From Orange Arrows to Red Arrows???

[Minardi fan]

TWR signs Moscow F1 track deal

British racing firm TWR is to help build a Formula One circuit in Moscow after signing a £66million deal with the Russian capital's authorities.
Tom Walkinshaw Racing, which owns the Arrows F1 team, has formed a partnership with the city to construct the first F1 circuit in the country on Nagatino Island, south of the Kremlin and Red Square.

The Russian daily newspaper Vedomosti has reported that an agreement between Oxfordshire-based TWR and the Moscow mayoral office had been signed last Friday with work due to start next spring.

Grigori Antiyufiev, president of Moscow's tourism committee, told the paper: "This track will allow the staging of international automobile and motorcycling competitions - but particularly of Formula One races."

The circuit, due to be completed within two years, would meet all international racing standards and the TWR Group would have exclusive rights to work on the Moscow site, Vedomosti reported.

A spokesman for the TWR Group, based near Witney, refused to confirm that the company was ploughing more than £16million into the project and said "figures have yet to be finalised".

The TWR Group, founded in 1975 by former racing driver Tom Walkinshaw, has already worked on the renovation of the track at Silverstone, the British Grand Prix venue.

Mr Walkinshaw said: "I am proud for TWR to be a partner with the Moscow City Government to develop Russia's first international racing facility.

"It is a very exciting venture for TWR and we are honoured to be involved."

The Russian daily Kommersant recently noted that Russia had attempted to construct a track capable of hosting F1 on six previous occasions, but all fell through.

[SL]

Well that should make Arrows the fav for the Russian GP. TWR will no doubt build an Arrows only secret passage into the track.



Simon