Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

This summer the streets of Baku will hear exciting motor sounds of the European Grand Prix auto race, one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

The work is underway to turn the Baku track into a unique circuit that will present itself as one of the most exciting, thrilling venues on the F1 calendar, and one that the fans and teams are excited about. The six kilometers, anti-clockwise layout of the circuit was designed by famous circuit architect Hermann Tilke.

The circuit is planned to start adjacent to Azadliq Square, then loop around the Government House before heading west to Maiden Tower. From there the track is planned to have a narrow uphill traversal and then circle the Old City before opening up onto a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) stretch along Neftchilar Avenue back to the start line.

While talking about the track preparation, Tilke said that the first layer is already laid, and the next step will be laying the top layer of asphalt.

“In general, we are on schedule, local experts have the necessary experience, thanks to organizing the European Games in Baku,” he told German Motorsport-Total.

Baku City Circuit will see F1 cars race around the picturesque streets of downtown Baku, where the old combines with the new in breath-taking fashion, a city with its stunning Old Town – Icheri Sheher, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the magnificent Flame Towers as well as its delightful seaside promenade make it an ideal location for a race weekend.

Currently, Baku City Circuit Operations Company (BCC) is recruiting marshals for the grand race, which the capital will host on June 17-19. The organizers have already received thousands of applications, but only 700-800 will be selected. The volunteers will attend training and the pass the exam to get the certificate.

Not a single race can run without the marshals, who are essential part of any motorsport event and needed to make race meetings happen. They are responsible for the safety of competitors and are stationed at various points of danger around the race tracks to assist them in case of any collisions, accidents or track problems.

Sport Operations Manager of BCC Vladilsav Voropayev said that now they have a team of professional recruiters who conduct interviews.

“They define a standard set of questions to identify the level of general knowledge and English language. The minimum age of applicants is 21 years. We want to choose the most mature individuals, they should be the bests of the bests,” he told Moscow-Baku information resource.

Voropayev stressed that they receive many applications from females. “In fact, there are no restrictions, the main thing is a physical endurance,” he added.

Part of future marshals have already held the first training for health care on racers. The training participants were showed how to extract the pilots of the cars and provide them with first aid during accidents.

The significant event will also involve about 300 professional firefighters and rescuers of the Emergency Situations Ministry and 150 medical staff of the Health Ministry and hundreds of foreign volunteers.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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