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14th November 2014 - 20th November 2014
9 CW
Blundell can see the green light already!
FORMER F1 driver Mark Blundell plans to drive on the planned Tenerife Island Circuit - before construction of the racetrack even begins!
Fit-again Ebola victim claiming 300,000 euros THE Spanish nursing assistant who made worldwide headlines by contracting Ebola and then recovering, is seeking 300,000 euros in damages. Teresa Romero, discharged from Madrid’s Carlos III Hospital on 5th November, will sue the city’s Health Commissioner, Javier Rodríguez, for 150,000 euros for attacking her honour. She is also claiming the same sum from the regional government for putting down her dog, Excalibur, as a precautionary measure. The 44-year-old hospital worker picked up Ebola after caring for an infected patient in the same hospital. She then spent a month there before, finally, winning her battle against the disease. Romero and her husband, Javier Limón, who was also kept in isolation at Carlos III for a prolonged period, will join a criminal complaint filed by health workers against regional health authori-
ties “over failures in the implementation of safety protocols in Ebola transmission,” according to Teresa’s lawyer, José María Garzón. The nursing assistant’s claim against Rodríguez involves statements he made to the effect that she withheld information from doctors in the days prior to her admission to Carlos III, and that she made a mistake donning or removing the protective suit required to treat Ebola patients. Ms Romero said in an early telephone interview with Spanish daily El País while in hospital that she thought she remembered touching her face with a glove while removing her suit. She has subsequently denied recalling the statement. The Health Commissioner apologised following the outcry caused by his public statements, but Romero’s husband rejected the apology and promised legal action to defend his wife’s honour.
Blundell, who spent nearly 20 years competing in top-class motorsport, including Le Mans, met Cabildo President Carlos Alonso during Tenerife’s press conference launch of the much-heralded earlier this month at London’s RAC Club. Alonso invited bids for the construction and operation of the track with a Request for Proposals (RFP), suggesting a necessary investment of 25.7m euros. Deadline for bids is 3rd February next year, so construction will not begin until spring at the earliest. But Blundell simply cannot can’t wait - he’ll be testing the proposed track long before then. Eduardo Pintado, the Cabildo’s Commerce
Councillor overseeing the giant plan - and an ex-racing driver himself - spoke about the Sixties’ British stars who inspired his own passion for motor racing. These racing legends left their mark in Tenerife in that decade, when world-class events were held in the streets of Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz. And the legacy left behind by these drivers cemented them firmly in Tenerife’s automobile hall of fame. Blundell, replying to Pintado, said: “I’d like to follow in the footsteps of those historic British drivers in Tenerife, and be the first to race around the new circuit.” He will be granted his
wish during a trip to the Island next month, when he intends to complete a timed lap of the marked-out Atogo circuit. But in a 4 x 4 off-roader because the designated Atogo area is, and will remain, completely undeveloped then! The Tenerife Island Circuit is designed for FIA certification, and will stage events on two wheels as well as four. Blundell said the circuit had “huge amounts of potential to stage some incredibly-exciting races”. And though the circuit will not be long enough to stage Formula One racing, he will be involved in the project in a consultancy role with MB Partners, his sports management company.
What makes the arena so attractive, apart from the magnificent, all-round scenery, is its availability - less than three kilometres from the South Airport, with easy links to the TF-1 motorway. And the Atogo site is just a stone’s throw from Los Abrigos, San Isidro and El Medano. The track will feature 180-degree views of the Atlantic to the South, with Teide’s volcanic range overlooking it from the North. The combination of striking vistas, sunshine virtually guaranteed, plus an abundance of luxury hotels and leisure facilities close by, makes it an ideal destination for drivers and fans alike. What’s not to like if you are a motorsport fan?