By Tom Howard
Brands Hatch will not host the British round of the A1GP series next year following doubts surrounding the championship’s long-term future.
The Kent circuit hosted the inaugural meeting of the series in 2005 and has been the home of the British round for the past four seasons. However, a drop in crowds, and rumours suggesting the series is struggling financially have prompted Brands Hatch to opt out of the championship for the 2009-10 season.
The A1GP series, which pitches nation against nation in identical cars, released its calendar for next season this week, which excluded the Kent circuit. The series has suffered a turbulent off-season since Ireland’s Adam Carroll lifted the title at Brands in May. As well as financial concerns, this week Ferrari have been rumoured to be pulling the plug on its supply of engines, barely a month before the opening round in Australia.
Track owner, Jonathan Palmer, confirmed that the circuit will not be host A1GP races next year, but stopped short of ruling out a return after next season.
He told Kent News: “At the moment it appears the championship does not have a safe financial footing and until it does, we will not be involved. Obviously we would love to hold the race, but only if we have some indication of the future of the series. It has been a great series and I hope it will come back to Brands Hatch in the future.”
The news will come as a shock to motorsport fans across the county as the championship drew around 72,000 fans for the inaugural meeting, which is one of the biggest crowds for a car meeting in the circuit’s history.
Palmer admitted he is disappointed it will not be returning to its birthplace, but believes after a drop in crowds for this year’s race, other championships are becoming more popular.
He said: “We hosted the very first race of the series and it was a wonderful occasion for the sport and us. It is sad that it won’t be back in 2010, but crowds have been falling and we saw a significant drop at this year’s event. Series like the British Touring Car Championship are becoming just as popular, if not more so.”
Brands Hatch will host another event to cover A1GP which is yet to be disclosed.
POSTED: 27/09/2009 10:00:00
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