BIG DAY OUT
100,000+ turn out for sun-kissed Silverstone GP
By Ben Clarke STAFF WRITER
F‘Valentino Rossi brings us back every year!’
ans who made the trip to the British MotoGP at the weekend were rewarded with clear blue skies, a party atmosphere and a feast of close racing. The campsites were filled with smiling faces and the party was in full swing long before the on-track action even got going. “I’ve been here since Wednesday and it’s brilliant,” said Johnny Gray, 34, from Essex. “We’ve been coming since 2011 and Valentino Rossi brings us back every year!” Some, like Emma Wilkinson, 40, from Carlisle were attending for the first time. “We walked around the edge of the whole track and I couldn’t believe how big it was and how much stuff there was to do. It’s surpassed my expectations.” Emma’s husband Martin hadn’t been to Silverstone for over 20 years. “I’ve been to race circuits around the world and don’t think anybody’s doing it better.”
The party atmosphere was enjoyed by Zoe Desforges from Hull. “It’s been like a festival. We’ve been raving in the music tent last night and we have been in the fan zone all day today.”
Desforges was joined by her cousin, Leanne Keating, whose husband, Mark, thinks the relationship between the riders and the fans is key. “They don’t hide behind excuses when they talk to the fans and you’d never get a F1 driver saying that,” he said.
The spectacle of the racing also impressed Mick Seward, 56, from York, who hadn’t been to Silverstone since 1986.
“We watched from the grandstand on Saturday but just from the grass bank today and it was absolutely brilliant. I was ecstatic about the race result – not that we don’t like Marquez but we just want somebody to beat him!”