MAY 8, 2004

Street racing in Bilbao

There will be racing on the streets of the Spanish city of Bilboa next year on a 2.4-mile street circuit close to the new Guggenheim Museum. The aim of the project is to increase international awareness of the city and boost tourism. The track will be used for Formula Nissan races but in the longer term there could be the potential for a bid for Formula 1 as Spanish interest in the sport grows thanks to the success of Fernando Alonso in Formula 1. The Bilbao region has no permanent racing facilities but there is a tradition of street racing which goes back to the 1920s when San Sebastian took the Spanish GP away from the Barcelona region. The San Sebastian event was one of the most important in Europe until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.