F1 aces to play before endangered Turkey GP
The Nazionale Piloti will be raising money for children's charities by taking on a Turkish all-star team.
In action will be grand prix racers including Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Sebastien Bourdais.
At a press conference on Monday, organizers said they are expecting a big crowd at the 24,000-capacity ground, but the same cannot be said for the fifth running of the Turkish grand prix.
Only 40,000 attended Sunday's race last year, and a smaller crowd is expected this weekend at a circuit that is closed for 362 days of every year.
When the Istanbul Otodrom was opened in 2005, races for MotoGP, DTM, world touring cars and Le Mans sports cars were held "and it all lost a lot of money," track general manager Can Guclu told The Times.
The circuit is owned by the Istanbul chamber of commerce and rented by Bernie Ecclestone, who may not want to continue to promote the event post 2011, Guclu admitted earlier this year.