BRILLIANT. That's the only word that truly sums up the announcement that MotoGP's British grand prix will be based in Ebbw Vale when the Circuit of Wales racetrack is built.

The planned site at Rassau has been controversial and some naysayers have repeatedly suggested it will never happen.

The MotoGP - motorcycling's blue riband event - deal should put an end to such sniping.

The Circuit of Wales has won the right to stage the British MotoGP for five years from next year, with the option of another five years after 2019.

The track will not be built in time for next year's event but Circuit of Wales bosses will have the say on where it is staged before Ebbw Vale becomes its new home from 2016.

This newspaper has been a long-standing supporter of the Circuit of Wales concept.

It has the potential to breathe new economic life into Ebbw Vale and Blaenau Gwent as a whole - areas that have suffered for decades following the collapse of the heavy industries that sustained generations of workers.

Everyone involved with the Circuit of Wales deserves credit for pulling off this coup, beating off competition from many well-established tracks in England.

All concentration now must be on getting the track built so it is fully operational in time for 2016.