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Posts from the ‘Racing’ Category

Apr 6

HRT-Cosworth giving an opportunity to former national kart champion Ma Qing Hua

Ma Qing Hua Takes Big Step Towards F-1 Dream

With the Formula One season well underway and the 2012 edition of the Chinese Grand Prix approaching, the sport in China received a shot in the arm when it was reported that former national kart champion Ma Qing Hua was accepted into HRT's driver development program on Thursday.

Whether he makes it through the rigorous training remains to be seen, but the Shanghai native's step into Formula One could be what the sport needs to raise its profile in China, if he can successfully make it on the team as a driver.

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Dec 8

If You Build it, They Won’t Come

An op-ed on how despite the rise in sporting venues throughout China, the country's sports stadiums remain empty once the lights fade and the games conclude.

There is no question that large, global sporting events can help change the image of a city. Governments use the spectacles as a means to redevelop or invest further in a city’s infrastructure. South Africa proposed a nine billion rand — or about 1.7 billion USD — budget on city infrastructure projects for next year’s World Cup. According to the Beijing Organizing Committee, the 2008 Olympic Games saw about 60 billion USD invested in city-wide infrastructure projects, which included new stadium venues for the sporting events.

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Apr 20

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F1 Boss Backs Shanghai GP

Red Bull Renault claimed their historic first victory yesterday as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber celebrated on podium in Shanghai GP. A source told us that the Chinese Grand Prix only sold 70 percent of its tickets despite the prices were cut nearly half than the previous year.

"The economic crisis has indeed affected the sport and we felt there's a need to adjust the prices," Jiang Lan(姜澜), general manager of the Juss Event Co Ltd, the organizer, told Qianjiang Evening News(钱江晚报), a Hangzhou-based paper, "Another reason is to help recruit more Chinese F1 fans."

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Nov 25

Report Lost In Translation, Shanghai GP Likely to Stay

CSR told you earlier that China may drop its Grand Prix race in Shanghai after 2010 when the contract with F1 runs out . It seems this may not happen as Leon Sun, general manager of Juss Event Management (上海久事国际赛事管理有限公司), said the previous report was lost in translation.

"We’re doing the assessment. By next year we should be able to give you an answer," said Qiu Weichang (邱伟昌), deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports. "Of course we would like at least to break even. But there are two factors - one is the assessment; the other part is the win-win situation that we can create."

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Nov 15

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China May Drop F1 Race in Shanghai As Its Economy Slows

Chinese Grand Prix, hosted at the $450m Shanghai International Circuit since 2004, may see its end in 2010 when the contract with F1 expires.

"We're doing the assessment. By next year we should be able to give you an answer," Qiu Weichang, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, told AFP on Thursday when asked about the future of the racing event. Early this month, Shanghai Grand Prix was announced by F1 to be rescheduled to play in April next year, a move, according to Chinese media, is to avoid clash with the ATP Masters Series next October.

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