'Lack of home heroes will affect Silverstone MotoGP'

Stuart Pringle said home heroes were needed "to ignite enthusiasm"

The boss of Silverstone says the absence of any "home heroes" will affect ticket sales for the British MotoGP.

There are no UK riders in the line-up for the big race at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire on Sunday.

Stuart Pringle said that, despite the lack of British competitors, he was delighted to be hosting the 75th-anniversary celebration of MotoGP.

The event, which is expected to attract 100,000 people to Silverstone, is also raising money for motorbikes providing mobile health services in Africa.

Mr Pringle, who took over as managing director at the circuit in 2016, said the absence of British riders would affect the event "without doubt".

He added: "Any sports promoter will tell you that you need home heroes to really help ignite people's enthusiasm.

"If you think back to the days of Barry Sheene or, in world superbikes, Carl Fogarty, when there were Brits doing incredibly well, they really did ignite the enthusiasm."

But he said that John McGuinness, from Lancashire, would be a wild card in the British Superstock event at the weekend.

This year's British MotoGP takes place at Silverstone on Sunday

A unique feature which might encourage more fans to attend this year would be the celebration of the 75th anniversary of MotoGP, which Mr Pringle said he was "very proud" to host.

The competitors in the big race will, for the first time, be wearing liveries from past years on the track.

Randy Mamola was one of the founders of Riders for Health and will be at the circuit this weekend

The MotoGP event also includes a Day of Champions fundraiser for Riders for Health, a charity which provides bikes for health workers so they can access remote parts of Africa.

It was founded by Northamptonshire couple Andrea and Barrie Coleman and the veteran rider Randy Mamola. Ms Coleman set up Two Wheels for Life in Northamptonshire to support the charity in Africa.

Andrea Coleman from Two Wheels for Life said the Day of Champions enabled fans to raise money while having fun

The Day of Champions includes an auction and an opportunity for fans to get access to the Silverstone paddock.

Ms Coleman said: "We love the idea that people are saving lives in Africa and having fun themselves and that, to me, is the magic of it all."

Northamptonshire Police said it put as much effort into policing the MotoGP as they did for the F1 equivalent.

Officers will be patrolling the circuit, campsites and roads, and will have armed officers, search teams and ANPR units on call.