Turkey Expects to Host First GP in 2005

Turkey could host its first Formula One race in 2005, the head of the country's motorsports federation said on Wednesday.

"Formula One is coming to Turkey in 2005," Mumtaz Tahincioglu, head of the Automobile and Motorsports Federation told reporters after briefing the cabinet on plans to bring a race to Turkey.

He said ministers had given the green light for a grant of suitable land, around $27 million to build a track in one of four candidate cities by September 2004 and payment of $13.5 million annually for rights to hold the race.

Tahincioglu said four cities had applied to host the race: the commercial capital Istanbul, the Aegean city of Izmir, the Mediterranean resort of Antalya and the central city of Kirsehir. Currently there is no Grand Prix track in Turkey.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone visited Istanbul - a city of over 10 million straddling the continents of Europe and Asia - in March and told Turkish officials that if they built a track he would bring them a race.

"We'll present the details of the candidates to Bernie Ecclestone and he'll make the final decision," Tahincioglu said.

Formula One plans to expand its races away from the dominance of European tracks in the coming years. China is seen as a strong candidate to host one race while Turkey, Dubai, Bahrain and Egypt are all pushing for another.

Turkey, a European Union candidate country with a population of some 65 million, is struggling to drag itself out of a punishing economic crisis and would welcome the tourism boost a Formula One Grand Prix would bring.

Tahincioglu forecast between $60-150 million a year in revenue from the race. Istanbul failed last year in its third bid to host the summer Olympic Games.