10/01/2007
NEWS STORY
Following confirmation that the Sepang International Circuit will host a three-day F1 test in late March, just one week before the Malaysian Grand Prix, race promoters have admitted that they hope that F1 testing at the track will become an annual event.
"We are working closely to turn these sessions into an annual affair," SIC general manager Datuk Ahmad Mustafa told The Star. "We expect things to run smoothly.
"Malaysia will have nothing to lose because the teams are coming here on their own expenses," he added.
In 2006, a number of teams attended a test at the Sakhir track in Bahrain, an event that will also be repeated this year. However, it is widely believed that the main reason for the test in Sepang is due to the way the 2007 calendar is structured and the dropping of the San Marino Grand Prix, leading to two uncharacteristic gaps in the schedule.
Promoters at Sepang have worked hard to promote the Grand Prix, and it will be hoped that the test, in addition to focussing global interest on the facility in Malaysia, will also encourage more locals to follow the sport.