F1 racetrack investors gearing up for Pole position
In the wake of Adam Małysz's success on the slopes, several Polish cities planned to build their own ski jumps. Now, following Robert Kubica's arrival on the F1 scene, Gdańsk has announced plans to build Poland's first Formula One race track.
The Baltic city recently announced plans to build a multi-purpose development that could become home to a variety of motor sports, such as carting, motocross and all types of car racing including the Formula One Grand Prix.
The project, to be constructed on a site near ul. Trakt w. Wojciecha, the main route from Gdańsk to Pruszcz Gdański, will be developed in several phases. A carting race track could be built within the next three years and the 4.5 km Formula One track could be completed within eight years.
Mirosław Zdanowicz, a member of Gdańsk's local government and the mastermind behind the Formula One project, said that he has had the idea for eight years and the current spotlight on Kubica could help his plans come to fruition.
"With over 180 hectares of land that we might be given for this project, we could establish a fantastic center for all kinds of motor sports," said Zdanowicz. "Similar sites that could be compared with our project are Brno's famous track, with 130 hectares, and Poznań's 70-hectare track."
The local Deputy's idea has already received support from Gdańsk's authorities, and the project's spatial development plan will be voted on in December. The predicted cost of the investment is estimated by Zdanowicz at $150 (zł.469.3) million.
"I am not worried about the cost because it is obvious that there will be plenty of investors who would like to build infrastructure around the F1 track," Zdanowicz added.
Gdańsk is not the only Polish city which has plans to host the world's Formula One drivers. Two architects from Łód have also presented plans for a race track that could be constructed in their city.
