A Baltimore group is in serious negotiations with the city and the IndyCar Series about staging an annual street race beginning in 2011 near the Inner Harbor that state and city officials say could rival the Preakness in its economic impact and national exposure.
Baltimore Racing Development, a limited liability company, is proposing five years of what it calls a "Baltimore Grand Prix" beginning in the late summer or early fall of 2011. BRD has been meeting with city and state officials - including representatives of Mayor Sheila Dixon - and with the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series.
The race would be patterned in part after IndyCar Series street races in Toronto; St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Long Beach, Calif.
A feasibility study obtained by The Baltimore Sun says the race and related events could have an economic impact of as much as $100 million. By comparison, the Preakness is estimated to have a $60 million impact. The horse race is the state's largest annual sporting event and helps support Maryland's thoroughbred industry for the rest of the year.
"BRD projects that the [auto] event would bring more than 150,000 visitors to Baltimore and generate as much as $100 million over the four days, based on such visitors spending on hotel nights, meals, tickets and other purchases," according to the feasibility study.
BRD said Dixon asked it to provide the feasibility study. A Dixon spokesman, Ian Brennan, said no decision has been made by the mayor's office about the race.
"We have had interest from the producers of two racing events. The concept is intriguing," said Brennan, who declined to identify the other event. "Racing cars through the streets of downtown Baltimore raises numerous questions which still need to be answered."
The event would be held over four days and would likely include go-kart races, concerts and other activities, said Jay Davidson, a Baltimore attorney who is the chief operating officer of BRD. A series of preliminary races would occur before the main event on the final day.
Maryland's interest is serious enough that Terry Hasseltine, director of the state's office of sports marketing, traveled to St. Petersburg in April to observe the "Streets of St. Petersburg" race.
"The stands were packed around every corner. People were just buzzing throughout the area," Hasseltine said. "There had to be at least 110,000 on that final day."
