Renault releases Roadshow programme.

The ING Renault F1 team has revealed plans for an expanded Roadshow campaign this year, taking in almost every continent as it works its way around the globe.

Remaining faithful to its original philosophy of taking Formula One to the people and giving them a chance to get a look inside an often exclusive world, the Roadshow programme moves into its fifth year and looks to build on the two million-strong audience it has already attracted since 2003.

Having visited cities such as Seville, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Mexico City, the demonstration team is currently preparing an even more ambitious schedule for 2008, with as many as ten events slated to run hand-in-hand with the race team's world championship commitments and the traditional World Series by Renault weekends.

"F1 is one of the main pillars of the company's global sales and marketing strategies and, in non-traditional markets, F1 is a powerful tool for building brand awareness, while in more traditional markets it confirms Renault's status as a manufacturer that delivers performance, reliability and high technology," F1 team president Bernard Rey explained, "Our Roadshow programme is renowned as the most cost-effective promotional tool in the sport, and that really says it all.

"It is a fantastic lever for generating coverage in markets which do not host a race. For example, in Mexico City last year, hundreds of thousands of people watched our cars running on one of the city's main avenues. Many of these are potential customers for Renault and our partners, and many millions more are reached by the media coverage of these unique events. These events have been universally successful, and will continue to expand to include new markets in 2008."

Flavio Briatore, managing director of the race team is also a confirmed fan of the Roadshow concept.

"The essence of the Roadshow is about bringing F1 to the fans," he underlined, "We drive our cars in front of the public, on the roads of their city or during a World Series by Renault event. It's about giving people the opportunity to approach the cars, the team and the drivers; to do things that they would never normally have the opportunity to do during the course of a grand prix weekend.

"The ING Renault F1 Roadshow is, above all, about showing the public what modern F1 is all about - a fabulous spectacle and an unforgettable experience!"

Although a lot of detail has still to be finalised, the 2008 calendar is scheduled to get underway in May, when the Roadshow takes to the streets of Marseille before setting off on a round-the-world trip that takes in a further nine cities over the next seven months.

May 17-18 Marseille, France
May 31 - June 1 TBC, Central Europe
June 14-15 TBC, Europe
July 16-17 Johannesburg, South Africa
August 16-17 TBC, Europe
September 20-21 TBC, Eastern Europe
October 25-26 TBC, Europe
November TBC TBC, South America
TBC TBC, Asia