12/12/2008
NEWS STORY
Despite widespread scepticism as to whether Donington will host the British Grand Prix from 2010, owner Simon Gillett insists the event will go ahead, revealing that the scepticism helps drive him forward.
Planning permission for the redevelopment of the track has yet to be given, though this is now expected in January, however, there remain doubts as to not only whether the work can be done in time - even though there is precious other construction work going on in the UK right now - and where all the money will come from. Indeed, there was concern over the money aspect even before the current financial crisis started to bite.
However, speaking to the media yesterday, Gillett was defiant, indeed he is positively looking forward to proving the sceptic wrong.
I don't have to convince people," he said. "I'll convince them by building it. I'm not going to stand here and tell everyone 'you have to believe me, honest, please'. I'm not interested in that. They'll see when buildings come out of the ground and cars turn up on the grid. If they still want to sit at home not believing me, that's their prerogative. To be honest, I love the scepticism. It's what motivates me. The more the experts tell me it won't happen, the more I seem to achieve. I feed off it. It doesn't concern me at all. I have my goals and I know they're realistic."
However, should Gillett fail in his mission, there is every chance that Britain could lose its place on the World Championship calendar, something which would make him, along with Bernie Ecclestone, one of the most reviled men in Britain, certainly in the eyes of F1 fans.
"It's fair to say I have given the British Grand Prix a chance when no one else was prepared to," said Gillett. "I've put my money where my mouth is, stepped up to the plate and thought the British Grand Prix important enough to save. I've done all the work and risked everything to get to this point."
Referring to speculation that he and Donington are being 'used' by the F1 supremo in his continuing battle with the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), owners of Silverstone, and his constant quest for more money, Gillett said: "Bernie is no fool. He hasn't come to me to make me some pawn in a game that will see the grand prix go to Moscow. He could just take it to Moscow. He doesn't have to use me as an interim step to do that. There's no benefit.
"Instead, there was a real meeting of minds," he continued. "We bent and flexed, he bent and flexed to get something that works. We can achieve this, and that is what wakes me up in the morning to go to work, because I know we can do it."