The one and only National Grand Prix

[Stephen M]

The one and only National Grand Prix

Washington DC happens to be the capitol of the most car-obsessed country in the world. Four genuinely discernable motoring seasons, a host of hilly, windy two lane roads just a short drive outside the city, and several nice race tracks within a half-days drive. So you'd think it'd be a car lover's paradise.

You could think that, but you'd be as wrong as an automatic Miata. Despite our national love affair with the automobile, DC itself is about as car-unfriendly as it gets. Decrepit city streets and distracted drivers are the order of the day. A major north-south interstate pulls double duty and serves as part of the beltway. Bridge and interchange improvements are scheduled decades after they're needed, and take decades to finish. The most popular radio station is the one that gives traffic updates every 10 minutes, weekends included. There's also an utter lack of downtown car culture. The current political climate sees the car as a necessary evil at best. The DC car show, which *SHOULD* be on par with Tokyo, Detroit, and Paris, is instead a b-grade sidelight focused on selling sedans and SUVs to commuters from the suburbs. For years it's been scheduled around the holidays, when all the elected decision makers are back home, and there's no major concept introductions to speak of. Disappointing to say the least.

In July of 2002, onto this hostile ground rolled the American Le Mans Series. Porsches, Panoz, and prototypes raced along a hastily constructed street circuit (or, more aptly, a parking lot circuit) less than two miles from the capitol building; the first major race in DC in 80 years. Attendance reached 70,000, and TV/print coverage was far more extensive than the ALMS usually enjoyed. I volunteered to work a booth for the regional chapter of the SCCA, and was given a weekend pass with pit access for my trouble. Race recaps and photo collections from the event are a click away at the bottom of this article...what I want to devote the remaining space to is the atmosphere.

I had ample opportunity to walk the grounds and kibitz on a dozen or more conversations. There was an incredible optimism in the air, owing to more the well-run event itself. It was a rare opportunity for car guys to gather and meet people of a like mind, in a town where they didn't always feel welcome. People of all presumed political stripes were actually talking, civilly, about the race, about cars they've owned, projects they've undertaken, and all other manner of auto-related chatter. It was a very warm environ, and not just due to the July heat. People had a certain openness to each other, thanks to the common bonds of car fandom, and for the first time they realized that there were others in their hometown who shared their passion. In its own small way, it could have been the start of something big. Or at least a step in the right direction.

As you noticed though, this article was titled "The one and only national Grand Prix." Proving once again that all politics are local, NIMBY concerns whose validity I can't judge killed the event after the inaugural running. The track was disassembled and the stands and facilities packed out, leaving only a parking lot somewhat better paved than those around it.  I can't help but think that in these times of partisanship and general divisiveness, just maybe we should find ways to make room for the types of events where we all realize the things we have in common, and perhaps spend less effort focusing on the things that make us all different. Just a thought.

-Stephen M

Race Photo Galleries:
http://racephan.smugmug.com/gallery/723334
http://www.pbase.com/jchung/20020719_grandprix&page=1

Race Results / Background:
http://dcpages.com/Autos/National_Grand_Prix/History/index.shtml

[Ultra]

I can't help but think that in these times of partisanship and general divisiveness, just maybe we should find ways to make room for the types of events where we all realize the things we have in common, and perhaps spend less effort focusing on the things that make us all different. Just a thought.

-Stephen M

[RayTheRat]

Ah, yes.  ALMS when it was "User Friendly."  I loved shooting it at Miller Motorsports Park:
http://www.chevyasylum.com/racing/racing2007/070519/20070519.html
http://www.chevyasylum.com/racing/racing2008/200805161718/Welcome.html
http://www.chevyasylum.com/racing/racing2009/20090517/20090517.html
http://www.chevyasylum.com/racing/racing2010/20100711/Welcome.html

But something went askew.  Either Miller's or ALMS chose to part company with the other...maybe both.  A great loss to those of us who were track photographers and card-carrying gearheads.  Not only that, but in 2011, someone at some level with the power to make sweeping changes decided that tv coverage would only be available to those who subscribed to Comcast and a few other cable nets.  Since I run my own server on a DSL line from my home, I was (and still am) unable to get any ALMS coverage except the delayed and cut to ribbons "sized for standard time slots."  In other words, the 12 hours of Sebring got cut to 90 minutes.  What?  An hour and a half out of 12?  Take away the commercial time and "up close and personal" clips and you might get 45 minutes of race coverage.

It was at that time that ALMS ceased to exist for me.  A pity, because there's good racing in that series.  But I'll be damned if I'll watch the watered-down coverage, especially since the editing seems to be done by someone who's better qualified to cover youth soccer.

I've written numerous emails to the powers that be about this, but they all seem to end up in the circular file.  So I'll watch other forms of racing on the toob and do my own racing on the salt flats. But until something changes, there IS NO ALMS...at least for me.

Btw, Stephen, great write-up.  Something I love about the web.  Nearly immediate coverage of virtually any event available to any geek with a computer and a web connection.

So, ALMS people, if this continues, how long will it be before this is SOP and there's a coin slot on the toob.  "Pay-per-view" on everything, including regular programming?  I'll quit watching everything before I accept something like that.  I can still read and use the internet.

[Otto Puzzell]

  Front page featured: http://www.autopuzzles.com/

[Stephen M]

I should note I attended the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix last year, which seems to have survived for a second go-round. So my string of killing events by simply attending seems to be broken!

[D-type]

Originally there was one Grand Prix: The Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France (ACF) founded in 1906.  The US followed in 1908 with The American Grand Prize.  Post World War 1 the term proliferated: In 1921 the Italians joined in with the Grand Premio d'Italia,  after that they came thick and fast: Gran Premio d'Espana 1923, Grand Prix de Belgique 1925, RAC (British) Grand Prix 1926 Grosser Preis von Deutschland 1928, Grand Prix de Monaco 1929. 
The FIA only recognised major races as Grande Epreuves, generally the races that were qualifying rounds of the European Championship and other major races such as the Indianapolis International Sweepstakes (the official name of the 500).  As the term "Grand Prix" was increasingly applied to all sorts of minor races they introduced regulations restricting the use of the term.
But in the USA they paid scant attention to the international body as it was based in Paris and did their own thing ...

[Otto Puzzell]

But in the USA they paid scant attention to the international body as it was based in Paris and did their own thing ...

As it should be. 

[motorcar1]

Guys,
I am unsure of the dates and time frames, but my best guess was that around the early 50's a Colonal Harrington was the Chief in charge of the contest boards for AAA and was the representative of FIA here in the States.

Seems Lemay and Harrington controlled the army and air bases in the US, and they are the ones that allowed full blown and sanctioned races at the bases.

This is in a letter which I have from the Harris family which was from Ben, their father.
A senator from Kansas , in a letter and newspaper article I have, doomed the race tracks at any and all bases in the US.
Kimberly is quoted in many articles, critizing this senators actions, the ruling to stop all Base racing came about just this way.

We all know that the AAA ws doomed, which was the largest racing organization herein the US.

USAC was born when the AAA ceased.
Ben, Kimberly, whacky arnolt, David Biggs and a few others then, starting in 1950, began building the National SCCA around the country, as they knew, or seen that the AAA was doomed.
Point being, nothing changes and politics plus greed plays into everything.

Just gave away part of a chapter of Ben and his yet fully unknown phenominal history.
Just my two cents which backs up your thoughts and posts herein this topic.
Sh-- never changes ?
John