MXlarge: Gareth, thanks again for your time. Can you explain why the Grand Prix of Great Britain has been moved from Newport to Chepstow?

Hockey: Basically we are involved with the Welsh Government and the site we are looking at in Newport needed a screening report done (to find out if the area were happy with the ideas for the venue). So we needed to do a screening which takes 60 days, it goes to the countryside of Wales and other areas and if there are any problems or complains it will come out in those 60 days. Now that takes us into the end of March and that is too late to then decide what will we do with the circuit and venue (had there been a complaint from the screening).

MXlarge: So the new venue is a safe haven for 2010?

Hockey: The Government felt it was maybe better to go to another venue and they would be willing to support us in that new venue in some way, just to keep the contract. They didn’t care if we were in England or wherever, but we needed to secure a venue and they would support us no matter what.

MXlarge: How did you come up with the Chepstow Racecourse?

Hockey: I put the ball back in their court (the Welsh Government) and said I wanted to run it in Wales and do they know a venue we could use. They came up with some suggestions and one was the racecourse, in fact Mike Church had said to me three years ago to go there instead of Mallory Park. I didn’t want to do it then because I thought of a race course as being flat.

MXlarge: What did you think of the facility, and how has the progress been?

Hockey: Anyway I made an appointment to go and see them three weeks ago, drove into the venue; it’s a really pretty venue. Inside the centre of the race course there is a valley that runs up through the centre. When I say it I was like, WOW, this is good.

It’s been all systems go since then really, working with the race course owners and now we can get on and do stuff. I’ve had Greg Atkins and Justin Barclay from Youthstream to come over and look at it, we are all of the same opinion, and we can create a really old school British Motocross track.

MXlarge: I actually goggled the Chepstow village and area and it’s really amazing looking. Some really beautiful old villages and sights.

Hockey: It’s a fantastic area, for my point of view it’s only 5 kilometers from my site anyway, so it’s nice and close to what I will hope is the home of the British Grand Prix for years to come.

MXlarge: Of course you also have the sponsors and Welsh Government officials involved and this looks like a great showpiece for the sport.

Hockey: With this venue it’s going to be good for having the Welsh politicians there and also sponsors. It’s going to be a very professional look, so we are really excited about it. Youthstream have been really supportive, and we have come to an agreement that children under 10 are allowed in for free. There are a few things going behind the scenes, we are really excited about it all.

MXlarge: Who will design the circuit?

Hockey: Greg Atkins will do the circuit initially, but we also have some influence on the circuit and we want the off chamber corners in and some of the old school stuff. We spend a day walking around it and looking into the fact we want an old school track. We can stand nearly anywhere and see most of the circuit, at least 80% of it, it’s not as steep as Foxhills, but it will be old school and great viewing.