The circus is in town again. The multi-coloured, multi-million pound caravans are back at the former wartime bomber base that is Silverstone for the running of the British Grand Prix weekend. Tens of thousands of fans are also descending on the campsites surrounding the circuit, or are planning their journeys in, to whichever of the three days making up the meeting that they’ll be attending.
The Grand Prix weekend is a truly magical event for genuine motorsport fans. It is sporting tribalism, family entertainment, raw emotion and social lifestyle all rolled into one and I love it. I know of whole families who make the race weekend the focus of their annual summer holiday, pitching up in good time to establish themselves and their temporary homes from home, barbeques and bikes. They’ll have their work cut out to manage it this year though, with timings around the end of term for schools being as they are. There’s plenty to see off the circuit with the arrival of the new UTC building alongside the track, entertainment facilities, a dedicated radio and television service onsite and staged entertainment throughout the weekend. And, of course, there are limitless opportunities to buy team memorabilia. For three days, Silverstone circuit will again become a small town in its own right.
INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT
The Grand Prix is, perhaps, the biggest, noisiest, highest profile example of budgetary excess in sport that the country sees – but the industry behind it is massively important too, from our local economy and employment, to the nation’s balance of payments, tourism and much more besides. It also reinforces the understanding that Britain is a major player when it comes to technical innovation, with plenty of that roaring out of this county.
My father was a mechanical engineer in the armed forces who loved his motor racing. One of my earliest recollections is, as a small boy, being sat in a Formula One car from the Jim Clarke era. It was cramped, smelt of oil and petrol and I hated the level of noise that it and its gridmates generated. But something must have stirred in me because since that moment I’ve grown to love motorsport myself. Although I’ve never camped at Silverstone (home being sufficiently close by negates it), in my teenage years I frequently drove to the circuit with friends at 3am to claim my viewing position as one of the first into the place. I’ve made the annual pilgrimage to the GP on over thirty separate occasions - and it never ceases to impress. As the cars of F1 have developed, so too have the developments on the Silverstone estate via the track and most prominently, in the recent arrival of the fortress-like Wing building.
SIDESHOW IS NOT FOR FANS
We have all, of course, also seen the moneyed and the famous, flitting into their hospitality-cloistered surroundings by helicopter, ready to totter around in front of the cameras before being flown away again to the next item on their social calendars. Some of the better briefed can even name a driver or two. These, I suggest are NOT motorsport fans. They are, instead, a sideshow to the event, helping to grease the wheels of industry - let them. Silverstone is more than the site of the Grand Prix race – and has to be. The future of the estate depends on business decisions made off the tarmac, rather than racing on it – hence the arrival of the UTC and more. The brand must continue to be Silverstone – not just Formula One.
Meanwhile there’s the matter of a world class Northamptonshire weekend to consider – see you in the grandstand!