Tweet
I've attended the Canadian GP for the last 4 years, so I was very upset with when I found out it was cancelled because of tobacco legislation. So you can imagine my interest when I read this little bit regarding Turkey...
From the SpeedTV article ]SpeedTV: Bahrain Set for April
Thsi little tidbit was interesting....
"The deal, reported to be worth $13.5m annually, was finalized at the end of a week in which government health officials in Ankara had asserted that tobacco sponsorships would not be permitted at the event...."
Hmmm....
Now..with that aside...am I the only one who's disturbed with the idea of F-1 going to the Middle East. Given the current state of affairs in the world...is going to the epi-center really the smart thing to do. My concerns are two fold.
1. Bahrain is the home port of the Navy's Fifth Fleet. Also, what's the reasoning into bringing an event that glorifies all the "western" ideals into a region that is vehemently opposed to western influences. Admittedly, Bahrain is "friend" of the West..but that has not stop infiltrators and outsiders from doing damge, and the fact that it is a friend...makes it even more of a target. You can't tell me that a "Western" event that has the possibilitie of bringing in 210,000 spectators isn't a very very tempting target.
2. There's a vehement and almsot violent anti-western sentiment in the genral Turkish population. Coupled with the fact that the gov't has reiterated it's anti-tobacco stance, it makes the decision to cut Canada that much more suspect. If F-1 was serious about penetrating the North American market..that is not the way to do it.
From the SpeedTV article ]SpeedTV: Bahrain Set for April
Thsi little tidbit was interesting....
"The deal, reported to be worth $13.5m annually, was finalized at the end of a week in which government health officials in Ankara had asserted that tobacco sponsorships would not be permitted at the event...."
Hmmm....
Now..with that aside...am I the only one who's disturbed with the idea of F-1 going to the Middle East. Given the current state of affairs in the world...is going to the epi-center really the smart thing to do. My concerns are two fold.
1. Bahrain is the home port of the Navy's Fifth Fleet. Also, what's the reasoning into bringing an event that glorifies all the "western" ideals into a region that is vehemently opposed to western influences. Admittedly, Bahrain is "friend" of the West..but that has not stop infiltrators and outsiders from doing damge, and the fact that it is a friend...makes it even more of a target. You can't tell me that a "Western" event that has the possibilitie of bringing in 210,000 spectators isn't a very very tempting target.
2. There's a vehement and almsot violent anti-western sentiment in the genral Turkish population. Coupled with the fact that the gov't has reiterated it's anti-tobacco stance, it makes the decision to cut Canada that much more suspect. If F-1 was serious about penetrating the North American market..that is not the way to do it.
:mad:
Comment