Here's the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2003Mar7.html

 

 

words cannot describe my

I was just talking to my GF this morning about how much fun last year was, and how I was looking forward to this years.


arrrgghhh

 

What a shame!!!

D.C. last year was so cool!
Damn the politics

 

Well, that really ******* sucks. Oh well, what can you do...

 

ECHC should try to grab the use of the track for that weekend. A street course would be a nice change of pace. The only problem I see is the no contact rule would have to lifted for that race.

 

I think the cost of running such an event would be prohibitive

 

Well, it's not like they're garnering any revenue now as the track isn't used at any other point during the year.

 

why exactly would the contact rule need to be lifted?

 

mother puss bucket.

that sux...had a blast last year, was gonna have more of a blast this year...dammit.

 

phawking lame

last year ruled , oh well I guess thats why I'm leaving for Sebring on Wed. night

gotta say hey to Foo somewhere this year....

 

I think one of the main reasons that the race was cancelled was due to political pressure from the surrounding neighborhoods. They were none-too-happy about listening to race cars in 2002, and they pushed to have local sound ordinances enforced for the future. I remember reading that they would seek an injunction to block the 2003 event, so I don't imagine any other motorsport would have much luck if Mr. Panoz decided to give up.

 

this was an original concern but was worked out, the profits from the race were way to immense for a neighborhood to be a political force in stopping the race

 

my thoughts exactly.

 

Plus last year's event wasn't even that loud. From the Metro you could here the activity, but it was no louder than any concert event (HFStival) or the normal neighborhood gunfire or surrounding traffic...

 

All of the negative media attention did create a political force that could have superceded the economic aspect.
Im not convinced this is the case though.
All I know is that the claimed excuse "operational problems on behalf of the race organizer" is pretty fishy considering that same race organizer put the race together from the ground up in less than a year. How could they mess up doing the race again when the framework has already been set?
there are plenty of behind the scene stuff with this one, methinks.

 

That's good to hear (so to speak). I'd read a couple of articles that made it sound like there would be no quick solution, since the laws regarding noise were already on the books.

I wonder what actually killed the event, then? So many of these street/temporary circuit races come and go (and come again): St. Petersburg, Denver, Grand Rapids, Dallas, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Del Mar, San Diego, Meadowlands, etc.

 

It was beautiful! I was walking up the steps at the metro station and suddenly you could hear the LMP900 cars *screaming* around the track. It was amazing!!!


Matt

 

Did anyone catch Windtunnel on speed on friday night? The CEO of ALMS was on (Scott Somethingorother?)
Dave asked him about why the DC race was cancelled.
Scott said that the noise issues were, in fact why the race was cancelled.
The race promoter/organizer had not done enough to fix the noise problem, and the ALMS was not going to take a risk to have the race pulled out from them at the last minute.

 

yeah, last year was great.. and i KNOW we would've had an even better time this year minus the one complainer. coulda brought k-dawg's dad.. it would've been like four little kids in a candy shop.



[Modified by ravyness, 7:23 PM 3/17/2003]