Potential new circuit in Scotland ?

[touringlegend]

Interesting news story on the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...nd/7609894.stm

Also after a bit of snooping about I also found this link on the Scottish Governments website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/...26/0064470.pdf


I don't know if Scotland has the capacity for 2 permanent race tracks. However what we do need here is a track with up to date facilities, pit garages etc. The plans sound quite ambitious - talk of hosting high profile championships is not setting your sights low!

[Bodysnatcher]

Bit out of the way tho.. and I'm talking here as an expat Scot that travels up the M74 at least twice a year.
Page 4 of the Scotland.gov.uk document successfully forgets Kirkistown just across the water in Ireland. Mm, whats that maybe 50 miles away?

However, as a poor(ish) man's version of Klaas Zwaart's resort in Spain...there could be a future.

[westfieldbend]

Overall the plans look OK... not that i live anywhere near where it wil be althougth a few points seen to have been overlooked

Major events - loads of grandstands but only 15000 parking spaces..?

Solve the problems the problems of motorcycle road racing? Good luck - unless there is a special device which automatically teleports a rider to safety the second he comes of the bike i think this is impossible! - most serious bike accidents happen when i riders is hit by another bike, not when they hit the barriers!!!

Well if someone has a lot of money to throw away i suppose it will be good for the sport

[ScotsBrutesFan]

If they are listing circuits of all types then they are clearly missing not just Kirkistown but also East Fortune which hosts Rounds of the Scottish Motorbike championship (though not this year).

Situated off the A75 between Stranraer and Dumfries the site is
very convenient and accessible from Ireland, Scotland and England.

I nearly fell off my chair at that one, the nearest "Motorway" the (A74M) is over 35 miles away in a straight line, and probably the better part of 50 road miles.
The only people it would be convenient for would be those coming over from Northern Ireland into Stranraer where thy would only have to travel maybe 45 road miles along the A75.

Oh and someone needs to do their sums...or download Google Earth,

with no other racetracks within a 140 mile
radius this location there is scope for a first class facility to be
established.

Kirkistown is only 60, Knockhill 90, Croft 110, Anglesey 115 and Oulton about 130 miles away in a straight lines.
Knockhill is just over 140Km so perhaps that's what they intended, however that error alone would discredit the entire document. Especially as already mentioned Kirkistown is only 90km away.

Nice idea but wrong location.

[TilkeWannabe]

We should be listening to you on this subject, you definitely know what you're talking about. Maybe you should choose the perfect location in Scotland for it. You could use one of your tracks as a proposal. I'd recommend you for that job.

[Flat12-Aircool]

I know they're targeting MotorCycle racing, but 10 metre's track width in this day and age is just pathetic.

[Bodysnatcher]

A good location, well one was thought of 13 years ago, still used by the Monklands car club?, but only for hillclimbs and sprints?

Originally Posted by Hansard,Dec 1995

Sir Hector Monro (Dumfries): Although I do not know a great deal about Forrestburn, I agree wholeheartedly that Knockhill has been a huge success in hosting not only the touring car championship but motor cycle racing and weekly club events, which are so popular in Scotland. Whatever my hon. Friend the Minister says in reply, I hope that he will in no way deprecate Knockhill's achievement. It has been an outstanding success in recent years.


Ms Squire: I thank the right hon. Gentleman very much for his support, which I know will be greatly appreciated by Knockhill. I have no doubt that Knockhill would look forward to a visit from him in the not too distant future.

Only a limited number of motor racing events attract sufficiently large crowds to make a business viable. I understand that at Knockhill only three events a year attract crowds of more than 5,000, and they are vital to Knockhill's commercial success. Forrestburn would have to compete with Knockhill and take those events from it if it was to be viable.

I believe that Forrestburn hopes to attract formula 1 racing, which Knockhill does not stage. I believe, however, that there is already fierce competition among existing tracks such as Brands Hatch for such events. Formula 1 racing is very costly, and the £6.5 million being talked about for the Forrestburn development would not support even the track safety and maintenance requirements of a formula 1 racing track for a single year.

A formula 1 track was opened in Japan this year. According to one set of figures, it cost £60 million to develop and will require £10 million every year just to maintain the facilities. Therefore, without a sufficient market in Scotland, public money could be wasted and a successful business badly, if not mortally, damaged.

but as always....money
ps Formula 1 - you've got to laugh otherwise you'd be crying at the naivety of those involved

[Bodysnatcher]

Forrestburn


http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...cl=1&encType=1


now what can you do there SBF?

[aland]

good articicle in today's MN, the track looks good and I reckon that scotland can support another track, location wide not ideal but neither is Knockhill

hope it happens but make sure they build a marshals campsite with leccy hookup for the caravanners and good hot showers

[Asp]

Being completely selfish, I'm all in favour.

Mainly because there is a durth of race circuits in North England / South Scotland. I can see my racing activites dwindling dramatically now I've moved to the area, because it's going to take so much effort (and petrol) to get anywhere.

It's still a bit in the middle of nowhere, but most places round there are in the middle of nowhere. Putting a circuit in that part of the world, is there anywhere really accessible?

There's a few concerns for sure - track width definitely being one. But there's plenty of time for things to change yet...

[flagwaver]

IMHO the last thing this country (UK) needs at the moment is another circuit.
Look at a lot of threads on here saying we basically have to many meetings in this country. Do people really think another circuit will be viable?
Look at all the money both public & private put into Rockingham.

[touringlegend]

The access to this circuit I would say is very good indeed. It is 30 odd miles off the M6/M74 however the A75 road from Gretna to Stranraer is in general a very well engineered road due to improvements made, don't forget this is the ferry route to Northern Ireland.

[graeme]

Originally Posted by flagwaver

we basically have to many meetings in this country

The country being England in most cases...? I think Scotland probably needs a replacement for Ingliston to have "critical mass" - every country/area needs a couple of circuits to give some variation. Ireland has Mondello and Kirkistown; Wales has Anglesey and Pembrey (though I guess it's usually more a Pembrey/Combe and Anglesey/Oulton grouping).