Why Zhuhai?
Dear Joseph, The Goldenport track outside of the Beijing airport was inadequate to host a Champ Car event and Beijing is focused 100% on getting ready for the 2008 Summer Olympics to worry about putting on a race, at least until the Olympics is over. Zhuhai was built many years ago expecting to host an F1 race, but a deal was never struck with Bernie Ecclestone and Zhuhai has sat dormant much of the time, primarily used by local racing clubs. The owners still want to hold at least one "major international event" at the natural terrain road course each year and Champ Car can fit that bill. Although changing rapidly, the politics in Beijing are still largely "old Communist thinking" whereas Hong Kong and its surrounding areas are much more westernized and used to doing business with international organizations.
A short 35 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong, Zhuhai is close to Macau, which hosts the famous Macau Grand Prix F3 race each year, so racing is not something new to the Chinese in and around the Delta Peninsula. Although Shanghai is the new commercial capital of China, Hong Kong is not far behind. It will therefore, be easier to get commercial interest from some major corporations to sponsor the event than say Beijing. We hear that Champ Car had some recent good meetings with the race promoter and the government, both of whom are very much sold on the idea of making the event a 3-day festival. In fact they have used a similar concept in some other events they have held at the circuit.
Another positive going for it is the fact that two Chinese drivers, Marchy Lee and Ho-Pin Tung – both with ties to Hong Kong, are capable of driving a Champ Car, and would bring much attention to the event in that part of China should it happen. Whereas Lee and Tung were shunned by the Beijing promoters (there is still a lot of animosity between a very westernized Hong Kong and the very Communist Beijing), both would be welcomed with open arms at Zhuhai.
What's interesting is what will happen after the Olympics in 2008. If Zhuhai turns out to be a huge success, it will be difficult to move the event to Beijing. However, the Chinese arm of the FIA, and the organizing body for all major racing events in China, is headquartered in Beijing and we suspect they will want to move the race to the streets around the Olympic Village starting in 2009. After building the magnificent structures for the '08 Summer Games,' the government will be looking for events to hold at these facilities rather than see them lie dormant. Either way, both Zhuhai and Beijing have the potential to be successful events if Champ Car can ever reach an agreement in China, which is not an easy thing. Mark C.