Well, got to disagree with you there. I've been to Donington twice in the last four weeks and i've got to say it looks better now then it ever has. Other than maybe in the 1930's. Trouble is, between that short period in the 30's when it hosted those great races with the AutoUnions, and when it reopened at the end of the 70's, it had been used by the military as a vehicle storage dump and most of what it was has been lost. The new owners have done a fantastic job of righting the wrongs of the aborted recent attempt at extending the track and facilities to GP standards. A lot of the old 70's hospitality units and other buildings have been demolished and the whole place has been beautified and it's probably the best flowing track in the country, as long as it's not the longer Melbourne Loop version.
There is something oddly special about racing on a track closely surrounded by nature. Parts of Spa, Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and, i would imagine, the Nordschleife, Le Mans - plus some of the classic northern Americans tracks, still give that feeling of actually travelling somewhere, not just going round and round in circles on some windswept concrete dust bowl. But having said that, nobody understandably wants to race on a circuit with a tree on the apex of a corner anymore.
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