The roof of Silverstone takes off
The United Kingdom is currently facing significant gusts of wind. They have not spared Silverstone, as the roof of its new paddock, the Wing, has also been blown off. However, the damage should be repaired in time for the WEC race in two weeks.
In 2011, Silverstone undertook a vast construction program, with the building of an entirely new paddock. Its building, the Wing, is the heart of this renewal and had cost a mere £27 million (€37 million) but now allows hosting F1, Moto GP, and WEC events under conditions worthy of the new global circuits.
However, it seems that he was not able to withstand the strong winds currently buffeting the plains of the United Kingdom, as evidenced by the photo published by Hunter Skipworth of the British magazine Evo.
Oh dear. Silverstone doesn’t look to happy with its roof today. pic.twitter.com/Ab7neJxUdf
— Hunter Skipworth (@HunterSkipworth) 31 Mars 2015
If the damage is visibly significant (nearly a quarter of the roof has now disappeared), local leaders are reassuring about the upcoming endurance race scheduled in two weeks. Thus, Stuart Pringle, the circuit’s sports director, stated: “Even if it looks like chaos at the moment, the damage is only cosmetic. The integrity of the structure and the roof’s functionality remains completely intact. Although it is evident that we will need to repair the roof section and remove the insulation debris from the paddock, we do not believe that this will impact this weekend’s BRSCC race and even less on our inaugural event of this season, the FIA WEC, for which we look forward to welcoming fans and competitors over the weekend of April 10-12.”
The circuit’s insurers will therefore need to be very efficient to handle the work in such a short amount of time.
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
