Montreal attracts big foreign crowd

This year's Canadian Grand Prix drew in a larger number of spectators from overseas than ever before, delighting new race promoter Francois Dumontier. With several new grandstands in position, last weekend's event at the Circuit de Gilles Although rain had been feared to affect proceedings and did cause a soaking pit lane walkabout for fans on Thursday, showers held off as the on-track action began, with Sunday in particular bringing plentiful amounts of sunshine as more foreign visitors entered the track than any other year since Montreal made its Formula 1 debut in 1978.

"This year we had more people coming from Europe and the States than in the past," Dumontier, who recently replaced long-time event organizer Normand Legault, told MotorSport magazine. I would say 40 percent of our crowd is coming from outside Quebec – it's pretty amazing and I don't really have an explanation for that. The Euro is struggling and the US dollar also but the people are still coming; for the tourism business and our business community, this is really good because it's new dollars coming into town.

"This is a result of a great package we provide in Montreal, which is both the appeal of the track and attractiveness of the city.