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A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has strong ties with China, having raced
there five times in the last three seasons, but for Season Four the
series will have a new venue in its most visited country and take the
opportunity to help an earthquake struck region. The Chengdu
International Circuit will host round two on the 7-9 November 2008 and
proceeds from the event will go to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund .
The date for the event means a change to the provisional calendar
for Season Four, as this was the date originally set for a race in
Indonesia. Now the Indonesian event, which sees A1GP head to the
country for a third time, moves to a new venue on the 6-8 February
2009. “Making such changes needs a lot of co-operation, and we would
especially like to thank the Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sport
Affairs, Dr Adhyaksa Dault and IMI the National Motorsports Federation,
for consenting to this date change,” said A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira.
Commenting
on the series visiting China Teixeira added: “Our welcome in China has
always been extremely warm and it is very gratifying that we have been
invited to race at our fourth different track in this amazing country
by the Chinese Government. The Chinese fans are some of the most
passionate, as can be seen by their support for the series and A1 Team
China. Also, as we have seen with the recent Olympics, China knows how
to put on great events.”
Liu Yu, A1 Team China
Seat Holder is certain this race will be very important to the Sichuan
Province: “It is a great honour to have A1GP back in China, especially
with the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari cars. The severity of the
earthquake in Sichuan Province on the 12 May this year was a shock to
everyone worldwide, and both A1GP and A1 Team China will take this
opportunity to show support for the local people who have suffered so
badly. I am sure the fans in Chengdu will be able to show they are
getting on with their lives and will give A1GP a warm welcome.”
Although
the race in China was originally scheduled for the 12-14 December, a
date change was necessary to ensure the best possible weather
conditions in this region of China. Chengdu City is the capital of the
Sichuan province in the south west of the country, while the track,
which lies 16 kilometres south west of the city centre, is 3.367
kilometres (2.019 miles) long and features 14 turns. The ‘City of
Abundance’ as Chengdu is also known, is the fifth most populated city
in the country with over a 100 million people living in Sichuan
Province. Its other claim to fame is being the most important economic,
transportation and communication hub in China. The city is 1,518
kilometres (943 miles) from Beijing and 1,651 kilometres (1,026 miles)
from Shanghai.
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