IRL eyes street race in Palm Springs

UPDATE #3 Here is another article related to this proposed race.

01/17/07 Here is the full Letter of Intent put forth by former Champ Car President Joe Heitzler's Event Management Group for the Palm Springs GP.

01/16/07 A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Aside from usual IRL comments, let us get real: "As reported Monday on thedesertsun.com, organizers say it could be the most heavily attended and watched auto racing, street entertainment event in the United States."

1) September in Palm Springs… average high is 102 degrees
1A) IT IS OUT OF SEASON…. ALL THE REGULARS IN THE DESERT HAVE NOT YET RETURNED FOR WINTER
2) It's just weeks after the Fontana NASCAR race that is less than 1 hour away
3) It's during football season…. don't underestimate that effecting Sat & Sun attendance
4) Traffic for Sunday only fans is brutal on Sunday evening…. can take 3 hours to get back into LA in bumper-to-bumper traffic

This is just another silly attempt by the IRL to morph into Champ Car. It's almost as silly as racing in the cornfields of Iowa in front of 10 cows, or Biloxi, Mississippi. John Costello

01/16/07 Palm Springs, start your engines. An Indianapolis 500-style racing event that could bring 135,000 people to the valley and internationally broadcast on ABC and ESPN could be driving itself here next year.

The Palm Springs City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal from the owners of the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League to produce a car race in Palm Springs called the Palm Springs Grand Prix. As reported Monday on thedesertsun.com, organizers say it could be the most heavily attended and watched auto racing, street entertainment event in the United States.

"If it happens, it would be the best thing for Palm Springs; there's nothing going on (here)," said Milen Dimitrov, a car enthusiast who works for Omag Automotive Machine in Palm Springs.

The proposal comes from Event Management Group and Creosote Partners on behalf of the Indy Racing League. The Grand Prix would take place in September 2008 over four days.

City officials aren't sure what it will cost to host the event. If the city council gives a go-ahead to negotiating with the group, the city will have 145 days to come with the logistics. For example, more than two miles of city streets would need to be repaired – meaning no potholes – to allow the cars to reach up to 200 mph. More at Desert Sun