Mil Milhas Brasil to be on 2007 calendar

MIL MILHAS BRASIL TO BECOME ROUND OF FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP FROM 2007

During a press conference held at the circuit of Interlagos, attended by Paolo Scaglione, president of the Brazilian Motorsport Federation and Ciro José, director of TV Globo, Antonio Hermann, organiser of the Mil Milhas Brasil, and Stephane Ratel, promoter of the FIA GT Championship, announced that they have signed an agreement to integrate the race into the 2007 FIA GT Championship.

Having established one of the strongest grids in Europe, and brought together some of the most legendary brands in motorsport, such as Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, the next objective of the FIA GT Championship is to concentrate on building up the calendar, integrating major events. Since 2001, the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa has been rebuilt as the world's leading GT endurance race, attracting 124,500 spectators last year. The extremely successful revival of the RAC Tourist Trophy at Silverstone added another jewel to the calendar, with the second running to take place on May 7th this year.

The next step will be to add the Mil Milhas Brasil. This prestigious event, which faded away for a number of years, will see a major revival, starting from this year, thanks to the enthusiasm and investment of Antonio Hermann and Ricardo Pereira. It is now set to become once again a major event, and from 2007 onwards, will be the opening round of the FIA GT Championship, although at a later date than in 2006.

Adding the motorsport nation of Brazil and the legendary track of Interlagos is another step forward in the ambi- tions of the FIA GT Championship. Along with the well-established race in China, and those in the Middle East, it is one step further towards building a truly global Championship. Having a second longer race in the FIA GT calendar anchors the true endurance nature of the series.

"The sight of the six cars from the FIA GT Championship competing in Interlagos this weekend will give the Brazilian public an idea of the sheer sound and spectacle offered by a full grid of 20 GT1 cars," said Stephane Ratel during the press conference held to announce this event. "We are confident that the crowds in Sao Paolo will really enjoy the glamour, the diversity and the extremely close racing offered by the FIA GT Championship. We also hope that this flagship event will help the development of GT racing in Brazil."

"It is with great joy that we can announce that the Mil Milhas, one of the most charming races in the world, will become part of an important competition like the FIA GT Championship, " added organiser Antonio Hermann.

The agreement concerning the Mil Milhas is completed with a deal with major Brazilian TV company Globo, for coverage of the 2006 season of the FIA GT Championship, both on its cable network and in the Sunday morn- ing sports show on the terrestrial channel. The double objective of this contract is to increase promotion of the Mil Milhas through better knowledge of the Championship, and also to help secure the presence of Brazilian drivers in the FIA GT.

This year's running of the Mil Milhas Brasil the fiftieth anniversary of the race - including participation from the Konrad Motorsport Saleen S7s, the GPC Ferrari 575 M Maranello, the GPLK Carsport Corvette C5R and the Cirtek Motorsport Aston Martin, will take place on Saturday 21st January, starting at 12:00 and lasting for 374 laps of the 4.309 km circuit.

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