Many reports today of outline planning permission for a new racing circuit in Ebbw Vale.
It is going to cost £280 million to build and is expected to earn £50 million a year and to create 6000 full time jobs. I can see that 6000 people could be needed to build it but it won't take that number to run it, surely?
The latest figures I can find for Silverstone are:-
"Silverstone is in operation 361 days a year, hosting over 40 race meetings/events, attracting over 750,000 visitors to Northamptonshire & generating over £80 million into the local economy (not including the FIA F1 spend)"
I don't really see a circuit in South Wales operating 361 days a year, to be honest.
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Its going to be a complete disastah dahling.
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Wages bill doesn't begin to stack with the £50M turnover projection if the 6000 jobs were permanent. Suspect it means that up to, ooh er, lets see now, maybe, um, perhaps, 6000 people may, in some loose way, possibly, contribute to it's initial construction. ( but only if you include the guy running the butty wagon and his assistant, and their dog... )
Brave or stupid enterprise though in any event.
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Edit - unless of course the £50M is a profit forecast, in which case I'm in !
Or not...
:-)
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how they gonna keep the sheep off the track?
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Maybe that's what some of the 6000 are for, and they'll do it for free?
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>> how they gonna keep the sheep off the track?
Tether them to the armco barriers, then they could be used as leisure centres for the locals.
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Are Pembrey and Ty Croes not still in operation then ?
Motorsport is full of smoke and mirrors big money pipe dreams
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It's too much money to spend - return isn't enough and no way will it earn £50M a year either.
I'm all in favour of a new race track, but that one won't work in that form.
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They both operate, mostly track days and some bike racing. Let's face it, the catchment area for Ty Croes doesn't have that many petrol-heads in it. I did two years at RAF Valley in the 60s and we used to say, then, that if you wanted to give the World an enema Holyhead would be well up the list of places where the pipe could be put!
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This new circuit'll be handily located for the new Brynglas tunnel M4 bypass, and the area is already well served from the Midlands (M50 etc).
Good location, attractive new Grand Prix circuit I shouldn't wonder.
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Except its not being built to F1 standards.
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Really? Well that's a schoolboy error.
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I've already said if it actually does get built and if the cash handout happy Wales Government (bunch of overpaid councillors) recovers their £2million pound loan (This useless shower have paid something like £40m for a third rate airport, £2m for a failed Kung Fu centre of excellence, (are failing in health, education and everything else they touch) and If the thousands of jobs come about - I will ride a lap of the circuit, naked apart from a pair of yellow budgie smugglers.
Seems to be plenty of activity at Ty Croes - nice circuit.
www.angleseycircuit.com/fixtures/all-events
Last edited by: R.P. on Fri 12 Jul 13 at 13:50
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I've got a pair of those you could borrow. I'll wash them first and everything.
budgysmuggler.com.au/prod212.htm#ad-image-0
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I've ordered a pair in anticipation. I'm sure Touratech do a version for 15 times the price.
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>> I've got a pair of those you could borrow. I'll wash them first and everything.
>>
>> budgysmuggler.com.au/prod212.htm#ad-image-0
But they will be a bit stretched and fat in the seat for anyone else after you have worn them
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>> they will be a bit stretched
That picture is me at Rhyll in 'em last weekend...
:-)
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Oh! gosh! very well done there Humph, thats very brave. When did you come "out"? family ok with it?
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Well, in truth it's not actually me but very similar. That guy is packing a bit more flab...
:-)
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>> I will ride a lap of the circuit, naked apart from a pair of yellow budgie smugglers.
Best not do it on a scooter, they won't offer much protection if you fall off.
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It'll either be the R1200GS TripleBlack or the Triumph Street Triple. I wouldn't consider doing it on a Japanese apology for a motor-bike....
Last edited by: R.P. on Fri 12 Jul 13 at 23:19
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>> Good location, attractive new Grand Prix circuit I shouldn't wonder.
>
Bernie doesn't want any additional GP in Europe does he? Growth market is Gulf and BRIC.
And so far as UK is concerned Silverstone has F1 for forseable future.
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>> Bernie doesn't want any additional GP in Europe does he? Growth market is Gulf and
>> BRIC.
>>
Perhaps Ebbw Vale coud be relocated to one of those places? :)
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Aren't most existing circuits struggling as it is?
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>> Aren't most existing circuits struggling as it is?
Bit of a shocker in the news yesterday - "Owners of Mallory Park say it 'could close next week'" over a neighbourhood noise dispute:
www.itv.com/news/central/update/2013-07-11/mallory-park-could-close-next-week/
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This Ebbw Vale stinks. No doubt some AM in the pocket of someone, you really have to live in this country to believe what they're like.
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This motor racing idea is crazy - I hope it does not come off as it will cost all of us money in the end as tax payers.
And who will want to travel to Ebbw Vale to watch motor racing?
How they come up with the financials... I have no idea apart from how some contestant in the current BBC Apprentice came up with £5m... they made it up.
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>> And who will want to travel to Ebbw Vale to watch motor racing?
>>
Depending on where you live, it's no worse than travelling to Silverstone, Snetterton, Brands Hatch or anywhere else for that matter. Once the Heads of the Valleys road scheme is finished you'd be there from Birmingham within an hour and a half.
I'm not enamoured by the scheme myself, but it should be pointed out that motor sport is actually pretty big in Wales. Admittedly much of it is smaller events (auto-grass, touring cars and the like) but I'm willing to bet that per head of population more people attend or participate in Wales than in England.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Sat 13 Jul 13 at 09:38
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Bit of a shocker in the news yesterday - "Owners of Mallory Park say it 'could close next week'" over a neighbourhood noise dispute:
www.itv.com/news/central/update/2013-07-11/mallory-park-could-close-next-week/
There is an awful lot to the saga of Mallory and although the owners would like you to think it's a result of NIMBYs moving near a circuit, they've not adhered to the planning constraints since the 1980s!
Do a bit of research in the motorsport section of the Pistonheads forum for background, I've just given the one sentence version.
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What I am reading says "The circuit are due in court next month over five breaches of the noise agreement which was originally put in place in 1985 but had not been fully enforced by the council until August 2012 because there had been 'no significant concerns' from residents."
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>> Perhaps Ebbw Vale coud be relocated to one of those places? :)
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Take Merthyr Tydfil with it and you got a deal. :-)
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I've worked up that way a lot over the past few years, my God it's cold, wet, bleak and generally crap most of the year! And foggy too.
I just can't see it working as a profitable venture. RP is right about the WA by the way, absolutely no idea. Buying Cardiff airport and now they don't know what to do with it.
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Passenger numbers are dropping but the BA Maintenance Facility is very busy and I think some BA pilot training is carried out there.
The airport is not only the main maintenance base for British Airways but also home to a variety of aerospace-oriented firms and colleges, and therefore a major contributor to the economic development of the region.
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It seems to be a big base for BA. it's just down the road from saints, seems to be a fairly big area for maint activity.
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Passenger numbers are low because landing fees (and therefore fare prices) are too high.
It's actually a good airport to access by road, far better than Bristol. And you can get there by train.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Sat 13 Jul 13 at 09:41
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