Over the weekend, F1’s Bernie Ecclestone was seen in Turkey at Istanbul Park. Rumours said that he was visiting MotoGP star Valentino Rossi in the hope of luring him the world of Formula 1. In fact, Ecclestone was on a shopping trip.
Ecclestone attended the Istanbul MotoGP race because he has bought the circuit, although it is unclear at this time how much of the circuit he owns. It is not the only circuit in Ecclestone’s portfolio – he also own the Paul Ricard test circuit in France.
The Istanbul circuit is under contrcat to host Formula 1 races well into the future, however it is believed thatEcclestone made an appearance in Istanbul over the weekend to asses whether or not to continue MotoGP racing at the circuit in 2008 and beyond.
Talking to reporters, Ecclestone said, “I am a big, big motorcycle supporter and I think motorcycle racing is super.”
Critics are already crying about conspiracy theories, not least because the FIA have recently decided to absolve the outstanding balance of $2.5 million which was levied on the Turkish Grand Prix organisers last season after the podium debacle at the close of the race weekend.