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Korea and Canada on FIA’s F1 2010 calendar

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:32:38 +0000

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has released the calendar for the 2010 world championship. The addition of the Korean Grand Prix, and a return to Canada (subject to race contract), will make for a 19-round season – two more than in 2009. The Bahrain Grand Prix will kick off proceedings on March 14, followed by the Australian race two weeks later. The Malaysian and Chinese races will take place in April, with the Sepang event getting underway an hour earlier than this year, with a revised start time of 1600 hours local time.

In May, the championship heads to Europe for rounds in Spain, Monaco and Turkey, before the teams make their way to Canada for the first time since 2008, subject to the completion of contractual negotiations with Formula One Management. If these are not completed, then the Turkish Grand Prix will be moved to June 6.

Following the completion of the European season, the teams will fly out to Asia in late September for back-to-back races in Singapore and Japan, followed by the inaugural Korean Grand Prix. Abu Dhabi will be the penultimate round, with the championship finale returning to its familiar home of Brazil in mid November.

2010 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar
14 March – Bahrain
28 March – Australia
4 April – Malaysia
18 April – China
9 May – Spain
23 May – Monaco
30 May – Turkey
13 June – Canada*
27 June – Europe (Valencia)
11 July – Great Britain
25 July – Germany
1 August – Hungary
29 August – Belgium
12 September – Italy
26 September – Singapore
3 October – Japan
17 October – Korea
31 October – Abu Dhabi
14 November – Brazil

*Subject to the completion of contract negotiations with Formula One Management. If these are not completed then the Turkish Grand Prix will be moved to 6 June.

Note: The race in Australia will start at 1700 local time, in Malaysia at 1600 local time, in Singapore at 2000 local time, and in Abu Dhabi at 1700 local time.

www.formulaone.com

MotoGP latest…

admin — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:17:43 +0000

>>>> The FIM MotoGP World Championship will arrive in Bulgaria as of 2012, following a preliminary agreement reached between the Bulgarian Motorcycle Federation and Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP. Meanwhile the Hungarian MotoGP race looks set to be axed due to problems with the construction of the new Balatonring circuit, says Istvan Gyenesei, the minister for local government – this is likely to be replaced by a second MotoGP in Portugal.>>>> The 2009 MotoGP field head to the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this weekend to commence their second test since the winter break, with three evening sessions awaiting them under the floodlights at the desert track from 1st-3rd March. The opening test of the year was considered a positive outing for Rizla Suzuki colleagues Loris Capirossi (fastest on the first day) and Chris Vermeulen, who now strive to confirm the apparent increased competitiveness of the GSV-R800 at a second track. The 2009 FIM MotoGP World Championship will commence in Qatar with the first GP of the year on 10th-12th April.

>>>> Kawasaki have announced that after constructive talks between themselves, Dorna and additional third parties, a new one-rider team will participate in the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. The decision was made after negotiations which followed Kawasaki’s January 2009 announcement to suspend its factory supported MotoGP activities, due to the global economic downturn. The rider for the new MotoGP team will be the Italian 26 year-old Marco Melandri. Away from MotoGP; Melandri recently made his Speedcar Series debut at the Losail Circuit in Qatar and was leading the Saturday night contest before a mechanical problem ended his race. The Italian star qualified in a respectable fourth position under the Circuit’s floodlights on Friday and finished the first race of the weekend in eighth place. Melandri’s compatriot Gianni Morbidelli won the race ahead of second placed fellow Italian and ex-Formula 1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi.

>>>> MotoGP fans in the UK will be able to enjoy the most complete coverage ever of the sport, thanks to agreements for 2009 between the championship’s commercial rights-holders Dorna Sports and both the BBC and British Eurosport. More than 23 million UK viewers watched live coverage of MotoGP during 2008, and thanks to the combined efforts of the two networks to increase their broadcast hours in 2009, that figure is set to rise.

>>>> Track modifications at the Silverstone circuit look set to make it one of the fastest circuits on the MotoGP calendar, when the World Championship heads to the Northamptonshire venue from 2010 onwards. The new Silverstone circuit, which will feature a spectacular new section of track running from the approach at Abbey corner to a tightening ‘Arrowhead’ hairpin at the inside of Becketts, will measure 5.67km in length, 0.53km longer than the existing 5.14km Grand Prix circuit. Scientifically measured data calculates that the average lap time for MotoGP riders around the new track would be 1′51.456 – an average speed of 182km/h… 3 km/h faster than at Phillip Island, which is currently the fastest circuit in MotoGP. The data is based on simulations provided by HOK Sport. www.motogp.com

Silverstone to host MotoGP GB from 2010

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:30:19 +0000

Silverstone will host the British round of the MotoGP world championship from 2010. MotoGP commercial rights holders Dorna announce that the circuit, which hosts the Formula One Grand Prix this season, had agreed a five-year deal. Silverstone hosted the British motorcycle grand prix from 1977 to 1986.
Reuters

Approval of Donington Park plans secures F1 race

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:03:04 +0000

The future of the British Grand Prix secured after Donington Park was given the green light for moving ahead with a proposed £100m revamp to become the home of the F1 race from 2010.

Racetrack owner Simon Gillett now has 17 months to raise the money needed to finance the construction and put it into action.

Silverstone was the home of the British Grand Prix since 1987. With approval from the Council, Donington now takes the reins, as the 10-year agreement to station the race there begins next year. Sport Industry Group

BBC announce later start times for three F1 races in 09

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:45:05 +0000

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, revealed later start times for the opening two rounds, with the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix both getting underway at 1700 hours local time. Near the end of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix will also commence at the later time of 1500 hours.

2009 Schedule

ING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) 27 – 29 Mar
PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) 03 – 05 Apr
CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) 17 – 19 Apr
GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir) 24 – 26 Apr
GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2009 (Catalunya) 08 – 10 May
GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2009 (Monte Carlo) 21 – 24 May
TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul) 05 – 07 Jun
SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone) 19 – 21 Jun
GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2009 (Nürburgring) 10 – 12 Jul
ING MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2009 (Budapest) 24 – 26 Jul
TELEFONICA GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) 21 – 23 Aug
ING BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) 28 – 30 Aug
GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D’ITALIA 2009 (Monza) 11 – 13 Sep
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) 25 – 27 Sep
FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka) 02 – 04 Oct
GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2009 (Sao Paulo) 16 – 18 Oct
ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit) 30 Oct – 01 Nov

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