The 79th Geneva International Motor Show: A Motor Sports Centre for All Racing Enthusiasts

GENEVA, Switzerland – February 12, 2009: The Geneva International Motor Show continues to innovate with special attractions for all visitors. For those concerned about the environment and “cleaner” forms of transportation, it has created a Green Pavilion, which is an area dedicated to electric power and other alternative forms of automobile propulsion. For those passionate about motor sports, it has created a Motor Sports Centre. The 5000 square meters of Hall 71 will be transformed into a virtual Mecca for motor sports with an indoor circuit for electric karts, driving simulators, special events, and an official racing team including many internationally successful racing drivers. A racing enthusiast’s dream!

For the 700,000 visitors expected this year, the 79th edition of the Geneva International Motor Show, from March 5-15, 2009, will bring together a tantalising mixture from the world of motor sports. Professional racing drivers at the Show will include Yvan Muller, World Touring Car Champion, Formula 1 newcomer Romain Grosjean, experienced champions such as Alain Menu and Jean-Denis Deletraz from Switzerland and Dany Snobeck and Patrick Henry from France.

All of these racing greats will participate in events on the programme of the Motor Sports Centre that will be installed in Hall 71 at Geneva Palexpo. During the length of the Show, these professional drivers will take to the circuit for electric karts to establish reference times. Journalists and the general public can then hop in the karts to enjoy some friendly competition and see how close (or how far) they are to the times of the champions!

Games, simulators and a Formula 1 exhibition……
The new team from the Haute-Savoie, GPC Motorsport, will provide an impressive atmosphere of motor racing with their stand. The team of racing drivers there will provide a contest with prizes such as initiations of rally or circuit driving and VIP days at certain events of the Rally Championship of France!

Racing films will be shown and a photographic exhibition from many different motor sport disciplines will take place in Hall 71, which will also have video games and a F1 driving simulator. In addition, there will be a wide range of Formula 1 accessories and parts on sale.

As a complement to the Motor Sports Centre, in Hall 1 there will be a special exhibition of 15 Formula 1 cars celebrating the last 20 seasons of this ultimate form of motor sports competition.

For more information please visit www.salon-auto.ch, the official website which will be regularly updated before and throughout the Show.