Donington is Dead - Long live Donington [merged]

[welche2]

nah the best thing to do is gets some stocks and we all can have a go at throwing old fruit and veg and other stuff at Simon Gillett

[RCMADD]

Originally Posted by welche2

nah the best thing to do is gets some stocks and we all can have a go at throwing old fruit and veg and other stuff at Simon Gillett

or bits of the track he had ripped up.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by JohnD

(have you noticed how the Police Speak With All Capital Letters?)

NO WE DON'T!!!

On a serious note though - the police don't tend to be first in line for unpaid invoices. Civil matters such as unpaid accounts tend to be dealt with by Force solicitors through civil courts and are totally 'divorced' from day to day policing. Over the years there are a few cases of football clubs not paying for policing services - cases rumble on for years without 'operational police intervention'. NICE IDEA THOUGH! (Oops, sorry capital letters got the better of me - thought I'd got this out of my system since retiring).

Even more serious note - what has happened to Donington (and the staff there) is really terrible. It's not my 'home' circuit but have marshalled and time-kept there in recent years and it is a really good place to spectate / work. Hope it recovers.

Gary

[JimW]

I don't normally frequent the My Tracks Forum but this caught my eye: Business Plan for (Re)building a Race Track http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117044

I wonder if it might be interesting to do one for Donington? See how it compares with whatever happens? (It's not in my skill set, so don't look at me. )

Regards

Jim

[Al Weyman]

I have been here so many times, get real people no one will get sod all end of story. Its the way of business in this damned country now and helped by this governments 'Phonex Companies Act (spelling?)' as its known which allows companies to restart and wipe all their debts all in the name of saving jobs. I was only stung last year for over 3k by one of these scenarios.

[cannardd]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

I have been here so many times, get real people no one will get sod all end of story.

Exactly.
Hopefully though as Gillett was only the lease holder and not the owner of Donington, those debts are with Gillet (or rather DVLL) and not Donington itself.

I'm sure Gillett won't have any assets that can be got at anyway and DVLL certainly don't have any assets!

Doesn't make it any easier for the people left owed money, but we could all see the way it was going.

Now though that era has ended and for Donington it is a new start, once the track is repaired racing can start again. It will be a lot easier to find a buyer for the lease and investors after racing has started.

[chunder]

If I was Gillett I would be seriously thinking about cosmetic surgery and changing my name!

Man is a total waste of space

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by chunder

changing my name!

I recommend 'Doug Donington', nobody will ever know who he was.

[flagwaver]

Whilst St John is a charity it does make charge for services (and rightly so) It is no different to MENCAP etc running some services for a council or NHS trust and charging them to do it. It was only after the Bradford fire (that match was going to be the last event St John was to attend at Valley Parade. Because they had received no money from the club) and Hillsborough that St John/Red Cross etc. got paid direct from the FA at an agreed rate because football clubs always pleaded poverty.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by flagwaver

Whilst St John is a charity it does make charge for services (and rightly so) It is no different to MENCAP etc running some services for a council or NHS trust and charging them to do it. It was only after the Bradford fire (that match was going to be the last event St John was to attend at Valley Parade. Because they had received no money from the club) and Hillsborough that St John/Red Cross etc. got paid direct from the FA at an agreed rate because football clubs always pleaded poverty.

When I added the comment that St Johns Ambulace was a charity I did so to add my disgust that Mr Gillett's escapades have also cost such a worthy cause money that it could well do without loosing.
I appreciate that they do have to make a charge for thier services, to cover the costs of materials and equipment, but their manpower (male and female)m is made up of un-paid volunteers.

[White flag man]

Hopefully, after the police have given Gillett "the wet blanket treatment" to try and get their money back, they will call St John's Ambulance to deal with his, alleged, injuries.

[The STIG]

I note with some interest that there is a Donington Park Website again - The old logo is back (the blue oval with the flag), and a new slogan "Preserving the past, protecting the future"

But, I also found Palmer's comments in Autosport interesting. He made it sound as if the lease was not yet on offer, but Wheatcroft says it is? Something odd going on.

[Farbrooke]

Taking on a lease - for a race track not suitable for racing, until you have spent a lot of money, over the best part of the season, where the customer base has made other arrangements - will take a bit of thinking about, cost a bit in surveyors fees arriving at an appraisal and them negotiating.

Top that with the first two weeks the lease becomes available the whole place goes white and surveyors do not work well in the cold.

No news before Mid February I would say is not cause for concern or worry.

Get some racing under way in the Autumn and hope everbody impressed with what you have done and wants to book for 2011.

[Chris Wilson]

I see the Donington Park website is now back up. Fingers crossed this great circuit rises from the ashes in 2010, and people will be happy to support what may nearly have gotten away. http://www.donington-park.co.uk/

Edit, read all the previous posts Wilson, my bad.....

[Greem]

Good to see that the domain - donington-park.co.uk - has also changed hands, and is now back in the rightful ownership of Wheatcroft and Son. It might not be worth much as an asset (they cost about a tenner a year, if that!) but it's reassuring to see things in their rightful place.

[JimW]

Originally Posted by Greem

Good to see that the domain - donington-park.co.uk - has also changed hands, and is now back in the rightful ownership of Wheatcroft and Son. It might not be worth much as an asset (they cost about a tenner a year, if that!) but it's reassuring to see things in their rightful place.

Thanks for checking that Greem; I meant to but forgot.

A good pointer to things getting sorted.

Regards

Jim

[Rockmunky]

So a website that's back, and the Download festival still going ahead.
Good news really, that's money coming in, so it can only be a good thing.

[Al Weyman]

I was having a discussion a couple of weeks back about the Download and she was adamant back then it was on and I believe had tickets already. The website may onnly cost a tenner a year to host but the the right to use the name is the important bit.

[stroller]

The Download would have been OK anyway.

I believe last year’s event was held totally on the outside of the Circuit
boundaries.
Mr Gillett actually had enough sense to leave that alone.

[andy97]

Yes "Download" takes place outside the circuit boundaries but I am fairly sure that DVLL took on responsibility for the entire Donington site, inc the Sunday Market, the Museum & the circuit etc. Hence the reason why the museum was shut for a while. Previously, the lease holders such as Live Nation only had the Circuit & I believe the Wheatcrofts retained responsibility for the rest of the land.

[Chris Y]

I'd just like to point out that registering a keeping a domain name costs a tenner (a little more) - but hosting a website costs a lot more. Redesigning and maintaining a website costs more on top again.

Just in case anyone was thinking they could get a professional website done for a tenner or anything

[JimW]

Originally Posted by andy97

Yes "Download" takes place outside the circuit boundaries but I am fairly sure that DVLL took on responsibility for the entire Donington site, inc the Sunday Market, the Museum & the circuit etc. Hence the reason why the museum was shut for a while. Previously, the lease holders such as Live Nation only had the Circuit & I believe the Wheatcrofts retained responsibility for the rest of the land.

That's right.

Jim

[The STIG]

http://www.britsonpole.com/donington...apse-post19968

Who is owed what by Gillett - Interesting name in that list : Jonathan Palmer is owed just over £1000!

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Nearby karting circuit Three Sisters is owed more than £38,000

Ok, they're not actually nearby, but this is very interesing in it's self.
The Three Sisters circuit is "The Racing School" - also known as "Donington Racing School" or "Rockingham Racing School" which ran between 3 and 6 driving experience days at Donington each month.

Interesting because they were paying customers as far as I was aware. Thus Mr Gillett was seemingly borrowing money from Mr 3 Sisters (I forget his name, someone remind me please: not Neil, the actual owner)

[Al Weyman]

It was John Hammersley years ago dunno if it still is.