MARCH 1, 2007

Don't forget Cape Town

With the racing spotlight on A1 Grand Prix in Durban last weekend, the people in Cape Town who are trying to put together a serious bid for a Grand Prix did not want to be left out of the coverage. The consortium behind the idea is aiming to build a new track close to Cape Town's airport and thus give F1 a race in Africa, something which the sport is keen to have - if the money is right. The consortium has the support of the city's deputy mayor Charlotte Williams and mayoral committee member for economic development Simon Grindrod and hopes to be able to get everything together by 2011. The intention is for the new facility, which will be designed by Hermann Tilke, to take over the activities that currently take place at the Killarney track and so create a new impetus for domestic racing as well but the key point is really whether they can raise the cash for the construction and to pay for a seven-year F1 deal.