Bulgaria's Future Formula One Track to Have Unique Asphalt Heating

Bulgaria's future Formula One circuit will be unique in that it is designed to have a heating of the asphalt covering, the head of the Bulgarian Motorcycling Federation Bogdan Nikolov told Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) in an exclusive interview.

"The great thing about our project for hosting Formula One races is that we will have a kind of a monopoly since the Bulgarian Formula One circuit will be the first in the world with heating of the asphalt layer, sort-of like central heating of the asphalt covering. This means that all companies producing tires will be eager to use our track in order to test their tires. On our track they will not be dependent on the atmospheric conditions to test their tires at various temperatures," Nikolov explained.

If the talks for the forming of the international consortium and the role of the Bulgarian government work out, FIA head Bernard Ecclestone should be expected in Sofia to sign the contract for the Bulgarian Grand Prix as of 2012 between November 15 and December 15, Nikolov said. Bulgaria is also expected to host a Moto GP race on the same track in 2012.

"The circuits for Moto GP and Formula One are basically the same with small differences in the safety zones. The safety zones for Moto GP tracks are larger and longer. We have created a project that meets the requirements of both FIA (F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile) and FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) for a circuit for Formula One and Moto GP. If 365 days in the year, the track must be in use 220 days in order to be a profitable investment. The climate in Sofia allows that," the BMF Chair said.

He said the future Bulgarian Formula One track will be built to fit 100 000 spectators.

A consortium of Arab, US, and Canadian companies plans to invest about EUR 1 B in Bulgaria's Formula One Grand Prix project.

Full Text of Bogdan Nikolov's Interview for Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) on the Bulgarian Formula One project READ HERE