Maryland's racing group, Baltimore Racing Development (BRD), is working to attract the Indy Racing League to Baltimore in 2011. Moving swiftly to secure the coveted racing dates and put some distance between BRD and the competition, BRD chief operating officer Jay Davidson sat down with PressBox to talk about his group's effort.  Course Map

Plus: For an interview with Al Unser Jr. about BRD's efforts, click here.

(Courtesy of Indy Racing League)

PressBox: Can you bring us up to speed on your progress since you went public in August with the BRD's intentions of securing an IRL event for Baltimore?

Jay Davidson: The city of Baltimore has assigned a group of representatives from the Baltimore Development Corporation's Department of Transportation and the city's solicitor's office to lay the groundwork needed to address the various details for the race. We are working very closely with the all of the surrounding communities, addressing such concerns as the noise levels of the racing event itself, traffic congestion in their neighborhoods and the impact such an event will have on the entire community and the businesses in the region.

We are working very closely with the DOT and the IRL's design engineers developing the road course and deciding what the true costs will be. Our early estimation for this part of the project is in the $3-5 million area, somewhat lower than what we anticipated going into the venture.

Right now, our main focus is working with all the businesses and residents who will be impacted the most and develop a comprehensive plan that will work for everyone involved.

PB: Regarding the race course itself, there have been several downtown races over the years that have failed miserably, most recently the American LeMans race in Washington, D.C. How is BRD addressing the various issues that have killed some of these events in years past?

JD: We have studied numerous racing events that have failed for a host of reasons over the years, but I would like to address the D.C. race because it is so close to Baltimore and it was held just a few years back.

The promoters of the D.C. American LeMans race did an excellent job in attracting fans to the event. Where they failed, in our opinion, was the lack of community involvement in the areas around RFK Stadium, and the noise issues were not addressed properly. In studying that event, we found several things we can use that were fantastic when it came to attracting a large turnout. They secured excellent partnerships -- in particular GM/Cadillac as a major sponsor of the event -- and a wonderful TV package that also helped to promote a great weekend. We are taking some of the best things they did at that event in Washington, and in turn, learning from some of the mistakes they made and building a better program that will fit our race here in downtown Baltimore. 

PB: Several downtown Grand Prix races have been called nothing more than glorified high-speed parades. With virtually very little, if any, passing during the race itself. What is BRD doing to address the issue of producing an exciting race for the fans?

JD: This issue has been discussed in great length with our track design team, the DOT engineers and the IRL. When we were laying out the track, we made every effort to ensure there will be several areas of high-speed passing, at least three or four. The cars will be reaching speeds of 170-180 mph, which is very fast for such an event. I might add, the idea of racing at these speeds through the Inner Harbor is truly exciting, and the IRL is very impressed with our track layout.

PB: What is the current timeline for BRD in securing the race with the IRL, and how many years is the agreement?

JD: We need to partner with the communities first and foremost and resolve their questions with an open door policy from the very beginning. We need the support of both the residents of Baltimore and the business community. We hope to have the traffic issues finished in the next few weeks. Our goal is to keep the communities abreast of our work on a weekly basis and we will provide detailed information of our impact studies and begin work on closing our proposal by the end of the year with the IRL.

April 2010 is the end of the line for us, and our goal at BRD is to actually close the deal way before then. With the help of all involved, we are very confident as we move forward.

PB: Why racing in Baltimore?

JD: The Inner Harbor is a perfect site for such an event. The positives are numerous; we can go on for hours discussing why Baltimore is the perfect spot for the race. The main reason is the IRL does not have a race in this region. The demographics in the Mid-Atlantic are second to none, and the opportunity for the city to host this event for several years, not just a few, is perfect right now. We are talking to several major partners who look at this event as a fantastic opportunity -- a unique event that can help them promote their company and the region all rolled into one.

We are in this for the long haul and we are very excited about the race coming in 2011.

Interview conducted by Paul Lonsdale 

Issue 142: October 2009