New Grand Prix Proposal?

[Kerry]

It seems Grand Prix racing might be back with a proposal to have the event held in Core to Shore. Just for fun I laid out a quick course that is 1.75 miles long.



http://www.newsok.com/article/3544283

Two groups vow to pitch new proposals for racing in OKC

Two rival groups say they will pitch new proposals for grand prix racing in Oklahoma City after the rejection of a plan last summer by the Oklahoma City Council.




With ABC Network set to provide live coverage and 25,000 tickets sold in just a few months, promoters of the newest addition to Le Mans Grand Prix racing couldn't be happier.

Oklahoma City businessmen Trent Ward and Brad Lund hoped to be the pair celebrating such news. Instead, it's Baltimore that is enjoying positive momentum leading up to that city's inaugural race in September.

[Spartan]

Bricktown was a better idea.

[onthestrip]

The Bricktown/downtown course wont work because Reno and Sheridan are too narrow when the go under the rail roads. So it'd have to be all bricktown or all downtown.

[Spartan]

Aaah. Well, there will be a new boulevard underpass. I hear it will be plenty wide, eh?

[Watson410]

Man!! I really hope something gets done! I'm a HUGE motorsports fan and there is nothing I would love more than to see a HUGE Grand Prix/Indy race in OKC! (Well maybe an NFL team) Think of the world wide exposure OKC would get if we were to get an event of this caliber!! Not to mention tourist/industry money...

[earlywinegareth]

Appears the whole "Green" thing hasn't exactly caught on here yet. Yea bob, let's burn up a bunch of fuel and pollute our skies - yee haw.

[Snowman]

Appears the whole "Green" thing hasn't exactly caught on here yet. Yea bob, let's burn up a bunch of fuel and pollute our skies - yee haw.

One race a year with around 30 cars is not going to make a difference in an area with around a million vehicles.

[earlywinegareth]

Thx for confirming my statement, Snowman. Make it a bicycle race and I'll support it.

[OKCRT]

Maybe they could run on CNG ? Now that would be cool and wouldn't pollute earlywinegareths air.

[Snowman]

Thx for confirming my statement, Snowman. Make it a bicycle race and I'll support it.

I am not the target audience either, just stating that it is a statistically insignificant difference from a normal day. Given the amount of money they would be putting into making the course it does seem like a good idea though to try to get a bike race their too so it is a least used twice a year as track if it ends up happening.

[earlywinegareth]

Why do it at all? The effects are bad for the environment period. Motor racing of any kind is 100% wasteful and bad for the environment, statistically or otherwise.

Why not be innovative and do something 100% Green? A Green Grand Prix, for instance. Make the vehicles race on electricity, solar, wind, human power, whatever, just zero combustion. I think that would make for a better image for OKC and support the development of alternative, clean energy.

[Snowman]

"Why do it at all?"
The point is to have another entertainment option for residents and it have a chance at being financially self sufficient over time, some people may be interested and it would give one more bullet point item in the marketing pitch for events in the city to businesses considering an OKC location. The easy thing about racing vs major league football, hockey or soccer is you do not have a fixed city/team affiliations that require major effort to get expansions too. You could get bigger names to come here on the standard tour of cities. Apparently this type of racing has an international following so additional media exposure.

"Why not be innovative and do something 100% Green?"
It has been made clear if this is going to happen it will be done for as little as is possible, clearly less than 7 million. Since this is a pretty nitch audience already, much of it is dependent on an existing league (or whatever they call themselves) to bring in driving teams, support staff and television contracts, a green grand prix is even less likely to be financially self sufficient over time let alone pay the city back costs for any construction work if their is even enough existing green driving teams with budgets to come here to start one.

"I think that would make for a better image for OKC and support the development of alternative, clean energy."
Their have been races based on the idea of developing alternative energy for many years mostly by colleges and companies, if you can actually name one I can be fairly certain you googled specifically looking for that.

[bluedogok]

Appears the whole "Green" thing hasn't exactly caught on here yet. Yea bob, let's burn up a bunch of fuel and pollute our skies - yee haw.

Why do it at all? The effects are bad for the environment period. Motor racing of any kind is 100% wasteful and bad for the environment, statistically or otherwise.

You sound like the Austin treehuggers talking about the new track down here. Just because you aren't interested doesn't mean your views need to be forced upon everyone else. If you don't like it, don't go. Plenty of bicycle races down here use a bunch of support vehicles that "pollute", so a bicycle race is really not that less impacting than motor racing. If y'all are so concerned about "being green" then sell your cars and and use zero impact transportation to get everywhere, Prius'/Volts/Leafs and buses/trains don't count, they use energy. Go completely "Off the Grid" as well, electricity is not a "zero impact" energy source, all you are doing is moving the "pollution" somewhere else.

Why not be innovative and do something 100% Green? A Green Grand Prix, for instance. Make the vehicles race on electricity, solar, wind, human power, whatever, just zero combustion. I think that would make for a better image for OKC and support the development of alternative, clean energy.

Those races already exist, been to any of them? If so you might be the first spectator for them other than family and friends. Pretty much no one cares about watching such "events" because they are boring unless you are a participant.

The ALMS already has some green technology cars and a division within the main divisions for it. Porsche is running a GT3R Hybrid in the series, in fact it made its debut at the Petit LeMans race at Road Atlanta last fall. In fact Dr. Ferdinand Porsche may have invented the first hybrid vehicle, the 1899 Lohner Porsche in 1899. Ferrari has a hybrid in development for street and GT racing and plan to have a hybrid version of every model around 2013. Much of that technology has been developed as a result of the KERS system implemented in Formula 1 a few years ago. Audi and Peugeot have developed racing diesels that get significantly better mileage than the petrol cars and those technologies make its way to their road cars. Racing develops road car technology, probably 90% of things in current model road cars has been developed on the track before it ever made it to mass market road cars.

[ljbab728]

Thx for confirming my statement, Snowman. Make it a bicycle race and I'll support it.

Maybe we should do away college football too. Just think of all of the pollution caused by the thousands of cars descending on Norman and Stillwater on Saturdays in the fall. They would otherwise be sitting in a home driveway very quietly and we could breath clean air. LOL

[Kerry]

Umm, Le Mans racing is one of the testing grounds for alternative fuels that burn cleaner. It is part of the Michelin Green X Challenge with most (if not all the cars) running on E85. If you look right on the front bumper - it says Flexfuel (with a tiny E85 Ethanol just below).

[bluedogok]

Formula 1 implemented KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) for the 2009 season, the teams agreed not to use it last season but is supposed to be back for the 2011 season. Right now it is intended to be used like the old "Push-to-Pass" button that Champ Car had.

Williams F1 has been developing a flywheel based KERS hybrid system to reduce the need for all the batteries needed with the current hybrid systems. The intent is to develop it into a road going hybrid system.

Formula 1 - Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)

[urbanity]

A measure that makes way for another professional sporting event is cruising through the Legislature

http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/ar...r-engines.html

[Kerry]

I like the fact this is being pushed for downtown instead of the adventure district. Laying out a track could be a little hard since it will not be able to cross over future streetcar tracks.

[Larry OKC]

A measure that makes way for another professional sporting event is cruising through the Legislature

http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/ar...r-engines.html

“We still have multiple parties interested in doing the race,” he [Cornett] said. “I always felt that 2011 was a little soon when we were talking about this a year ago. It seemed this was always a little quick for an event of this magnitude.”

he didn't put it inthose words, but definitely got the impression he felt differently in the Council meeting where it got shot down (after the less than supportive remarks by various Councilmen), the Mayor did say this:

The idea that an opportunity like this is going to come again, I think is probably not realistic. This is a good deal the City manager has negotiated for us. It may not be the deal we want, but it isn't likely to get better than this.

Yet WITHIN hours of the No vote, the 2nd group made their announcement. So much for what the Mayor was trying to push....

Hours after the council denied a proposed letter of intent with OKC Grand Prix LLC, OKC Motorsports announced it also has begun negotiations to bring a race to Oklahoma City in a venture that predominantly would consist of private funds, not city funds.