BRDC starting to question Stiller plan?

The British Racing Drivers' Club is beginning to cast doubt over the alternative redevelopment proposal revealed last week, following the lack of any substantial follow-up from either Harry Stiller or Bernie Ecclestone.

The pair's alternative to the much-criticised St Modwen/Northern Racing deal put forward by the BRDC board as a safeguard for the future of both the circuit and the British Grand Prix was trumpeted in all sections of the media last week, but little has been heard since, and Stiller has now apparently offered to withdraw his vote of no confidence in the board, suggesting that the proposal isn't quite as definite as it might have appeared.

Stiller called for the board to be replaced at next week's club AGM, having managed to stall a vote on whether the St Modwen deal should be accepted at last month's EGM. He then presented an alternative to the original plan, which would see Ecclestone - a critic of the current Silverstone facility - coming on board as equal partner in both the redevelopment of the venue and the promotion of the grand prix.

However, according to both the Independent and Financial Times newspapers in Britain, Ecclestone's part in the proposal is being questioned, with suggestions that the F1 tsar is denying the degree of his involvement.

"I rather suspect he's been told by Bernie that all the things he has said are not reality, and he wants more time to pull together the proposal," club president Jackie Stewart told the Independent, having been told that Stiller had offered to delay the EGM and call for a vote of no confidence, "If there is a real proposal, or an alternative way to go rather than leasing out the circuit to developers for a number of years, we need to know about it."

Stiller apparently has a substantial portion of the membership backing his call for the 28 April meeting, but has now offered to delay it, and call off the vote, in return for the board agreeing to look at his alternative proposal. Stewart has already said, however, the club will not meet Stiller's request for his legal costs to be met.

The existing proposal involving St Modwen and horse racing promoter Northern Racing would see the property group handed a 150-year lease to manage and develop the Silverstone estate, with Northern Racing getting the deal to promote the annual grand prix. However, while St Modwen have agreed to revamp the circuit's existing facilities, it also plans to build a residential development which has attracted opposition from both Stiller's group - which would like to see the Silverstone estate preserved as it is, and from Silverstone village, which fears a dramatic expansion.

The Stiller plan proposes that Ecclestone run the British Grand Prix in conjunction with the BRDC and share the cost of the circuit upgrade, which would include a new pit and paddock complex as a necessity. The BRDC would then carry out its own revamp of the rest of the circuit infrastructure to bring Silverstone into line with newer facilities. Initial plans apparently include a theme park, extreme sports site and half-mile oval amongst other more expected ventures such as a motorsport technology development.