FANS GET THAT SINKING FEELING
British motorsport fans never had it so bad as last weekend. There was a plethora of high- profile events, and the two biggest, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the return of the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park, took place without spectators.
Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic seventh home win was always going to be held without the hordes of supporters that he has become used to. It was an odd feeling, and the fans missed a humdinger of a final few moments when the reigning world champion wrestled his injured car to the line.
But the picture at Donington Park’s touring car meeting was different. Up until a couple of days before the event, fans had thought they would be able to attend, only for the advice to change at the very last minute. Cue lots of upset enthusiasts and lots of grumbling on social media.
There is a huge degree of sympathy all around here. Firstly, denying access to the opening BTCC clashes of the season was like stealing a child’s Christmas present on Christmas Eve. The sense of disappointment was huge.
The organisers and the circuit strived as hard as they could to fit in with all the requirements to host an event, and on the whole did a great job. It is hard not to feel sympathy for them too after so much effort had gone in to make the tin-top return a resounding success.
But what no-one could foresee was the changing government advice in the lead up to the encounter. Nobody could disregard that – otherwise we might have no motorsport at all. Everyone was a loser in this situation, but it is an issue that all involved just had to deal with and adhere to right now. Hopefully, better times are on the horizon.
We look, too, at the return of top-flight international rallying with a postcard from the recent European round in Rome, and look at the challenges faced (and overcome) by organisers there.
As well as British Touring Car Championship and British GT reports, this issue contains our exclusive readers’ questions interview with rallycross title collector Kenneth Hansen. The calm, unflappable Swede is revealing in his responses to MN’s rallycross editor Hal Ridge, which starts on page 14. Hansen has raced against and beaten the best, and reflects on his decorated history.