 Dubai Launches A1 Grand Prix Series Tuesday March 30th, 2004
Organisers said in a statement on Tuesday that the A1 Grand Prix championship, brainchild of a nephew of the Crown Prince of Dubai, had been sanctioned by the governing FIA and would start in September 2005. "The championship will be the World Cup of motorsport and will take place in countries able to host racing during the off-season," the statement added. It said that Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, China, South Africa, Malaysia and Australia would host the first races with possibly two more venues to come. Talks were advanced with 23 countries wanting to enter a team. The series will be run on a franchise basis, with A1 organisers responsible for providing cars and engines and handling logistics. Organisers said up to 30 identical Lola cars, with 3.5 litre Langford engines, would be racing with each team made up of a driver and sponsors from one country who would race under a national flag. A1 said they had recruited Richard Dorfman, who helped to negotiate the television rights for the 2002 and 2006 soccer World Cups as well as three rugby World Cups, as commercial director.
Published at 17:04:19 GMT
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A new Dubai-based series, billed by organisers as a 'World Cup of motorsport', will start up next year to fill the European winter months when Formula One shuts down.
(03-11-2005): 
