FEBRUARY 14, 2009

Saving the German Grand Prix

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Rhine-Neckar region of Germany, which represents the interests of more than 65.000 member companies, has written to its members urging them to buy tickets for the German Grand Prix in 2010, in order to save the race.

The city of Hockenheim says that it cannot go on subsidizing the event and and with no help coming from the regional or central government, the circuit is hoping that its business community will show solidarity and buy 20,000 tickets to secure the future of the event. The council will decide in mid-March whether or not to go ahead with the race and it seems that this decision will be based on whether or not the 20,000 tickets on offer have been sold. If they are not sold then Hockenheim says it will not be able to run the event. If the tickets are sold then a new grandstand will be organised for the ticket-holders.

The logic of this move is that the businesses that benefit from the race are being offered the chance to put something back into the event and thus save it.