Peter Hain, the shadow Welsh Secretary, was "suspicious ... at a time when their savage cuts are hitting Wales so hard, we are sceptical about the impact any tinkering in the funding formula will have".
In the ensuing months, our investigation disclosed that Texas Comptroller Susan Combs had padded the economic impact study prepared by her agency for Formula One.
Ben Kirkland, a senior consultant with KHP Consulting and who helped organize the forum, said Formula One could have a "massive impact" on a country's image.