Marrakech Grand Prix: The circuit map

The official 2009 FIA World Championship Calendar (F1, WRC, WTCC) was made public on 7 October by the World Motorsport Council. The first press conference was held on July 2008 please refer to article "Marrakech Grand Prix, Africa's Largest Motorsport Event" issued on 24 July 2008- Yacout Info.

For the first time since 1958, Morocco makes its entry into the prestigious line up of international motorsport events, among them Monza, Macao and Valencia. Labeled “Race of Morocco”, Marrakech becomes the only round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) to be held in Africa and the Arab World.

Marrakech: the new round of the 2009 FIA WTCC Season

By hosting the FIA WTCC in Marrakech on May 1-3 2009, “Race of Morocco” will become the only African round of any FIA World Championship (F1, WRC, WTCC). This is the result of 3 years of concerted efforts between the Moroccan government and the Promoter, MGP. In so doing, Marrakech joins the league of international urban circuits, such as Monaco, Valencia, or Macau.

Known to be the most fascinating and popular in the world of motorsports, street races draw more than 100.000 fans from all over the world to experience all of the adrenaline and excitement of racing events.

For its racing weekend, Morocco will be projected onto the international motorsports scene, as Eurosport broadcasts the series to more than 200 million TV viewers across 70 countries.

The Circuit Layout

After the press conference, the MGP young and active team took all the participants in the press conference in a field tour to present us the circuit layout with detailed explanations. The circuit is designed by D3 Motorsport Development, MGP’s partner in Morocco, and one of the world’s leading motorsport development companies. D3 is one of the few companies responsible for the construction of four of the most competitive and successful race tracks in professional motorsports.

Among them, the street circuit in Surfers Paradise, Australia, is recognized as one of the finest street course in the world today, with more than 400.000 fans in attendance. The FIA-standard circuit will ensure the safety of the teams, drivers, and fans. In fact, it has already been subjected to several tests and inspections, pending final FIA homologation in 2009. Construction is already underway under the supervision of Groupe MENARA. It is worth noting that the Marrakech circuit will be the only FIA World Championship circuit in Africa.

Its location, along Mohammed VI and Ourika Avenues, an exotic backdrop between the red city’s legendary wall and snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the distance, will quickly make it one of the most attractive circuits in the world. The circuit layout will allow for fast and challenging driving, giving fans and TV audiences an exciting performance.

The circuit construction in numbers :

• Thousands of direct and indirect jobs created
• 1.2 million man-hours over 100 days in construction
• 2550 FIA-standard impact blocks weighing 4 tons each
• 10,2 km of heavy-duty debris fencing installed by specialized teams
• 8 km of security fencing
• 5 pedestrian bridges
• 14 hard-wall portable buildings
• 19 temporary structures for teams and garages, equipments, media centers and press, medical sites, emergency and security
• Jumbo screens and hi-fi positions all along the circuit.

Marrakech Street Circuit

• Length: 4540m (in track axis)
• Width: 5.6 18.4m
• Latitude GPS: 31°35’21.2”
• Longitude GPS: 07°59’15.4”
• Race direction: Anti clockwise
• Corners: 16 (7 left, 9 right)
• Straight sections: 4
• Min. length 105m
• Max. length 990m
• Ascent: max. 1% in 3m
• Descent: max. 1% in 3m
• Difference in elevation: 3m
• Sea altitude: 451m average
• Corporate suites: 65
• Grand stands: 12.232 seats per day

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