DECEMBER 22, 2000

Silverstone and the Phantom French Village

PRIOR to Monday's EGM of the board of the BRDC, at which the recent deal with Brands Hatch to retain the British Grand Prix was ratified, somebody somewhere let their feelings be known.

PRIOR to Monday's EGM of the board of the BRDC, at which the recent deal with Brands Hatch to retain the British Grand Prix was ratified, somebody somewhere let their feelings be known.

The habitual rivalry between Britain's two most regular Grand Prix venues remains unabated despite the passing of time, and Formula 1 deal maker Bernie Ecclestone has long-since been a figure of suspicion around the BRDC and its Northamptonshire village venue.

So it was then that BRDC members going to Monday's meeting entered the village to find a small addition to the "Welcome to Silverstone" signs at the village gates, which read "Twinned with Berniec-le-Stone". Charming!