silverstone moto arena

Who was it that went to moto arena . . . Think it was Mr John ?

any news for us

Very disappointed with my experience.

The place is really modern and very nice. The outdoor track looks good, but is short. The indoor track is a good size, but because people have been trying to take the sweeper at the end of the straight flat out they have chopped the track in half. The sweeper is no more, replaced by hairpin and the twisty section of the track is closed off also. As it is it's short and very boring.

They only had 2 working cars, even though the World Series weekend was their first opportunity to impress people. The guy looking after the cars admitted he doesn't know anything about them!

The pit area isn't very good. The table tops are very small and very narrow. No way are they suited for hosting a large meeting or a national.

The guy from Bleeding Edge Racing has set up a shop in there and was telling me that Milton Keynes club are pulling out and going back to their old place. They are not impressed at all.

My overall view is that what has the potential to be a really good venue is being ruined by the people running it. I posted my experience on their Facebook page in the thread that I had going about going there and they simply deleted the whole thread rather than taking the opportunity to answer the questions raised. They do not like any sort of criticism even though it may be constructive.

There is so much I can say about the place, but my short term memory prevents me from getting it down in writing. I forget what I'm trying to say half way through a sentence. Bloody M.E Easier for me to talk face to face.

Their first big weekend they have had and they failed miserably in my opinion. I would love the opportunity to run a place like that because I know I could make it work. Still, it's not my money they are wasting.

Its sad but it sounds like a common theme, I know a few people who have criticised it on their forums and have just had posts/threads deleted with out having common courtesy of answering.

is there any truth that milton are pulling out from their

Well it came from a person working there. Even though it's a sales area he's running in there why would he say that Milton Keynes club are pulling out? Until someone comes from the club to confirm it, I assume it to be correct.

Many are moaning that the track is too slippery and people just can't get any traction, but it's not that bad. It's tarmac and is going to require a different setup to carpet. I did a few laps of the stupidly shortened track with the car my lad was running and found it okay for grip. I just adopted a different driving style. My lad was also lapping well putting in clean lap after clean lap.

The venue itself is fine, other than the small pit area and very small pit benches. There aren't enough pit places as it stands and the ones there are would be awkward to work at, let alone where to keep your tools, boxes and spares.

It's the way it's being run that is letting it down. Prices are also sky high. For £10 you get to have a training session on the MiniZ track, a run on the inside track and a go on the reactions game thing they've got. The whole session lasts 30 minutes. £10 for 30 minutes play is expensive to say the least. They may well need to recoup the massive investment that has been made, but the prices as they stand are too expensive to attract people back. The membership prices are just stupidily high and I can't see anyone other than those who are silly rich with no sense paying them.

The hire cars are the Ansmann Racing ARE-2 Touring Car. They haven't got any spares for them so when their first big event weekend since they've been open came along they only had 2 working cars.

Unless they can turn things around I really cannot see it being the success it deserves to be.

i would just like to direct you attention to a single scentence that the guy who runs it posted on another forum


"ignore the hype you may of read on the forums"




basically that tell me he is an arrogant arse who wont listen to anyone else and will not accept anything anyone else says. its a dont listen to them guys just me post.
i will be going down some time this week for a look mabye depending on a few things with my part time work

I think the biggest give away is the Milton Keynes club pulling out and going back to their old place. They always say that actions speak louder than words.

It's a nice place and the track, when fully open, is okay. I hope that they can make a go of it, I really do. Only time will tell though.

I agree with MrJohn on a number of his points. It is a great modern venue but run completely alien to how an RC enterprise should be run. I know it's a business at the end of the day but it seems very corporate to entertain the stars of the motorsport world when they come to the flash events and offer an alternative media attention. With the prices it is aimed very much at the chancers passing by who want a go of RC cars. It's not aimed at the enthusiasts in the hobby at all in my opinion as you only have to look at the pit area to see this, which again I echo what MRJohn has said. It's almost as a gesture that it was put there to show it could be a main venue but behind the glitz and glamour of the venue it's certainly no Ardent Racing.

I was invited by the RRCi mag for the official opening and told to bring some gear as we'd get a chance to drive it. The indoor track itself I personally found very fast and plenty grippy enough and the very high elevated position gives you a good overall view of the track when driving so no problem again with the track. It was just with the overall opening saga of it that I found odd..... In walked plenty of suits and dresses...... cut the ribbon and tours began, then...... hold on a minute, It turns out that half a dozen of us WERE the demo?!?!?!? This is the bit I found odd. A grand opening/unveiling, yet no Andy Moores or Olly Jefferies of the sport there to promote, yet us that we're asked/invited a few days before? I'm no slouch, but I'm also not the best and openly admit more of a 'Steptoe and Sons' with my Mi3.5 tourer - if it looks like it fits, i'll make it fix basically!. I glanced across and nobody was looking anyway as they we're more bothered about the lavish buffet on offer. Seeing this then I also finished and tucked into a Pork Pie

Suffice to say like MrJohn I reallly hope that it can be a success but as it stands it's a corporate hospitality venue for racedays and company team building excercises, which again Volkswagen we're there on this day doing just that. If it wants to be a host venue for the serious racers or more importantly the bread and butter of the clubman weekly race meets then it would drastically have to review it's business and costing plans.

Just my thoughts anyway gentlemen.

Maybe they would have been better talking to John Dawson going up and having a look at Ardent and how its run!!!!!!! just my opinion but as soon as i seen the charges for this place it was doomed before it started!!!!!! nice write up sidewaysking straight good report

Admin wrote:Maybe they would have been better talking to John Dawson going up and having a look at Ardent and how its run!!!!!!! just my opinion but as soon as i seen the charges for this place it was doomed before it started!!!!!! nice write up sidewaysking straight good report

Your right about them charges.......

well i went to the moto arena this morning and what a huge dissapointment it is.

the only way i can descibe it is half arsed through the whole experience and not just talking about track and equipment but also the basics of the place
yeah its big, the track is huge but its far to wide, far to fast and its made of the wrond matirial, it looks like the just draged in the leftovers from the road they layed out outside and just isnt really sutable for RC. the hire cars are bog standered ansmann cars so it takes about 40 seconds to get from one end of the staight to the other end and by that time your loosing concentration on the car. the pits are awful and i would say it was an after thought at best, almost like they totally forgot about it and just tagged them on and as comented before the tables are so small you havent got even enough room for a car and charger.
the track is probally the worst design i have seen also, theres no flow to the track and half of it is closed for maintaince as its falling to bits and the barriers are so solid any car with abit of speed will be losing arms left right and center if they even got close but the track is so wide and easy that is likely hardly ever to happen

basic thing here THE PLACE IS BARE!!!! sell some advertising space or get a few banners to brighten the place up abit. its a basic thing that makes the place look better and more profesional.
upstairs the simulators are basic, nothing i havent seen in a good arcade in blackpool and its all so sparce the place looks empty.

pricing is AWFUL, i know its silverstone and will cater for the richer but they have to think about what it needs to survive as an RC track, it needs people from the RC community who will attend regular and others that will attend regular aswell but the place is so poor, the pricing is outragous and the place is just so DULL that i dought anyone will want to return

yup milton keynes voted to leave yesterday