Getting around Capitol Hill in Washington, DC can be a tricky venture, but getting around the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, Romania, has gotten considerably easier. Not because the local politics are any less entangled, but because the Romanian legislature is being surrounded by a race track.

The Bucharest Ring, as it's being called, runs some three kilometers around the government building, and the plan is to include 70,000 grandstand seats around the circuit, designed by prolific track architect Herman Tilke.

Racing events are already being lined up for the new track, including the FIA GT Championship, FIA GT3 European Championship, British Formula 3 International Series and the domestic Logan Cup. The GP Masters series, which features over-the-hill legends reliving the glory days in open-wheels, was scheduled to race in Bucharest, but the fate of the entire series remains in jeopardy.

An FIA GT car should lap the track in 1 min 15.3 sec at an average speed of 148.6 km/h. Maybe the legislators will draw some inspiration and speed up the political process.

[Source: Bucharest Ring and GrandPrix.com]