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The 2011 F1 Championship will see India added as the twentieth venue and plans to expand the calendar to 25 races are being explored. Opportunities may exist for other Gulf countries to consider hosting races and constructing signature venues. F1 puts the greatest demands on facilities, leading to considerable capital costs to construct permanent venues in line with Federation Internationale de LAutomobile (FIA) Grade 1 circuit requirements. Some countries, like Australia, Singapore and Valencia, have opted to create temporary street circuits, with the streets of Monaco being, of course, the oldest and most famous. Permanent motor racing circuits in the Middle East
Country Circuit Bahrain KSA Turkey UAE UAE Qatar Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir Reem International Circuit, Riyadh Istanbul Park Dubai Autodrome Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi Losail International Circuit, Doha Max 6.26 km 3.80 km 5.34 km 5.39 km 5.53 km 5.38 km FIA 1 3 1 2 & 3 1 2 Year 2004 2008 2005 2004 2009 2004 Length Grade* Opened

*FIA homologate each circuit and apply a grading system based upon track specification, driver and spectator facilities, all safety aspects and the suitability for different racing categories and events.

Tripoli and the regions early days of racing

The Middle Easts arrival into motor sports mainstream should not come as a shock. Local events of all kinds have been organised since the earliest introduction of motor cars. The sport has an interesting history in the region, with FIA Middle East rally championship celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010. The period 1925 to 1940, often referred to as the golden age of motor racing, saw state funded teams from Italy and Germany and amateurs from nations such as France, Great Britain and Belgium compete in Grand Prix and Voiturette races in the then Italian governed Tripolitania. The original street race advanced in the early 1930s to a purpose built 13km track around a lake at Mellaha. Facilities included an observation tower, a permanent grandstand to hold 10,000 spectators and state-of-the-art race control technology such as starting lights and photo-electric timing. It soon became the worlds fastest track, demonstrating the prowess of Italian racing cars. Average speeds over a single
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