The Marrakech International Circuit, renamed the Moulay El Hassan International Automobile Circuit, will host the race from April 13 to 15. Several races planned in parallel such as the Renault Clio RS Cup and the Auto GP 3000.
After being rescheduled in the FIA calendar, the Race of Morocco will take place on April 13, 14 and 15 in Marrakech on the Marrakech International Circuit which becomes the Moulay El Hassan International Automobile Circuit. For its third edition, the FIA WTCC Race of Morocco will see star drivers such as Yvan Muller, Robert Huff, Sergio Tarquini and of course Moroccan idol Mehdi Bennani compete.
On the team side, the American brand Ford has joined the ranks of car manufacturers involved in this stage of the world championship, namely BMW, Seat, Chevrolet and Volvo. The Russian manufacturer Lada and the Japanese brand Honda will also return to the WTCC to test their new models. Another nice surprise of this competition, the national super formula Renault Clio RS Cup and the Auto GP for formula 3000. As a support race, Marrakech will see the prestigious GT Italia which brings together the biggest manufacturers in place of the Maserati Trofeo which was replaced due to calendar problems.
On the sidelines of the competition, activities are planned with the return of the two-seater Formula 1 cars to offer track initiations to enthusiasts. In the paddock, behind the scenes of the Grand Prix, the super racing simulators from the manufacturer ELIP 6 will be available to the public.
New partners for the FIA WTCC Race of Morocco
Enthusiasts will be able to drive an F1 car, a rally car or a helicopter as if they were there! Still in the paddock, there will be a golf putt to relax, a food court, a commercial village for the brands, concerts on the Hit Radio set, car-motorcycle stands for the show, and the legendary official evenings with the championship drivers.
For this year, the budget, which was 60 MDH during the previous edition, is reduced to 30 MDH.
Present since the very first edition, the city of Marrakech remains the privileged partner of the event through the support of the wilaya and the city council. The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) will be present and will accompany the event as an official sponsor and advertising partner. Headlining the campaign, the Eurosport channel, which will broadcast the Moroccan round (3rd stage of the World Motor Show) through 75 television channels in more than 100 countries. As part of a new 3-year agreement between Marrakech Grand Prix and FIA WTCC, the Eurosport group has also signed up alongside the organizer as an official partner.
The Moroccan media will, for their part, be represented by the Moroccan channel 2M which is renewing its agreement for TV rights with the Eurosport channel. 2M will thus remain the official broadcaster of the FIA WTCC World Championship in Morocco. As for Méditel, it is sponsoring all of the general public ticketing for the event and will also support the event as a telecoms partner. Another major partner of the 3rd edition (after those of 2009 and 2010): Aïn Ifrane, which supports the organizer as a mineral water sponsor of the stables and a partner of the event. Wafa Assurances is, for the second time in a row, the official insurer of the Moulay El Hassan International Circuit. In doing so, the insurer supports the event on one of the most sensitive aspects of the organization. Please note that the Alliances Group will support the event as a golf partner by organizing a golf tournament for drivers and officials, on the sidelines of the event.
Figures: 31,640 hotel nights and 1,240 direct jobs
The only circuit on the African continent to be approved by the FIA World Championship, the Marrakech motor circuit offers a 4.7 km track, a 3-storey semi-permanent structure in glass and steel to house the garages, stands, control towers, race management, FIA college, offices and boxes, 14 portable wall buildings and 19 temporary structures as well as a fully equipped medical center and a media center for 75 television channels and 150 journalists. The Marrakech circuit also provides 1,240 direct jobs for construction, 2,680 jobs created annually for each edition and 219 Moroccan subcontracting companies. Media coverage is provided by 75 TV channels in 100 countries with more than 80 million viewers live during 5h11min of broadcast and 40 hours and 28 minutes of visibility for the Morocco brand. Between organizers and participants, there will be 8,000 people directly involved. The event is expected to generate 31,640 paid hotel room nights for the organization alone.
Zakaria Lahrach. Eco Life
www.lavieeco.com
2012-03-06
