Azerbaijan bids for an F1 track
It might seem an unlikely location, but Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic better known for its oilfields, is mounting a bid to build a Formula One motor racing circuit.
The country's sports ministry has announced that it is seeking to bring the sport to a site near its capital.
"I think that it is a matter of time before Formula One comes to Azerbaijan," Ragif Abbassov, spokesman for the ministry of youth, sport and tourism, told the Ekho newspaper.
"More detailed information will be available soon," he added. "I am more than sure that the question of bringing Formula One to (Azerbaijan) will be decided in the near future."
Hosting a Formula One race in Azerbaijan would be a coup for the country's sports-mad president Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father to become head of state last year.
Aliyev, who used to head Azerbaijan's National Olympic Committee, has already hosted international boxing and gymnastics competitions in a bid to boost the country's prestige abroad.
Azerbaijan as yet has no motor-racing circuit, but according to Ekho newspaper, there are plans to build a track on the shore of the Caspian Sea, just south of the capital, Baku.
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