Two tracks tied up in controversy over F1 racing

Could THIS be the start of the end of F1 and maybe even "real" motor racing ( Except Le Mans, who will ALWAYS make up their own local rules - French are best at it , closely followed by the Isle of Man )


MONZA UNDER THREAT OVER NOISE ROW
Last Updated: Friday, 18, November, 2005, 11:52

The future of the Italian Grand Prix is under threat after a local court enforced noise restrictions on motorsport activities at Monza.

Following a formal complaint by a group of residents, Milan magistrate Marco Manunta ruled on a court order outlawing motor races at Monza for vehicles which don't have adequate silencers, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Manunta denounced F1 as "an unnecessary activity, dangerous and without any social benefit and which has a considerable impact on the environment."
Monza's managing director Enrico Ferrari admitted that the situation was very serious.

"At the moment we are not going to be in a position to host F1," he said.
Thanks to the lengthy Italian legal process, Ferrari must now wait a month for his appeal to be heard and hopes that the verdict rules in the venue's favour.

"Otherwise we will be forced to close Monza," he added.
Noise restrictions already exist for the track, which is situated in the Royal Park of Monza in northern Milan.
But it currently receives 37 days annual dispensation of which it used 33 in 2005.

The Italian Grand Prix could be hosted at other venues if Monza was struck from the list.
Imola for example could be given a stay of execution should San Marino be dropped from the calendar, while Ferrari's test track of Mugello in Tuscany is F1-standard and hosts a round of the MotoGP world championship.

But Monza is F1's longest standing venue and first hosted an Italian Grand Prix in 1922.

The loss of such a significant stop on the tour could be ominous for other venues situated close to residential areas.
( there are noise restrictions on a number of the classic tracks in the UK already. So much so that a number of venues do not allow A110s )

SPA HANGS IN THE BALANCE
Last Updated: Saturday, 19, November, 2005, 14:17

The future of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps is hanging in the balance after efforts to secure a new promoter appear to have reached a stalemate.

The 2005 race went ahead after the regional Walloon government lent promoter DDGP (Didier Defourney Grand Prix) 15 million euros to pay Formula 1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone.

DDGP has fallen by the wayside and no new private investors have yet been found, while the government has indicated it is not in a position to underwrite the event this year.

A spokesman for Walloon’s economy minister told Reuters: “We are searching for a solution for the grand prix, but not at any price. There are two possibilities: either we organise it, or we don’t.”

One solution would be for Ecclestone to replace DDGP as the race promoter and organiser.

The Walloon government began talking to Ecclestone earlier this month, but has since found itself at the centre of a political row over the likely cost of doing business with the 75-year-old.

Local politicians are not convinced that spending millions of euros on the grand prix is a justifiable use of taxpayers’ money in Belgium’s poorest region.

A spokesman for the dominant Socialist party said: “The government has agreed that the course in Spa is one of the most beautiful, but the priority for the government is the creation of wealth to improve the life of its citizens.”

Spa remains the ultimate circuit for F1 drivers and fans and its loss would be a massive blow to the sport.

Despite the current problems in finding a promoter, the Belgian GP has been included on the 2006 calendar with a September 17 date


So it looks like all future F1 races can only be hosted by dictatorships and non-democratic countries