motorsport travel news - 2008

Here's some motorsport venue news that I've collected in my research for grand prix cities. On this page you'll find tidbits of travel information, exciting changes to motorsport schedules especially venues and other website news that might be of interest for the sports traveler, a kind of blog of thoughts and ambitions. If you've got some news that you'd like me to add here, let me know via the contact link in the left column.
As always, Godspeed on your motorsport adventures! Cvetko Ostroznik.

2008 motorsport travel news


January 2008
FIM Red Bull Motocross of Nations at Donington Park - After fears that Britain would lose a round of the FIM Red Bull Motocross of Nations when it lost the Moneyglass Desmene round in Northern Ireland, Donington Park Circuit in the East Midlands area took over the event. Dates for the Donington Round are 27-28 September, 2008. I might even make the trip out there myself. Donington Park is a premier British racing venue and this new event only adds to its prestige, adding to the track's schudule already jewelled with W-SBK, MotoGP and more.... Find Castle Donnington hotels near Donington Park Circuit

WSBK WINTER TESTING
8-10 Jan, 2008: World Superbike Championship undergoes Pirelli Development Winter Testing at Phillip Island Circuit this weekend. Featured is the new Xerox DUcati 1089, which ridden by Troy Bayliss, posted the fastest time on Day One and Two: 1.32.5. In the SUpersport World Championship, another Aussie rider Brock Parkes posted fastest time of 1.35.2 on a Motor Italia Yamaha YZF R1 on days 1 and 2. Combined times after 3 days saw Yukio Kagayama on a Suzuki fastest at 1'32”1 and Troy Bayliss (AUS-Ducati) second 1'32”2. Brock Parkes lead the 3 days of Supersport testing on his Yamaha with a combined fastest lap of 1'34'6. Good to see Triumph Motorcycles testing their 675 for their future entry into this thrilling competition, particularly with racing legend Gary McCoy on board!.

SPORTS TRAVEL ADDITION - Added hotels near Sports Venues in Sweden to hotels near big ticket venues.com (sister site to grand prix cities) featured destinations are Allsvenskan Swedish football team stadia Malmo FF Stadium , Ullevi Stadium - IFK Göteborg & GAIS & Råsunda Stadium, - AIK Allmänna Idrottsklubben, as well as Stockholm Olympic Stadium, venue for the 1912 olympics as well as home to the Speedway Grand Prix of Sweden. motorcyle dirt track championship Event. Also added a reworked hotel page featuring Motorsport in Sweden. On that page you'll find links to Swedish motorsport, places of interest for car lovers, hotels near Scandinavia Raceway (formerly Anderstorp Circuit) which hosted the Swedish Formula One Grand Prix from 1973-1978, and a list of cities and airports in Sweden. Find Hotels in Sweden (over 50 cities listed)

COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF January starts out nicely with a lovely rap up by a member of Speed TV Insider Forum which lists my guide to Spa Francorchamps as an excellent resource for folks traveling there for the belgian grand prix. Thanks de-oppresso-liber!

SINGAPORE FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX All seems set for the first Formula One night race (only 700 years after Champ Car did it in Cleveland), but hey, I guess it takes a long time to negotiate overtime salaries with the world's "best drivers", even though some of them are only 18. I know Sebastien Bourdais will have an advantage, having slogged it out in those tough minor leagues for so many years. Good luck to Sebastien in his first year in the "premier class". He has nothing to prove but everything to gain. Bon Chance, my streetfighting friend, don't get soft! Oh yeah, find a Singapore Hotel, if you're going, and send a picture / report.

AUTOSHOWS AND MOTORCYCLE SHOWS My travels start this year with a trip to Detroit to check out the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show to be held at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi on Jan 4-6, 2008, say hi if you see me. I'll be drooling over the new 2008 motorbikes there, particularly the Ducati 848 Superbike. After that it's Chicago for a week and back to Detroit for the NAIAS North American International Autoshow where I'm hoping to get another look at one of them new Chevy Camaro Concept Vehicles which I fell in love with during the Transformers Movie. Come to me Bumblebee... (in 2009?)

ATLANTA SPEEDWAY NASCAR $88.00 Tickets on the Dale Earnhart Jr Stand at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR March 9 Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race. Need a ticket for the event in another stand check out my list of available premium Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets for Hospitality Suites, Pit Passes, Grand Stand and preferred parking.

2008 Formula 1 SCHEDULE added final version of the 2008 Formula One Schedule. There you'll find destinations, dates, guides, tickets, and other f1 features of interest. Enjoy. Hopefully this year will be a little more heartwarming than the controversy filled wining of last season, in which "Doris got her horse".

2008 SPEED CAR SERIES SCHEDULE A new racing series is set to emerge, Speedcar Series or the Grand Speedcar Series. This is a NASCAR style racing to be held at Asian and Middle East circuits during the northern winter, along side GP2 Asia Events. Drivers for the new series include F1 retirees, Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Gianni Morbidelli, Ukyo Katayama, as well as Fabien Giroix, and asian faces Moreno Soeprapto and Ananda Mikola. The series Schedule for the Inaugural Speed Car Season is set as follows:


AUGUSTA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY: (AIRPS) Hooked up again with Henry Jones over at AIRPS, a non-profit group whose aim is to keep the Augusta Intl Raceway Memory Alive, you'll remember previous references to these efforts in earlier news here. Henry he sent me an update email about the wonderful efforts of the crew down there to keep motorsport history alive. He writes:
I shut down the HistoricMustang.com site this past summer after selling my vintage racing Mustang to a gentleman in Europe and converted that Domain to the non-profit project here in Augusta involving the former Augusta International Raceway eight track racing complex. AIRPS has had tremendous success with the memorial effort which sits in Motorsports Memorial Plaza (see pic) at the former track which is being developed into Diamond Lakes Regional Park. We are also working on the "Children's Outdoor Reading Area" in Motorsports Memorial Plaza with the monument as a centerpiece. Very rewarding work and it is a government approved 501C3 non-profit project website."
You can find out more about this charity supported by grand prix cities at their website and you can contribute thoughts, comments, and enthusaiasm via the Racing Through History Forum. You can also find Hotels near Augusta Raceway if you want to visit the place that's been called the Nurburgring of America. Good Job all! Henry also sent me an update about the:

2008 Fall Historic/Vintage schedule, which is beginning to take shape and what a line up it is!
August 30 - 31, 2008 - 1st Annual Darlington Historic Racing Festival in Darlington, SC. Find event info . Darlington SC Hotels

September 13, 2008 - Augusta International Raceway Preservation Society presents the 5th Annual "Augusta Vintage Nationals" celebrating motorsports racing heritage in Augusta, GA.
Find event info at Augusta Vintage Nationals or Augusta International Raceway. Find Augusta Georgia Hotels

September 27, 2008 - The Historic Speedway Group presents the 2nd Annual "Celebration of the Automobile" in Hillsborough, NC.
Find event info and Hillsburough NC Hotels

MORE RACETRACK PRESERVATION INFO On the subject of race memories preservation, I bring to your attention efforts to save North Wilksboro Speedway in NOrth Carolina, which held its last race in 1996. You can find out mounds more information about this projcet at Save the Speedway.net. I've added this and the AIRPS effort to my Motorsport Links page.

Also
> News Archive 2007 + past Motorsport Travel News Archive
> world sports dates calendar - Sports Travel made easy with events schedule, tickets and hotels near venues !
> World International Auto Show Listings 2007 and some 2008 dates listed
> 2008 Cycle World International Motorcycle Show Dates (US)
> Power Boat Racing (2007 F1 UIM & APBA)

For all guides listed alphabetically Click here

Please also stop to check out these central sitemap website links
Motorsport Travel Guides . Motorsport Hotels . Sports Tickets .
Hotels by grand prix cities