MARCH 11, 2006

Monza cancels a race

The Autodromo Nazionale at Monza has cancelled a race meeting planned for March 18-19 because of the ongoing dispute over the noise produced by the racing cars. The Automobile Club di Milano and the promotional company SIAS have cancelled the Italian Formula 3000 championship event having failed to find an agreement with the locals who have won a court ruling that racing and testing at Monza is banned unless there are noise-reudction measures taken. There are plans to build anti-noise barriers to solve the problem but there are fears that legal delays could end up with the Grand Prix in September being affected. It is anticipated that if the Grand Prix is threatened the Italian government will step in although that is a problem because the parliament has been dissolved for a month in the run-up to national elections on April 9-10. After that the new government will be formed.