THE TESTING QUESTION

Circuits have been open for testing and trackdays before racing’s restart. But, as simulators become ever more commonplace and at a time of rising costs and diminishing incomes, is testing still a vital part of the sport?

t’s the fine margins that ultimately decide who wins and who fails in the fight for the top step of the podium, the work done outside of race weekends and behind the scenes that makes the difference. In particular, those hours spent testing – either by a driver getting up to speed on a specific circuit or pushing a new component on the car to breaking point – can provide the vital gains in performance when it matters most. And national motorsport is no different, whether it be British GT or Formula Ford.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, testing was a growing – and lucrative – sector of UK motorsport, for the circuits that provide the track time and for the teams running tailored programmes for paying drivers. Motorsport Vision, which operates Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Donington Park, Cadwell Park and Snetterton, held approximately 160 days of testing

Iacross those five venues last season, having steadily increased that number over the preceding years. “When we took over the Brands Hatch group of circuits in 2004 there were far fewer club meetings than we have now, and the same applies to test days,” says MSV chief executive Jonathan Palmer. “But club meetings have become busier and more widespread over that time, and so we’ve had more and more test days that have developed as well.

“We work hard to make sure that our test days are as efficient for the teams and the drivers as possible. Over time we’ve introduced different formats of test days, like our semi-exclusive events where we limit the number of vehicles on track to offer the best chance of uninterrupted track time. It’s clearly more expensive but, for the higher-end championships, people value that time and are prepared to pay for it to make sure that they minimise interruptions from traffic