Rockingham or Bedrock(ingham)?

[Snapper Baz]

Firstly, I must stress these are only rumours heard at Autosport and hope that everything will be fine, but...what with Brands and all that we now here about Rockingham! talking to some pick-up racing boys...they said that that the championship may need changing as all the Rockingham dates are now in doubt as Rockingham will not open its gates for any racing for the forseeable future due to an apparent money/banking problem. The only thing that will continue for the time being will be "bootfairs"! Lets just hope that the "Rock" doesn't end up like a concrete ghost town...how about some government aid...oh hang on a minute I've just seen another couple of hundred people come through the channell Tunnel looking for a nice house and some cash for some nice new designer clothes!!

[redshoes]

Someone posted a similar story on the TC forum. However the revised F3/GT calendar has just been published and that stil includes a Rockingham date (Aug 2/3)

[Snapper Baz]

lets just hope that it is just a rumour-all that hard work by so many people must not be in vain. One thing a few people mentioned was that it would have been great to have had a small oval built within the circuit as well giving another type (including me!)of enthusiast and driver somewhere to go - which would have also have brought in some revenue though I doubt if the extra noise would have gone down well.

[Craig]

It *was* supposed to have had one. It was conveniently forgotten somewhere along the way... another example of Rockingham's inability to actually organise anything?

[Stephen Green]

As I have said before, Rockingham needed huge amounts of income just to fund the debt it must have accumulated from the building works. We have seen what debt like this has done to Octagon and so I am not surprised it has happened to Rockingham. I'm saddened, as the loss of any racing facility is not good news, but the wqriting was on the wall from day 1.

[Craig]

hmmm... so it would seem that the following circuits are either looking for an owner or are affected by the cash crisis at Octagon:

Brands Hatch
Silverstone
Cadwell Park
Oulton Park
Snetterton
Donington Park
Rockingham

hmmm... what a pity I don't have a wedge of cash as I'm sure, marketted correctly, that little portfolio could be very viable indeed!

[Sim_Da_BTCC_Man]

what would be perfect is if either someone who knew what they were doing bought them all or each was bought individualy so that if the owner has money worries it won't affect them all as it would with a group owning the all.

[redshoes]

Scratch Donington from that list. Tom Wheatcroft was at Autosport on Thurs denying an suggestions it was up for sale.

[Craig]

The circuit or the lease?

[redshoes]

Dunno, I wasn't listening that closely. Think his point was that whatever the story was in that week's Autosport mag it wasn't true.

[Craig]

Excellent

[Claire]

Rockingham has just released their calendar for 2003 and details of a season ticket, so I hope the rumour is wrong. Not sure how they are going to make money though, will be interesting to see if it lasts the year.

[Snapper Baz]

Claire's right...finger's crossed for a stonking year down at the Rock'!

[Peter Mallett]

Hey Craig I've got an idea!

Why don't we buy (say) Snetterton and turn it into a Sunday Market?

That way we could guarantee the crowds and not worry about marketing any race meetings.

Brands is close to London and that would make an even better location for selling hookey designer lookalike ****

[Stephen Green]

And close to the channel tunnel so you could 'nip over to France' and buy some dodgy beers!