Ajde penzioneri, vratite se u XIX vijek :mrgreen: A evo malo o buducnosti

Over the years we have often heard of plans for Formula 1 races in the Balkans, but none of them are ever really taken very seriously as money has always been a problem and aspirations may exist, but have never been followed up with hard cash. That could change soon with a new project that is beginning to emerge in Croatia.

The Balkans tend to confuse people so it is perhaps best to explain that Croatia is to the south of Slovenia and Hungary. Its northern border is only around 45 miles south of Austria. In the west the Croatian coast runs from just south of Trieste down the eastern side of the Adriatic to Dubrovnik. In the east the country borders Serbia and it loops around the north and west of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The capital city is Zagreb, which is in the north, close to the Slovenian border.

It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until Yugoslavia was established in 1929. Croatia declared independence in 1991 and there was a war with Serbia which lasted until 1995. This did serious damage to the economy but after 2000 the country revived with steady growth and an increase in tourism. The country has applied to join the European Union in 2003 and has been going through the necessary processes ever since, accession into the union is expected to be in the next year or so.

The country has a population of 4.5 million with an average salary of $17,500. Zagreb boasts a population of nearly one million and the plans for a Formula 1 circuit are, not surprisingly, in this area. The project, which has the support of both President Ivo Josipović and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, began with the mayor of the town of
Bistra, Kresimir Gulić. Bistra is located about 15 miles north of Zagreb, but on the other side of the Medvednica mountain. In 2005 Gulić embarked on a programme to attract business to his commune and developed a ski resort up in the mountains. In order to promote this he did a deal with the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) to host international races, notably the Snow Queen Trophy, which has been each year since then.

Not content with this Gulić now wants to develop a motorsport centre for the entire region and has acquired 450 acres of land on which a circuit will be built, using private investment of around $420 million. The circuit will be located in the floor of the valley in which Bistra is located, but has a stream running across the site, which will create some interesting changes of elevation. The track will be located alongside the A2 motorway, which runs north into Slovenia and from there to Austria. Gulić signed a contract with Hermann Tilke in November and a circuit has now been designed, featuring a Formula 1 standard track, a karting facility and a large open air concert venue. In addition there will be parking for 25,000 cars, plus a hotel and there will be other sports grounds around the facility. The track will have seating for 70,000 but will have a maximum capacity of 150,000. Additional parking will be available at a large shopping centre called West Gate, which is located about a kilometre from the site. The project has the support of the local ASN – the Hrvatski Auto I Karting Savez – which is headed by Zrinko Gregurek, a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

If all goes to plan the work on the circuit will begin in 2012 and the circuit will be finished in 2014, with the entire development finished by 2016.