Sochi eyes MotoGP race

Bosses of the new Sochi track in Russia have set their sights on hosting a MotoGP event in the future.

With construction at the venue that is scheduled to hold its maiden Formula 1 race in 2014 progressing well, track chief Alexander Bogdanov has added that the venue will not be happy just with car racing.

Speaking about the latest developments in Sochi, Bogdanov, who is CEO of the ‘Formula Sochi’ company that runs the venue, said: “The construction of the racing track in Sochi is going into high gear.

“The 5854 m long circuit is one of the longest in the Formula 1 world championship.

“The autodrome will also host different racing series such as [the] FIA GT World Series, FIA WEC, WTCC, Formula 3, and Russian national championships.

“We are working through the possibility of hosting motorcycle racing at the highest level: Moto GP, World Superbike, and others.”

Although track requirements for F1 and MotoGP are different, circuit architect Hermann Tilke who is in charge of building Sochi sees no problem with the venue holding both categories.

“There is no doubt that the circuit will be meeting all the requirements for Formula 1 and maybe also for the Moto GP,” he explained.

The Russian government is fully behind the Sochi venture, having committed $200 million (USD) of funding for the track.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/sochi-eyes-motogp-race

Romain Grosjean Olivier Grouillard Brian Gubby André Guelfi Miguel Ángel Guerra