Monte Carlo in Baltimore?

If you think that the Inner Harbor area has recently changed dramatically, you are right. Concrete walls and chain link fences and the cutting of hundreds of trees are signs of "great" things to come. Indy car racing downtown. "Putting Baltimore on the map" (Councilman William Cole), "Game changer" (Mayor Rawlings Blake) and "this weekend will be for  hotels and restaurants like no other" (Cole again). Generally, the consensus of those in power appears to be the same as for all other mega investments that are subsidized by taxpayers: It will be good for Baltimore, it will line the pockets of business and in some kind of trickle down the city tax coffers as well as all Baltimoreans will somehow benefit form all the money that will spend by visitors. This way the millions of taxpayer money seem like a real investment, right?
Some people wondered right away what such a race weekend would do to Baltimore's newly found image as the "Greener and cleaner Baltimore", to its image of a city that loves art and music and just recently was discovered as a darling of the creative class. Then a seemingly never ending series of road construction lane closures made commuters wonder about the wisdom of spending all this money for two days of racing. Then concrete walls and chain-link fences went up in the middle of summer and make our urban "living-room" at the Inner Harbor look like a prion courtyard right in the middle of the summer travel season when the bulk of visitors come to Baltimore. Then, just last week, somewhere between 80 and 130 trees went down for grandstand construction. This seems to be the straw that might have broken the camel's neck. How many people really love Indy racing that much? Compared to the tens of thousands that are inconvenienced not just for a day or two but month after month and who find car racing repulsive, no matter where and especially downtown, a place that the same tax dollars for years have subsidized to foster walking, biking, shopping and eating, all activities totally at odds with car racing.

Not even the Indy race organizers who are the result of a merger between the original Indianapolis Speedway oval races ("Indy") and CART who like city courses are in agreement if downtown races really work for cars designed for high speed oval races. "But the American public has made it very clear they will not accept European-style road racing. It's not even an arguable point. It's a fact. I'm telling you that would be a big mistake"    says one of the racing veterans. Of the 17 venues for the 2011 season only a few are downtown street races instead of races on a dedicated oval racecourse. Street races take place in Long Beach, CA and in Sao Paulo, Brazil. However from checking online, one doesn't get the impression that these course are in no setting that is nearly as sensitive as Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Convention Center and Camden Yards area. Lon Beach accommodates the race for a long time, yet official statements are somewhat subdued such as this printed in the Gazette (Montgomery County) on 8/5/2011:
In Long Beach, Calif., where organizers have hosted a Grand Prix race through the streets for nearly 40 years, the event has had a hand in turning the city from a seedy Navy town to a tourist destination where new condo buildings tower over the course.
“These events can be very providential in terms of deliverables to a city,” said Jim Michhaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “That's not to say that there are no downsides or issues that arise because they're big events that take part in the (heart) of a city. Whether that enhances the redevelopment or showcases what has always (been there), all of those things are positive.”

And in regards to the comparisons to European road racing: The Grand Prix de Monaco (Monte Carlo) in business since 1929, is raced with much more civilian looking Formel 1 race cars at much lower speeds.

Thus the great event might even be casting its shadow the mayoral race in Baltimore. Although none of the candidates has yet denounced the race as foolishness. But even if everybody would agree after labor day that this was a singularly bad idea, the contract goes to 2016, one year after the new mayor's first term will have been completed.


This from organizer's webpages and Wikipedia:

The 12-turn, 2.4-mile circuit incorporates two downtown Baltimore landmarks -- the Inner Harbor and Oriole Park at Camden Yards -- and features a hairpin turn, a couple of chicanes and a long straight leading into a hard right into Turn 1 on Pratt Street.

For spectators, there are great grandstand locations in addition to a Family Fun Zone and a Sports Action Zone.

On May 5, 2010, the event was announced thus: http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/37225-baltimore-race-moves-closer-to-green-flag/

A plan to bring the IZOD IndyCar Series to the streets abutting Baltimore’s Inner Harbor cleared its final city hurdle May 5 as the Board of Estimates agreed to a five-year contract with Baltimore Racing Development Corp.
The panel unanimously approved $8 million in state and federal funds to prepare 2.4 miles of roads for the potential race weekend. The promoter, which must donate at least $100,000 every year to local non-profit organizations as part of the agreement, is seeking to have the sanctioning Indy Racing League add the venue to its 2011 schedule.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of the Board of Estimates’ unanimous vote as it is a key step in bringing the Indy Racing League to Baltimore in 2011,” said Terry Angstadt, the Indy Racing League’s commercial division president. “We will be working with the promoter to finalize a sanctioning agreement in the coming weeks and will announce more details regarding the future race at that time.
“Baltimore is a great fit for the Indy Racing League as it gives us a presence in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Baltimore Racing Development, as well as the city of Baltimore, has been very enthusiastic throughout this process and we are confident they will put on a first-rate event to showcase the stars and cars of the IZOD IndyCar Series.”

 Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, City Council members and representatives from Baltimore Racing Development Corp. made the announcement at a news conference outside City Hall.
The promoter group estimates an influx of $250 million to the city through ticket sales, hotel stays and restaurant business over the five years as well as $11 million in direct tax revenue.
"This, my friends, is what we call a game-changer," Rawlings-Blake said.
Baltimore would join Long Beach, Calif., Sao Paulo, Brazil, St. Petersburg, Fla., Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, as street circuit events on the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. This year’s 17-race schedule also includes road course events at Birmingham, Ala., Watkins Glen, N.Y., Sonoma, Calif., and Lexington, Ohio, plus eight oval events. 
A loop of streets surrounding the scenic and busy Inner Harbor entertainment district and Oriole Park at Camden Yards (where pit lane would be located) will compose the racetrack. City transportation workers will begin preparing streets later this month – a process expected to take a year.
"This event could put Baltimore on the map for all the right reasons," Council member William Cole IV, whose district would play host to the race course, told The Baltimore Sun. "The festival atmosphere will bring people into the city who have never been here before, and the restaurants, hotels and businesses are going to have a weekend like no other."

from Wikipedia:
The 2011 Izod IndyCar Series season is the 100th season of American open wheel motor racing. The season will consist of seventeen events over the course of a seven-month season. Its premier event was the 95th Indianapolis 500, run on Sunday, May 29. The events will take place in twelve states of the United States, as well as in Canada, Brazil, and Japan.