Ecclestone to promote Canadian GP

BERNIE ECCLESTONE is to take over the promotion of the Canadian Grand Prix from the Molson Breweries-backed organization which currently does the job. Ecclestone and Molson were unable to agree terms for a new deal because Bernie was demanding 25% more money than Molson was willing to pay. Molson will run this year's race with General Manager Norman Legault, but afterwards Bernie will take over. It is still possible that Molson will continue to be the race's sponsor and Bernie may choose to appoint Legault as his organizer, so it may be that little will change in the day-to-day running of the organization.

Major work has recently been carried out at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in preparation for what is expected to be a sellout event this year as the locals come to see Gilles's son Jacques Villeneuve in action.

The work has mainly been related to safety, with the high-speed sweepers between the hairpin and the pits having been straightened out because it was impossible to build the necessary run-off areas to make them safe. This has been a constant problem for Montreal, which is built on an island between the St Lawrence River and the St Lawrence Seaway ship canal.

The changes will have a dramatic effect on the character of the circuit, making it more difficult to balance the cars between the fast straight and the twisting sections on the run down to the hairpin.