JULY 21, 2006

No more F1 dreams for Vegas

For some time, Formula 1 people have been wandering around talking about having races in Las Vegas - although there has never been much evidence that there was any serious bid for F1. Now the Las Vegas City Council has approved a Vegas Grand Prix and downtown festival for the weekend of April 6-8, 2007. In addition to racing, the festival will include a major concert and championship boxing match. The Vegas Grand Prix will be the opening event of the 2007 Champ Car World Series. The race will take place in the streets of the downtown area, away from the main casino area but close a small group of casinos including Binion's Horseshoe and the Golden Gate Hotel. The area involved will also include the covered Fremont Street Experience. The track will be fast thanks to a sweeping corner on Grand Central Parkway, a vast former railroad yard that has been awaiting development - it is hoped that the race will help this area regenerate.

It is projected that the race will generate $76.7m for downtown and surrounding areas of Las Vegas. Downtown Las Vegas has not featured car racing since F1 visited the Caesars Palace parking lots back in the early 1980s.

The deal with Champ Car is for five years.