From GMM
Sepang will not go down the route of night racing for the foreseeable future, a spokesman for the Malaysian circuit has confirmed.
Like Melbourne's grand prix, the Malaysian event will move to a 'twilight' start time in 2009, to better serve the European television audience.
But the spokesman told the Associated Press: "There are no contracts that we have to do night races."
He said Sepang looked into the night race option, pioneered last year by Singapore, but concluded that the cost of the lighting was too high.
The existing contract, now amended for a later 5pm start, runs until 2015.
Track chairman Datuk Mokhzani Tun Mahathir is quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency: "(The 5pm start) is another way of saying that there will be no night race until 2015."
He said the "economic crisis" was the leading reason for the decision to decline the night race route.
Sepang will not go down the route of night racing for the foreseeable future, a spokesman for the Malaysian circuit has confirmed.
Like Melbourne's grand prix, the Malaysian event will move to a 'twilight' start time in 2009, to better serve the European television audience.
But the spokesman told the Associated Press: "There are no contracts that we have to do night races."
He said Sepang looked into the night race option, pioneered last year by Singapore, but concluded that the cost of the lighting was too high.
The existing contract, now amended for a later 5pm start, runs until 2015.
Track chairman Datuk Mokhzani Tun Mahathir is quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency: "(The 5pm start) is another way of saying that there will be no night race until 2015."
He said the "economic crisis" was the leading reason for the decision to decline the night race route.