The Malaysian Grand Prix will stay on the F1 calendar until '18 after organizers signed a three-year contract extension on Sunday. Organizers said state oil company Petronas would "also continue as title sponsor of the race," which has been on the calendar since '99, for the next three years (REUTERS, 3/29). ... A spectator was killed after an incident in which the Nissan GT3 sportscar driven by Britain's Jann Mardenborough "left the track during a race at the Nürburgring on Saturday." Several other spectators were injured and have been hospitalized. Mardenborough was competing in the VLN endurance race on the Nordschleife circuit at the Nürburgring in a Nissan GT3 Nismo, "which came off the track and landed in the crowd." The race was stopped and not restarted, "and there is no indication as yet as to what caused the accident" (London GUARDIAN, 3/28). ... MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said that Qatar will be "part of the MotoGP world championship for years to come and will also have a say in any expansion in the Middle East." Ezpeleta: "We have an agreement until 2016 and we are starting to agree the new period. It is just a question to sign officially. We can already say that MotoGP will continue in Qatar for many more years" (REUTERS, 3/27).
PARTIAL CLOSURE: Two sections of Dynamo Kiev's stadium will be closed when it hosts Serie A side Fiorentina in the first leg of its Europa League quarterfinal next month due to "racism and safety issues." UEFA's Ethics & Disciplinary Body on Friday found that the Ukraine club's fans had been "guilty of racist behaviour in last week's last-16 victory over Everton." Fireworks were "also set off in the NSK Olimpiyskyi stadium and stairways were blocked" (REUTERS, 3/27).
