Formula One Goes Dark in Switzerland
Switzerland is [in]famous for being one of the only, if not the only country that bans auto racing in any form on home turf.
The prohibition originated with the 1955 24 hours of LeMans event. The race was barely 2 hours old when a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR being driven by Pierre Levegh hit the bank by the grandstand and immediately exploded. Parts of the wreckage were blown into the stands, killing 77 and injuring a like number.
The death of the spectators was blamed on inadequate safety standards for track design, leading for a ban on motorsports in France, Switzerland and Germany until the tracks could be brought to a higher safety standard. Switzerland’s ban on racing was never lifted and continues to this day.
In the present day, the newspaper Blick is reporting country’s federal parliament has decided to scrap the public broadcaster SRG’s coverage of the sport after the 2007 season.
Financial reasons are cited after a broadcast rights fee increase of 6.5 per cent for the live rights was announced. SRG boss Armin Walpen reportedly said that the broadcaster “cannot spend money it does not have”.
Formula One, F1, FIA, Sports, Switzerland, Le Mans, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle
