Locals queue up for Valencia GP tickets

Long queues characterized the opening day of ticket sales for this year's inaugural Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia, Spanish media say.

The nationwide sports daily Marca said the first quota of internet ticket sales for the late August event, to be held on the streets of the Spanish port city, sold out in less than one hour.

It was also reported that the high demand put strain on the ticketing system, turning the intention to book a three day seat for the European Grand Prix, for between 195 and 480 euros, into a 'lottery'.

Another daily, El Pays, published photos of long queues of people scrambling to be among the 112,771 capacity crowd at the 5.5km layout between 22-24 August.

A spokesman for race promoter Valmor Sports, meanwhile, told the free Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos that – due to the unexpectedly high demand for tickets on April 1 – the organizers will investigate if more can be put on sale.

The Valencia street circuit, officially titled Circuito Urbano de Valencia, features 25 corners and 26 grandstands, and there will be no standing room, reports added.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton fever in Britain has prompted Silverstone to erect more grandstand seating for July's Grand Prix there. The Northamptonshire-located circuit announced in a statement that ‘overwhelming demand’ for tickets means that race day is now ‘close to selling out’.

Managing Director Richard Phillips is quoted as saying Silverstone Circuits Ltd has reacted by adding 2200 extra seats. Source: GMM