Bankers who risk billions every day at work often turn out to be adrenaline addicts in their spare time. Guy Hands, the UK's highest-paid financier and enigmatic leader of Nomura's principal finance group is one such. He has just pumped a sizeable chunk of his £40 million-a-year package into Rockingham motor-racing track in Northamptonshire, the first purpose-built oval track to open in the UK since 1907.
"Motor speedway will be one of the fastest-growing spectator sports of the next millennium, and the Rockingham site is perfect in terms of location and size," enthuses Hands.
The stadium is being built on 300 acres of brown land in Corby, Northamptonshire, a town in the English Midlands hit badly by the decline of the steel industry, and will provide much-needed jobs in the area. "It is nice to do something positive with brown land," says Hands.
The racing complex, which has been in the pipeline for six years already, will cost over £80 million and bring Indianapolis-style oval racing to Europe. There will also be a track for motorcycle racing.
Ultimately the venue will be used to stage rock concerts, which will no doubt delight Hands, an ardent heavy-metal fan.