The famed silence of Mdina will be pierced by the revving engines of classic sports cars in October as the Valletta Grand Prix moves to the old capital and its surroundings.
Mario de Marco and Clyde Puli, parliamentary secretaries for tourism and sport respectively, yesterday launched the third edition of the grand prix at the Xara Palace Relais & Chateau in Mdina.
The three-day event, organised by the Valletta Grand Prix Foundation, usually takes place in May but was postponed to October and moved to Mdina because of rehabilitation works in the capital.
The event will start on October 21 with the concours d’elegance, where between 40 and 50 cars and 20 motorcycles will be on display. The main timed sprint runs, which will be open to vehicles built before 1975, will start the following day from the top of Għajn Ħammiem Road, heading towards Museum Station, turning into Triq Maltin Internati u Eżiljati, Kavallier Vincenzo Bonello Road and finally reaching the finish line in Għarraqin Road.
There will be a presentation dinner on October 22 at Palazzo de Piro.
Mr Puli said the area of sports tourism was growing and Malta should work to “get a slice of the cake”. He cited a survey by the World Travel Monitor which estimated that Europeans took nine million sports holidays last year. He said that last year the sports tourism scheme attracted 41,000 bed nights, generating €2.2 million.
“Just like history, culture and English language teaching, sports can be yet another niche that we as a country can offer,” he said.
Dr de Marco highlighted the Maltese people’s passion for motorsports, stressing the importance of sports tourism, which attracted tourists with specific interests. He said that activities such as the Mdina Grand Prix also helped Malta overcome seasonality challenges.
Charles Zahra, president of the Valletta Grand Prix Foundation, said that participating vehicles would be scrutinised a week before the event to make sure they conformed to the requirements set.
The vice-president of the foundation, Joe Said, thanked the local councils of Mdina, Rabat and Mtarfa for their support. Mdina mayor Peter Sant Manduca said the Silent City was proud to host such an event.
Outside in the square, curious tourists posed for pictures with the vintage Aston Martin DB4, Jaguar D-Type and Lotus 23B that were on display.