In 53 years of FIM Motocross World Championship the series had never come to Turkey but thanks to the work of promoter Youthstream this weekend the first Turkish Motocross Grand Prix will be held in beautiful Istanbul.
The first ever FIM Motocross World Championship was held in 1957 and since then the series had never visited Turkey.
Youthstream, who firmly believes in the potential of this country, reached an agreement with the Turkish Motorcycling Federation and the Municipality of Istanbul to organize the first ever Turkish Motocross GP this weekend on the Hezarfen race track.
The event includes the MX1 and MX2 classes and it is the third of 15 rounds of the 2009 Championship. A wonderful set up is ready to welcome the racers starting off the proceedings on the Saturday with qualifying –held through two exciting heats, one per class- and continuing with the GP heats on Sunday.
Turkey and Istanbul look forward to the forthcoming event as their association with the FIM Motocross World Championship extends to a fruitful partnership with Youthstream and with the Factory Kawasaki Racing Team. The “Welcome to Istanbul” logo can be spotted among the track advertising and also on the Kawasaki Racing Team’s machines of Sebastien Pourcel and Gareth Swanepoel, two major players in the MX1 class.
Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, the Youthstream President:
“Bringing a round of the FIM Motocross World Championship to Turkey is definitely a huge step in the right direction; the circuit is only 40 minutes from Istanbul’s centre and the area and infrastructure are of top class. The Grand Prix will be broadcast live on CNN Turkey and we already see there is a lot of National and International media present. We have a good feeling that there will be an enormous crowd for the weekend. I’m happy to say that the dream of our sport continues.”
Dr. Wolfgang Srb, the FIM/CMS President:
“This is a very important weekend for all the partners involved. The MX1/2 GP in Istanbul is the result of big efforts from the Turkish Motorcycling Federation, Youthstream and CMS/FIM. The organiser has worked very hard to build an excellent circuit that has a lot of potential. I am very happy that the best Motocross series in the world, the FIM Motocross World Championship, visits Turkey and brings the sport close to the fans. I trust that Motocross has found a new home for many years to come!”
Mr. Suleyman Memnun, the Turkish Motorcycling Federation President:
“We are so happy to organize the FIM Motocross World Championship in Turkey. It is not only about presenting the motor sports, it is also about presenting our country with this organisation. We are pleased to host the FIM Motocross World Championship which is one of the biggest championships in the world. On behalf of TMF, we thank Youthstream, the FIM, our main sponsor Petrol Ofisi that gave us support, Power Group and Cem Hakko who is on our side, CNN Turk that broadcast this championship live and the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul. Mr. Mayor Kadir Topbas gave a lot of help from the beginning of the organisation. I did want to race in such a championship in my country during the years I used to race, it could not happen but finally it is happening. We invite all the people living in Istanbul to Hezarfen at the weekend.”
Associated links:
Youthstream
FIM
Grand Prix of Turkey
