Montreal faces 75m-dollar loss

MONTREAL.

Montreal faces losses of up to 75 million dollars after Formula One's governing body, the FIA, excluded it from next season's Grand Prix circuit.

At a meeting in Paris, the FIA awarded United Arab Emirates city Abu Dhabi their first ever race in place of Canada for the 2009 season without giving any further details about their decision.

Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay, speaking on Radio-Canada, said: "We're talking about losses of some 75 million dollars to the local economy as a result."

Tremblay said the decision would have an impact on the global image of the city, adding that over 300 million people watch the race.

"We'll see in the coming hours what we can do," Tremblay added, announcing a meeting with Normand Legault, promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Race organizers had no idea the event would be removed from the calendar.