We won our fight on July 2nd 2009 - click here for more info.

Other battles against motor-sport circuits and engineering hubs:
These are mostly in French with the exception of no. 4 which has comprehensive English-language content  

1- Un circuit non merci ! A circuit project described as a 'Safetycar' operation. A battle 'Sur la Charmille' in Switzerland's Jura canton, with interesting commentaries on the downsides of French circuits (including interviews with locals): http://www.stopcircuit.org/

2 - A circuit in the Hénaut à Dour and Elouges regions of Belgium: a successful opposition from the collectif: the project was abandoned in January. Read the detailed study on the effects of noise pollution on health. There is an eerie concordance with the Beaufort-en-Vallee project: http://www.uncircuitnonmerci.be/

3- Motor-sport project and engineering hub at Epernay in the Champagne region: a project killed off on March 11th by a no-vote on the part of the municipal council of Cuis (51): http://moinault.unblog.fr/

4 - A circuit project in the PNR (National Park) of Périgord-Limousin: a lot of detail regarding the misinformation strategies of the backers - you can download poster files: NON AU CIRCUIT DANS LE PARC: http://court-circuit-dordogne.org/ 
 

The true costs of circuits for their communities
There are fifty-odd circuits in France of which six are situated within 200 kilometres of Angers. Some of these are dedicated solely to bikes or to cars, but others cater to a mix of both. 

Running costs

For many of these, the funding has come from private enterprises, but very quickly, through financial need, it has been the local communities that have had to fork out or inject cash to keep the circuits going.

In the case of the circuit at Carole near Paris, a private business manages matters, but the council of Seine St Denis meets the deficit in running costs. In 2005 this amounted to 375,000 euros.

What's more, the depute mayor of Tremblay en France confirms that the daily presence of bikers has virtually no economic benefits for local businesses and adds nothing to the commune.

As another example, take the circuit at Fay de Bretagne, 20 kilometres from Nantes. This is a circuit that fell under the ownership of the general council of Loire Atlantique after the voluntary liquidation of the previous owner.

Certification costs

Circuits that want to attract competitions and car racing schools must be certified by the FFSA (Fédération Française de Sport Automobile) and, for motorbikes, by the FFM.

To obtain or to retain the certification, the tracks must meet exacting technical and saftey standards. These standards are reviewed frequently by the federations. 

In order for a circuit to continue to function, this certification must be renewed every 4 years. In the case of the circuit at Vigeant in La Vienne which receives grant aid from the general council, the community had to spend 1.8 million euros to retain the certification.

Maintenance is also very expensive

As an example, take the circuit at Albi. which had to re-lay the track at a cost of 2.4 million euros. For reference, the circuit at Albi provides 25 jobs of which 14 are employees of an independent racing school.

With the grants requested from the various general and regional councils, the contributing bodies will have funded these 2.4 million euros in one year.

Other costs

The impact study for the circuit at Maine de Boixe in the Charente cost the community 150,000 euros.

To end, we should also mention the costs directly associated with some events. Here are some figures from the 24hour bike event at Le Mans of 2008: 215 police were required to control 6,500 vehicles of which 5,520 were motorbikes

Drink driving: 80 drivers of which 35 were bikers were over the limit

Excess speed: 125 speeding offences, compared with 263 in 2007

Other offences: 21 notable offences in 2008 (crossing solid white lines, non-observance of road priority etc.) compared with 54 in 2007. 141 less-serious offences compared with 109 in 2007 (illegal exhaust pipes, faulty mirrors, non-conforming indicators, removable or bent number plates etc.)

Fires: firemen had to deal with fires on a car, three motorbikes, a caravan, and fire among rubbish.

After the competition, 80 temporary workers were required to clean the site for 10 days in order to dispose of 500 tons of rubbish, which equates to an average of 5kg per spectator.