A1 Grand Prix organisers are hoping Team China's rapid
improvement in the World Cup of Motorsport will capture the
imagination of the public on the streets of Beijing next month.
The Chinese capital will host the third round of the series,
pitting 23 national teams against each other in identical cars on a
3.2-km street circuit in the southeast of the city on November
12.
Shanghai hosted a race in the inaugural championship last April
and will do so again this season, making China the only country to
host two rounds.
"It was not very difficult to persuade people that we needed a
second race in China," David Clare, A1's chief operating officer,
told reporters on Tuesday.
"From the series perspective and from all our partners in the
various 23 countries that compete, China is a very important
market."
The series, which organisers said lost at least $100 million in
its first season, is focused on countries, like China, which
otherwise lack a major presence in motor racing.
The Beijing leg was about inspiring people to come and support
the national team, even if they had no interest in racing, he
said.
"Putting on a red and gold shirt and supporting the national
team is as important as whether or not you want to watch the race
or not. It's the same as football or any other sport," he
added.
For a country where motor racing retains a low profile, Clare
thinks Team China's progress has been impressive.
China came 22nd of 25 teams and managed only six points in the
first season, but already has eight points after the first two
rounds this year in the Netherlands and Czech Republic.
"Team China, particularly, has improved from being five seconds
off the pace to now being in the front group of cars over the
course of one year," he said.
"They have made significant progress for a team that was not
expected to achieve anything."
(Reuters November 1, 2006)