BERLIN -- A plan to give the Hockenheim
motor racing track a major face lift looked set to go ahead on
Monday after residents living near the German Grand Prix circuit
said they backed a revamp.
Local residents groups voted overwhelmingly in favor of a
plan to modernize the ageing track where British driver Jim
Clark was killed in 1968, clearing the way for the company
running Hockenheim to embark on a 95 million mark ($44.64
million) redevelopment.
"It's a big relief for us. We are proud that the local
population is so clearly in favour of Hockenheim," Hartmut
Tesseraux, spokesman for Hockenheimring GmbH said.
Hockenheim's contract to stage the German Grand Prix runs
out after this year's event on July 29.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the track needed
to be brought into line with modern grand prix technology and
safety requirements to secure its position as host.
The southwestern circuit has hardly changed since it first
staged the German Grand Prix 31 years ago and Hockenheimring
feared the track could lose the race to the Lausitzring, a brand
new track 130 kms south of Berlin.
"I will get in touch with Bernie Ecclestone now and I hope
that we can sign the promotion deal in February," Hockenheim
mayor Gustav Schrank said.
Under the plan, the circuit will be shortened from 6.8 kms
to four kms and its entire infrastructure will be refurbished
and the number of seats will be increased. Work is expected to
begin later in the year.
Baden-Wuerttemberg state premier Erwin Teufel promised
Ecclestone around 30 million marks in grant-aid to help with the
revamp late last year.
Ecclestone said he saw no reason why the contract to stage
the Grand Prix could not be extended until 2008 if the
redevelopment went ahead.
Security at the track came in for scrutiny after a Frenchman
cut his way through a fence and crossed the track midway through
last year's Grand Prix.
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