AUGUST 4, 1997

Two German races until 2001

THE boom in Grand Prix racing in Germany continues with the announcement last week that Hockenheim will continue to host the German Grand Prix until the year 2001.

THE boom in Grand Prix racing in Germany continues with the announcement last week that Hockenheim will continue to host the German Grand Prix until the year 2001. The news comes a couple of months after a similar deal was put in place for the Nurburgring to host the Luxembourg Grand Prix.

There are now 16 Grands Prix with long-term contracts - not including Portugal - which means that the only way F1 is going to get any new races is by adding to the calendar rather than switching venues. We must thus expect a minimum of 18 races a year in 1999 and probably 20 by the turn of the century.

The deal is with Hockenheimring GmbH - which is part-owned by the Badische Motorsport Club and by city of Hockenheim. The company sub-contracts the promotion of the Grand Prix to one of Bernie Ecclestone's own companies, which is part of the Formula One Holdings empire.