Marrakech will be the host of a street based World Touring Car
Championships, one of only three FIA world championships, during 1 - 3
May 2009-.
This, Morocco's first grand prix since 1958, will use a new high speed street circuit to challenge the drivers in the heart of Marrakech.
A general admission ticket will allow you to experience the atmosphere and view the action from various locations around the circuit, just meters away from the cars, with jumbo screens to see all round the track.
A grandstand ticket gives you all the benefits of a general ticket along with the comfort of a reserved grandstand seat. There are three levels of ticket, depending on your preferred location on the course. A paddock walkabout ticket is also available.
The organisers expect 10,000 visitors during the event, with festivities taking place all week. If you would like to visit the Grand Prix then we suggest you consider booking very early as flight prices will soon increase considerably as flights are sold, and accommodation will become scarce.
You can see the circuit map which was made available during a press
conference organized on November 19 at the conference room of the Farah
Kenzi Hotel. The circuit map of the MGP (Marrakech Grand Prix) was
announced to the audience, mainly journalists, both local and national,
attended this press conference that was followed by a tour to visit the
circuit under construction as well as the MGP village.
The
official 2009 FIA World Championship Calendar (F1, WRC, WTCC) was made
public on 7 October by the World Motor sport Council. For the first
time since 1958, Morocco makes its entry into the prestigious line up
of international motor sport events, among them Monza, Macao and
Valencia. Labeled "Race of Morocco", Marrakech becomes the only round
of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) to be held in
Africa and the Arab World.
Marrakech starts the new
round of the 2009 FIA WTCC Season By hosting the FIA WTCC in Marrakech
on May 1-3 2009. "Race of Morocco" will become the only African round
of any FIA World Championship (F1, WRC, WTCC). This is the result of 3
years of concerted efforts between the Moroccan government and the
Promoter, MGP. In doing this Marrakech joins the league of
international urban circuits, such as Monaco, Valencia, or Macau. Known
to be the most fascinating and popular in the world of motor sports,
street races draw more than 100.000 fans from all over the world to
experience all of the adrenaline and excitement of the racing events.
For
its racing weekend, Morocco will be projected onto the international
motor sports scene, as Euro sport broadcasts the series to more than
200 million TV viewers across 70 countries. The MGP young and active
team took all the participants in the press conference on a field tour
to present the circuit layout with detailed explanations.
The
circuit is designed by D3 Motor sport Development, MGP's partner in
Morocco, and one of the world's leading motor sport development
companies. D3 is one of the few companies responsible for the
construction of four of the most competitive and successful race tracks
in professional motor sports. Among them, the street circuit in Surfers
Paradise, Australia, is recognized as one of the finest street courses
in the world today, with more than 400.000 fans in attendance.
The
FIA-standard circuit will ensure the safety of the teams, drivers, and
fans. In fact, it has already been subjected to several tests and
inspections, pending final FIA homologation in 2009. Construction is
already underway being supervised by Groupe MENARA. It is worth noting
that the Marrakech circuit will be the only FIA World Championship
circuit in Africa. Its location, along Mohammed VI and Ourika Avenues,
an exotic backdrop between the red city's legendary wall and
snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the distance, will quickly make it one
of the most attractive circuits in the world.
The circuit layout will allow for fast and challenging driving, giving fans and TV audiences an exciting performance.
In terms of what opportunities the circuit will provide morocco:
Thousands of direct and indirect jobs will be created;
-1.2 million man-hours over 100 days in construction
-2550 FIA-standard impact blocks weighing 4 tons each
- 10,2 km of heavy-duty debris fencing installed by specialized teams
- 8 km of security fencing - 5 pedestrian bridges
- 14 hard-wall portable buildings
- 19 temporary structures for teams and garages, equipments, media centers and press, medical sites, emergency and security
- Jumbo screens and hi-fi positions all along the circuit -
Length: 4540m (in track axis) • Width: 5.6 18.4m
More information about the Marrakech Grand Prix is available on their website
http://www.marrakechgrandprix.com
