After the track problems at Silverstone at the end of August for the British Grand Prix MotoGP – with Aggregate Industries' newly laid asphalt failing to drain properly, causing bikes to aquaplane, riders to be injured, the race to be cancelled, and a PR nightmare (both before and after the company threatened a journalist with legal action) – this weekend saw the circuit host the British Superbike Championship. The event was run on a shorter track:
The decision to use the shorter National Circuit rather than the full Grand Prix circuit has been taken to put aside potential concerns following the unfortunate decision taken to cancel the GoPro British Grand Prix MotoGP™ races in last weekend’s wet weather.
But even before the race started there were problems:
Standing water for BSB at Silverstone. Gosh.— David Emmett (@motomatters) September 6, 2018
Just been for a soggy track walk with @christianiddon... it was interesting... apparently the bubbles are air! #SilverstoneBSB pic.twitter.com/mbRKPE4pfD— Oli Rushby (@Oli_Rushby) September 6, 2018
Further confirmation, if any were needed, that all is not well with AI's newly resurfaced track.
But warnings had been on the cards for some time, not only from Lewis Hamilton, but also from Dunlop:
The week before the Grand Prix of the Motorcycling World Championship, Silverstone's 6 hours were held at Silverstone. During this car racing event, Dunlop has already warned Daily Sports Car of the existence of a problem: "In general there is less degradation, but in water conditions there is no real drain right now. The water stays on the surface."
If AI was not directly to blame for all this, then you might have thought that AI's "racing circuit experts" – the experts referred to in AI's tweet below – would have known, from the track gradient at least, that drainage might be an issue; you might have thought that AI's "racing circuit experts" would have known that standing water was neither good for cars nor bikes travelling at over 150 mph; you might have thought that AI's "racing circuit experts" would have at least made sure that the track was fit for purpose. And perhaps they did. Perhaps AI's "racing circuit experts" will manage to apportion the blame to another party entirely? Who knows?
What is clear is that this checkered episode may have some way to run yet.
Looking forward to today's @F1 #BritishGP at @SilverstoneUK? Earlier this year, our racing circuit experts helped to resurface the track at the historic home of British motorsport 🇬🇧 🏎 pic.twitter.com/EzHVJN4Sgk— Aggregate Industries (@AggregateUK) July 8, 2018
EDIT 10.9.18 The post AI catches more fallout from Silverstone track ‘disaster’... and gags a journalist has been updated to include further comment from Mat Oxley – the motorsport journalist threatened with legal action by AI – and a link to his article posted by Motor Sport Magazine today.
