Downtown racing?

[Chefdavies]

I had heard 2-3 months ago some ppl with the IRL or Cart series were in OKC looking at downtown and bricktown for a possible race. I kinda thought it would be very cool (i'm a racing type of guy), but I had not heard anything more about it. Any ideas?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I had heard 2-3 months ago some ppl with the IRL or Cart series were in OKC looking at downtown and bricktown for a possible race. I kinda thought it would be very cool (i'm a racing type of guy), but I had not heard anything more about it. Any ideas?

I'm not a racing kind of guy, unless it's in my truck at a drag strip. I find it pretty boring to watch.

However...I'd be all OVER a downtown race with F1 cars. OKC Grand Prix rolls off the tongue so, so well too.

You'd make a KILLING with hot dogs too

[CuatrodeMayo]

I think a Cart race through a DT course would be pretty freakin sweet.

[PapaJack]

A street race through DT OKC was proposed in the early 1970’s. The plan was to have an SCCA TransAm race, which at the time was very popular, especially when Paul Newman drove. It was scuttled by the OKC contract not allowing outside vendors to participate.

This may have been where Mayor Norick got the racing bug. His son Lance drove in NASCAR’s Craftsman and Busch series for several years, and is still involved with racing, operating indoor cart tracks in the Carolinas. I bet the Noricks are involved in the most recent “rumor.”

With proper engineering, the Core to Shore park could also be a race track, muck like the Portland Oregon circuit. Auto racing is the world’s most popular sport, and a street race in OKC would be fantastic.

[FRISKY]

I'm not aware of any races scheduled in the future, but they have had Kart races and bicycle races in Downtown OKC several times in the past.

[Watson410]

I don't recall them having kart races downtown... maybe go-kart but not F1. If they got IRL to come to OKC, it would be a slam junk. I know this is a lil' off the topic but isn't OKC doing research on a speedway being built? Would it be for Nascar or what? Does anyone have any news on the speedway or know where i can go to find something out about it? Thanx.

[FRISKY]

You are correct it was, as you call them, "go-karts," not the F1 KART series. There was a lot of opposition to the "speedway" and nothing has been said recently about the NASCAR style race track they were talking about building a couple years ago.

[Blairman]

Watson 410, I think the speedway you are speaking of is part of a MAPS III to replace the Fairgrounds speedway.

The Statefair Speedway is old and needs to be replaced, to build a NASCAR type of facilty would be a waste of money, NASCAR is not expanding and there is a track in Kansas and Texas to contend with.

I have heard of some rumblings of a downtown IRL race, but I highly doubt it, since IRL runs mainly on ovals.

[Watson410]

yeah i just heard talk about them doing research for a speedway... i wasn't sure if it was for Nascar or to replace the state fair speedway.

[onthestrip]

A Nascar track probably wouldnt be a good idea. There is too much competition between tracks to get the small amount of available races. A downtown street race though would be awesome though. Imagine sitting on the museum rooftop or a patio on the riverwalk hanging out while cars are screaming by.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

A Nascar track probably wouldnt be a good idea. There is too much competition between tracks to get the small amount of available races. A downtown street race though would be awesome though. Imagine sitting on the museum rooftop or a patio on the riverwalk hanging out while cars are screaming by.

No kidding. That would rule.

I think that's why it sounds so cool...I wouldn't have to sit like cattle in a grandstand with a bunch of people crammed in elbow to elbow. There are places all over a road course to watch from a lawn chair or rooftop with a cooler and some space around you. Just you and your friends.

[OKCDrummer77]

Imagine sitting on the museum rooftop or a patio on the riverwalk hanging out while cars are screaming by.

Or a rooftop terrace at the new, improved Ford Center.

[metro]

Ahh, the benefits of being a long-time poster and staying up on my current events. Actually F1 racing was proposed in the last few years by Mayor Cornett and others. F1 racing was also seriously discussed by major players about 2 years ago, didn't hear anything come out of it though. I'll see if I can find that article too.

Go-kart racing may return to OKC | Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City) | Find Articles at BNET.com

From the Journal Record:

Go-kart racing may return to OKC

Bill May
Hard-core motor racing could return to the downtown Oklahoma City streets Oct. 5 and 6, just in time to pack the sidewalks along with two other major events. This racing, though, will be go-kart racing, what most people think of as "kid stuff." "Kart racing really is more for adults than kids," said Mark Chaves, who is heading the effort to bring the Kart Grand Prix of America back to Oklahoma City. "All these karts hit more than 100 mph on the straightaways and have faster acceleration time than sports cars. "In fact, many of today's top race car drivers, Formula One, Indy and Nascar got their start in karts." While Chaves would love to have the event scheduled for the first weekend in October, along with the Bricktown Jazz Festival and Oktoberfest, it's not a done deal. "We still need two or three big sponsors for us to be able to get this thing running," he said. "We'll have to make a decision on whether to pull the plug by the first or second week in July." So far, the main sponsors are a Sonic franchise cooperative and Clear Channel Radio and its station in central Oklahoma. If sponsors can be rounded up, Chaves expects around 300 drivers to compete for prizes in several categories. This will attract around 20,000 spectators, he said. "This really complements all the other things going on downtown," Chaves said. "With all these activities, people will be able to go from one event to another throughout the day and never get bored of any one thing." Preliminary and heat races are expected to start around 8 a.m. Saturday and run until just before sunset. "We can't run too late because as the sun goes down, the tall buildings create a lot of shadows on the streets and that's not safe for the drivers," Chaves said. Semifinals and finals will be run on Sunday, starting at about 9 a.m. Prizes haven't been determined yet, because of lack of sponsor money. Plans are to have several categories, broken down into youth and adult, he said. "We don't have adults racing kids," he said. The category that attracts the most attention are the street shifters, those equipped with a two-cycle engine with 125 cubic centimeter displace mated to a manual gear box. "These have all the speed and excitement of the Nascar races or the big cars," Chaves said. Most sports car or high-performance car manufacturers stress how fast the vehicle goes from a standstill to 60 mph, he said. The Porsche Boxster hits 60 in 6.5 seconds, the 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra gets there in 5.5 seconds, the 2000 Corvette in 4.9 seconds, the 2000 Dodge Viper in 4.2 seconds, his promotional material shows. "Some of these shifters, though, hit 60 in 3.7 seconds," he said. "These races have all the speed, noise, excitement, color and drama that people associate with big-car racing." Some of you may remember that back in 1996, the first Kart Grand Prix of America race came to Oklahoma City. Chaves was the one who put the first two races on. "They were successful," he said. "People got a big kick out seeing those races in downtown." The races continued for a couple of years after Chaves, now a commander in the U.S. Navy, was transferred. "Someone else took over and for some reason, they (the races) just dropped by the wayside," he said. Now, he's been transferred back, serving as chief of staff for the Navy's Strategic Communications Wing One, stationed at Tinker Air Force Base. He has no fear of being transferred again and having the races discontinue, for he plans to retire from the Navy in the near future. Chaves is promoting the races during his off-duty time. Neither the Navy, the unit he's assigned to nor Tinker Air Force have any connection with the race, he said. "This is my activity and it's personal," he said. "The Navy or the Department of Defense are not involved in any way." Even though he's initially working on the Oklahoma City race, Chaves, a kart racer himself, has bigger plans for this area. He wants to create a series of three races in Norman, Oklahoma City and near Hallett just north of the Cimarron Turnpike in Pawnee County. "They have great tracks in Norman and Hallett, each with a different type of driving and we can have a great road course here in Oklahoma City," he said. "I'd like to create the Kart Race Series of Champions, sort of like the International Race of Champions." Just as in large-car racing, safety is of paramount importance in kart racing, Chaves said. Part of the cost of putting on one of the races, said to be near $1 million, is buying, renting and installing safety equipment and hiring enough people to handle traffic and spectators. Each car is modified to meet specific standards for performance and safety, he said. There will be no admission charge for watching the race from city streets, including bleachers that Chaves plans to erect. But, there will be a nominal fee to watch the race from the pits, he said. T-shirts, caps, souvenirs, food and drinks all will be sold by sidewalk vendors during the races. "I don't make any money at all from this," he said. "Everything we bring in, from all the revenue sources, above the operating costs is donated to charity." He hasn't selected a charity yet, but plans to do so as soon as everything is confirmed that the races are scheduled.

Copyright 2002 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

[gsan]

Ahh, the benefits of being a long-time poster and staying up on my current events. Actually F1 racing was proposed in the last few years by Mayor Cornett and others. F1 racing was also seriously discussed by major players about 2 years ago, didn't hear anything come out of it though. I'll see if I can find that article too.

Go-kart racing may return to OKC | Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City) | Find Articles at BNET.com

From the Journal Record:

F1 racing was never mentioned by our mayor it was cart or IRL. F1 would never come to OKC (I wish they would I am a huge fan!). We are not equipped to have an f1 race. The only city in the United States that has has had an F1 race in recent years is Indy and they are not going to have it this year. F1 is global and our market is unfortunately way too small. Although, I think it would be great if Cart or IRL had a race here it would be awesome.

[metro]

Corrct, gsan, I should have said IRL where I typed F1.

[dalelakin]

IRL does not do street races. CART does.

[Watson410]

Metro... do you have any info on who i might need to talk to about being a sponsor for this event?

[metro]

No clue.

[Kerry]

IRL does do street racing. They will be in downtown St Petersburg, FL in April.
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from Streets of St. Petersburg :: St. Petersburg, Florida :: IndyCar® Series

There is also Champcar that does street racing. Their flagship race is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Champ Car > Event Information Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

[PapaJack]

Who would of known that auto racing in DT OKC (other than NASCAR) could be such a hot button on this blog?

Some random thoughts on a topic near and dear to my heart.

IRL and CART could be reconciled as early as April 20th. IRL/Champ Car merger: Rumors run amok, but is it real? - AutoWeek Magazine
If they do get together the hopes of a race in DT OKC may be diminished as the asking price will go up dramatically.

Des Moines, Iowa held several road races in its downtown in the early 70’s. I think this predated the resurgence of Des Moines DT which has been well documented elsewhere in this blog. I’m not saying the racing caused the turnaround, but both IRL and CART bring a crowd of owners, drivers, sponsors and spectators with lots of disposable income. OKC would open some influential eyes if we could get a race.

Having a F1race in OKC would be like having the Super Bowl at Taft Stadium. I think Tony George invested at least 100 million dollars just to create the course at Indianapolis. It’s just too far of a reach.

NASCAR sanctions many entry and junior level series besides it’s Sprint Cup. OKC Fairgrounds is arguably one of the finest dirt tracks in the country, even with its aging grandstand. But the management is mired in a regional racing format with absolutely no potential for driver advancement. I can’t think of a single driver from the OKC track who made it to the big time, other than occasional World of Outlaws. A NASCAR sanctioned track would change that.

Finally, I watched the Kart race held in DT OKC. The track generally ran around the block of the First National Center, and the racing was great in spite of a small turnout. The “shifter carts” were obscenely fast and exciting to watch. I look forward to their returning.

[Chefdavies]

Thanks for all the help on this topic. I would love to hear that high pitched motor screaming through downtown. Hot dog business would be crazy big. I'm not a fan of the drivers or the image of CART, but I would still support it.