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Silverstone 2011 - Everything Changes Again
This time last year, the question of where the home of the British Grand Prix would be, was wide open.
Donnington Park, already the home of the MOTO GP, was in heavy contest with the place that is the birth place of the Grand Prix – Silverstone.
With results that have proved to be disasterous for Donnington Park, they failed to secure the finance needed to upgrade the circuit.
The eyes of the Formula 1 world then fell upon Silverstone.
Many had believed that Donnington Park should never have been in contention to become the home of the British Grand Prix.
And many more waited with baited breath for the news that Bernie Ecclestone and the British Racing Drivers' Club had agreed on the terms that would keep Silverstone on the F1 calender.
That news did come. People cheered and the tickets sold by their thousands.
And the British Grand Prix arrived back home at Silverstone in style this past weekend.
Thousands, myself included, packed out the camping fields for the weekend.
Family entertainment was placed at Copse and Stowe, with big screen TVs coming in handy for those who also wanted to stay in touch with the final matches of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The track itself has been extended so that it is now 3.666 miles long. The new section, Arena, adds the 0.472 miles to the changed track, but this isn't the end to the track changes.
A new International Pits Straight is currently under construction. The skeleton of the new building is standing proud for all to see, on the straight right between Club and Abbey.
The new complex will be able to hold over 40 F1 transport vehicles, and will also have new garages for the teams, media centre, race control building, a new hospitality and VIP spectator zones and a primary paddock area.
And for the fans, especially the campers amongst us, Bernie Ecclestone and the British Racing Drivers' Club haven't forgotten about us.
Stowe is to be developed and will house a new building that will be a new clubhouse, as well as there being permanent shower units for men and women. This should appeal more to some of the 72,000 men who were camping at Silverstone this past weekend and had to cue for an age just to get a shower.
Obviously the British Racing Drivers' Club are looking at Silverstone and its future role as a self-sustaining business, which is already being proven after securing the MOTO GP.
We've seen the changes start this year thanks to the security of the British Grand Prix remaining at Silverstone for the next 17 years– and to see them completed and fully functioning next year is something I can't wait to see.
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