Where would you like to see a US Grand Prix held?
OK, lots of talk from my post last week about the loneliness of being an F1 fan in the States. A number of you said that without a home race, interest will forever be limited. So for the next couple days, I control the universe and am willing to grant you a full-on GP race spectacle in the location of your choosing.
Tell me where. And why it would work there. Could be an existing track (what upgrades would it need?). Could be a street course. Could be the perfect location to construct a track that no one has considered. See? No real guidelines. But keep in mind success depends on getting people there, and continued success means a great race that comes back again and again.
All ideas appreciated, I’m looking for thoughts from sea to shining sea.
photo credit ©DPPI
Author: Stace Caseria
18 Responses to “Where would you like to see a US Grand Prix held?”
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It is obvious from the FOTA/FiA back and forth from recent months that FOTA and the manufactuerer backed teams want a Grand Prix held in America. All of the entities sans Renault (Nissan), have claimed that North America is their largest market, and I can only imagine that more exposure here is high up on their list.
Watkins Glen…
Classic American race track, and former home of the US Grand Prix. I fear that it would take some upgrades to meet Bernie's track standards.
I was always partial to the Long Beach circuit. That final hairpin leading into the huge front sweeper down Shoreline Drive is a classic. I always considered it the U.S.' Monaco. I'd love to see F1 come back there.
As an indianapolis resident I have to say IMS. However if they were to come back they must make a serious effort to show respect for the city and the track. Alot of people from here still have a bad taste in there mouth from F1's last stint.
OK, so other than putting on a real race, what's needed to show the city respect? Do you think it's possible to turn the track into a road circuit of the same level as those other GP venues throughout the world? Not trying to dis Indy, but it's an oval first and foremost with a bit of a road section thrown in. Feel free to disagree.
I currently reside in Salt Lake City and must give credit to Miller Motorsports Park for creating what is one of the great race track facilities in the US. The course is great, and the paddocks are even better. Only downside is that it is 45 minutes from downtown SLC so their could be traffice, but this hasn't stopped MotoGP from using the course twice.
Other options I like are a Detroit road course, as in Europe many of the races are close to epicenters of European manufacturers, and NorCal & SoCal would be good options as well.
How about a road course that was designed from the outset to potentially hold a F1 event?
How about a facility that could easily be upgraded to current FIA F-1 standards.?
How about a track that is near a major INTERNATIONAL City with an International Airport with many European and Latin American flights?
How about a Street Course being looked at in the same city?
Hey Big Tony, where should we put this track?
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Watkins Glen. I'm not sure about the lodging but the Budget Inn has been known to accommodate three to a room comfortably. I might also add that the staff is first rate they even have male maids, ( is that European). The staff even after a hard day at the motel are willing to join the guest and help them eat their snacks and drink their wine.
I agree that Watkins Glen would be an ideal choice for a US race, (If it could be upgraded to the FIA standard) and the Budget Inn sets the standard for accommodations in the area, a unique place to stay if your a typical Formula 1 fan! … also I think they allow pets…
There are lots of interesting road courses in the United States:
- Road America
- Watkins Glen
- Miller Motorsports Park
- Road Atlanta
- Mid Ohio
- Sebring
- Laguna Seca
- Infineon
- New Jersey Motorsports Park
But let's be realistic. Of these, only Miller Motorsports Park is currently certified by the FIA (*and possibly NJ Motorsports Park?). The rest would have to invest millions and millions of dollars to retrofit the tracks, as Indianapolis did in the late 90s to bring them up to modern standards both in terms of safety and facilities. None of these tracks have the money to do so. And in today's economy, nobody would be willing to fund it. And here in the Western World, we're not going to allow our tax dollars to be spent for renovating or building a road course to host an event that isn't even a mainstream sport in the United States. NASCAR was pushing to have an oval motorsports park built in the NY area for years, and they were unable to push the idea through with mainly private funding. And as fabulous as MMP is, it's in the middle of nowhere (sorry SLC residents). But it's the same problem for nearly all of these tracks. You're never going to get 125,000 people to come to Elkhart Lake.
The only real choices are:
- Back to Indianapolis. A capable facility with a rich heritage pre-dating the modern F1 era. But a relatively boring road course and a city that never fully accepted or appreciated F1 the way say a Montreal did. Daytona is another question mark as they have a well used road course but road courses inside ovals just don't seem to work. There is no real flow to the track as it's limited by the landscape.
- Organize a temporary street course in a major city such as New York, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago or Las Vegas. Eccelstone was already pushing for this in Vegas years ago. But I can only assume there just wasn't much interest from the city administration. And with most major cities in a financial crunch, they're not going to bankroll the huge expense to run a race, let alone the ridiculous CVC sanctioning fees.
I love many of these courses for different reasons, and they all have their drawbacks. So the best thing to do is take an "all things considred" approach based on the assumptions of track condition, spectator population, big-city environment, FIA approvable, challenging/interesting/historical track, etc., etc.
With this in mind, although it is relatively a short track for F1 to race on, and I would like to see a track layout similar to Road America, I believe the best possible option is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca…
…It's in Monterrey, CA, rich car culture capital of the Western Hemisphere, including Concours de Elegance. The California population will flock to see F!, and have dollars to spend. The track has history and has hosted open-wheel for decades. The infamous corkscrew presents an interesting challenge. The Bay Area is not far, neither is PAcific Grove or other fancy resorts, wineries, and golf courses (Pebble Beach). It's pristine environment, open-wheel racing heritage, track design, elevation change, and car culture atmosphere helps present itself as the best candidate.
The cars will most likely be running laps anywhere from 1:04 to 1:07 at time trial levels depending on car layout and regulations for 2010, which we know can change at any time.
/what is needed is a course to F! standards and a high speed course that you can pass. Americans do not like watching races where the epole sitter leads every lap without a challenge. So now pick the course.Watkins Glen possible.Others? Fans will come if you allow access which F1 does not do. I am a big F! fan and have see lots of races in many places but if you are not a VIP you have absolutely no access to drivers or cars or pit road. Americans are used to fan friendlt NASCAR and INDY CAR attitudes. That will have to change for F1 to be a success in the States.
Watching F1 at Laguna Seca would be great, would love to see them coming down the corkscrew. Another recommendation is my home track of Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. Yes, it will need upgrades but we have a motor-sport friendly community.
I think the obvious place for a new F1 race in the US is Las Vegas. Downtown, on the strip, at night.
Where else in the US does the spectacle of an F1 race fit in better? What other city would be willing to shut down their day-to-day business for a street race? Certainly not San Francisco or New York City. Spectacle *is* Las Vegas' day-to-day business.
Plus, the city is already a massive tourist destination, so it's got a big airport, tons of hotels, and a local population that understands putting up with something like a race for the income of the city. Vegas would be able to take the event in stride. Vegas is also within driving distance of Los Angeles, and cheap to get to from the entire west coast, not to mention all the affordable direct flights from everywhere else in the US since so many people already vacation there.
Frankly, I can't think of a better place to hold a new US Grand Prix. Everywhere else will just make F1 look like just another race. I get the feeling Bernie wants F1 in the US to be something special and spectacular.