AUGUST 22, 2000

Headaches for Silverstone

THE problem of how to prepare for the 2001 British Grand Prix is currently the major topic of discussion among the beleaguered management of Silverstone Circuit.

Many 'park and ride' plans are under discussion to pacify the FIA following this year's debacle which saw thousands of ticket holders unable to attend the Grand Prix as waterlogged car parks brought the annual pilgrimage to a standstill. Public transport is being embraced to banish the spectre in time for next May's event, with the main objective being to ferry as many people into the circuit as possible by bus.

This is not in itself a novelty as many of the busiest town centers and tourist attractions in Britain operate such schemes, although there remains an element of choice for visitors wishing to gamble on finding a suitable parking space.

Not so at Silverstone it seems, where the most remarkable - not to say draconian - proposal is to ban people who make a single ticket booking from travelling in their cars at all. Quite how this policy will be implemented and when it will be announced remains under debate, but anyone wishing to drive themselves to the British Grand Prix had seemingly better find some like-minded friends, although with many people having booked their tickets already, Silverstone's long-suffering switchboard operators had better brace themselves for another deluge.