DONINGTON PARK boss Simon Gillett vowed the British Grand Prix will never return to Silverstone after signing a 17-year contract to host the race.

Gillett insists the circuit will be ready for the 2010 race, despite having to cancel races this season and suffer delays to building work.

He said: "We're not part of the British motorsport establishment and we've stolen the crown jewels, They think it is their God-given right to keep hold of these things when actually it was a commercial decision.

"When we sat in front of investors, we put a plan that said here's a 10-year, or now 17-year, plan that secures the British Grand Prix and therefore secures you a return - they understand that.

"I am a motorsport guy. I started racing when I was four-and-a-half years old. I've never been world champion, but I love motorsport. But first and foremost I'm a businessman. And this is a business. It's not going back to Silverstone."

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KIMI ROARS BACK

KIMI RAIKKONEN - confident

ICEMAN Kimi Raikkonen believes Ferrari will be back at the top of the timesheets at Silverstone next weekend.

He has just NINE points in the drivers' championship as Ferrari have endured one of their worst starts to an F1 season in history.

But Raikkonen said: "The team is continuing with its hard work improving the car and closing the gap to the leaders: the situation is much better in slow corners, where we are really competitive, while we're suffering in the fast ones.

"We don't have any reason to give up; we just need patience; that's what I've said before the race at Istanbul. We do have the potential to achieve a good result, I know it.

"I hope that everything will work out at Silverstone, which is one of my preferred tracks. Ferrari has a good tradition in this race and it would be great to keep to that."

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ON YOUR BIKE - Dani Pedrosa is determined to ride in his home Grand Prix

DANI RACES ON

CRASH-CRAZY MOTOGP rider Dani Pedrosa has vowed he will race his home event in Spain next weekend.

The Spaniard - who is 33 points behind championship leader Casey Stoner - has suffered a string of injuries since his big accident at the Sachsenring last year and feared he would not be fit to ride after jarring his hip at Mugello last week.

He said: "It's quite hard to find anything very positive to say right now, but I'm glad that I didn't do any more damage when I crashed - that's something.

"I want to check it again with my doctors and have a bit of rest - I feel really tired now. Despite this setback we'll keep working. It's my home Grand Prix next and I just hope I can go there and be in contention."

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LIAM SITS IT OUT

BRITISH touring cars teenager Liam McMillan has to sit out this weekend's event after his engines were held to ransom.

McMillan, 19, will miss the meeting at Oulton Park after engine-builder Oreca refused to return all three of his 16v engines in a messy dispute.

He said: "I'm bitterly disappointed to be missing Oulton Park. We sent our engines away in good time and in good faith to be rebuilt by Oreca but they haven't been returned.

"It hasn't anything to do with myself or the Maxtreme team, but there appears to be an outstanding issue between Oreca and BTC Racing, the team who raced the Toledos last year and who we bought the cars off.

"We seem to be stuck in the middle of an on-going dispute and our engines, which we own, appear to being held as ransom. We have done all we can, and now it's up to others to do the honourable thing."