Other website sections

»Sports Jobs

»Tenders

»Directory

»Conferences

The FIA World Touring Car Championship third round in Marrakech on 3 May will mark several historic firsts. It will be the first time an FIA World Championship will be produced in HD, the first visit of WTCC to Africa, on an exciting new street circuit, and the launch of a new behind-the-scenes TV programme, "WTCC Inside".

HD production
From Marrakech, the FIA WTCC will become the first-ever FIA World Championships produced in High Definition. Eurosport Events, the series' host broadcaster and promoter, will produce in HD nine of this season's 12 race meetings: Marrakech, Pau, Valencia, Brno, Porto, Brands Hatch, Oschersleben Imola and Okayama.

The HD broadcasts of WTCC will be produced using an average of 14 track side HD cameras, two RF HD cameras and 14 on-board SD 16:9 cameras, as well as a new Digital TV outside broadcast van developed by Belgium-based company Alfacam.

Extensive LIVE HD coverage of the FIA WTCC will be available on Eurosport HD - the high definition simulcast of Eurosport launched in May 2008.

New continent, new street circuit
Marrakech's round will be Morocco's first FIA World Championship since 1958. A strong line-up of 25 drivers from 15 countries will inaugurate the new 4,624m high-speed street circuit in the heart of the red city. Street racing is an attractive format and is spectacular to watch. With Marrakech's stop in the 2009 calendar, the FIA WTCC series now spans four continents: Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia.

New TV programme
From Marrakech and on all 7 European races, Eurosport will broadcast "WTCC Inside", a new innovative 26-minute behind-the-scenes programme.

On race weekends a dedicated TV crew will follow one specific driver during the two days of competitions, giving a rare backstage glimpse into these fascinating motorsports events. This "host" driver will allow viewers to closely watch all the excitement before, during and after the big events, as if they were standing in the pit.