Formula One racing cars could be zooming in and out of the street-level entrances of Cape Town Stadium if the Mother City hosts a 2013 Grand Prix and uses the venue as a chicane to slow cars down on the seaside racecourse.
The inclusion of the stadium in the race is one of Cape Town Grand Prix SA’s ideas for the 2013 event, and it involves the use of the exit and entry points at street level as well as the stadium’s seating so spectators can watch the action at close quarters.
Esther Henderson, the company’s chief communications officer, explained that race cars would enter the stadium at one point, race through, and exit at another point.
“The circuit will go through the stadium, and there are entry and exit points which are aligned with technical standards.
“There will be a chicane inside the stadium. The cars wouldn’t be going in at the highest speed. They would slow down as they go into the stadium. No major changes have to be made to the stadium.”
She said the stadium had a seating capacity of about 55 000, but with temporary seating it could accommodate more than 60 000.
However, Henderson said, the biggest adjustment would be lifting the pitch and laying tar in line with the standard set by the International Automobile Federation, the world governing body of motorsport.
Once the three-day Formula One event ended, the tar would then be re-covered with the playing pitch, she explained.
Henderson said a similar idea had been applied to the Race of Champions, where the world’s best car and motorcycle racers compete in cities across the world.
In a DVD promoting the company’s bid to host the Grand Prix, it emerged that people favoured the idea of a street race over a purpose-built race track.
The company claims that upgrading the city’s existing infrastructure to meet FIA standards would cost R670 million, compared with the R4 billion it would cost to a build a new circuit.
Another option, according to Henderson, was to have the racing route around the stadium. “Then the stadium itself becomes the grandstand,” she said.
There was renewed interest in the city hosting a Grand Prix this week, after comments from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone on local radio. Ecclestone said Cape Town could host the glittering sports event within “two years”.
There are three bids in the pipeline: one aligned to a new circuit near the airport, another to a circuit on the West Coast, and the third in Green Point.
Cape Town Grand Prix SA has formally submitted a bid to F1 officials that is modelled on the Monaco Grand Prix, where the track is in Green Point, with Cape Town Stadium taking centre stage.
It is believed that this bid is the front-runner, given Ecclestone’s reference to a two-year time frame.
It is considered unlikely that a circuit could be completed near the airport or along the West Coast in the allotted time.
Henderson said Ecclestone’s approach to the race was that the city would set an “amazing stage” and give spectators a “performance”.
“I’ve said that Cape Town is a very sexy location, it’s a gateway location for broadcast. No matter where you position a camera, you will capture the city’s landmarks, marketing Cape Town,” she said.
The company had consulted with residents in surrounding areas, Henderson said.
“They are not averse to hosting an F1 race, so long as there is proper planning and consultation.”
She added that the residents could look forward to upgraded roads if the bid was successful.
And, since racing would take place at weekends, the noise of revving cars would last for only about 16 hours over the racing weekend.
The company is set to meet sports and recreation minister Fikile Mbalula about the bid.
But councillor Beverley Schäfer - whose ward covers parts of Green Point, Mouille Point and Bantry Bay - said there had been no public consultation. Schäfer said some residents were concerned about noise and others had expressed concern about their safety before and after races.
Developing a circuit would cost a great deal of money, she said.
The city’s mayoral council member for tourism, Grant Pascoe, said hosting the event was in line with the city’s goal to “establish Cape Town as the events capital” of the country.
But he said the city had not yet been approached with a proposal to host the event, and could therefore not yet consider it.
“The proposal will have to go through all council processes, including public participation, to ensure that the views of the local residents are taken into consideration.
“We will also have to partner with the provincial and national governments to make this dream a reality.” - Cape Argus