GP in Rome in 2011?

manlio27

Talks are ongoing in Italy about the possible organization of a GP in Rome from 2011. An organization of Roman entrepreneurs has met Eccleston during Xmas holidays, and Bernie would be enthusiastic about the idea.
It would be a street circuit in EUR area, not a permanent circuit.
Now, of course, political discussions with Municipality and Region would be ongoing.
Montezemolo says the idea could be feasible if it was for once only, as a hommage to Rome, but not as a permanent GP in the calendar, considering that in Italy we already have lots of under-utilised circuits (Imola, Mugello, Misano, Vallelunga...).

I just think it is one of those ideas doomed to end up into the loo!

viges

Me too - remember all the 'Italian entrepreneurs' who expressed interest in Minardi over the years yet never fronted up.

forzaminardi

so in a city like monza which is the birthplace of motor sport (somewhat) the residents complain about the noise but in Rome it'd be fine

oznomad

Italians. Go figure??

manlio27

Maurizio Flammini, the chief organizer of the Rome GP committee, said he executed a preliminary document (sort of Letter of Intent or Memorandum of Understanding)with Bernie for the organization of the Rome GP in the non-permanent circuit in EUR area. Probably it would be from 2012.
He underlined that the GP would be in addition to, and not in substitution of Monza.
Montezemolo said Rome has other priorities than organizing a GP.
The mayor of Monza mr. Marco Mariani, does not believe Flammini's words and said "this happened because we were left alone to defend Monza. This is the last act of arrogance by a parassyte capital that for 2000 years has been living by taking the oxygen from the other cities"......

The usual Italy.....and, as I said last February, I still do not believe at all that a GP will be ever raced in Rome.....

steamdrivenhammer

Has anyone seen a potential layout for the track?

manlio27

Bernie said now Rome is going to be from 2013, when (for everyone's happiness) there will be 20 GPs, and a heavier presence of street circuits like Valencia (noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!) and Singapore. Including a GP in New York.

Bah, let's see what happens. I'll post a map of the track as soon as I have it available.

manlio27

And now the greens and the representatives of the inhabitants of the EUR area are revolting against the GP.
Apparently, Flammini's organization is minimising about the environmental and logistic impact the construction of the circuit, stands, etc. would have on the citizens' everyday life and on the area (that is one of the most green ones in Rome), but it has refused to give more details. The issue has arrived to the Culture and Environment Ministry.

The suspect is that (as usual in Italy, and in Rome especially) this would be the typical business of a few friends who would make lots of money at the expense of the public......and perhaps would be the first step of a project to take the Italian GP away from Monza.

I really hope the initiative to get blocked. As Montezemolo said last year, and I reported in one of the posts above, Rome has other priorities than organizing a GP inside the city!!!!!

manlio27

Update: despite Flammini & Co. presented the project on Jan 24, it was a ghost presentation. The week before, indeed, Bernie killed everything, by saying that Italy already has a GP, and that's Monza, that there are already 20 GPs, with other countries (Russia, U.S.) wishing to enter, and that in any case Monza, Montecarlo and Spa are pieces of history that cannot be touched (hallelujah!).

Goodnight :-).

Telstar

Sounding like Valencia may get the axe, Bernie is talking about just one race in Spain now.