- 10,373
- Manchester
- Ardius_
BDRC are the only operator to manage to make a profit....I'd hardy jump behind Bernie so readily. Bernie may be quite crafty, but he is also a business man, and he has no interest in if Silverstone will be around in a few years time, so does not care if the BRDC cannot operate with short contracts and such large fees. As long as he has places like Abu Dhabi willing to throw money, he doesn't need Silverstone.
This doesn't necessarily make Bernie right, in the short term it makes more money, but in the long term it potentially loses the fanbase. I see Bernie's logic and I don't particularly blame him for it, but its not really a "they are in the wrong" situation, though I think its a little careless by Bernie to not care for the actual fanbase, but maybe he thinks Abu Dhabi will have a fanbase in 50 years time...who knows.
I don't really see what else the BRDC could have done, they have messed Bernie about in the past, and it sounds like Bernie has some difficult history with them. But they didn't really have a choice other than to bargain for a better deal...it would be more irresponsible to run the circuit down paying fees they couldn't cover. Using the "its for the history" line was a way to gain support (and a fair argument) but not their actual agenda, they are not a bunch of idiots obsessed with tradition, and if they are, they at least run the circuit well that it hasn't gone the way of certain other circuits...
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