Imola, the Formula One circuit which has staged some of the sport's most exciting and tragic moments, will stage its last race this year, F1 head Bernie Ecclestone said today.
"This year is Imola's last. From 2005 it will vanish from the calendar and Italy will have only one race," Ecclestone told La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview.
Imola, in Ferrari's heartland, hosted its first Formula One event in 1963 when Briton Jim Clark won a race that did not count towards the world championship.
Then in 1980, the Italian Grand Prix was moved to the circuit from Monza and was such a success that Imola stayed on the calendar afterwards as the San Marino Grand Prix.
Imola's swan song will come 10 years after the death of Brazilian champion Ayrton Senna.