MSV buys Donington Hall

[andy97]

Just announced that MSV are buying the Donington Hall estate, the former hq for British Midland Airways, and more recently the home of Norton motorcycles.
MSV have plans to turn it in to a hotel and exclusive car storage/ preparation place, including a private driveway to the circuit.
The announcement even mentions that the exclusive access to the circuit will use Starkey’s Bridge, which will presumably be reconstructed to cross the circuit.

https://www.facebook.com/158978680824059/posts/386...

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by andy97

Just announced that MSV are buying the Donington Hall estate, the former hq for British Midland Airways, and more recently the home of Norton motorcycles.
MSV have plans to turn it in to a hotel and exclusive car storage/ preparation place, including a private driveway to the circuit.
The announcement even mentions that the exclusive access to the circuit will use Starkey’s Bridge, which will presumably be reconstructed to cross the circuit.

https://www.facebook.com/158978680824059/posts/386...

That's interesting as the original circuit was laid out in the Hall grounds so things will be (sort of) going full circle. (I just hope they can clean the oil off the carpets inside from the Norton motorcycles!)

[Gerard C]

Andy, are you talking about the building where some shows took place? I remember attending an enjoyable moto jumble (mainly 2-Stroke) there.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Andy, are you talking about the building where some shows took place? I remember attending an enjoyable moto jumble (mainly 2-Stroke) there.

This place, Gerard:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donington_Hall

[Gerard C]

I see… not the one I was referring to. Thanks. My dogs would love the park!
But now you say, its your neighborhood is it? And you've a dog…

[Greem]

I wonder if the purchase included the Priest House Hotel down by the river? I think Garner bought that four or five years ago so it's likely to have been in the assets sold on by the liquidators.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Greem

I wonder if the purchase included the Priest House Hotel down by the river? I think Garner bought that four or five years ago so it's likely to have been in the assets sold on by the liquidators.

Priest House being sold separately by the Receiver and not part of this deal, I think, but yes, Garner owned that too. It is currently closed.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

I see… not the one I was referring to. Thanks. My dogs would love the park!
But now you say, its your neighborhood is it? And you've a dog…

About a mile or so from my poor pile! The dogs probably not that welcome in the park, sadly, as it’s a deer park. Fishing available on the river, though, if future customers are in to that.

[hoffman66]

Just a sort of very obvious exclusive club type thing for the mega rich, it happens in a few places, and is a bit showy and un Palmer actually. But you van see the point, mega rich keep their cars there, fly in on their jet, stay a few days, test 30 seconds off the pace, fly home Palmer makes about 20 grand, easy money

At least the hall will be kept decent, but I could not care less about what they do inside it, it is for people with more money than sense, and there are plenty of those who would be dying to hand over their money before the taxman gets it!!

[justracing]

Well JP and co normally make good financial planning decisions so I can only imagine that this latest venture will be a profitable concern. Out of interest I wonder what happened to the foray into northern France purchasing an ex military base/circuit some while back?
Answering my own question news here: https://news.msv.com/16001.aspx

[abw]

Originally Posted by justracing

Answering my own question news here: https://news.msv.com/16001.aspx

That was from February 2019. I can't see any mention of it online since then, so I doubt it is still due to open in Spring 2021.

[Gerard C]

May be John Elwin has more information, now he's a native…

[hoffman66]

I would think it might have encountered difficulties.

Was this also not linked to JP and his cronies selling Bedford or somewhere else for some sort of green housing project?

there is more info now about the Hall, and it is what I said just a club for hte mega rich, fly in, get treated like a movie star, get some bod on min wage to warm your car up for you, while you sleep or have a no doubt very expensive breakfasta nd you can drive to the track.

It is not my cup of tea, not many peoples unless you are in that salary bracket, but it will make him a packet no doubt, unless noone uses it, Donington is hardly up there with Spa, Silverstone or Monaco as massively desirable places to go and do this sort of thing, unless he is planning on inventing some sort of Revival, Classic tyle event there.

[Adam43]

Oh no, not rich people! How awful!

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Oh no, not rich people! How awful!

"Always consider it could be sarcasm."

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

It is not my cup of tea, not many peoples unless you are in that salary bracket, but it will make him a packet no doubt, unless noone uses it, Donington is hardly up there with Spa, Silverstone or Monaco as massively desirable places to go and do this sort of thing, unless he is planning on inventing some sort of Revival, Classic tyle event there.

Donington is a massively better track and venue than Silverstone. And you can hardly run events on the Monaco track.

[Mike_Powell]

Originally Posted by peebee2

Donington is a massively better track and venue than Silverstone. And you can hardly run events on the Monaco track.

And from a marshal's POV, we've always been to made feel welcome at Donington by the circuit marshals and team, the racing is normally good and it's a terrific track to spectate on - Silverstone is half the distance and I don't/won't go there now for anything other than the VSCC.

[hoffman66]

What I mean is for the mega rich who might do this sort of thing, there are not the marquee meetings at Donington as there are at Silverstone or goodwood to make this viable.

Yes the airport is close, but are they really presuming millionaires desire to rock up at a cargo airport, drive to an old hall in a cab for thousands of ponds a night, would you rather not do that at Spa, or Silverstone, or Catalunya or Monza, where these kind of big historic meetings tend to be.

It will no doubt work, anything revolving around money tends to, but it seems an odd idea.

[Mike Crow]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

What I mean is for the mega rich who might do this sort of thing, there are not the marquee meetings at Donington as there are at Silverstone or goodwood to make this viable.

Yes the airport is close, but are they really presuming millionaires desire to rock up at a cargo airport, drive to an old hall in a cab for thousands of ponds a night, would you rather not do that at Spa, or Silverstone, or Catalunya or Monza, where these kind of big historic meetings tend to be.

It will no doubt work, anything revolving around money tends to, but it seems an odd idea.

I suspect Dr Jonathon has done his sums properly.....
And good luck to him. His circuits are a credit to him and a pleasure to visit

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Mike Crow

I suspect Dr Jonathon has done his sums properly.....
And good luck to him. His circuits are a credit to him and a pleasure to visit

<gets onto soapbox>
except for the paucity of electric hookup points in the paddocks.

[justracing]

Originally Posted by Mike Crow

I suspect Dr Jonathon has done his sums properly.....
And good luck to him. His circuits are a credit to him and a pleasure to visit

Echo that sentiment and in opinion Donington is a far superior circuit than Sillystone or Monaco and I've been to a lot of circuits. There's nothing odd about the idea of making money.

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

&lt;gets onto soapbox&gt;

except for the paucity of electric hookup points in the paddocks.

Just buy a generator they're only a few quid. Mine runs everything including big compressor and cost me less than you'll pay for a race entry.

Sent from my AC2003 using Tapatalk

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by hoffman66

What I mean is for the mega rich who might do this sort of thing, there are not the marquee meetings at Donington as there are at Silverstone or goodwood to make this viable.

Yes the airport is close, but are they really presuming millionaires desire to rock up at a cargo airport, drive to an old hall in a cab for thousands of ponds a night, would you rather not do that at Spa, or Silverstone, or Catalunya or Monza, where these kind of big historic meetings tend to be.

It will no doubt work, anything revolving around money tends to, but it seems an odd idea.

Spa yes.

Silverstone no way.

Monza yes.

Barcelona maybe. The area isn’t great.

[coppice]

Originally Posted by Mike_Powell

And from a marshal's POV, we've always been to made feel welcome at Donington by the circuit marshals and team, the racing is normally good and it's a terrific track to spectate on - Silverstone is half the distance and I don't/won't go there now for anything other than the VSCC.

Correction - it used to be great spectating , but now is only beaten by Silverstone for its poor views. Reason? It didn't help that the place had been transformed into a landfill site and trees chopped down en masse but at least good work has been done to restore it. But the massive run offs mean the cars are far too distant to engage - the only place now worth watching at , to get a close , immersive view is either side of the chicane .

I went to many early meetings at Donington - F2 , Gunnar Nilsson Trophy etc and the contrast , then and now , is enormous, especially at Redgate and Old Hairpin is immense. All that work in vain , for a 21st Century GP which never happened

Cadwell, Goodwood and Brands are light years better.

[Mike Crow]

Originally Posted by coppice

Correction - it used to be great spectating , but now is only beaten by Silverstone for its poor views. Reason? It didn't help that the place had been transformed into a landfill site and trees chopped down en masse but at least good work has been done to restore it. But the massive run offs mean the cars are far too distant to engage - the only place now worth watching at , to get a close , immersive view is either side of the chicane .

I went to many early meetings at Donington - F2 , Gunnar Nilsson Trophy etc and the contrast , then and now , is enormous, especially at Redgate and Old Hairpin is immense. All that work in vain , for a 21st Century GP which never happened

Cadwell, Goodwood and Brands are light years better.

Agreed. Sitting in the new stand watching cars skitter round Redgate through a pair of binoculars is entertaining though.