MORE THAN 100,000 people are expected to descend on Dublin city centre this Sunday for a showcase of some of the world’s fastest sports cars, including Formula One cars and drivers.
The free event, Bavaria City Racing, will go on for five hours on Sunday, from noon to 5pm, and guests will include the 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button.
The event originally started in Rotterdam in 2010, where crowds of over 200,000 attended, according to event director Gavin Collins. “We have giant LED screens showing footage if you are not able to get right up against the track. It’s not a race or anything like that – it is a demonstration of racing and we are expecting to gets crowds of over 100,000 on the Sunday,” Mr Collins said.
Big names in racing circles at the event apart from Jenson Button and his Vodafone McLaren F1 car, include the Caterham F1 team, Irish World Superbike star Eugene Laverty, Dublin-born Touring Car star Aron Smith, the Porsche GT3 Cup team and Irish GP2 motor racing team Breezemount.
The city centre will be closed to private traffic from 6am on Sunday until later that night, meaning there will be large scale traffic disruption for supporters travelling to the Leinster senior football quarter final double header in Croke Park.
The track starts at the convention centre, continues along Custom House Quay before crossing Butt Bridge and turning down Burgh Quay on to D’Olier Street, zips past College Green and the Central Bank on Dame Street on to Westmoreland Street before reaching the chequered flag on O’Connell Bridge.
There are also some premium seating areas with tickets costing €75.90 for the performance areas and €163.90 for the exclusive paddocks area near the Samuel Beckett Bridge.
FREE VIEWING TOP SPOTS
THE BEST free areas:
The bottom of Grafton Street outside the front of Trinity College, along the left side of Westmoreland Street.
There will be a long stretch of free viewing near Aston Quay.
Outside the Bank of Ireland on College Green, where the vehicles will be doing hairpin turns.
D’Olier Street and Burgh Quay are free viewing areas. There will be a large screen at junction between College Green and D’Olier Street.
The north side of the Liffey between the Talbot Memorial and Samuel Beckett bridges.
Paid areas will include food concessions, a bar, toilet facilities as well as a large screen. These include:
Along O’Connell Bridge and down Aston Quay, tickets €75.90.
In the front of the Custom House, tickets €75.90.
The ultimate viewing position is the street outside the Convention Centre on North Wall Quay, where premium seating is available. However, tickets cost €163.90.