Setting Up For Street Course Races

[cjhutch]

I just always wondered how they setup regular roads for street course races. Does anyone have the answer to this? I mean they do these races in large cities and the roads have to be full of tire debris and skid marks once the race is done. Do they have machines that clean all this stuff up? Are the businesses around compensated due to local roads being closed for multiple days due to the race? What really got me thinking about this again was when I was driving home today I took some back roads and just thought how great it would be to just race the route I drove without having to worry about traffic or lights.

[Elbow]

I grew up in St. Pete and they have a race down there. The streets still have the racing line, I was just down there. There is still even race curbing up after the event. Some street courses can have the street opened during the evenings depending track setup.

Many have detours.

Lots of locals hate it, lots love it, it brings in business for lots of small businesses though.

[cjhutch]

I figured they would be required to do some kind of cleanup of the course afterward. I can't imagine that a street full of rubber plus the potential of wet weather could be very safe. While it sounds cool if I were a local I would probably hate it as well. The areas they use for the pits would probably just look like burnout centers.

[Elbow]

Well in St. Pete the front stretch and pit area is an airport, so there isn't too much extra rubber laid down around the streets.

[speedminded]

I figured they would be required to do some kind of cleanup of the course afterward. I can't imagine that a street full of rubber plus the potential of wet weather could be very safe. While it sounds cool if I were a local I would probably hate it as well. The areas they use for the pits would probably just look like burnout centers.

Grand Prix races (and other major sporting events) cost the cities they are held in a couple million in planning, preparation, and cleanup but surrounding businesses gain millions. Cars laying a little rubber in streets is hardly an issue.

I guarantee the people that complain about the event(s) are the ones not profiting from them, don't have the ability to come up with a way too, or simply don't realize how it's helping their community. The Grand Prix in St. Pete has been cancelled a dozen times in the last 25 years because of promoter disputes and public complaints. The Long Island Grand Prix attendance is over 175,000 people and they have donated more than $2 million to local charities including their own scholarship program since 1991.

Most events won't get passed a proposal to the cities planning departments without offering the something in return.

[cjhutch]

Good info, reps to the both of you.