MAY 9, 2007

A European GP in Valencia in 2008?

There are reports in Spain this morning that the government of the Valencia province in Spain has agreed a deal with Bernie Ecclestone to run a European Grand Prix on a street race in the city in 2008. The announcement of the race is expected to be made before the municipal elections which are due to be held on May 27. Francisco Camps, the current regional president and the candidate for the coming elections, has had several meetings with Ecclestone to discuss the plans and has already announced that money has been set aside for the creation of new roads and buildings in an industrial area between the port, which has been heavily developed for the America's Cup and the Garden of the Turia, which is a dried-up river bed which leads up to the centre of the city. The River Turia was diverted after catastrophic floods in 1957 which left the city devastated. The course of the old river has since been converted into a series of parks and gardens, including a number of spectacular new developments in recent years, including the Valencian Palace of Music and the new City of Arts and Sciences, which includes an opera house, a planetarium and a science museum.

Valencia is keen to stay in the international spotlight when the America's Cup departs in July.