MSVR take over Donington?

[Lancsbreaker]

Reports today that Palmer has agreed a 21 year lease to run Donington.....

http://www.bikesportnews.com/news/ne...ton-park-lease


Good / Bad ?

[morninggents]

Depends if he wants to change the layout. Snetterton is now crap IMO.

[chunder]

I doubt he will change the layout.

THe layout is fine already, you can accommodate club and national meetings quite happily with the existing tracks.

And Kevin has done a decent job of recovering the track and its facilities from the absolute nightmare he inherited from Gillett.

But it is clear Kevin has other interests and this is a way of him keeping his hand in long term without getting involved with operating it anymore.

Plus he is handing it over to a team that know exactly what they are doing, and know how to refresh venues without ruining them.

Snetterton is a far, far better venue now in terms of spectators and facilities, and though perhaps not as challenging for drivers as it is slower and more twisty, is a totally different challenge now which is no bad thing.

[S griffin]

Palmer hasn't changed the layouts to Brands and Oulton, so I doubt he will change the almost completely unchanged post war layout. He'll just make sure it is kept well maintained and brings the crowds in

[Adam43]

I like the new Snettertons. He kept the hard bit and the added bit is pretty good.

Whatever, they shouldn't touch Donington and suspect they won't.

OT: I was comparing a couple of GPS traces and lap speeds last night. The changes took 4mph off the top speed for me as the "Dunlop Bridge" straight was shortened. It added quite a few mph to the chicane speed though.

It's good that Donington has some security and by and large it's been good for the other circuits.

[Woolley]

I find him hard to like, but I can't argue with a lot of improvements to his existing circuits. On the whole, I'd say it's a positive step for the circuit.

If he can deal with the timetable issues so that it's possible to get home before dark then I might even be tempted to go back to marshalling there.

[Lancsbreaker]

Aren't the timetabling issues more to do with clubs trying to cram more races in to cover the circuit fees? MSVR have never been the cheapest of tracks to rent circuit time..........

[chunder]

I too find him hard to like, he just has developed this massive smugness for some reason over the years that was never seeming to be there when he was driver or tv man either.

Not sure where it comes from really almost as if it is an act!

[coppice]

Judge the man by what he has achieved - which is vastly, vastly improving his circuits from the decrepit jokes they were becoming .Smug ? No idea - I spoke to him a year or so ago and he was polite and pleasant .

[gary396]

Wish he'd do the same for Croft but sadly that is very unlikely to happen.

[The Fat Clerk]

and Mallory

[fergus_r]

and Lydden

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by coppice

Judge the man by what he has achieved - which is vastly, vastly improving his circuits from the decrepit jokes they were becoming .Smug ? No idea - I spoke to him a year or so ago and he was polite and pleasant .

Yeah that! I've come across him at a club meeting at one of his circuits, walking round the paddock and chatting to competitors, admiring their cars.... OK, He flew in by helicopter, but that allows him to get to more than one circuit in a day!

And... little bit of a pedant alert here, but it's MSV, not MSVR. The latter run the racing, MSV the circuits.

[The SpeCTator]

I believe it was 13 years ago to the day that JP, John Britten and Peter Ogden acquired the four circuits. All were in advanced decay.

It was rumoured to be a very sound acquisition based on the price paid and at first it seemed MSV had cornered the market for red and white paint!

The MSV effect would be seen by competitors, marshals, spectators, corporate hospitality and track days organisers.

The sound investment was backed by by a good business plan and good people.
It was further strengthened by not getting involved with F1.

If MSV had not acquired the 4 four circuits, motor racing in this country would not be a strong as it is today.

This latest move is a good for Donington and MSV.

And when JP stands down hopefully Jolyon and Will are waiting in the wings!

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by The SpeCTator

.........

And when JP stands down hopefully Jolyon and Will are waiting in the wings!

Agree but I find it odd that they don't appear to be directors of any of the Group companies (yet). Maybe JP wants them to get the actual racing out of their system first.

[midgetman]

It doesn't follow that the sons are anywhere near as good at, or indeed interested in, running the race tracks.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[MGDavid]

Valid point and exemplifies my concern. Britten is no longer a director, I don't know if Ogden is just an investor-director (sleeping partner) but think he might be - so what's the succession plan?

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

Valid point and exemplifies my concern. Britten is no longer a director, I don't know if Ogden is just an investor-director (sleeping partner) but think he might be - so what's the succession plan?

Immortality!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

Valid point and exemplifies my concern. Britten is no longer a director, I don't know if Ogden is just an investor-director (sleeping partner) but think he might be - so what's the succession plan?

With the lease being for 21 years I would guess that will reach to about the time that motorsport in the UK disappears as far as large facilities are concerned.

Thus succession, as far as motorpsort is concerned, may not be an issue.

The secondary problem is that as one moves through the generation of a family the number of people being supported by the "family business", even if it is publically owned in theory, starts to weigh heavily on the decisions made since all feel somewhat entitled to a slice of the revenue.

Selling up can be a good way to avoid family ructions - thus continuity again becomes a non-issue.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Immortality!

Ah, like Bernie, of course <facepalm>

[andy97]

On another forum, it was pointed out that Bedford is actually owned by St Modwen, and that there is a published master plan to develop in to a new stand alone village.

[JasperClan]

I read that but it actually says that St Modwen is one of the owners of the former airfield and MSV is the other.

[chunder]

It is clear now why JP has done all this. He only owns a third of MSV I think. So sells Bedford or at least puts it forward for development of a housing deal that no council on earth would turn down

Buys France site, develops that on the profits from running BSB and all the tracks, plus other business interests and investment no doubt. SO he can also hit the ground running when Bedford goes, plus if you want to go there from UK you will go for a weekend as it's close but not close enough to drive in a day for most, thereby making him more money as you will stay either there or nearby. Also makes it easier to get to for rest of Europe, very clever idea.

Sells Bedford for housing for a no doubt gigantic sum. Retires.

Nice work if you can get it. He does a good job, his school and experience days I gather are the best around, so really how can you blame the man.

He is reaping the dividends of simply doing the basics well which most tracks don't do, not ripping people off and not selling his soul out to ridiculous hosting fees so his tracks at least try and make a profit.

[justracing]

Originally Posted by chunder

It is clear now why JP has done all this. He only owns a third of MSV I think. So sells Bedford or at least puts it forward for development of a housing deal that no council on earth would turn down

Buys France site, develops that on the profits from running BSB and all the tracks, plus other business interests and investment no doubt. SO he can also hit the ground running when Bedford goes, plus if you want to go there from UK you will go for a weekend as it's close but not close enough to drive in a day for most, thereby making him more money as you will stay either there or nearby. Also makes it easier to get to for rest of Europe, very clever idea.

Sells Bedford for housing for a no doubt gigantic sum. Retires.

Nice work if you can get it. He does a good job, his school and experience days I gather are the best around, so really how can you blame the man.

He is reaping the dividends of simply doing the basics well which most tracks don't do, not ripping people off and not selling his soul out to ridiculous hosting fees so his tracks at least try and make a profit.

Very prophetic!

[Woolley]

Nice theory, except these types of businessmen rarely retire. Their life is their business and they carry on. In the case of Bernie, on and on and on...