JOhn

[Razor]

I maybe a monitory on this but I think a street race around London sounds kinda cool. Alternating between the street race and Silverstone is shaping up to be something magical.

[Fiorentina 1]

With all the traffic nightmares at Silverstone this weekend, having the GP in London makes even more sense. I would NEVER travel to the British GP at Silverstone, Brands, or Donington; but I would for sure book a holiday in London and attend the London GP. Even on an F3 weekend the traffic getting off the M26 was a nightmare, thanks to that stupid, poorly engineered, round-about!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Fiorentina 1

With all the traffic nightmares at Silverstone this weekend, having the GP in London makes even more sense. I would NEVER travel to the British GP at Silverstone, Brands, or Donington; but I would for sure book a holiday in London and attend the London GP. Even on an F3 weekend the traffic getting off the M26 was a nightmare, thanks to that stupid, poorly engineered, round-about!

I live in London and if there is a GP here the traffic will be horrendous.