PICS: Work underway on Silverstone's new pit complex

No sooner has it taken the wraps off the circuit extension that will grace this year's Formula One and MotoGP events than Silverstone has revealed the latest pictures of its new pit and paddock facility.

Combining the detail with the unveiling of its new Stowe Circuit complex - a unique collection of customer-focused test track facilities, hospitality units and pit garages - images of the building work underway on the proposed F1 pit-lane at Club Corner show that the new pit wall has already been constructed on the straight between Club and Abbey, while work on a new pit-lane, with reorganised entry and exit points, is also on-going.

Included in the pit and paddock complex, scheduled for completion in 2011, are new garages, a race control building, media centre, hospitality and VIP spectator zones and a primary paddock. The facility will ensure that teams and sponsors are provided with world class facilities, while the new Stowe complex adds to Silverstone's growing reputation as a venue for product and experiential programmes for automotive manufacturers and associated corporate brands.

The focal point of the Stowe centre is a new fully-licensed multi-surface 1.088-mile race track. Purpose-designed, the circuit can be used to demonstrate chassis control systems like ESP and ABS on modern vehicles. The Complex is also home to a split braking area and a three-lane irrigated wet handling pad, boasting different levels of grip from sheet ice to standard wet tarmac.

Away from the track, two new hospitality buildings have been constructed with automotive and corporate events in mind. The first group of units will serve the new Stowe Complex and the second the existing Southern Circuit. Both buildings have roof terrace viewing along with briefing rooms and independent catering facilities.

"These new facilities, and the redevelopment of Silverstone at large, will provide a venue where all forms of automotive and motor sport events can be celebrated in style," Silverstone Circuits MD Richard Phillips, fresh back from the Turkish GP, said, "The state-of-the-art Stowe Complex will further enhance our offering to manufacturers,
corporations and brands involved in motor sport, while the pit and paddock complex will deliver a new mix of facilities that will bring Silverstone into the 21st Century. Our intention is to transform the venue into a world leading centre for education, business, leisure and technology. It is vital that we continue to diversify as a business to make sure that the UK remains at the forefront of the motor sport industry."