Loved listening to this after our 1 day visit yesterday (Friday) to watch qualifying. We have made visits at least every other year, usually for 3 days, since we started engaging with MotoGP 10 years ago. We have always found Silverstone to be wonderfully organised and great value. As regular gig goers used to paying £40-50 for 2-3 hours entertainment ticket prices are not unreasonable for the services, staff and seating provided. 9 different winners in 9 years - and a wide open championship this year - you should go!!
@@msvbkbaker Totally agree. It’s a great weekend every year. Only the weather ever lets it down. Am so tired of seeing negative comments about the price and how it should be at Donington again.
I went with my other half and son. We bought 3 day gen admission tickets and took advantage of the email offer of a £45 grandstand seat upgrade. Loved the weekend and very happy with what we got for our money. The thing you need is to market it to people who haven't seen a MotoGP race. Those that I work with who have watched the highlights of various races this year have loved it more than F1. Get more races out from behind the pay wall otherwise you won't get a bigger crowd than you're getting now. I've already booked a hotel for next year and will keep going as long as you have the race
What an excellent interview. Big respect to Stuart Pringle ...open and honest responses to some tough questions from Keith. Motogp is awesome, we just need more people to appreciate this. Some particularly good comments from Stuart on this point.👍
As for a lack of interest in motorcycles I have a theory. As a kid in the 70's we all rode bicycles to school and everywhere else. The natural progression is that a lot of us wanted a motorized version of that as soon as we could get it.
Thanks guys. A great conversation. Ive been going since the Sheene days on and off, its still a great weekend in my eyes. Moan if you like, but its fast, its a wonderful place to watch bikes and riders at their extremes. I camp, i watch the bands, i take my own beer and food.
Silverstone had a huge track day a few weeks ago with the top riders from various disciplines attending but no one knew about until after it happened. Valentino was there in the UK and it was a huge opportunity wasted to promote the GP. Silverstone to me never seemed to be biker friendly compared to Donington
I am still scratching my head as to why this event wasn’t used in some way to promote the GP? TNT/BT Sport etc were there, but they’ll just use the pics to make their weekend show look good, that does nothing to help a wider audience appreciate in advance what they’ll be missing at this year’s race weekend.
I recently convinced a friend to take his son to wsb. He loved every minute. Got to meet riders, walked the circuit. Went to paddock show . Didn't have to pay for parking. Very reasonable price. Great racing. He wants to go again and to bsb.motogp is too expensive for them. Its not rocket science
Good questions Keith. Attended WSB at Donington park and the crowd was no where near what it used to be, even though the racing was good and you have a lot of Brits in it. Not sure what the answer is. We all had bikes back in the day I'm 62 but not that many kids into it sadly.
60.000 was the figure given, double the MotoGP in recent years! NW200 attracts 120.000 annually,Ireland's biggest sporting event, the UK's biggest motorcycle race!
@@williamrae9954 There were not 60k on the Sunday at WSBK, so that must be the weekend figure - which triple counts a lot of fans over three days. Silverstone had 48500 on Sunday last year and 39000 on Saturday.
because kids arent interested and haven't been interested in years, especially since the paywall which was a big knife in the back of british motorcycling. The paywall meant they stopped attracting new fans and started rinsing the fans they already have. Motorbikes are loathed by millions in britain, if they find out you ride one they assume theres something wrong with you, kids are taught motorcyles are bad and dangerous, and discouraged as much as possible from even knowing what they are let alone interest in them, you see the backlash at the THINK BIKE sighns, they resent having to look out for other road users, as if a motorbike has no right to be there. I am the only Biker i know under the age of 40 who doesnt have an older biker in the family, motorcycling is relying on inheriting bikers rather than attracting fresh bikers.
@@sozzle600 Silverstone had 117000 over the weekend this year for MotoGP. Donington had 55000 for the WSBK weekend. Even though it’s cheaper and people bang on about how great the place is.
Have to say weekend entry cost is not that bad compared to some at £115/€137, paid €170 for weekend pass at Assen, seating on Sunday on Haarbocht guaranteed only, I think one day pass was €90 Sunday.
All these circuits should have a outdoor go kart track which doubles up as a pit bike mini moto track. Hitting two birds with one stone helping grass roots karting and young bikers
I’m old enough to remember when the organisers were all about motorcycle racing, These day’s they are all about making money well at those prices your not going to get it out of me.
Interesting interview, but have to say that at £90 for a Sunday ticket is a rip off imo…..as for the facilities, yes they’re there, but the track isn’t great for a bike viewing, the grandstands are too far away from the track and you don’t feel part of the race. The track is great for the racers, but for the spectator it’s a “no” from me.
Weekend prices are good - you can't argue 👍. But, race day (impulse) prices are a major turn off for the majority. No exposure on everyday media has a significant downside !
Cost is still too high when you account for parking, food, drink, accommodation and travel. Ive been following MotoGP since 2005 and this is the first year im going to Silverstone and thatsbonly because im a huge Darkness fan.
@@sozzle600 Thoroughly disagree. All three WSBK races at Donington this year were boring. Toprak just cruised off and won all three with ease. The Sprint and GP at Silverstone this weekend were both much better. I also disagree that Donington has better viewing. Craner Curves is great, but the rest means mostly looking through a fence and not seeing them for very long. Silverstone has plenty of grandstands with good views. As for the cost, of course WSBK is cheaper. It’s a lower standard and has a lot less going on. Taking MotoGP back to Donington might satisfy those who still haven’t got over it leaving there, but the place isn’t up to hosting modern MotoGP. And it certainly isn’t more accessible in terms of roads leading to it.
Great to have moto gp at Silverstone,as a motorbike rider seeing our heroes ride this fabulous track,but we cant follow in our hero footsteps as Silverstone have stopped doing bike track days which has turned me away from Silverstone 😢
I am glad the attendance question was addressed. I wonder how much the Olympics drew crouds aware from the event. I don't think Motogp is long for Motogp. Silverstone won't make enough $$. It will come down to dollars and cents
Work with dorna to create virtual tickets so people can sign in and watch sprint race free, give tickets away at schools and motorcycle venues and track digital uptake
I swear people always want something for nothing. £55 on Saturday for a MotoGP sprint race, all three classes qualifying and support races. These people complaining will happily pay that to watch a 90 minute football match. 🤷
@@tommedcalf5261 plus parking etc. no they won't watch football as they are probably not football fans. If a sport is trying to attract new fans it has to be cheap to attend. Who's going to pay Silverstone prices if they haven't been to a bike race before.
@@bobskool that's great. Genuinely great but a lot of people I know can't afford to go to a sports event. They choose their free time carefully so they can't afford to spend that much on a whim. Cheaper prices would mean they would be fans for life
We take all our own food and drinks. Anything you spend inside is 'optional' - it was hot yesterday so treated ourselves to ice creams but these are mot essentials
Well done Stuart. Whole weekend was great, moto3 thrilling, loads of young people there. 3 suggestions: never book The Kooks again, more simple urinals for men so more cubicles for women, and bigger pineapples for the piña coladas
We went to gp and it was excellent. 160£ Each 3 day tickets with parking and international grandstand. Its not silverstone fault moto gp has gone down F1 tech route or mostly Spanish, Italian riders. UK never seems to back UK riders. And probably silverstone doesn't get any government or local money. People just don't talk about motorcycling like back in the day. Plus in hey day sheene the classes where two strokes so UK riders could go to do GPs . UK should drop say super sport 600 for moto 2. Does the modern four stroke, make racing so much more expensive than old two strokes?
Even on Friday, afternoon or morning school trips. Free entrance for the kids and teachers. Paddock passes. Imagine being 7 or 8 and seeing some kid barely 10 years older hoon around on a Moto 3 bike for a living. That's got to motivate some kids to want to give it a go.
It's not the gate price that's the problem if you're there for a weekend you need food and drink which they know so they skimp on quality and up the prices £25 for 2 bacon sandwiches and 2 coffees back in 2015 first and last time I went was hoping to go to Wales in 16😢
Completely missed the point Keith made about doing public events. If you're only doing digital marketing to people who are already into it you're doomed. The sport needs to pull new people in with building the profile outside the core audience.
Just some of the problems: 1) Most people in the UK know nothing about motorbikes and cant relate to motorcycle racing, but can relate to the 4 wheels of f1 (as they are 'cars'), 2) Most people in the UK think motorcyclists are nutcases. 3) A high % of UK bikers would rather watch bsb or the tt (and view these as the pinnacle), a strange parochialism (unique to the UK) that I think even e.g. Jake Dixon going to moto gp wont neccessarily fix. 4) Silverstone is a great track but viewing areas too far away. 5) As a knock on effect of point 1, mainstream news NEVER reports on motorcycling unless its to report a tragedy. Results are buried on bbcs webpage.
The only way you are going to get new fans in MotoGP is to show people how exciting the racing is. If you say to a person that knows nothing about motorcycle racing ( hey we want you to be a MotoGP fan ) that will be $155 you’ve already lost them 🤦🏻♂️
The number that will go from 'never heard of it' directly to going in less than 12 months is very few. They start by watching on TV - or watching the documentary type programs - so Stuart's comments about the availability/accessibility of these are very valid. Then when they've seen it on TV, got a favourite, got swept up in it - maybe 1-2 seasons on, that's when they will look at attending.
Only Silverstone could push blame to MotoGp for lack of promotion. Moto GP has had record attendance at so many races this year. Silverstone has stopped motorcycle trackdays. Truth is they don't care for Motorcycle racing in the UK.
Only you couldnt blame them, they have put motogp into obscurity behind a paywall, f1 was already mainstream enough to get away with it, motogp wasnt, i bet 90 percent of people in britain couldnt name a single current motogp rider. People dont even know motogp exists. They've heard of Valantino Rossi, older people will have heard of Sheene and Hailwood. Foggy is about the only motorcycle household name since the 70s in britain.
Tax is also ridiculous on motorcycles now i know its not road tax and supposedly emissions but come on near £200 for most bikes over 600cc. Biking is no longer a cheaper form of transport factoring in insurance aswell. So people stick to there cars clogging up the roads
I'm a massive fan of john mcguinness and have pictures of him with my kids up on the wall in my house but come on now. Does he really think shoeing john mcguinness into a superstock support race is going to excite people?
I live in Canada and have travelled to the USA as well as Italy and Spain just to see MotoGP and I can tell you that 115 pounds is MORE than reasonable!! No idea why people would complain about this cost!!!
@@captaintoyota3171 £115 for a three day ticket is great value. I think they should lower the Sunday price from £95 though. That is too much. But both prices are much cheaper than F1.
not soo reasonable for most european wages...specially when you have a lot more expenses attach to the ticket to go to silvestone, travel, food, hotel... by the end of the week you have spend a lot....
I can also say that my husband and I were not F1 fans whatsoever since MotoGP is so much better than F1. But I must confess that after watching drive to survive… We are now F1 fans as well! Lol. Praying there will soon be a “ride to survive”!!!
It is astounding that so many young UK riders have gone through Red Bull rookies, and the Spanish route, with a respectable showing of results, yet still fail to go any further. From my own pov, the pay for view does not work for me, I can get BSB and WSB with Eurosport, and IoM TT for less than £15 for the 2 weeks practice and racing. Silverstone is a great circuit, but bikes are the poor relation in every respect. If BSB could have afforded the GP circuit rather then the miniscule 1m club circuit then I am sure a round would still be there. As Stuarts own words they seem to cater for Porsche and Ferrari owners......
Motorcycling in the 90's had a resurgence via BSB and WSBK. Blokes in their 20s and 30s got into bikes and coughed up for a ride. Older riders got back into it. So what has happened? Why does there seem to be a dwindling interest in 'Motorcycling' in general? It's just blokes in their 60s now who seem to go and watch racing.
People harp on about how great Donington is, but the weekend ticket for WSBK is £65 odd and there was 50000 fans there this year. Silverstone had 116,000 for the three days last year. £115 for three days is great value in this day and age. Roll on the weekend.
Here in the states, TRU tv is doing the best job ever at MotoGP, it is REALLY GREAT!!! Very few people here know anything at all about any kind of motorcycle anything! As for me, SBK is complete bullshit and I will never buy another subscription ever!!!
Donington is not a better track, ask the Moto GP riders, better views, possibly, but that’s the reason they cannot run Moto there because there is not enough run off and the barriers are too close. Cheaper ? if you are talking about the last time it was run at Donington but it would be the same or more now because of what the circuit has to pay to run the event. It would have a novelty attraction for the first year or two but getting in and out of Donington was and would be in even worse now as there has been massive development around the circuit in recent years which is another reason why the local council do not want 100k people turning up there and causing chaos with cargo and holiday maker schedules. They could not run F1 there and cannot run Moto GP there either unless they spend an awful lot of money on moving safety fencing and barriers back and then people like you would moan that you can’t see anything. As has been said in the interview just over a hundred pounds for three days racing, three good quality bands in the evening, great facilities and you won’t sit in your car for 4 hrs trying to get out……
@@Andre-kc9di Riders prefer Silverstone and so do a lot of fans. Donington is tired and dated as a facility and doesn’t have many good places to watch from. Silverstone has loads of grandstands to choose from.
@@Andre-kc9di Donington wouldn’t charge a lower ticket price for MotoGP than Silverstone. They need to cover the cost of the fee to Dorna and all the improvements the circuit and facilities would need to host a much bigger event than they do usually. It would probably end up costing more.
Problem is, the bikes are too far away from the spectator areas but the main problem there are no British 🇬🇧 stars in MotoGP, simple as. Looks like there’s know one coming through, shame. Best track in the UK to ride just crap to watch.
I suspect Stuart has heard Keiths negative SS comments over the last few months/years and even in this interview and got a little fed up with him blaming SS for the poor attendances. I agree with Stuart that it's great value for money given you're seeing the very best of the best over 3 days and considerable other great activities. It's not SS's fault that MotoGP is only really enjoyed by bikers in this country and there's a massive decline in them... First, let's look at the perception of bikes and bikers in this country. Stupid, difficult and costly process to obtain a license. Poor reputation of bikes yet they could play a significant part in the 'green' solution instead of mothers in their fake 4x4'staking kids to school and driving to the gym All bike related news is always about thugs and phone thieves and so on. Road conditions are now so dangerous for bikes Drivers are mostly middle lane idiots who jump redlights whilst on their phones eating burgers and drinking expensive coffee... so best of luck them seeing bikers. So before we all go bashing Mr Pringle and SS, the root of the problems is much deeper here in the UK So Keith and the rest of the press, start using your influence to address some of the above with powers that be and then criticise SS if still relevant.
Nobody I meet at races or elsewhere would consider going to MotoGP at Silverstone. After the shocking treatment at bsb and past MotoGP races I'm not surprised. Silverstone only cares about f1
Let’s not have rose tinted glasses about the past. After Doohans 5 year dominance, Donington 2000 only 18,000 people turned up. 2001, 85,000 attendance, which then carried on for twenty years - all because of some Italian bloke 😉 The sad truth is in the UK there is no culture of motorcycle racing to the general public. The sport itself is not appealing enough to most who don’t know about it, they need an angle to get connected - A charismatic British champion maybe… I was at a bike meet recently on a Sunday afternoon, hundreds of bikers were there and the motogp race was on… only a handful of people watching the race, 20 max. Raceday ticket prices should be around £50 general admission and £80 for grandstands, parking £5. After 160,000 people paid astronomical ticket prices for F1, surely Silverstone can take the hit a little.
I’m sorry but bullshit it needs investment in riders in a team to bring English riders back like Rossi did for Italian riders if the prices weren’t a rip off people would come 🤬
But it isn't £115! Add on £30 for parking. Two meals and drink for three days is gonna be around £120. Merchandise on top, accommodation etc @@olemoto
Its not on Normal Tv. Paying a Subscription is not most people's preference. Just not getting the exposure anymore MOTO GP. Silverstone is a pooh hole unless your in hospitality.. Over inflated prices.. especially for Venders and Food kiosks. Not many Brits competing.. Time to put a show on if your trying to attract fans.. The Curcuit dont help either. Not a Bike Curcuit.. Not the closest of racing from this curcuit. Its not a Natural amphitheatre for bike racing and can be boring to watch..
Silverstone do not help themselves , F1 was £300 for a sunday ticket what the hell is that ? Moto gp is £90 and that is a massive ripoff compared to every other race in the year .coupled with the fact silverstone is a horrible place to go to watch as a spectator , the track is great in itself but its an unpleasent experience as a spectator ,
One of the best sections, they covered the outside fencing in advertising so you cannot see the cars or bikes going through maggots and becketts unless you pay stupid money for the grandstand. Joke
@@alexanderclarke2774I agree totally bud. I went in 22. I really enjoyed it as it was my first live motogp event but I wouldn’t go again! Bad to watch, your too far away from the circuit and as you said, the food and drink is ridiculously expensive!!!
He's talking out his arse, he hasn't got a clue. To see the entertainment you need to pay another £130 to camp. If he did care about bikes, they'd still have bsb there..
Advertise, it doesn't have to cost much nowadays. Get people doing more of this kind of thing, talk to riders and team members. And drop the prices. I'm soon to be 50, been a fan since i was a kid, regularly went to Silverstone every year but just can't afford it now. Being snotty about £115 for 3 days won't help! you are ignoring the additional costs involved in staying for 3 days. I've changed my mind, listening to Stuart has turned me off more now. What an attitude, utter disrespect.
Maybe cancel the British MotoGP race and move it to Asia on even NZ? If there's no interest in it in England then there's no need for you to be on the calendar.
Nasty troll here, £130 to put up a tent and listen to the darkness, I will give you £130 to not endure that. Deaf business man doesn't get Silverstones failings which are in order of importance, poor visibility for fans in the cheap seats, too far south to attract northern fans, too expensive to park , no real British interest and Donington is just better
@@olemotoit might not have the garage space of Silverstone but surely you can't argue that the general admission areas give you a much better view of the racing
@alexanderclarke2774 Silverstone offers a choice of multiple grandstands as part of general admission. Donington only has two stands around the entire track. The best place to watch at Donington is Craner Curves, near Starkey's Bridge. Besides that, I really don't rate it for views. Casanova and Savelli at Mugello is the best place to sit!
Dont want to dive too much into politics, but I believe one of the reasons of the decline in popularity is that britons have become, "soft" lets say, especially the young people, people from my generation, so more hardcore sports like motorcycle racing dont get as much love as they used to. The only reason F1 is so popular is because its F1 and theres the drive to survive thing AND something that is especially true with the female audience of F1, there a lot of people that watch it because of the "pretty" faces. Motorbike popularity has declined in the world in general yes, but remember, not everyone who watches F1 is a car enthuasiast, same goes for MotoGP
Soft? More like it's cheaper to get a car and ultimately more practical in rainy Blighty. Plus all the extra ways to spend money. Many got a bike way back because it was affordable independent transport. Can now pick up a decent car for under a grand. Look for 125cc prices..factor in 100 quid for a CBT and another 100 for a lid boots and jacket....and you still don't have a licence.
BS Mr. Stuart Pringle! the cost is to much for the average person. The goverment BS from the 70's and 80's that motorbikes are bad So "we" are going to make it harder to ride one by law. The goverment got there way. Same with the congestion charge in london for Motorbikes? WTF? Charging the very vehicle that reduces traffic?
Firstly someone should have paid more attention in English lessons, secondly it's great value compared to almost every other popular elite past time/hobby/sport etc.
Yeah go to Lemans or like Watin glenn style tracks. Germany etc. THOSE tracks u get ur value. U.k.? Silverstone? 500 USD$ yeah nah and u can see crap from track
Location, location, location....it's the GP of the British Isles, not for the South East of England...wrong side of Birmingham for most of the country, why i refuse to go,I'd rather go to Assen,Valencia or Jerez...why Donington is loved,and Silverstone isn't...access!
Silverstone produces crap, processional motorcycle racing. Donington produces great motorcycle racing. The fans have never liked the change. And this prat thinks he's doing us a favour. A new grass roots movement and a new world championship that doesn't involve the Spanish especially or the FIM particularly is not that hard to envision. Britain, US, Aus and Italy are the motorcycling nations and given equal access they'll dominate.
Absolute nonsense. Toprak winning all three WSBK races this season at Donington says the exact opposite. As does the awesome finish to the MotoGP race at Silverstone in 2019. There have been several exciting races at Silverstone.
Loved listening to this after our 1 day visit yesterday (Friday) to watch qualifying. We have made visits at least every other year, usually for 3 days, since we started engaging with MotoGP 10 years ago. We have always found Silverstone to be wonderfully organised and great value. As regular gig goers used to paying £40-50 for 2-3 hours entertainment ticket prices are not unreasonable for the services, staff and seating provided. 9 different winners in 9 years - and a wide open championship this year - you should go!!
@@msvbkbaker We think this. But the message is just not getting through! It was a great event, and a British winner too!
@@KeithHuewen16 such a shame that TNT didn't show Jake's victory lap but switched to ads instead :-( that's why you had to be there!!
@@KeithHuewen16 looked to be disappointing numbers there yesterday - not as many as I expected to see anyway
@@msvbkbaker Totally agree. It’s a great weekend every year. Only the weather ever lets it down. Am so tired of seeing negative comments about the price and how it should be at Donington again.
I went with my other half and son. We bought 3 day gen admission tickets and took advantage of the email offer of a £45 grandstand seat upgrade. Loved the weekend and very happy with what we got for our money. The thing you need is to market it to people who haven't seen a MotoGP race. Those that I work with who have watched the highlights of various races this year have loved it more than F1. Get more races out from behind the pay wall otherwise you won't get a bigger crowd than you're getting now. I've already booked a hotel for next year and will keep going as long as you have the race
Great interview, excellent discussion and points, great respect to both of you! 🏁🏁🏁
What an excellent interview. Big respect to Stuart Pringle ...open and honest responses to some tough questions from Keith. Motogp is awesome, we just need more people to appreciate this. Some particularly good comments from Stuart on this point.👍
Yet again another brilliant insight/ interview and a brilliant guest with honesty and knowledge.
This was a very motivated and passionate guest. Thank you for having him.
As for a lack of interest in motorcycles I have a theory. As a kid in the 70's we all rode bicycles to school and everywhere else. The natural progression is that a lot of us wanted a motorized version of that as soon as we could get it.
Thanks guys. A great conversation. Ive been going since the Sheene days on and off, its still a great weekend in my eyes. Moan if you like, but its fast, its a wonderful place to watch bikes and riders at their extremes. I camp, i watch the bands, i take my own beer and food.
Love your style 👍🏼
Stewart Higgs and Stuart Pringle , two absolute top men.
I can't wait see 75 th anniversary bikes wow .
Silverstone had a huge track day a few weeks ago with the top riders from various disciplines attending but no one knew about until after it happened. Valentino was there in the UK and it was a huge opportunity wasted to promote the GP. Silverstone to me never seemed to be biker friendly compared to Donington
I am still scratching my head as to why this event wasn’t used in some way to promote the GP? TNT/BT Sport etc were there, but they’ll just use the pics to make their weekend show look good, that does nothing to help a wider audience appreciate in advance what they’ll be missing at this year’s race weekend.
I cannot believe they didn't do tickets for it. I would have loved to have been there for it.
Silverstone doesn't care about bikes
I recently convinced a friend to take his son to wsb. He loved every minute. Got to meet riders, walked the circuit. Went to paddock show . Didn't have to pay for parking. Very reasonable price. Great racing. He wants to go again and to bsb.motogp is too expensive for them. Its not rocket science
Great interview Keith, Stuart’s a very open and honest guy, fuck it I missed last year, l’m buying a ticket right now for Sunday!!! ❤
Good questions Keith. Attended WSB at Donington park and the crowd was no where near what it used to be, even though the racing was good and you have a lot of Brits in it. Not sure what the answer is. We all had bikes back in the day I'm 62 but not that many kids into it sadly.
60.000 was the figure given, double the MotoGP in recent years! NW200 attracts 120.000 annually,Ireland's biggest sporting event, the UK's biggest motorcycle race!
@@williamrae9954 There were not 60k on the Sunday at WSBK, so that must be the weekend figure - which triple counts a lot of fans over three days. Silverstone had 48500 on Sunday last year and 39000 on Saturday.
because kids arent interested and haven't been interested in years, especially since the paywall which was a big knife in the back of british motorcycling.
The paywall meant they stopped attracting new fans and started rinsing the fans they already have.
Motorbikes are loathed by millions in britain, if they find out you ride one they assume theres something wrong with you, kids are taught motorcyles are bad and dangerous, and discouraged as much as possible from even knowing what they are let alone interest in them, you see the backlash at the THINK BIKE sighns, they resent having to look out for other road users, as if a motorbike has no right to be there.
I am the only Biker i know under the age of 40 who doesnt have an older biker in the family, motorcycling is relying on inheriting bikers rather than attracting fresh bikers.
Silverstone didn't have that many people there. They lied. Even when bsb was there it was empty. Nobody in campsite,empty stands. Nothing open
@@sozzle600 Silverstone had 117000 over the weekend this year for MotoGP. Donington had 55000 for the WSBK weekend. Even though it’s cheaper and people bang on about how great the place is.
Attended Sunday thought facility was very clean tidy well organised racing was great thank you for a great day.
Have to say weekend entry cost is not that bad compared to some at £115/€137, paid €170 for weekend pass at Assen, seating on Sunday on Haarbocht
guaranteed only, I think one day pass was €90 Sunday.
Worth every penny! I wish I lived there to attend!
All these circuits should have a outdoor go kart track which doubles up as a pit bike mini moto track. Hitting two birds with one stone helping grass roots karting and young bikers
Tell Silverstone to help young British riders then! Get in touch with MLav and help him to help you!
Get 3 races at next year’s moto go meeting for British superbikes that would draw a huge crowd
Moto gp and bsb on the same bill Silverstone will be sold out in a month bring it on
@@cliffordbell646 I doubt it. I've been to bsb at Silverstone. Shocking
Cost of a Sunday ticket, parking and food is unfortunately too expensive for most.
Exactly. I can afford it but I can do three bsb weekends for the price of one motogp
Day prices are a joke !
@@Paul-899cc massive joke!
The trouble is to many motorcyclists moan about spending £150 for a weekends entertainment but are quite happy to spend £550 on a race can.
The music awesome the darkness are brilliant.wish had big race here in new Zealand there of course Australia .
I’m old enough to remember when the organisers were all about motorcycle racing,
These day’s they are all about making money well at those prices your not going to get it out of me.
Interesting interview, but have to say that at £90 for a Sunday ticket is a rip off imo…..as for the facilities, yes they’re there, but the track isn’t great for a bike viewing, the grandstands are too far away from the track and you don’t feel part of the race. The track is great for the racers, but for the spectator it’s a “no” from me.
Weekend prices are good - you can't argue 👍. But, race day (impulse) prices are a major turn off for the majority. No exposure on everyday media has a significant downside !
Cost is still too high when you account for parking, food, drink, accommodation and travel.
Ive been following MotoGP since 2005 and this is the first year im going to Silverstone and thatsbonly because im a huge Darkness fan.
You have to account for all of those things anywhere you go. £115 for a weekend ticket is superb value.
@@olemotono it isn't. Not when superbike is cheaper, better racing,more accessible, better circuit for viewing
Bsb is £75 for the entire weekend...@@olemoto
@@sozzle600 Thoroughly disagree. All three WSBK races at Donington this year were boring. Toprak just cruised off and won all three with ease. The Sprint and GP at Silverstone this weekend were both much better. I also disagree that Donington has better viewing. Craner Curves is great, but the rest means mostly looking through a fence and not seeing them for very long. Silverstone has plenty of grandstands with good views. As for the cost, of course WSBK is cheaper. It’s a lower standard and has a lot less going on. Taking MotoGP back to Donington might satisfy those who still haven’t got over it leaving there, but the place isn’t up to hosting modern MotoGP. And it certainly isn’t more accessible in terms of roads leading to it.
@@olemoto agree to disagree
Great to have moto gp at Silverstone,as a motorbike rider seeing our heroes ride this fabulous track,but we cant follow in our hero footsteps as Silverstone have stopped doing bike track days which has turned me away from Silverstone 😢
Absolutely brilliant Silverstone are building a kart track hopefully they will allow you to bring your own bikes for pratice
I am glad the attendance question was addressed. I wonder how much the Olympics drew crouds aware from the event. I don't think Motogp is long for Motogp. Silverstone won't make enough $$. It will come down to dollars and cents
Moto gp and bsb on the same bill unreal
Crazy idea! 🤪 F1 and MotoGP to race at Silverstone on the same weekend 🤯 there are two paddocks after all…
Couldn't stand rubbing shoulders with the F1s....
Work with dorna to create virtual tickets so people can sign in and watch sprint race free, give tickets away at schools and motorcycle venues and track digital uptake
I swear people always want something for nothing. £55 on Saturday for a MotoGP sprint race, all three classes qualifying and support races. These people complaining will happily pay that to watch a 90 minute football match. 🤷
@@tommedcalf5261 plus parking etc. no they won't watch football as they are probably not football fans. If a sport is trying to attract new fans it has to be cheap to attend. Who's going to pay Silverstone prices if they haven't been to a bike race before.
@@sozzle6003 out of our group of 7 had never been before and are not bike fans. Converts now thanks to the friendly atmosphere and stunning action
@@bobskool that's great. Genuinely great but a lot of people I know can't afford to go to a sports event. They choose their free time carefully so they can't afford to spend that much on a whim. Cheaper prices would mean they would be fans for life
It’s not just the entrance fee, it’s what it cost when you’re in there. Far cheaper to go and watch a race is Spain or France.
No it isn’t. I’ve been to several abroad and it costs me more than a weekend at Silverstone.
The attitude about the cost has got my blood boiling, so many words i want to use to describe this man
Absolutely correct
We take all our own food and drinks. Anything you spend inside is 'optional' - it was hot yesterday so treated ourselves to ice creams but these are mot essentials
@@900BEN No it isn’t. Going abroad is not cheaper.
Well done Stuart. Whole weekend was great, moto3 thrilling, loads of young people there. 3 suggestions: never book The Kooks again, more simple urinals for men so more cubicles for women, and bigger pineapples for the piña coladas
We went to gp and it was excellent. 160£ Each 3 day tickets with parking and international grandstand. Its not silverstone fault moto gp has gone down F1 tech route or mostly Spanish, Italian riders. UK never seems to back UK riders. And probably silverstone doesn't get any government or local money.
People just don't talk about motorcycling like back in the day.
Plus in hey day sheene the classes where two strokes so UK riders could go to do GPs . UK should drop say super sport 600 for moto 2. Does the modern four stroke, make racing so much more expensive than old two strokes?
Why not allow schools 20 free entrance tickets each, if a teacher is able to generate interest.
Edit: Even if it’s for Saturday
Even on Friday, afternoon or morning school trips. Free entrance for the kids and teachers. Paddock passes. Imagine being 7 or 8 and seeing some kid barely 10 years older hoon around on a Moto 3 bike for a living. That's got to motivate some kids to want to give it a go.
our engineering teacher was a biker, he organised a trip to the HM Plant Honda team, look round the workshops, etc.
90 quid wsb weekend with camping. There's you answer
Stuart gives the overriding impression that he doesn’t really care about bikes
He doesn't
It's not the gate price that's the problem if you're there for a weekend you need food and drink which they know so they skimp on quality and up the prices £25 for 2 bacon sandwiches and 2 coffees back in 2015 first and last time I went was hoping to go to Wales in 16😢
It is a real shame the Circuit of Wales never got built.
@@olemoto
And £millions went missing
If you're there for the weekend you can bring your own tinnies and sandwiches
@@bobskool Exactly. We take a packed lunch every day and it saves a lot of money.
Completely missed the point Keith made about doing public events. If you're only doing digital marketing to people who are already into it you're doomed. The sport needs to pull new people in with building the profile outside the core audience.
ill be cheering Sam Middlemas on
I'm a biker. I know lots of people but, I rarely, if ever hear anyone raving about Silverstone. Am I missing something?????
Just some of the problems: 1) Most people in the UK know nothing about motorbikes and cant relate to motorcycle racing, but can relate to the 4 wheels of f1 (as they are 'cars'),
2) Most people in the UK think motorcyclists are nutcases. 3) A high % of UK bikers would rather watch bsb or the tt (and view these as the pinnacle), a strange parochialism (unique to the UK) that I think even e.g. Jake Dixon going to moto gp wont neccessarily fix. 4) Silverstone is a great track but viewing areas too far away. 5) As a knock on effect of point 1, mainstream news NEVER reports on motorcycling unless its to report a tragedy. Results are buried on bbcs webpage.
TV adverts leading up to it?
The only way you are going to get new fans in MotoGP is to show people how exciting the racing is. If you say to a person that knows nothing about motorcycle racing ( hey we want you to be a MotoGP fan ) that will be $155 you’ve already lost them 🤦🏻♂️
Yea my partner never had heard of motogp until she meet me and now she's screaming at the TV lol.
The number that will go from 'never heard of it' directly to going in less than 12 months is very few. They start by watching on TV - or watching the documentary type programs - so Stuart's comments about the availability/accessibility of these are very valid. Then when they've seen it on TV, got a favourite, got swept up in it - maybe 1-2 seasons on, that's when they will look at attending.
Only Silverstone could push blame to MotoGp for lack of promotion.
Moto GP has had record attendance at so many races this year. Silverstone has stopped motorcycle trackdays.
Truth is they don't care for Motorcycle racing in the UK.
Only you couldnt blame them, they have put motogp into obscurity behind a paywall, f1 was already mainstream enough to get away with it, motogp wasnt, i bet 90 percent of people in britain couldnt name a single current motogp rider.
People dont even know motogp exists.
They've heard of Valantino Rossi, older people will have heard of Sheene and Hailwood.
Foggy is about the only motorcycle household name since the 70s in britain.
Tax is also ridiculous on motorcycles now i know its not road tax and supposedly emissions but come on near £200 for most bikes over 600cc. Biking is no longer a cheaper form of transport factoring in insurance aswell. So people stick to there cars clogging up the roads
This guy cant stop talking Silverstone
He runs Silverstone and the podcast is about Silverstone 😅
I'm a massive fan of john mcguinness and have pictures of him with my kids up on the wall in my house but come on now. Does he really think shoeing john mcguinness into a superstock support race is going to excite people?
I live in Canada and have travelled to the USA as well as Italy and Spain just to see MotoGP and I can tell you that 115 pounds is MORE than reasonable!! No idea why people would complain about this cost!!!
I don’t complain. I got my ticket early bird for £105 and think it’s a bargain.
Its not that ppl complain its that if u want good attendance u lower prices. I can tell u most ppl cannot afford it at places like silverstone
@@captaintoyota3171 £115 for a three day ticket is great value. I think they should lower the Sunday price from £95 though. That is too much. But both prices are much cheaper than F1.
@@olemoto your average person goes for the race day £90 + fuel + money for food and drinks, £10 a burger
not soo reasonable for most european wages...specially when you have a lot more expenses attach to the ticket to go to silvestone, travel, food, hotel... by the end of the week you have spend a lot....
I can also say that my husband and I were not F1 fans whatsoever since MotoGP is so much better than F1. But I must confess that after watching drive to survive… We are now F1 fans as well! Lol. Praying there will soon be a “ride to survive”!!!
It is astounding that so many young UK riders have gone through Red Bull rookies, and the Spanish route, with a respectable showing of results, yet still fail to go any further. From my own pov, the pay for view does not work for me, I can get BSB and WSB with Eurosport, and IoM TT for less than £15 for the 2 weeks practice and racing. Silverstone is a great circuit, but bikes are the poor relation in every respect. If BSB could have afforded the GP circuit rather then the miniscule 1m club circuit then I am sure a round would still be there. As Stuarts own words they seem to cater for Porsche and Ferrari owners......
It's been a long time since Harry was here. Can anyone say where is he? Why doesn't he operate the show anymore?
He commentates on F1 now.
Harry will be back soon, he's just been busy with F1 duties. Keep your eyes peeled tho 👀
Motorcycling in the 90's had a resurgence via BSB and WSBK. Blokes in their 20s and 30s got into bikes and coughed up for a ride. Older riders got back into it.
So what has happened? Why does there seem to be a dwindling interest in 'Motorcycling' in general? It's just blokes in their 60s now who seem to go and watch racing.
If it goes to Sky then that's me done with Moto Gp
People harp on about how great Donington is, but the weekend ticket for WSBK is £65 odd and there was 50000 fans there this year. Silverstone had 116,000 for the three days last year. £115 for three days is great value in this day and age. Roll on the weekend.
Here in the states, TRU tv is doing the best job ever at MotoGP, it is REALLY GREAT!!! Very few people here know anything at all about any kind of motorcycle anything! As for me, SBK is complete bullshit and I will never buy another subscription ever!!!
Needs going to brands hatch problem solved
In my opinion donnington park is better for motogp fans prefer it
I don’t prefer it and I go every year and started in the late 80s.
Donnington is a much better track, better views, cheaper, attracts more people and a lot of international fans come as it's next to the airport
Donington is not a better track, ask the Moto GP riders, better views, possibly, but that’s the reason they cannot run Moto there because there is not enough run off and the barriers are too close. Cheaper ? if you are talking about the last time it was run at Donington but it would be the same or more now because of what the circuit has to pay to run the event. It would have a novelty attraction for the first year or two but getting in and out of Donington was and would be in even worse now as there has been massive development around the circuit in recent years which is another reason why the local council do not want 100k people turning up there and causing chaos with cargo and holiday maker schedules. They could not run F1 there and cannot run Moto GP there either unless they spend an awful lot of money on moving safety fencing and barriers back and then people like you would moan that you can’t see anything. As has been said in the interview just over a hundred pounds for three days racing, three good quality bands in the evening, great facilities and you won’t sit in your car for 4 hrs trying to get out……
@@Andre-kc9di Riders prefer Silverstone and so do a lot of fans. Donington is tired and dated as a facility and doesn’t have many good places to watch from. Silverstone has loads of grandstands to choose from.
@@Andre-kc9di Donington wouldn’t charge a lower ticket price for MotoGP than Silverstone. They need to cover the cost of the fee to Dorna and all the improvements the circuit and facilities would need to host a much bigger event than they do usually. It would probably end up costing more.
Problem is, the bikes are too far away from the spectator areas but the main problem there are no British 🇬🇧 stars in MotoGP, simple as. Looks like there’s know one coming through, shame. Best track in the UK to ride just crap to watch.
I suspect Stuart has heard Keiths negative SS comments over the last few months/years and even in this interview and got a little fed up with him blaming SS for the poor attendances.
I agree with Stuart that it's great value for money given you're seeing the very best of the best over 3 days and considerable other great activities.
It's not SS's fault that MotoGP is only really enjoyed by bikers in this country and there's a massive decline in them...
First, let's look at the perception of bikes and bikers in this country.
Stupid, difficult and costly process to obtain a license.
Poor reputation of bikes yet they could play a significant part in the 'green' solution instead of mothers in their fake 4x4'staking kids to school and driving to the gym
All bike related news is always about thugs and phone thieves
and so on.
Road conditions are now so dangerous for bikes
Drivers are mostly middle lane idiots who jump redlights whilst on their phones eating burgers and drinking expensive coffee... so best of luck them seeing bikers.
So before we all go bashing Mr Pringle and SS, the root of the problems is much deeper here in the UK
So Keith and the rest of the press, start using your influence to address some of the above with powers that be and then criticise SS if still relevant.
Nobody I meet at races or elsewhere would consider going to MotoGP at Silverstone. After the shocking treatment at bsb and past MotoGP races I'm not surprised. Silverstone only cares about f1
Let’s not have rose tinted glasses about the past. After Doohans 5 year dominance, Donington 2000 only 18,000 people turned up. 2001, 85,000 attendance, which then carried on for twenty years - all because of some Italian bloke 😉 The sad truth is in the UK there is no culture of motorcycle racing to the general public. The sport itself is not appealing enough to most who don’t know about it, they need an angle to get connected - A charismatic British champion maybe… I was at a bike meet recently on a Sunday afternoon, hundreds of bikers were there and the motogp race was on… only a handful of people watching the race, 20 max. Raceday ticket prices should be around £50 general admission and £80 for grandstands, parking £5. After 160,000 people paid astronomical ticket prices for F1, surely Silverstone can take the hit a little.
With conjestion and carbon emissions an ever present issue, you'd think any sane government would promote the use of motorcycles.
That would help.
I’m sorry but bullshit it needs investment in riders in a team to bring English riders back like Rossi did for Italian riders if the prices weren’t a rip off people would come 🤬
£115 for three days is not a rip off. Like he said.
@@olemotoAverage person goes for 1 day
But it isn't £115! Add on £30 for parking. Two meals and drink for three days is gonna be around £120. Merchandise on top, accommodation etc @@olemoto
@@Andre-kc9di There are more people there for the entire weekend that just Sunday, I believe.
Its not on Normal Tv. Paying a Subscription is not most people's preference. Just not getting the exposure anymore MOTO GP.
Silverstone is a pooh hole unless your in hospitality.. Over inflated prices.. especially for Venders and Food kiosks.
Not many Brits competing..
Time to put a show on if your trying to attract fans..
The Curcuit dont help either. Not a Bike Curcuit.. Not the closest of racing from this curcuit.
Its not a Natural amphitheatre for bike racing and can be boring to watch..
Why would it be on terrestrial tv though? Not even BSB is.
Silverstone do not help themselves , F1 was £300 for a sunday ticket what the hell is that ? Moto gp is £90 and that is a massive ripoff compared to every other race in the year .coupled with the fact silverstone is a horrible place to go to watch as a spectator , the track is great in itself but its an unpleasent experience as a spectator ,
Couldn't agree more, I wouldn't go again, food was extortionate and getting a decent view of the track was nearly impossible
I live in Silverstone, and I get a brilliant view in front of my TV. It's cheaper too.
One of the best sections, they covered the outside fencing in advertising so you cannot see the cars or bikes going through maggots and becketts unless you pay stupid money for the grandstand. Joke
@@alexanderclarke2774I agree totally bud. I went in 22. I really enjoyed it as it was my first live motogp event but I wouldn’t go again! Bad to watch, your too far away from the circuit and as you said, the food and drink is ridiculously expensive!!!
Awful place
He's talking out his arse, he hasn't got a clue. To see the entertainment you need to pay another £130 to camp. If he did care about bikes, they'd still have bsb there..
Advertise, it doesn't have to cost much nowadays. Get people doing more of this kind of thing, talk to riders and team members. And drop the prices. I'm soon to be 50, been a fan since i was a kid, regularly went to Silverstone every year but just can't afford it now. Being snotty about £115 for 3 days won't help! you are ignoring the additional costs involved in staying for 3 days. I've changed my mind, listening to Stuart has turned me off more now. What an attitude, utter disrespect.
Maybe cancel the British MotoGP race and move it to Asia on even NZ? If there's no interest in it in England then there's no need for you to be on the calendar.
I wonder if Superbikes are more popular in the U.K. as they are more relateable than the F1 MotoGp style prototypes.
Nope
WSBK costs a lot less for a ticket and is at a track a lot of people love, but it still doesn't sell anything like as many tickets.
This man has no idea just a joker
£500 for a motorhome camping 3 day w/e ticket / rip off
basically, the guy said, silverstone is for the rich, if you don't have money just go away and stop moaning......
No, he did not. He said that £115 for three days of premier class entertainment is great value in this day and age...and he's spot on.
Nasty troll here, £130 to put up a tent and listen to the darkness, I will give you £130 to not endure that. Deaf business man doesn't get Silverstones failings which are in order of importance, poor visibility for fans in the cheap seats, too far south to attract northern fans, too expensive to park , no real British interest and Donington is just better
Donington is not better at all. The only thing that’s better is free parking.
@@olemotoit might not have the garage space of Silverstone but surely you can't argue that the general admission areas give you a much better view of the racing
@alexanderclarke2774 Silverstone offers a choice of multiple grandstands as part of general admission. Donington only has two stands around the entire track. The best place to watch at Donington is Craner Curves, near Starkey's Bridge. Besides that, I really don't rate it for views. Casanova and Savelli at Mugello is the best place to sit!
He's out of touch. I could tell by keiths face he thought that 5 minites into the interview
Dont want to dive too much into politics, but I believe one of the reasons of the decline in popularity is that britons have become, "soft" lets say, especially the young people, people from my generation, so more hardcore sports like motorcycle racing dont get as much love as they used to.
The only reason F1 is so popular is because its F1 and theres the drive to survive thing AND something that is especially true with the female audience of F1, there a lot of people that watch it because of the "pretty" faces.
Motorbike popularity has declined in the world in general yes, but remember, not everyone who watches F1 is a car enthuasiast, same goes for MotoGP
Soft? More like it's cheaper to get a car and ultimately more practical in rainy Blighty. Plus all the extra ways to spend money.
Many got a bike way back because it was affordable independent transport. Can now pick up a decent car for under a grand.
Look for 125cc prices..factor in 100 quid for a CBT and another 100 for a lid boots and jacket....and you still don't have a licence.
@@thehowlingterror you didnt get what I meant
BS Mr. Stuart Pringle! the cost is to much for the average person. The goverment BS from the 70's and 80's that motorbikes are bad So "we" are going to make it harder to ride one by law. The goverment got there way. Same with the congestion charge in london for Motorbikes? WTF? Charging the very vehicle that reduces traffic?
£115 for three days is exceptional value in this day and age. Compare it to F1 or football or concerts. It is a bargain in this current era.
Firstly someone should have paid more attention in English lessons, secondly it's great value compared to almost every other popular elite past time/hobby/sport etc.
I'm not a Silverstone fan but £115 is cheap mate. And approx £7 a day to park your car. They’re trying.
@@dardobartoli maybe someone should have paid more attention to the manners class? We done, mate?
🤣
@@olemoto Just for entrance. then you can add fuel, food, drink.👍
Yeah go to Lemans or like Watin glenn style tracks. Germany etc. THOSE tracks u get ur value. U.k.? Silverstone? 500 USD$ yeah nah and u can see crap from track
What are you on about? It doesn't cost $500...
Politician, sorry but I’ve glazed over.
Donington is the best for both motogp and WorldSBK! Who is making 👀 the decisions 🤔! Ridiculous . . . . .
Donington is a tired venue, dated circuit and lacks facilities and grandstands. No way should it go back there.
Location, location, location....it's the GP of the British Isles, not for the South East of England...wrong side of Birmingham for most of the country, why i refuse to go,I'd rather go to Assen,Valencia or Jerez...why Donington is loved,and Silverstone isn't...access!
Silverstone is not in the south east. Brands Hatch is. I do not love Donington either, it’s a tired facility that has few points worth sitting.
Plus, Donington is only an hour away from Silverstone. Is that in the south east too?
@@olemoto Just f/o...go have a tug at your chipolata
No, this is classed as the East Midlands, we're not in the Home Counties.
Silverstone produces crap, processional motorcycle racing. Donington produces great motorcycle racing. The fans have never liked the change. And this prat thinks he's doing us a favour.
A new grass roots movement and a new world championship that doesn't involve the Spanish especially or the FIM particularly is not that hard to envision. Britain, US, Aus and Italy are the motorcycling nations and given equal access they'll dominate.
Absolute nonsense. Toprak winning all three WSBK races this season at Donington says the exact opposite. As does the awesome finish to the MotoGP race at Silverstone in 2019. There have been several exciting races at Silverstone.