The Kuala Lumpur City Grand Prix has officially been given the green light by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for the go ahead of the inaugural street race that will be held in the heart of KL from the 7 to 9 August 2015. The press briefing was headed by YAM Tunku Naquiyuddin ibni Tuanku Ja’afar, chairman of GT Global Race (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Three different races have been confimed for the upcoming event which includes the likes of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Cup, Formula Masters and the premier of the GT City Cup featuring a collaboration of top marques and the V8 Supercars series that hails from down under.
Two other sporting championship series are in the midst of being confirmed, including the Porsche Carrera Cup and the Audi R8 LMS Cup, the latter piloted by our very own homegrown driver, Alex Yoong. More on that to come.
With less than 70 days on the clock, work is already underway in making this event a reality. DBKL has already started their preliminary surveying and researching helmed by technical director Simon Gardini, who is delegated with the task of ensuring traffic diversions and the safety of not just the spectators but also the drivers in their formidable machines as they whiz around the city centre at high speeds (up to 230 km/h) and in preparation for the boys over at SIC (Sepang International Circuit) to carry out their marshaling duties.
The realisation of this massive undertaking is the stimulation of the local economy, with tourists flocking here from every corner of the earth. In 2014 alone for example, over 2 million fans got together for the V8 Supercar series in Australia alone.
Advisory firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) estimates that over 100,000 fans will potentially flock to the upcoming event. PWC also indicates that, by 2020, this race series would have contributed as much RM1.2 billion to the local economy, providing up to 10,000 employment opportunites.
In preparation for this, hotels and businesses in the city and those surrounding the 3.2km raceway are gearing up for the upcoming barrage of tourist and spectators. Private tenants with offices and balconies overlooking the track are given the opportunity to host guests and/or customers to watch the races from the comfort of their units, joining the ranks of exotic locales such as Monaco, Singapore and Macau.
Deputy Director General of DBKL, Dato’ Haji Mohd Najib said road works surrounding the city are well underway to improve road conditions, citing that majority of the funds will be financed by race organiser, GT Global Race Sdn Bhd. He also added however, that a small portion of the public’s funds will be allocated to aid this development.
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Kuala Lumpur City Grand Press Announcement
