Bulgaria to artificially heat track surface

Bulgaria is planning to incorporate a brand new innovative concept into their planned Formula One circuit in the hopes of luring not only Bernie Ecclestone over to their side, but also Pirelli and any other tire manufacturer wanting to test their products on what will be the only artificially heated track surface. Speaking to the Sofia news agency, Bogdan Nikolov, head of the Bulgarian Motorcycling Federation, explained that this unique project will mean that teams wont be reliant on the atmospheric conditions to get their work done….

"The great thing about our project for hosting Formula One races is that we will have a kind of a monopoly since the Bulgarian Formula One circuit will be the first in the world with heating of the asphalt layer, sort-of like central heating of the asphalt covering. This means that all companies producing tires will be eager to use our track in order to test their tires. On our track they will not be dependent on the atmospheric conditions to test their tires at various temperatures."

The report went on to say that Bernie Ecclestone is due to discuss the situation and sign a contract that will see Bulgaria host a round of the Formula One world championship in late 2012. However, Formula One is not the only series in the sights with Moto GP also expected in the same year.

"The circuits for Moto GP and Formula One are basically the same with small differences in the safety zones. The safety zones for Moto GP tracks are larger and longer. We have created a project that meets the requirements of both FIA and FIM for a circuit for Formula One and Moto GP. If 365 days in the year, the track must be in use 220 days in order to be a profitable investment. The climate in Sofia allows that."