It is fortunate that racing fans have little knowledge, or little interest, in what goes on behind the scenes of our favourite sport. But just as racing is about  winning and losing, heroes and villains, so sometimes is the business - and it is a business - of running the sport. It's a power game.

The Godfather of his particular sport, Formula 1, is Bernie Ecclestone, one-time motorbike racer when Brands Hatch was little more than a grass track. He quickly learned there was not much money to be earned as a racer and his other business, dealing in second-hand bikes and cars, was the way to make money. And money he did make, buying an F1 team and then persuading the FIA,  who clearly couldn't see beyond the end of their noses, to grant him the TV rights in perpetuity.

Doing it once is enough for most people. But not for Bernie. After legging one governing body over he set his sights on the FIM and with the help of Mike Trimby, now running the International Racing Teams Association, he cut a similar deal for the World Road Racing championships. Never frightened to take a profit and seeing that motorbike racing, despite his affection for it, was never going to be F1 he sold out a couple of years later to a small Spanish marketing company Dorna run by Carmelo Ezpeleta. mThe price? A tidy £40m. Not bad.

All that was 25 years ago during which period investors in both, including Messrs Ecclestone and Ezpeleta, have made fortunes. They have remained close and have also retained a small team of people loyal to them. Until, that is, last week.

A story leaked to a Spanish website, and later confirmed by Dorna, was that Javier Alonso was leaving. The world of MotoGP was astounded.  Alonso, affectionately known as "Yupi", had been Carmelo's right hand man from the start and, as managing director of events, was the man best known to circuits and teams. No reason has yet been given by either party but as Alonso is one of the management team which owns a large slice of Dorna, it is a story which has some way to go.

While on the subject of the aphrodisiac known as power, the battle for it goes on at Silverstone.  The company, run by the venerable British Racing Drivers Club which includes such luminaries as Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and John Surtees, is almost certainly technically insolvent and desperately needs to sell. The board, chaired by John Grant, recent survivor of a vote of no confidence, having failed to conclude deals with two bidders, Jaguar Land Rover and Yorkshire businessman and Ginetta cars owner Lawrence Tomlinson, is now in negotiations with a group of foreign investors with, it is claimed, substantial interests in the UK.  

Full marks to chairman Grant for perseverance. The new group is apparently being headed by former BRDC chairman Neil England you would think club members would be happy. Not a bit of it. Indeed some appear to be on the verge of a breakdown and threatening to call an Extraordinary General Meeting. Their concern? Word has got out that these potential investors are Russian.

What could be worse? Well, Donald Trump has a couple of golf courses in Scotland. He could easily add a racing circuit in England and put a golf course in the middle. What would the BRDC old boys say then?

Finally, something which concerns both Silverstone and Dorna. Reporting on the state of play in Ebbw Vale, Welsh website Walesonline reported on an interesting 'leak' detailing the cost to the development company, and eventually, the Welsh government, of staging MotoGP at Silverstone.  It makes interesting reading.

It is claimed that the cost, ie the loss, for the 2015 and 2016 events was £1.2m. The Heads of the Valley Development Company deny this figure but admit that money was lost. Figures claimed in the leaked document state that for the 2016 event Dorna 's fee was £3.3m; the cost of running the event, which presumably includes paying Silverstone, was £1.9m;  revenue, principally from the sale of tickets, was £4.5m; loss £700k.

These figures have been challenged although a loss on the events is admitted by the HOTVDC. Some Welsh MPs are unhappy as their government has backed the venture with loans and grants to the tune of £9m.

As far as MotoGP is concerned, the 2017 event will be at Silverstone - unless it is turned into a golf course - and when spoken to at Valencia boss man Carmelo Ezpeleta seemed relaxed about the situation saying they had every eventuality covered. But he probably had other things on his mind.