MotoGP set for Great Wall race
China is to build a new motor sports circuit in the shadow of the Great Wall of China.
The new track in Yanqing, about 40 kilometres from Beijing, will be called the Great Wall Circuit and will host the country's first-ever MotoGP Grand Prix in 2004.
The track will be designed to hold an astonishing 500,000 spectators - that's not a typo - making it the highest-capacity sports venue in the world. Furthermore, spectators are expected to be allowed in free of charge, guaranteeing a vast turnout.
A deal has been signed between Dorna Sports - the company that runs motorbike Grand Prix events - and two Chinese organisations, marking "a historic day for motorcycling", according to Dorna's chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta.
In recent years, China has begun bidding for major sporting events. The 2008 Olympic Games are being held in Beijing and the cicuit will receive live broadcasts of the opening and closing ceremonies. It will also be desinged to hold other sporting events.
Earlier this month, Shanghai became the latest city to announce that it was building a Grand Prix-standard track in the hope of attracting F1 to the world's most populous nation, while rumours of an oval circuit, designed to attract either CART or the IRL continue to do the rounds.
China's only other permanent facility at Zhuhai was designed to host Formula One racing, but has so far only held non-championship GT races. A lack infrastructure and concerns over safety at the circuit has kept F1 away.
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