Formula One race-track idea among bids for Olympic Stadium in London

A Formula One race could be staged in and around the Olympic Stadium after it was reported a bid for future use of the venue included such plans for the showpiece arena of the London 2012 Games.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has long harboured hopes of staging a race in London and he has confirmed the prospective bidders have run their ideas past him.

Intelligent Transport Solutions Ltd, based at Wanstead in east London, are among five bidders who have put forward plans for the future use of the stadium to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

"This is a firm that happened to be bidding for use of the stadium, not to own it," Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph.

"They came up with a scheme whereby Formula One would race around the stadium, inside it, outside it.

"They wanted to make sure I would be interested."

The LLDC has also received bids from football clubs West Ham and Leyton Orient, as well as the University of East London, whose bid includes a cricket academy for Essex CCC, and the University College of Football Business, who are an affiliate of Bucks New University.

West Ham had originally been selected as tenants before a legal challenge from Tottenham led to the process being started a second time.

PA