From the beginning of the modern motorsport scene in the 1950’s, Britain has always had a strong representation at the pinnacle of the vast majority of series’ around the world, whether it be drivers in Formula 1, Endurance Racing or Touring Cars as well as bikers in World Superbikes.
Since Formula 1 began in 1950, Britain has had both the greatest amount of champions, ten, and the greatest amount of championships, nineteen. in addition to this, Britain has two of the most successful competitors on both two and four wheels, as Jonathon Rae became the first man in history to win six consecutive World Superbike titles between 2015 and 2020 while Lewis Hamilton became only the second person to win seven F1 World Championships.
Britain has also had its fair share of instrumental figures behind the scenes, the dominant figures of Bernie Ecclestone and Max Moseley’s controlled F1 for decades with their influence on Formula 1 still very much present today. Other notable figures include the likes of Professor Sid Watkins, whose expertise and push for safety has helped save the lives of countless drivers over the years, both on and off the race track.
However one area that Britain really excels at is the quality of its race circuits, not just the major house hold names, such as Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Donington Park, but also the lesser known circuits like Snetterton and Cadwell Park. It is this strength in depth that no other country can compare with.
Since 2004 one man really stands out amongst the rest with regards to this feat being achieved and that is Jonathon Palmer, and his organisation MotorSport Vision. Despite many years of exposure and success on the main stages of motorsport through the 1990s many of Britain’s circuits were in decline, with out of date facilities and limited spectator amenities.
MotorSport Vision was formed in 2004 when it purchased Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Oulton Park and Cadwell Park from the Octagon Group who had owned the circuits since 1999. It was they who had failed to get planning permission which would have seen the British Grand Prix return to Brands Hatch however in hindsight this may never have been a serious proposal.
Before the creation of MotorSport Vision, Jonathon Palmer was a driver in his own right however originally he began working as a doctor at Brighton and Cuckfield hospital. Cuckfield incidentally is the village I attended secondary school at a school called Warden Park, however in 1978 he opted to pursue a professional driving career in 1978, at the age of 22. He competed in Formula Ford up to 1980, where in 1981 he graduated to British Formula 3, which he won at his first attempt.
By 1982 Palmer had graduated to the European Formula 2 championship, finishing his first season in the series ninth with Ralt Racing achieving a best result of third at Hockenheim. Palmer combined his Formula 2 commitments with Williams as he became a test driver for the team.
Palmer remained with both Williams and Ralt Racing for 1983 in what would be a breakthrough year, winning the European Formula 2 Championship by seventeen points, dominating the season only finishing off the podium twice and winning six of the twelve races.
1983 also saw Palmer make his Formula 1 debut at Brands Hatch for the European Grand Prix. It was a thank you from Frank Williams and Patrick Head. He finished 25th of 30 starters.
This would prove to be the start of Palmer’s Formula 1 career as for 1984 he joined RAM March, ending the season with a best result of eighth
For 1985 Palmer switched to Zakspeed, however the car was unreliable with Palmer only finishing once all season, an Eleventh place finish at Detroit. He would remain at Zakspeed for 1986, although he endured another pointless season, finishing the year with a best result of eighth, again at Detroit.
1987 initially showed promise with Palmer talking to McLaren boss Ron Dennis about becoming the team’s no. 2 driver to then double World Champion Alain Prost however Dennis opted for Stephan Johansson instead. This left Palmer short of options he joined Tyrrell a week before the season began in a normally aspirated car. Although this meant the car was short on power in comparison to its turbo rivals, it was fast on tight twisty circuits, one of which was where Palmer achieved his best result in Formula 1, taking a fourth place finish in the final race of the season at Adelaide, Australia.
His efforts in 1987 also saw him win the Jim Clark Cup, a championship for the normally aspirated cars on the grid. In addition to this, he finished the season eleventh overall.
Palmer would continue racing for Tyrrell for the next two seasons, finishing in the points at least once each season, however at the end of the 1989 season he left Formula 1.
As well as his Formula 1 commitments, Palmer also raced in the World Sportscar Championship between 1983 and 1990. Palmer joined the series in the C junior category for Manns Racing in a Harrier RX83C Mazda debuting at the Silverstone 1000 on the 8th May 1983.
Three weeks later however he joined the full Group C category alongside current Formula 1 World Champion Keke Rosberg and Jan Lammers, driving a Porsche 956. In his first race he finished third. Next up was the 1983 Le Mans 24 hours, again partnering Lammers however Rosberg’s place was taken by fellow Brit Richard Lloyd. The trio finished eighth, completing 347 laps.
Palmer continued alongside Lammers in 19684, the highlight of their season being victory at Brands Hatch. He spent the season with Lammers on their way to sixth overall in the Championship for Drivers. A year later, Palmer joined Richard Lloyd Racing and partnered Lloyd and James Weaver in a Porsche 956 GTi. 1985 would prove to be Palmer’s most successful year at Le Mans, coming second, just three laps behind the leaders. It was strangely the last time Palmer would finish Le Mans.
For 1986, Palmer focused solely on Formula 1, returning to the World Sportscar Championship in 1987, piloting a Porsche 962 alongside Weaver once more and Price Cobb. At the 1987 Le Mans, Palmer along with Cobb and Weaver completed 112 before being forced to retire following a fire.
It would be three years before Palmer returned to Le Mans in 1990 however due to an accident they were unable to take the start. Palmer returned in 1991 for what would be his final Le Mans in a Sauber Mercedes alongside Stanley Dickens and Kurt Thiim.
By this point Palmer had moved to the British Touring Car Championship, competing in his only full season as a factory BMW driver in 1991. Palmer finished the season seventh with a best result of seventh.
Although 1991 was the end of Palmer’s driving career it was the beginning of his time in media as he joined the BBC as a pitlane reported as part of their Formula 1 coverage team. He kept this position until 1993, when he became the co-commentator alongside Murray Walker, following the untimely passing of James Hunt. He kept this position until the end of the 1996 season, when the BBC lost the rights to broadcast Formula 1 to ITV.
1999 saw Palmer’s first involvement with track development and ownership when he acquired the lease of the Bedford Autodrome, which is used for corporate driving days and testing. It was also during this time that Palmer had his first taste of running a series as he created Formula Palmer Audi, a cheaper alternative to British Formula 3. The series was a success with former champions including the likes of the late Justin Wilson. The series ran between 1998 and 2010, when the championship was disbanded.
Currently, Palmer is the Chief Executive of Motorsport Vision and along with co-owners John Britten and Sir Peter Ogden, they have now created one of the largest organisations in British
Motorsport.
Since taking over the running of the four circuits, each one has gone from strength to strength with record crowds at a multitude of events as well as a large variety of racing on offer, such as DTM, Endurance racing and of course the main stays including the British Touring Car Championship and the British Superbike Championship.
It is not just the on track action that has improved over the course of the “MSV” era, but also the off track facilities, and track standards themselves with both Oulton Park and Snetterton seeing massive upgrades to improve the spectacle of the racing as well as safety.
These are areas where I feel Jonathon Palmer deserves the most credit as without his impute and investment, these great circuits may have fallen into disrepair. An example of this is Oulton Park, a circuit known for its greatness during the 1950’s when F1 teams such as Ferrari would test at the circuit. Oulton Park also hosted Non-World Championship Formula 1 races, known as the International Gold Cup.
However as time went on these events would slowly disappear of the motorsport calendar and as the circuit started to fall behind modern safety standards as well as track side facilities for spectators. Since MotorSport Vision’s purchase of the circuit, the venue has been given a new lease of life, with improved facilities both on and off the circuit. New bankings have been added for spectators with safety being improved too as the run-off at the Island Corner has been extended recently.
Another circuit which has seen in fortunes turned around is Snetterton. Prior to MSV’s takeover of the circuit, Snetterton was effectively two long straights conjoined by a fast and flowing end to the lap. In 2011 this all changed as the Snetterton 300 circuit was opened which incorporates three separate layouts over three miles of track. In addition to the circuit extension, a new scrutineering bay has been added as well as improved cafe and toilet facilities. New bankings for fans were also added around the circuit to allow fans to view the action from a variety of positions.
Despite these additions, the greatest achievement for me is that both Oulton Park and Snetterton have kept their character since their respective refurbishments, something I feel is as important as the action on the circuit. This is where I feel Palmer and the MotorSport Vision team do their best work, the character of British circuits is well renowned around the world and if we were to lose this, it would be a sad day for British Motorsport.
It’s not just the major changes where I feel MotorSport Vision are excelling, but also minor changes that make the ease of each circuit more and more comfortable. The ticket systems are quick and easy, there are continuous improvements for fan accessibility into areas such as paddocks and car parks and programs are the perfect size to fit in any bag or satchel.
In more recent times Palmer has used his previous experience to set up and run major national championships such as the British Superbike Championship which was purchased from Dorna in 2008. During this time, a “Playoff” system has been introduced, similar to that seen in NASCAR, where the top six riders are effectively equalised leaving them to battle it out for the championship.
Four years later in 2012 Palmer and MSV created their second series, named BRDC Formula 4. The idea was simple, identical cars aimed at drivers graduating from go-karts aiming to get onto the single seater scene for an affordable price. The championship’s inaugural season was 2013 and at the time the options were limited which saw huge grids and close racing.
The championship was a huge success which saw the likes of Jake Hughes and current Williams driver George Russell take championship honours. The series has developed into what is currently known as the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship following the introduction of FIA British Formula 4. The latest chassis is much faster than its predecessor with the series now focussing on drivers who have been in single seaters for a few seasons with the aim of progressing. The core principals of the category remain however, identical cars with the emphasis on close affordable racing.
In its three seasons as British F3, the series has been a success with large grids with full of drivers who are on their way to greatness such as McLaren’s Lando Norris, BMW Junior Driver Ricky Collard and superstar on and off the circuit Billy Monger. 2019 will be the series’ fourth season.
So what does the future hold for MSV and Jonathon Palmer? It looks as though the long term aim is to venture into Europe as in November 2015, MSV purchased former French military facility Laon-Couvron aerodrome, 120 miles south of Paris. The aim on the site is to create a “motorsport village” with the hub being a 5 mile circuit with a phenomenal 1.5 mile long main straight.
January 2017 also saw MSV purchase Donington Park from the Wheatcroft Family who, other than a brief spell between 2007 and 2009, have owned the circuit since its revival in the 1970s. The lease runs until 2038 with MSV’s aims of investing in the circuit for the future.
Since MSV’s purchase of Donington the curbs have been painted red and white to bring the circuit in line with the other MSV owned circuits and new grandstands have been added, one on the outside of Hollywood Corner ensures you can now see two thirds of the circuit from one location.
In addition to these improvements, new toilets have been added as well as office blocks which are now being used by those who run the FIA Formula E championship, with the others filled with MSV personnel. All this is hugely encouraging for the future of Donington Park, which has struggled during its history.
Jonathon Palmer purchasing Donington Park is a rather fitting cycle for the circuit as it was Tom Wheatcroft’s passion for motorsport that revived the circuit from extinction. Jonathan Palmer shares a lot of traits with the great man as does Motorsport Vision, which I hope, only goes from strength to strength.
Images: www.palmersport.com
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