17th May, 2012
Chief Executive Officer of GRC Motorsport, Ribi Adeshokan has revealed that about 10,000 foreigners are expected to storm Lagos when the FIA GT3 Serie holds in the country next year.
Adeshokan told P.M.Sports that Motorsport is a game that has its own peculiar crazy fans, who can go anywhere in the world to watch their darling sport. He said Nigeria should not be left out of the frenzy that goes along with the game, hence the plan of GRC Motorsport to bring the first of its kind in Africa, a motorsport championship, GT Serie to Lagos by next year.
Adeshokan, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the London South Bank University in the UK said: “We are expecting to host about 10,000 foreigners in Lagos for the GT3 Serie championship. The beauty of this tournament is that the foreigners will be coming to Lagos to spend their money during their stay in the country. Ten percent of them would come with their private jets. A good example of this was the Bahrain tourney, which was staged amidst crisis in that country because the government knew what the country would gain from the F1 championship.
The GRC Motorsport boss said the plan is to use Marina on the Lagos Island as the venue of the tournament if arrangement works out with the Lagos State Government. “We want to use Marina to showcase a lot about Lagos. The government needs not spend its money, we only need the support and approval because the whole setup will be private sector driven. The GT Series is to create fun and showcase Lagos in positive ways to the world,” he said.
Adeshokan further disclosed that GRC Motorsport has entered into partnership with UK Sports Car, with a benefit of setting up a Car Developement Centre in the country in the nearest future.
“The plan is for us to have our own factory, where racing cars will be built and Nigerian drivers trained,” he said.
—Taiwo Adelu