Revisiting the Vegas Grand Prix 16 years later
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — In seven months, the Las Vegas Strip will echo with the sounds of Formula 1 when grand prix racing returns to the valley. Organizing, managing and pulling off a race like this is a major challenge, but it’s not the first time Las Vegas valley streets have been turned into a race track.
This is not about the F1 races at Caesars Palace. This was the Champ Car World Series that raced around downtown and what’s now called the Arts District. The 2007 Vegas Grand Prix for the Champ Car series happened was April 6, 2007 — 16 years ago.
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Champ Car driver Will Power drives during the Vegas Grand Prix on April 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison) -
Champ racing cars make their way along the track with the World Market Center in the background during practice for the Vegas Grand Prix on April 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ Car driver Will Power drives through downtown Las Vegas during the Vegas Grand Prix on April 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison) -
Paul Tracy, of Canada, drives during the first qualifying run of the Vegas Grand Prix on April 6, 2007. Tracy finished first. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Simon Pagenaud, of France, drives during the first qualifying run of the Vegas Grand Prix on April 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ car driver Sebastien Bourdais, of France, drives during the first qualifying run of the Vegas Grand Prix on April 6, 2007. Bourdais finished third. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ Car driver Will Power celebrates his victory during the Vegas Grand Prix on, April 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison) -
Champ Car driver Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Vegas Grand Prix on April 8, 2007. The 26-year-old from Australia was thrilled to get the win under his belt after only 17 starts in the Champ Car World Series, but he has bigger goals in mind than winning races or becoming the first from his country to win in the American open-wheel series. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ Car driver Will Power receives a back full of champagne from fellow driver Robert Doornbos while celebrating in victory lane on April 8, 2007, in Las Vegas. Power took first place and Doornbos came in second. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison) -
Members of Newman Haas Lanigan racing team confer by Sebastien Bourdais’ Champ race car before practice on April 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Simon Pagenaud, of France, drives his car during the first qualifying run on April 6, 2007Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ Car driver Will Power, of Australia, crosses the finish line on April 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ Car driver Katherine Legge, of England, drives her car during the Vegas Grand Prix on April 8, 2007. Legge finished 11th. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The track for the 2007 Las Vegas Grand Prix took drivers south from the start/finish line on South Grand Central Parkway, a left turn onto West Bonneville heading east, another left turn onto Main Street, a quick right onto Carson followed by a quick left onto Bridger, left on Casino Center, right back onto Carson, left onto South 4th Street, left onto Ogden Avenue, and finally through the Grand Central Parkway tunnel back to the start/finish line.
One of the driving forces behind the race was Dale Jensen, a Phoenix businessman who admits he spent millions to throw a “great party” but ultimately lost his investment. “The bad side was what it cost me,” Jensen told 8newsnow.com. “It was expensive.”
At the time, Champ Car was one of the top racing series in the country. While race organizers hoped to put on a show and make money, the city wanted to bring more people back downtown. This was one of the events that started downtown’s revitalization.
In 2007 Jorge Cervantes was the city’s deputy director of public works. Today, he’s the city manager. “It took a lot of people and a lot of planning to pull this off,” Cervantes told 8newsnow.com. “It was a big effort. We hadn’t closed down that portion of downtown before.”
As the race weekend started, there were 40,000 fans lining downtown streets. A major difference between the 2007 Grand Prix and the 2023 Grand Prix will be the cost for fans. In 2007 it was free to watch the race.
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Paul Tracy, of Canada, drives his car during the first qualifying run of the Vegas Grand Prix auto racing on Friday, April 6, 2007, in Las Vegas. Tracy finished first. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Paul Tracy, right, takes a lead against Sebastien Bourdais, center, during Champ Car Hurricane Relief 400 in Las Vegas, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ car driver Paul Tracy, center, of Canada, gets in to his car during practice for the Vegas Grand Prix auto racing on Saturday, April 7, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
Champ car driver Paul Tracy, of Canada, holds a tow strap as his car his towed during practice for the Vegas Grand Prix auto racing on Saturday, April 7, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
While the drivers ended up liking the track layout on the streets of Las Vegas, for locals there was a different sentiment. Some businesses were cut off from traffic because of the track layout. “How do you keep businesses going and how do you keep people commuting while all this is being set up,” Cervantes said.
This race was supposed to return for two more years but that never happened because the Champ Car series folded.
“After the problems, we found getting the sponsorship and those types of things for the race, I didn’t have the stomach to try it again,” Jensen said. In the end, he said he lost around $6 million.
“It was successful in that it was a good race, everybody had a good time,” Jensen added. “I ended up losing, but whatever.”
