Jay Davidson

The first Baltimore Grand Prix will be run over Labor Day next year instead of Aug. 5-7, the city and Baltimore Racing Development announced today. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and BRD announced the move today, and also said they will make a series of improvements to the track layout to allow for more fan attractions. "We are very excited to be able to schedule the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix for the weekend that we originally wanted," Jay Davidson, president of the Baltimore Grand Prix and Baltimore Racing Development, said in a release today.

Pratt Street has a rich history in Baltimore lore. It's old enough that the street has been identified on city maps dating back as far as 1801. But in August of 2011, it will experience something it hasn't seen in its previous 200 years: Cars driving 185 mph. That's the speed that IZOD IndyCar Series officials estimate competitors will be able to reach on the Pratt Street straightaway in the Baltimore Grand Prix, which will make its debut...

Corporation , n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary Big-time car racing, now among the most popular spectator sports, is coming to Baltimore. If local officials and business leaders have their way, a Grand Prix event will be held in the city as early as August 2011. It is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors to the city for a long weekend, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars.

A plan to bring competitve automobile racing to streets around the Inner Harbor is expected to win city approval on Wednesday, potentially bringing Baltimore in league with Sao Paulo, Brazil, Long Beach, Calif., and other spots that host world-class motorsports on downtown roads. After the city Board of Estimates signs off on a contract with the Baltimore Racing Development Corp., Baltimore will be poised to become a stop on the Indy Racing League circuit in August 2011 and for as many as four years after that.

A plan to bring high-speed automotive racing to the streets of downtown Baltimore is on the mark, city officials say, and will soon be set to go. A loop of streets surrounding the Inner Harbor would be transformed into a race course in August 2011 for a three-day event that organizers say could lure visitors from around the world and rival the Preakness in economic impact. Wednesday morning, the city's spending board is set to vote on a five-year contract with the Baltimore Racing Development Corp.

Drivers will face parking restrictions and possible delays downtown Saturday as a helicopter crew conducts a survey of the likely route of a proposed Grand Prix race in Baltimore. City officials will post notices warning motorists not to park along certain streets in the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards areas between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to clear the roadways for an aerial and ground survey of the 2.44-mile route.Adrienne Barnes, a spokeswoman for the city Transportation Department, said vehicles that block those streets could be removed - towed to a nearby location or to a city impound lot. She said the survey will involve minimal disruption because it largely avoids residential areas and uses blocks where there is already limited "minimal" parking.