Soon Russian petrol-heads won't need to go abroad to see real-life Formula 1 racing as a world-class racetrack will open in Moscow in the near future. The first steps have already been taken to bring this dream to reality.

The construction of the “Moscow Raceway” track, which will be located 77 kilometres from Moscow, is underway. The construction is scheduled to be completed by 2010.

The motor racing’s world's top designer Hermann Tilke is one of those in charge of the project. The architect of Formula One's Sepang, Nurburgring and Hockenheimring circuits is sure his next creation will meet the highest international standards in every respect.

“That is a multi-functional track,” he said “You can use it for motocycles and cars up to the highest class. You can also use it to teach drivers.”

The track will be 4.1 km long and will have a combination of slow and fast corners along with long straights allowing top speeds of up to 311 km/h for Formula One cars. In the meantime, several shortcuts make it suitable for safety courses, car testing and racing schools.

The location of the track near the capital might be crucial for development of Russian racing,

“As a global brand the Monte Carlo Grand Prix is an extremely important event in the calendar. And Singapore has shown that it can be beneficial to have a Grand Prix close to the city or in the city. I’m sure, once it’s a finished facility, people will be talking about the Russian Grand Prix with the same enthusiasm as other national Grand Prix,” said star racer David Coulthard, who has driven on Hermann Tilke's tracks.

The track is expected to bring many champion racers from around the world to Russia.