The engines will roar next weekend in Marrakech. The city is indeed hosting the 8th race of the World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) organized by the Marrakech Grand Prix (MGP), a subsidiary of Menara Holding. A real lever of notoriety for Morocco, the race which opens its doors on April 7 is also the only African round of the world automobile race. This 8th edition is significant for Moroccan motorsport, which in 2017 celebrates the 60th anniversary of the country’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix, organized in 1957 in Casablanca.
Moreover, for the occasion, a Formula 1 car will be making track debuts to celebrate the event. In total, the 2017 race welcomes four fields of racing cars, that is to say around 100 cars. Free practice on Friday to fine-tune the cars, qualitative testing on Saturday to determine the starting grids, races on Sunday to crown the winners…
This year will be a real challenge for Moroccan driver Mehdi Bennani who is starting the 2017 season in Marrakech, in front of his home crowd. After winning the WTCC Trophy in 2016, Bennani will start at the wheel of his Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën C-Elysée, as a serious contender for the world title. Other Moroccan motorsport talents will also be there, since the 2017 race plans the largest entirely Moroccan field under the aegis of the Royal Moroccan Motor Sports Federation (FRMSA).
On the track side, the race takes place on the new track by German architect Hermann Tilke. A 3 km long route which offers all types of turns, from the slowest (65 km/h) to the fastest where the speed will be close to 250 km/h. “Its great particularity since 2016 is that it encircles the Paddock, thus offering a unique spectacle to automobile enthusiasts,” indicates Aly Horma, CEO of MGP.
This race is also business for the ocher city. Marrakech grand prix attracts more than 500 million viewers and more than 220 million dirhams are spent on site (airfare, accommodation and catering during the three days of racing). The MGP contributes 7.2% of annual tourist arrivals and overnight stays thanks to the stables, spectators and guests. The event also allows for entertainment. Indeed, if the races follow one another at a sustained pace, the entertainment is also permanent within the Circuit Moulay El Hassan with auto-moto exhibitions, motocross, 5D racing simulators… Furthermore, the circuit is also home to Marrakech kart racing, with its ultra-modern facilities dedicated exclusively to the practice of leisure and competitive karts. It was not easy to permanently install this track and this car race.
The leader of this project, Menara Holding and its CEO at the time the late Haj Abderrahmane Zahid, had to face several difficulties before succeeding in this bet. Today, and after 7 editions of this car race in Marrakech, Morocco has managed to regain its place in the restricted circle of countries organizing an FIA World Championship. 2016 opened a big chapter with the construction of a new circuit with 2 tracks, a karting circuit, a mechanical center, and an exhibition center!
source: leconomiste
