I TRAVELLED to Silverstone recently to see Nissan competing in the Tourist Trophy race, and while I was expecting to have a good time, I didn’t think the action was going to be quite as exciting as it was.

The on-track battles were thrilling and I certainly didn’t bet on seeing one of our GT-Rs being rammed into the kitty litter by an Aston Martin. Luckily we eventually came out on top, and won. The atmosphere in the Nissan camp was fantastic, and I couldn’t help thinking that the series needs more coverage.

I also managed to have a full tour of the new £27m Silverstone Wing pit and paddock complex. My guide was Silverstone’s marketing director, but he wasn’t just any old guide – he was our former marketing director Justin Elias, no less.

Catching up with him was great and I came away with a seed planted in my mind… that it’d make the operfect venue for next year’s dealer conference. You’ll have to wait and see whether it gets the nod.

UK PRODUCTION

This week’s news announcement of the £200m investment in the UK for the Qashqai being built and engineered in Britain was a major boon too. It’s not only a good sign for British manufacturing, but it also shows how Nissan is leading the world.

I went to the ACEA dinner with our president Carlos Ghosn too told me how pleased he is with Europe’s performance and ours here in the UK.

MORE MOTORSPORT

You might be thinking I’m going a bit overboard on the motorsport of late, but I can’t help it. At the weekend I headed back to Silverstone yet again. I haven’t been for five years and now I’ve been three times in two months.

This time it was for two wheels instead of four with the excitement MotoGP. Again it was an amazing race and seeing Casey Stoner take the win in the appalling conditions was impressive. There’s nothing like a wet race to sort the men from the boys.

And finally, I’ve signed off our Goodwood Festival of Speed plans. I can’t say much at the moment, but there will certainly be some fun things happening with the LEAF.