New Topic!
So folks have been demanding I write about the possibility of Grand Prix racing downtown. Well, all I can say it’s not a done deal, that funding isn’t certain, and we’ll see what happens.
Now, here’s a pop quiz: what do Detroit, Denver, Houston and San Diego all have in common?
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Steve, If I had to guess, I would say that the cities you mentioned might have had a race but stopped because it cost them $$ rather than made them $$? Am I close?
They all have had Grand Prix races in which have failed and are now attempting in someway to revive them.
I’m sorry, folks. I’m usually a big fan of Downtown, and want to see events like this consider OKC.
But I must question the timing of this OKC Grand Prix thing.
You see, if you’re going to host a race through the streets of Downtown Oklahoma City, then you might want those streets to have some ‘curb appeal’, right?
According to the latest news, the organizers want to have a race in 2011. If I remember correctly, our streets will be torn up for Project 180 and Devon Tower construction. Do we really want to show this as scenery as the cars race by? Or, why don’t we wait until after Project 180, Devon Tower, and some of the MAPS-3 projects have been comlpeted?
Liposuction Doctors like to show “before” and “after” photos. They never show you the “during” picture. Why do that with the OKCGP?
capcha “the unisex”
John, point taken. You’ll also remember, though, a lot of our complaining about Project 180 excluding Bricktown. An OKC Grand Prix could go through Bricktown, whatever Downtown corridor is finished or not yet torn up, and then some MidTown/A-Alley/Deep Deuce streets that aren’t torn up. It could still possibly showcase the model urban neighborhood being formed, and I think passing the construction site of an 850 ft tower would be an awesome site, but that’s just me.
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On Steve’s post, first I’d like to mention of course Detroit, Denver, Houston and San Diego all have nothing in common. But all of these cities also have a Grand Prix race. So that’s the company OKC would be joining (good company), I think is what Steve was getting at.
Well I should correct myself before that’s misconstrued.. those are all cities that have a Grand Prix race in their history, as well as Dallas and Phoenix. Phoenix, Detroit, and Houston all held their race in blocked-off downtown courses. Dallas’ was held at Fair Park and Denver’s was/is at Busch Gardens.
Here’s the course in Houston, which goes around the Discovery Green, George Brown Convention Center and attached Hilton Americas, all three projects which people in OKC are well versed with.
http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/TX/images/houston.jpg
The announcement about the mere possibility of Grand Prix racing in OKC was made by the Mayor the same day as the ULI Advisory Panel presentation, a presentation which the Mayor did not attend. Even though the Grand Prix dreaming was “5 years” in the making, somehow this was deemed the most appropriate time to announce the plan. From a “controlling media” standpoint, one can certainly understand the strategy. And “controlling media” seems to be a strong suit of certain city leadership.