Bahrain Wants April Date for First GP

Organisers of the Bahrain Grand Prix want the country's maiden Formula One race to be held in April next year and are confident of the new track being created in time.

The 2005 Bahrain event will be held in April and organiser Hans Geist, the new general manager of the circuit, believes the early season date should also be used next year despite work on the track not due to be completed until March.

"I don't think there is a problem with finishing construction on time," Geist told the Gulf Daily News during a visit to the track site. "It is not a problem to organise the Formula One event, but it is a short time to export a new product to the Middle East."

Geist, who is also the organiser of the Austrian Grand Prix, insisted a late date in 2004 followed by the April race the following year could prove disastrous to the Bahrain event.

He believes the example of Malaysia, which completed the season in October 2000 and then hosted the second round of the following campaign five months later, proves Bahrain should get two April dates.

"For a big event it is very important to have it on the same date year after year," said Geist, who has pencilled in April 4 as his preferred date. "We have no choice but to stage it at the start of the season in April 2005.

"That means if the first race is in October 2004, the second in April would be down - it would be too close. That is the mistake they made in Malaysia. Their second race was a disaster from an economic side."