MotoGP Blog

Your Indy quick guide is up and ready for you. This is a special edition, including some imaginitive use of the Google maps line drawing facility to simulate the new section of the course created just for MotoGP. Get ready for shock and awe at my artistic skill.

Keith at the excellent f1fanatic blog has details of the track changes to be made to Donington for the 2010 British F1 GP, having dug out the local planning application (PDF format) in a cracking bit of detective work.

As originally promised by Simon Gillet, the circuit does not change between Redgate and McLeans, so the iconic Craner Curves remains intact. However, the straight between McLeans and Coppice is slightly extended to bring the track around in front of the new and much-needed paddock area and start/finish straight, now close to where the Dunlop Bridge currently sits.

The Esses are gone, but sadly the daft Melbourne Hairpin remains and now leads down to a re-modelled Melbourne Loop (T1 on the map). After the hairpin follows and entirely new section of infield-loop, a long left-hander (T2) followed by another left-hand hairpin (T3), before the track then curves right and catches another sharp right-hander (T4) which effectively replaced Goddards. The track then feeds back to the Redgate/Craner complex.

There are three possible circuit variations:
A “short circuit” option, where the hairpin and new infield loop is missed out, which would be close to the original track layout before the Melbourne Loop was added to extend the track to a length suitable for Grands Prix.

A “west loop” consisting of Redgate, Craner and a curve back up the hill to the revised Goddards.

An “east loop” consisting of Starkeys to McLeans, the new start/finish straight and the Melbourne Loop.

The plans are no real surprise - an infield loop was inevitable given the restricted area available to the planners. It is however a pity that the hairpin has been retained - never my favourite part of the track. It is not at this point clear if the Redgate -> McLeans section will be widened for F1, but the width proposition for the new sections of track is 15m wide, implying the track that survives may be widened, which will change it’s nature. The new infield section may provide overtaking opportunities for bikes (not very likely for wide F1 cars) on the run in to the sharp left (marked T3 on the map) but it is not clear if anyone but TV cameras will see it as the spectator provision is not shown.

New paddock and support buildings are on the plan, which are much needed. However, spectator facilities appear to continue to be limited to temporary scaffold structures (marked as “hard standing/scaffold areas” on the plan).

Aside from the revised track and whether this will produce good racing, there are two other serious issues to consider:

Cash
The funding of these changes - no announcement has yet been made around the possible debenture scheme, although this is unlikely to happen until the planning application is approved. 2010 is not far away, and to avoid disruption of the calendars of MotoGP and F1, the cash must be in place soon to allow work to start in time.

Traffic
Little in the way of planning about traffic management and parking is evident in the plan, with some poorly conceived ideas about sharing parking facilities with the nearby East Midlands Airport being bandied about in the local press. Access to the circuit is still down a single country lane, and queuing to get in and out of the ground on a MotoGP Saturday and Sunday is a long, frustrating process. Bringing F1 to the circuit will not make this any better - F1 queues will if anything, be longer.

There is a lot of work to do before 2010 Mr Gillet. Four months of consultation on the plans has now been started before the local council planning committee makes a decision.

You can find your Misano crib sheet here. Last year we had extra-ordinary storms and Stoner, will this year be the same?

I’m giving Brno some track time over in the reference section. Get your quick guide right now.

It will be possible to buy your Brno tickets in the form of a barcoded text message sent to your mobile phone, and the Brno round will be the first motorsports event to use this form of ticketing. The service is offered by Mobiqua, a company based here in Scotland.

Sounds simple, if you have a compatible phone. Buy online, enter your phone number, proceed to track with phone. Entry to MotoGP has been by means of bar-coded tickets for a couple of years now, and this is the next step. No tickets to forget…you just better not clear down your phone’s message memory and delete your ticket in the process! For more details, download the pdf: motogp-mobile-ticketing

As this is an initiative by Brno Circuit, not Dorna, it may be a while before this spreads to other venues. However, Superbike crowds will also get the benefit this year for the WSB round at Brno.

Announced this weekend at Silverstone by the FIA (a joint announcement by Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley), the British Grand Prix will take place at Donington Park from 2010, and for the next 10 years.

The quality of Donington’s facilities are currently simply not up to scratch, and the announcement of the £100M Sterling improvements to be made to the track and infrastructure will be much needed. Detailed plans are yet to be announced but will likely include:

• no changes from Redgate through to Macleans, safeguarding Craner Curves.
• a revised layout from Macleans to Goddards for F1, extending the length of the lap as required by the FIA.
• installation of permanent grandstand structures around the circuit.
• changes to the run-off areas. Currently gravel, these are likely to be reviewed and may be fully or partially replaced with sections of tarmac to be more F1 friendly.
• improvements to the paddock and pits, which are much needed. This will most likely include the obligatory conference facilities.

Most of these changes will be beneficial for the MotoGP race - everyone would like better facilities, especially the teams working hard in the pits. What will be a shame to lose will be the current ability for fans to get so close to the racing. Through the Esses especially, the bikes are no more than 10 metres from the crowd and the bikes can be felt as well as heard and seen. Run-off changes will probably move specators back from the track - indeed the Esses may no longer exist in two years time.

Initial speculation as to how these changes were to be funded has included Bernie Ecclestone in the role of sugar-daddy to Donington, but this appears not to be the case. In an interview shown in the ITV coverage of the British F1 race today, Simon Gillett stated that there was no huge single investor, but that the changes would be financed by a debenture scheme. In other words, the fans will be able to buy debentures and will probably in return receive privileges, such as tickets to events or special access to facilities.

Gillett also stated that the changes to the track for F1 would also include another Craner-like section in the revised in-field layout. It’s all very interesting, if F1 does indeed come to Donington in 2010. If it does, will the MotoGP race move to Silverstone?