FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[Fact Man]

Reports in the Spanish press have suggested that organisers of the European Grand Prix are seeking to move the event away from the Valencia street circuit.

The venue has hosted the event since 2008 but crowds have dropped from over 110,000 for the inaugural race down to 75,000 this year.

With crowd levels down, event organisers are struggling to meet the costs involved in the race, with revenue from ticket sales covering just a third of the costs each year.

Spanish newspaper El Periodico has now reported that regional president Francisco Camps has asked Bernie Ecclestone if the contract to host the race in the city can be broken early, something which the commercial rights holder refused.

The ‘paper also reports that Ecclestone told Camps that an alternative promoter and venue would need to be found to replace Valencia, with the Motorland Aragon circuit in Alcaniz and the Portimao circuit in Portugal having been approached.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/23112010/ ... -exit.html
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I am not familiar with the other racetracks but removing it will allow for another track to be added, preferably somewhere in Europe.

[hounddub]

There is a lord!......please let this be true.

Maybe this is how Bernie has been planning to get Rome or Moscow into the calendar.

[Juliet P]

Bernie isn't going to cry much if they do drop out, but he's negotiating to get them to pay compensation to FOM or something like that...

[Jabberwocky]

Now let me think, could it go back to germany now that Schey is back and Seb is Champ!!!!

[bud]

good riddance

[Gaz]

good riddance

[Robert12010]

according to this no f1 exit for valencia.....

Francisco Camps, the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, the government of the autonomous community of Valencia, has denied that the region is trying to get rid of the European Grand Prix, because it is costing them too much money. The claims were published at the end of last week. The opposition has claimed that the Grand Prix has cost the region $200 million since it began in 2008. This is possible when one considers that the costs include not only the race fees, which could be as high as $40 million a year, but also the necessary preparation work, the annual construction costs for the temporary facilities and the losses that may have been made in the three events to date.

The opposition has not, however, taken into account the benefits that the race has generated. This is also interesting given that rumours in F1 circles have long suggested that Valencia has not been paying its fees on time. The race has been slow to take off, but there seemed to be a decent crowd this year.

The government has dismissed the claims, saying that they are not true and simply designed to damage the reputation of the ruling Partido Popular.

The claims are odd in that a couple of weeks ago Camps and Valencia Mayor Rita Barberá travelled to Italy to discuss the possibility of the construction of a second Ferrari theme park in the city. Without a Grand Prix this would be a fairly pointless exercise…

Valencia has recently been named European capital of sport for the year 2011

this was sourced from joe sawards grand prix blog

[racechick]

Damn. so we're stuck with Valencia

[Four mules as one]

You'd wish Bernie Ecclestone would listen to the common sense of the fans some times. Valencia makes F1 look boring as and its not a good look. I wish someone would just walk up to him on the grid and kick him fair in the googlies before a race starts. Now that would be great television. I think he needs it, particularly after those Hitler comments. What a knob.

[Robert12010]

You'd wish Bernie Ecclestone would listen to the common sense of the fans some times. Valencia makes F1 look boring as and its not a good look. I wish someone would just walk up to him on the grid and kick him fair in the googlies before a race starts. Now that would be great television. I think he needs it, particularly after those Hitler comments. What a knob.

that would be funny to say the least, but then the race wouldnt start because it would take the first aiders about a year to get him up!

[nish2280]

You'd wish Bernie Ecclestone would listen to the common sense of the fans some times. Valencia makes F1 look boring as and its not a good look. I wish someone would just walk up to him on the grid and kick him fair in the googlies before a race starts. Now that would be great television. I think he needs it, particularly after those Hitler comments. What a knob.

that would be funny to say the least, but then the race wouldnt start because it would take the first aiders about a year to get him up!

If he falls over i doubt he will ever get up again.

[Four mules as one]

You'd wish Bernie Ecclestone would listen to the common sense of the fans some times. Valencia makes F1 look boring as and its not a good look. I wish someone would just walk up to him on the grid and kick him fair in the googlies before a race starts. Now that would be great television. I think he needs it, particularly after those Hitler comments. What a knob.

that would be funny to say the least, but then the race wouldnt start because it would take the first aiders about a year to get him up!

If he falls over i doubt he will ever get up again.

It wouldn't matter who won the championship that year, the season review would simply be called, "The year Bernie got kicked in the nuts".

[Robert12010]

You'd wish Bernie Ecclestone would listen to the common sense of the fans some times. Valencia makes F1 look boring as and its not a good look. I wish someone would just walk up to him on the grid and kick him fair in the googlies before a race starts. Now that would be great television. I think he needs it, particularly after those Hitler comments. What a knob.

that would be funny to say the least, but then the race wouldnt start because it would take the first aiders about a year to get him up!

If he falls over i doubt he will ever get up again.

It wouldn't matter who won the championship that year, the season review would simply be called, "The year Bernie got kicked in the nuts".

!

[darwin dali]

You'd wish Bernie Ecclestone would listen to the common sense of the fans some times. Valencia makes F1 look boring as and its not a good look. I wish someone would just walk up to him on the grid and kick him fair in the googlies before a race starts. Now that would be great television. I think he needs it, particularly after those Hitler comments. What a knob.

that would be funny to say the least, but then the race wouldnt start because it would take the first aiders about a year to get him up!

If he falls over i doubt he will ever get up again.

It wouldn't matter who won the championship that year, the season review would simply be called, "The year Bernie got kicked in the nuts".

He's still got nuts??? I would have thought at his age it's more like thimbles of cornmeal...

[Diplomatic Immunity]

If they never leave Valencia how about this

Widen the track out and run the race in the opposite direction just my 2 cents

Cant see F1 bailing on such a beautiful track...despite the horrid attendance