Mallory Park: The Unfriendly Circuit

Scottie Redmond on why the Leicestershire circuit is at fault for upsetting its neighbours and why a potential closure isn’t such a bad thing.

Thanks to the power of social media I discovered that Mallory Park was being threatened with closure; my Facebook lit-up with people up in arms at the thought of the self-titled ‘Friendly Circuit’ being closed down, swiftly followed by an email inbox onslaught with a virtual petition for me to sign to help stop this.

Well, sorry – but I couldn’t put my name to a petition to save somewhere that I think as well and truly passed its sell by date. Of these people with arms aloft, I wonder how many have actually been there lately? Here’s a reminder just in case you haven’t been there for a while.

The cheek begins at the entrance, a horseshoe-shaped sign proudly declaring: ‘Mallory Park, International Racing Circuit’. Once in the venue, a couple of statues flanking the aging shed is where you’re parted with your money and the real Mallory experience begins. The search for the car park is fruitless – there isn’t one! That’s just the start of the lack of facilities. Once you’ve abandoned your car or bike, where grass once grew, you might fancy taking in the days’ events from the grandstand – except there isn’t one of those either.

A rickety footbridge over the start straight is then the next thing to draw your attention, especially if you want to reach the ‘Paddock Area’. The lack of any hard standing doesn’t matter; the well-beaten ground leads you to the footbridge, before turning in to a perimeter dust track. Once you’re over, you can marvel at the concrete at last.

Club racing events resemble a traveller’s camp with an array of vans and caravans for you to admire. For bigger events, the paddock area doubles as a showground!

Last years 1,000 Bikes Festival was a prime example of why Mallory Park should not host major events, in my opinion. There’s simply not enough space inside the paddock area for all of those wanting to exhibit their bikes, let alone the crowds who walk down the steps. Like a rush hour on the tube, is the best way to describe it.

All of the celebs and trouser twitching bikes are situated at the paddock side foot of the bridge, a bottle neck of life is the result. Just to spice it up, when you can no longer see your feet on the bridge descent, there’s a suicidal step to deal with just where the crowds are stopping to take pictures of their heroes. I’ve seen plenty of expensive cameras and packed lunches go for a burton at this step when a member of the public fails to notice the two inch yellow stripe on its leading edge.

Broken cameras are one thing and bruised apples are another, but I’d be amazed if nobody’s ever broken a bone when doing impressions of the pope arriving at an airport?

The lack of facilities for day-trippers is one thing, anyone camping on site is in for a real treat. Last year’s ‘Festival of 1,000 Bikes’ saw the campsite washed away and campers offered a field that looked like a pond. Entrants on the Saturday who were located on the outside of the circuit arrived trackside with their pride and joy looking like motocross bikes after a hard day.

I’ve been visiting the ‘Friendly Circuit’ for years and most races never pass without a red flag moment; usually a pile up at Edwina’s or the Bus Stop. The shortening lap times achieved by modern machinery on the 1.35 mile track means 40 odd seconds isn’t long enough to deal with a track incident before the pack comes round again. I guess that’s why the Blue Riband events like BSB stopped going there?

So Mallory isn’t even national now, let alone International like the sign says on the gate. Trades descriptions? Many events – even club races – have simply outgrown the venue, so why do they still go there? I’ve worked out it isn’t for the luxurious trappings, so my guess it’s cheap to hire compared to the UK’s more snazzy circuits that don’t need you to drive a third of it in reverse to get your race or track bike into the paddock.

So the bargain of the track may actually be Mallory’s problem. In fact, its ironic but it could actually be a victim of its own ‘success’. I’ve done some research and the circuit is allowed just under 100 active days use. This is agreed with the council who, obviously, must cater for local residents.

Sure, people will say ‘why buy a house there?’ when they knew there’s a racetrack near by? Over the last few years, events like Triumph Live have rocked up, literally, with a bike show by day and rock concerts by night. Chuck into the mix the genius idea to have a Motocross track (closed late in 2012) running for many days and even the most enthusiastic local supporter could be excused for getting a little ticked off.

I’m no detective, but Mallory’s appetite for cash appears to be the reason the venue could vanish from the landscape. The circuit’s desire to earn money is understandable, but the lack of any reinvestment shows to anybody who visits. Their greed to exceed the agreed limit on active days is the real issue here, not because someone’s been moaning about a racetrack in their back garden.