• British GP

British Grand Prix tickets fly off the shelves

ESPNF1 Staff
December 9, 2009 « Ecclestone gave Silverstone cut-price deal | »
Richard Phillips sees encouraging ticket sales in the first 24 hours © Sutton Images
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Amid fears that a late deal could hamper Silverstone's chances of achieving a sell-out crowd for the event on July 11, tickets are selling like hot cakes. Circuit managing director Richard Phillips announced that almost 6,500 tickets worth over $2 million were sold in the first 24 hours.

Silverstone announced a 17-year deal to host the British Grand Prix on Monday after a bid by rival circuit Donington collapsed.

"It was a shame that we could not have gone on sale earlier," Phillips said, "but we had to do the right deal. A 17-year deal is the right time frame and, if we had rushed to get on sale too quickly, it would probably have been the wrong thing to do. But we have got a good team and we have got a great circuit and great fans."

A delay in selling tickets for the main event is not new to Silverstone who faced a similar problem when the last contract was being negotiated five years ago.

"I remember going into Christmas with a bit of trepidation," he said, "but when we came out at the end of January we had sold a lot of tickets."

Circuit bosses now hope that the encouraging sales can help them press forward following a tough time of speculation and uncertainty.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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