Valencia Grand Prix
In 2008 Valencia hosted the European Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first
time. The race takes place on the streets of the city around the port area
rather than at the racetrack on the outskirts of Valencia. The Spanish Grand
Prix continues to take place at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One supremo, made the official announcement and said
that the agreement (a seven-year contract made with the regional government of
Valencia) was conditional based on the results of local elections held later in
the month.
The conditions state that the current president Francisco Camps must win the
local elections in order for the contract to be signed. Most involved believe
this is not a problem and that the race will definitely be held in Valencia.
Ecclestone spoke at a press conference and said that the contract for the
Valencia race will not be signed until the election has occurred but that he was
very sure that the elections will go as planned and that the race will
definitely be held in Valencia.
The race itself will be titled the European Grand Prix, and is currently
scheduled for later in the season. It will be held on a freshly designed 4.1 and
4.3 km long circuit. The length and harbourside location is very reminiscent of
the Monaco Grand Prix.
The design is being crafted by the designer of the sport’s most modern tracks,
Hermann Tilke and is said to be very tight and snaky. However, without being
able to view the actual roads it is virtually impossible to determine their
drivability.
The media in Spain has stated that Ecclestone insisted that the race be held
within the city rather than Ricardo Tormo which is a nearby track in Cheste.
This particular track hosts a round of the world championship
MotoGP and is also
a Formula One testing spot.
Valencia paid an estimated 26 million Euros to host the European Grand Prix.
This decision was motivated by the increasing popularity of Formula One in Spain
thanks largely to the success of Fernando
Alonso in winning two world championships. Alonso
announced that the drivers would be happy to race anywhere and that he is incredibly excited to see two
grand prixsin Spain. He also commented on how four years ago there was not even
coverage of the race on television and how interesting it will be to see how the
sport grows in Spain.
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