About MSV
MotorSport Vision (MSV) is a UK private company owned by Chief Executive and former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer and Sir Peter Ogden. It is Europe's largest motor racing circuit operator, with six venues in the UK and one in Spain, with additional plans underway to create a self-sufficient eco circuit in north-east France.
MSV's many related businesses include running the British Superbike and GB3 Championships, and the world-renowned PalmerSport corporate driving event, which is based at its Bedford Autodrome facility.
MotorSport Vision was founded by Jonathan Palmer, John Britten and Sir Peter Ogden, and the company purchased a number of well-known race circuits in the UK in 2004: Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Cadwell Park.
Work and investment to modernise the tracks began immediately, with extensive upgrades taking place across all the venues and in most aspects of the business. Subsequently, major international racing returned to Brands Hatch with a large and diverse selection of events taking place at the Kent venue including the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and DTM (German Touring Cars). The circuit continues to play host to global events, including the Euro NASCAR-headlined American SpeedFest and GT World Challenge, in addition to home-grown festivals such as Festival Italia, plus all the major national motor racing championships, including British Touring Cars, Superbikes and Truck racing.
Oulton Park, considered the most picturesque circuit in the UK, was also revitalised and under MSV's guidance big meetings have thrived at the Cheshire track, particularly the British Touring Car Championship, which attracts the biggest crowd on the calendar, both its rounds of the British Superbike Championship and the Historic Gold Cup meeting.
Snetterton has undergone the most comprehensive transformation, with extensive track improvements in 2011 to create a new infield section, which increased the length of the circuit to 3 miles, and new panoramic spectator banking, offering fans unparalleled views of the racing action. Lincolnshire's Cadwell Park meanwhile continues to be a premier destination for bike racing in the country with a variety of events being held on the sinuous track. Its annual August edition of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) is frequently the best-attended round.
In 2006, MSV formed MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR), providing a complete car and bike racing organisation capability to the MSV group. The club prides itself on offering the highest levels of efficiency, value and enjoyment for its competitors, and it organises all international car races across the group, whilst administering more than 20 championships and series. It's also the appointed organising club for Formula E in the UK. MotorSport Vision's in-house track day division, MSV Trackdays (MSVT), formed the same year, has grown to become one of the UK's biggest track day operators, and organises car and bike events for all levels of experience, with more than 200 events annually.
MSVR's portfolio of race series expanded for 2008 to include the organisation of the British Superbike Championship, the world's premier national bike championship. MSV owns both the commercial and organisational rights to the series, which has thrived under the leadership of Jonathan Palmer and Series Director Stuart Higgs.
From 2009 to 2012, MSV operated the FIA Formula Two Championship, an international single-seater series aimed at providing young, talented drivers with the opportunity to compete in top-level racing on a competitive budget. The pioneering BRDC Formula 4 Championship was then formed in time for the 2013 season, enabling drivers to take their first steps on the motorsport ladder in an affordable and equal environment. The championship evolved to become the BRDC British F3 Championship shortly before the start of the 2016 season. A new look for the 2021 season saw the championship re-christened GB3. A feeder to GB3, titled GB4, was launched in 2022.
The MSV group also encompasses PalmerSport, the world's leading corporate hospitality driving event, which offers guests the opportunity to drive a collection of high performance sports cars and open-top racing cars to their limits at MSV's Bedford Autodrome complex of circuits, which opened in 1999.
In 2015, MSV completed the freehold purchase of a substantial former military airbase at Couvron in north-east France. MSV plans to establish the site as the world's first self-sufficient eco circuit. There will be a major emphasis on renewable energy, with the venue acting as a global leader in progressive, green motor racing and automotive activities.
In early 2017, MSV reached agreement with Kevin Wheatcroft, owner and operator of Donington Park, for MSV to take over the circuit business and to lease the Donington Park Estate for an initial 21 year term. Donington, which in its original guise hosted races for Grand Prix cars in the 1930s, was revived by Tom Wheatcroft in 1977 and, like Brands Hatch, has a history of hosting major international races, including Formula One and Motorcycle Grands Prix. In 2021, MSV purchased the freehold of the Donington Hall Estate comprising Donington Hall itself, former office building Hastings House and the Lansdowne workshops building. MSV plans to develop the Grade II* listed hall into a superb 49-bedroom hotel, scheduled to open in spring 2026.
Most recently, MSV has continued to expand into Europe by taking over the operation of Circuito de Navarra in northern Spain. The circuit became part of the group on 1 November 2022, and MSV has recently completely a major redevelopment comprising a 650m extension to the circuit itself, extensive resurfacing and a range of other improvements.
MSV has an excellent relationship with BMW UK, its vehicle partner since 2009. BMW provides a fleet of BMW M4s for its driving experiences at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch, and a further 10 cars for its PalmerSport event at Bedford Autodrome. BMW also provides the essential safety vehicles for use in race meetings at Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Cadwell Park.
