"We planted the trees"

Six months after Bucharest City Challenge 2007, the greatest automotive event in Romania, organizers planted 60 trees in Izvor Park. "We promised you last summer that we are going to plant two trees for each of the 12 trees that we had to cut down for security purposes. We have planted 60 trees because we always keep our promises and because we care about the environment", said Hartmut Beyer, CEO of Bucharest Ring.

The next edition of Bucharest City Challenge will take place between the 22nd and 24th of August 2008. The previous one, Bucharest City Challenge 2007, was a real success and it had its contribution in creating a positive image for Romania and especially for Bucharest.

Over 800 millions of viewers from 130 countries watched the competition through live transmissions and 290 journalists from 16 countries received an accreditation for the event. The first stage of FIA GT Championship from Bucharest brought in three days over 60.000 spectators plus 4.000 tourists that came to watch the event. The official Bucharest Ring estimations show that the 64.000 spectators, staff members of the 155 teams and the organizing crew spent approximately 7.000.000 euros during the 3 days of the event.

Hartmut Beyer, CEO Bucharest Ring: "In 2007 we officially began the greatest auto event ever in the history of Romania: Bucharest City Challenge 2007. It was not easy, like any other premiere, but the results were fantastic. Bucharest City Challenge 2007 was a great success for Romania and Bucharest. Over 800 millions of people from all over the world discovered through feature reports from national and international Press a positive side of Romania and, again, Bucharest: a cosmopolite, bidding, opened for new town, with a particular cultural potential. There were created connections and business opportunities. All these things encouraged us to continue this event and to try to make it one of the greatest of its kind in Europe. That's why we now have the pleasure to officially invite you to the second edition of Bucharest City Challenge 2008, event that will take place between 22nd and 24th of August 2008 on the street circuit around the Place of the Parliament."

Adriean Videanu, General Mayor of Bucharest: "The impact of this event was certainly a positive one; it was a new experience for our town. Bucharest showed the world that just like any other European capital it does not lack the enthusiasm and the capacity to organize this kind of events. We have a modern town, a successful potential partner of any important manifestation and this was an important thing that has contributed to build a solid and trustful business relationship and to develop tourism activities. That's why I'm glad that Bucharest City Challenge continues in 2008, too."

Constantin Niculescu, President of Automobil Clubul Roman: "Bucharest City Challenge 2007 is already a nice memory for Romania and its Capital, for the citizens of Bucharest, for drivers, officials and all the people who played a role in the success of the competition. The report presented at FIA Congress in October 2007, underlined the success of Bucharest Challenge 2007 and they accepted to include the race in the international FIA GT calendar again. The first experience became for Romanian Auto Club a didactic support and we learned a lot together with the 200 persons involved in the sportive, medical and logistic activities of the competition. The training of these specialists of the Romanian Auto Club (national FIA sportive authority) will help Bucharest City Challenge to get the celebrity of the most famous urban circus worldwide. ACR its proud to inform you that, together with the organizer of the event, Mr.Hartmut Beyer, included in the competition program the possibility for the Romanian drivers to compete with each other, in Bucharest, on a street circuit. We also have in prospective an Old Stars Race. I'm personally convinced that the 3 days by the end of August 2008 will become the pick of a first class auto event and that Bucharest City Challenge 2008 will be a success again!"