Nurburgring hopes to use `German GP` name
The Nurburgring is hoping to run their 2009 race under the ‘German GP’ name after Valencia signed a deal to use the ‘European GP’ name. With Germany’s two F1 tracks, the Nurburgring and Hockenheim, alternating races after the country lost one of its grands prix at the end of last season there was some debate over whether the Nurburgring would be allowed to call this year’s event the German GP. However, with the Automobil Club of Germany, which runs the Hockenheim event, refusing to relinquish the name, this year’s Nurburgring race was billed as the ‘European GP.’
But with Spain’s second track, Valencia, having secured the rights to hose the European GP from next season onwards, the Nurburgring will need to find a new name for its race when F1 returns to the circuit in 2009. And the circuit’s general manager is hoping that the Automobil Club of Germany will allow them to use ‘German GP.’ “Paramount for me was to have a Grand Prix in the first place, the name has second priority,” Walter Kafitz told Autosport. “However, I would have preferred that the race would be called German Grand Prix and due to the upcoming event at Valencia, a solution has to be found in the quarrel between the two German car federations AvD and ADAC about the name. “But I am hopeful that this will happen. And if not, there will always be another path. It is, after all, easier to find a name than to get a Formula One race.”