Baltimore Grand Prix

[ckhokie]

Will be going for the first time this year. Anyone been? Any must-sees?

 

[IndyAndy]

Never been there myself. If you are there for the whole weekend, I'd just recommend that you walk around & try out as many different vantage points as possible on Fri/Sat. Also, there should be a mass driver autograph session (usually held on Saturday), if you're interested.

Make sure to post a review of your experience here afterwards.

Enjoy.

 

[Retroram52]

Damn Indy, you get to go to all the cool places. I won't make it this year either!!

 

[ckhokie]

Have a Friday, Saturday, Sunday pass, and have a paddock pass, so will try to grab some pics of the teams working on the cars. I also have a pass to the Penske garage, so I am hoping I'll be able to get up close.

Never seen a GT3 or ALMS race, so I am really looking forward to that.

 

[ckhokie]

I still need to post some pictures from this, but it was a really cool event. It was my first Grand Prix experience, so it was a little weird to not be able to see action all over the track, but it was awesome to really see and appreciate the skill of the drivers.

The main reason for my post, is that due to 'scheduling conflicts' there won't be a Baltimore Grand Prix in 2014 or 2015.

Not sure if this is the real story, but I can see both sides.

For one, I am guessing the teams don't like the wear and tear on the cars. Bouncing over some rail road tracks and off curbs through the chicane, plus the amount of wrecks and cautions, have to be quite pricey for the teams to fix. Also, this year brought in more revenue and a higher number of visiting fans than the previous two years. I wonder if the city planners didn't feel like they were getting enough on the side? Something seems fishy to cancel it for two years due to 'scheduling conflicts'

On the other side of the coin, it is on a holiday weekend, and the track encompasses both stadiums, the convention center, and the Inner Harbor, pretty much taking over Baltimore for at least a week.

Hope it's back in '16.

 

[IndyAndy]

Glad that you enjoyed it: Looking forward to the pics.

 

[Retroram52]

Lots of wrecks in this one. Bunch of rambunctious drivers playing bumper cars at a high rate of speed in downtown Baltimore.