F1: Two Sides to the Business
F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone said after the recent Hungarian Grand Prix that Hungaroring has been confirmed as host for the F1 Circus through the 2011 season. As the Budapest Sun reports that has brought smiles to local fans and businessmen in the area.
In addition to the 184,000 fans that attended the event more than 1.6 million viewed the race on TV. In combination with the European Swimming Championships held the same weekend local hotel operators said the events were responsible for “100,000 guest nights in Budapest hotels.”
Pretty impressive. But not surprising to those that follow the sport and demonstrates why so many venues vie for the “honor” of holding an F1 event. The list includes Mexico, India, Dubai and a few others that are all looking to capitalize on F1’s popularity.
With that popularity comes the other side of the business. The local police also saw an uptick in the “business environment.” In the past a successful business during the F1 weekend, prostitution has now been made illegal at the event.
As a result police arrested eight women on charges of prostitution near the race track, and two Austrian men were caught using hookers were also arrested and face fines of up to Ft50,000. (the currency is in Forints, whatever they are worth)
Which only serves to prove cars and “fast” girls go together like peanut butter and chocolate no matter how frenzied it gets at times.
F1, Formula One, Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring, FIA, Sports, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle
Illegal?? Wow, my understanding is that the Hungarian facilities where the most “exotic” on the calandar,the off track attractions are said to be like a baccanalian orgy, mobile brothels, beer halls with dancers etc.
You’ve got to hand it to the Eastern Europeans for not being exactly up to date with politically correct behavior. Please correct me, as I have never attended, but isn’t the “scene” in the week of the Indy 500 pretty wild or are those days over?
I had to chuckle when I read the article because it said the hookin’ was only illegal in the area of the track.
Don’t want to give the visitors the wrong immpression, let them find out on their own during a later visit.