Formula 1: Walkinshaw backs Moscow for 2003 start

Formula One boss Tom Walkinshaw claimed today that Moscow’s planned £66million circuit could be ready to stage a grand prix in 2003.

Walkinshaw, whose Oxfordshire-based TWR group is overseeing the project, believes the work can be completed within two years.

‘‘The people up there are confident it should be ready for 2003,’’ added the Arrows boss, who was in Moscow yesterday when F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone confirmed plans to add Russia to the schedule.

‘‘It just depends when Bernie puts it in the calendar. We should have final plans ready for approval in four or five weeks. It’s just mainly refinement to include the latest safety issues.

‘‘Then when we get final approval from FIA (the sport’s world governing body) then the work can start.’’

Walkinshaw insisted that funding the building work would not be a problem.

‘‘It’s a big project and a very substantial sum of money is involved,’’ he added.

‘‘But a large group of investors have been put together to fund the whole programme. They are from the inside and outside Russia.

‘‘I don’t think Moscow has any political and economic problems. I am led to believe it produces about 45% of the money that goes to the central government so it is a very wealthy city and does not have any debt.’’

Walkinshaw also denied that the assassination attempt on Josif Ordzhonikidze, the city’s deputy mayor, just days after his TWR group got involved last year had anything to do with the F1 project.

‘‘People get shot in London you know,’’ said Walkinshaw.

‘‘As far as I understand it wasn’t connected at all with motor racing.

‘‘The official involved, one of his tasks was to clean up the Sunday markets that were there and also the gaming licences, and it was to do with that.

‘‘It was purely coincidental it happened the week after we were there. We signed the contact with the Mayor of Moscow, not the official who was attacked.’’

German track designer Hermann Tilke, who was responsible for the magnificent state-of-the art facility at Sepang in Malaysia, has been brought in to work on the project.

The permanent circuit will be built on Nagatino Island in the Moskva river, just five miles from Red Square. There are also plans for it to include a hotel and casino complex.

‘‘It has got superb access by road, rail and water and is right in the heart of the city,’’ said Walkinshaw.

‘‘It will be similar in concept to Montreal.’’

The grand prix is likely to take place between May and September with one of the GPs currently on the 17-race schedule losing out.