Tuesday 18th February 2003

£7.5 million for UK Circuits

Octagon to tidy up their tracks with huge spending spree

---

A much needed injection of cash will be seen this year for some of the UK's circuits.

Octagon Motorsports will be spending £7.5 million on a series of construction projects at Silverstone, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Brands Hatch.

Silverstone

Silverstone will see extensive development and will receive the lion's share of the investment with £4 million being spent on replacement of the debris fencing, refurbished spectator facilities such as the toilet blocks and improvements to the public areas and signage. Safety recommendations from the FIM and FIA have dictated a new loop will be added to the Woodcote corner and a number of the marshals posts will be improved. The run off at Stowe corner will be converted from gravel to tarmac.

Brands Hatch

£1.7 million will be spent at Brands Hatch upgrading team and spectator facilities across the circuit with refurbished hospitality suites, repairs to the internal road system, new debris fencing, improved paddock services and a new toilet block. Also, following the announcement that Brands Hatch will host a European Champ Car round, there are a number of upgrades being made to the Indy circuit and realignment of the GP circuit at Dingle Dell to create larger run-off areas.

Oulton Park

Oulton Park has embarked on extensive changes totalling £1.9 million. The construction work will include a new pit complex providing much improved facilities for teams, race officials and media. In addition, work is being undertaken on the circuit to reduce speeds into the Knickerbrook chicane as part of continued safety developments.

Snetterton & Cadwell Park

Both Snetterton and Cadwell Park will benefit from a combined investment of £325,000. The circuits will have improved spectator facilities, re-surfacing of internal roads and a new access road will be completed at Snetterton to coincide with the opening of the new A11 dual carriageway.

Michael Browning, Managing Director of Octagon Motorsports UK, commented: "We have undertaken this investment in 2003 to ensure that we can provide the best possible facilities at our circuits and meet the highest possible standards in terms of safety and comfort for teams and spectators”.

[Graham]

i love the way that silverstone ( possibly the worst track in the uk for club racers) always gets lods of cash, and the real circuits like cadwell and snett get 300k between them ho hum...

[Gavin Scott]

I agree 100% - note the Snett and Cadwell money lumped together - it even sounded mean to them '£320,000 to Snett and £5,000 to Cadwell.'

[johno]

Octagon are a bunch of ....... discuss.

Its disgusting that Cadwell and Snetterton gte such a pitiful amount of money .... again ....

Both circuits rank in my top 5 in Britain for spectating for bikes and cars. The facilities at both leave a lot to be desired.

Silverstone is all about the British GP. The sooner we lose it the better.

The place is flat, featureless and they treat bike spectators like shit.

How many times do we have to stand on those god awful concrete steps in front of covered stands before they let us use them. One of the only decent places to stand is at the Luffied complex and we are all packed onto those damned steps like sardines.

They used the WSB round as a 'dumby run' for the GP last year as well, cheeky feckers !!

[zebedee]

nooooooooo, they want to slow cars down into knickerbrook at oulton park - thats such an entertaining place to watch :-(

[johno]

Problem with Knickerbrook is the run off though. This is possibly a consequence of last years massive GT crash in the wet.

I have seen several bikes through it down the road here and it is a real nasty place to get it wrong ...

[jasper gilder]

Hey guys lets not be too ungrateful. the fact that Octagon is spending any money at all is to be welcomed - but what's all this about best possible spectator comfort?

On my next trip to Silverstone I look forward to, comfortable seats, a grandstand opposite the pits with a roof for when it rains, catering which goes beyond high fat beefburgers or go hungry, a PA you can actually hear etc. Same for the other circuits - at Brands Hatch this has to include uprating the appalling catering which is usually out of stock of half the lines and manned by staff who remind me of Napoleon's army on the retreat from the gates of Moscow.

Well done Octagon for getting started, this isn't the end of the beginning, but it is a most welcome start

[seloc]

have to agree at least they are investing...

be interesting to know if the current works going on at brands for champ cars are included in this figure.. not having gravel on paddock hill doesn't seem the same

[gtdc]

Nah - I think they've got it wrong. £7.5 million is what I pay for 1 days circuit hire at Brands - or close enough!