Formula One cars to hit streets of Dublin in summer of 2012

Tourism boost as city racing adds Irish capital to F1 roster

Published Monday, August 22, 2011, 7:36 AM

Updated Monday, August 22, 2011, 8:31 AM

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Formula One racing

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The streets of Dublin will rock to a Formula One beat next summer with an exciting new race set to a attract a quarter of a million tourists to the Irish capital.

Dublin is to follow the lead set by Rotterdam and Moscow and host City Racing in June, 2012.

The concept sees Formula One cars race on a modified city track and is already a huge success on Holland and Russia.

Initially the race sponsors, the Bavaria Beer company, will hold a one day demo race next summer which is expected to attract huge visitor numbers and worldwide publicity.

The race will be centered around key tourist attractions and will start and finish at the Central Bank building on Dame Street.

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The demonstration race track will start at the Central Bank before passing Trinity College, going down Burgh Quay and crossing the Samuel Beckett Bridge before finishing on Custom House Quay.

The City Racing concept has been operating since 2006 and almost half a million fans attended the latest race in Rotterdam on Sunday when details of the inaugural Dublin event were announced.

“It has been 16 years since Ireland witnessed the excitement of a current F1 car but Bavaria City Racing is about to change that,” said event C.E.O. Gavin Collins.

“Dublin City Council and the police deserve praise for the manner in which they have embraced the concept.

“The track has been specially designed to showcase some of the city’s oldest and most modern sites, including Trinity College, the Bank of Ireland, the Custom House and the Convention Centre.

“While tickets will be on sale for some sections of the course, 96 per cent of the event will be free to spectators.”

All current Formula One teams are represented in the City Racing format.

Dubliner Eddie Jordan, the former Formula One boss, welcomed the addition of his hometown to the event roster.

“It’s not really feasible for Dublin to consider hosting a full Formula One race. It would place an unfair burden on the taxpayer,” said Jordan

“However, an event like this will give people a real flavor of what Formula One is like. And the great thing about it is, it’s almost entirely free which makes it accessible to everybody.”