More talk of Palm Springs Race for 2008
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbc...701260331/1004
No need for speed just yet in consideration of Grand Prix
Racing in Palm Springs? Maybe, but not without planning
The Desert Sun
January 26, 2007
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If Palm Springs City Council strikes a deal to produce an Indianapolis 500-style racing event - during the typically slow, post-Labor Day tourist season in September - it could be a boon for hoteliers, restaurateurs and merchants in Palm Springs and across the valley.
But it must be done right.
The council soon will consider a proposal by the owners of the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League to produce the "Palm Springs Grand Prix" - a four-day event that could bring 135,000 people to the valley and would be internationally broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
The Grand Prix would take place in September 2008.
Big business
About 1,500 people, those who travel with the race circuit, including pit crews, drivers, mechanics and officials, would be in town even longer. That means more hotel nights, more meals at area restaurants and more business for local stores and services.
Palm Springs is no stranger to street racing. The event would be similar to the Vintage Auto Racing Association races that took place in the city in the 1990s with marginal financial success for the promoters.
The difference would be a longer track: Vintage cars competed on a 1.2 mile course, while Indy cars motored through a 2.4 mile track.
And the Indy cars - and yes, these are the same cars that race around the track every May in Indianapolis - will go at much higher speeds, as much as 200 mph in straightaways. The vintage cars, on the other hand, traveled a comparatively slow 100 mph.
While we won't jump the gun and wave a green flag at the idea, we believe the event has the potential to be a landmark event for Palm Springs and the entire valley. It must be produced properly, of course, with community input and with the safety of residents, fans, tourists and drivers at the forefront of organizers' plans.
As far as safety is concerned, the track will be self-contained. The perimeter would be constructed with three-foot concrete racing barriers. On top of the barriers would be a 12-foot, chain-link fence that would catch any debris, said John Raymond, the city's director of community and economic development.
In the past, some of the vintage car races were held in the area of Section 14 - around Indian allotee land near the Convention Center, said Rob Parkins, general manager for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Parkins served as Palm Springs city manager when then-Mayor Sonny Bono first proposed the idea for the races.
Parkins said the only logistical problem he remembered during those days was the difficulty in getting permits from some allottees allowing the cars to travel in the vicinity of their land.
The decision of where to locate the event is one of the most important decisions the council and organizers will have to make.
As City Manager David Ready has acknowledged: "We have to do it in a way that the city doesn't shut down." We couldn't agree more.
Move cautiously
City officials are not yet certain what it will cost to host the event. Obviously, we will want to make certain appropriate financial safeguards are instituted.
If the City Council gives a go-ahead to negotiating with the group, the city will have 145 days to come up with the logistics. For example, more than two miles of city streets would need to be repaired - meaning no potholes - to allow the cars to reach up to 200 mph.
Council will consider the event again at its Feb. 7 meeting. We urge them to keep moving forward, but under a caution flag to make sure this potentially lucrative event is fully studied.
