http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69022
'Donington reveals revamp plans'
Donington Park's owners have revealed details of their planned revamp of the venue that will make the race track suitable for Formula One when its first planned British Grand Prix takes place in 2010.
The current 2.5-mile circuit, which last hosted a Formula One race in 1993, will be extended by approximately half a mile thanks to the addition of a new loop at the final corner.
A new pit and paddock complex will be constructed on the inside of Starkey's Straight, while the Esses chicane may also be removed or reprofiled to extend the length of the new start-finish straight.
Track co-owner Simon Gillett, who admitted that keeping the run from Redgate to Coppice intact was a key part of their plans, explained his ideas for the new layout in this week's Autosport.
"Off the Melbourne loop, instead of going around Goddards corner and 180 degrees onto the [current] start-finish straight, you'll go straight on and do a half-mile loop before going back onto the [current] start-finish straight," he said.
Gillett confirmed that the circuit, which also hosts the British round of the MotoGP world championship in July, would remain open during the build that is scheduled to begin in October and will be overseen by FIA-favoured track designer Hermann Tilke.
"We close the circuit from October to March except for testing, and we're going to be doing the same this year," said Gillett. "During that period we're going to be doing all the works that need to be done to the track to bring us to FIA standard.
"We're building the pits and paddock on the infield next year, and there's no reason why race meetings can't happen at the same time. During the closed period we will be doing the cutting of the asphalt for the pitlane and for the track extension."
