| Revision as of 09:24, 22 October 2015 editHaken arizona (talk | contribs)221 edits Undid revision 686757519 by Pyrope (talk) This time I did not even use any data from NYT that you accused me of copyrighting, I changed all of the words not few. You are way out of line and power trip← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:43, 22 October 2015 edit undoDiannaa (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators349,458 edits paraphrase and remove copyright content copied from http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/30/sports/auto-racing-grand-prix-moves-to-phoenix.htmlNext edit → | ||
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| ==Summary== | ==Summary== | ||
| At the suggestion of Scottsdale businessman Howard Pynn in 1987, the city of Phoenix began investigating holding a Formula 1 race. Phoenix officials proposed the idea to ], who was then vice president of the ], during the 1987 Detroit Grand prix. In October 1988, the city of Detroit decided to run an ] event instead of Formula 1 in 1989. On January 13, 1989, Phoenix City Council agreed to stage an annual Formula 1 race on a five-year contract. Phoenix city council also voted to spend $9 million of tax payer's money on race circuit infrastructure over the 5 years. It was well known to organizers that Phoenix can be very hot during summer, but nonetheless, Phoenix inherited the Detroit race's scheduled slot of June 4, 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/30/sports/auto-racing-grand-prix-moves-to-phoenix.html|title=Auto Racing; Grand Prix Moves to Phoenix|last=Siano|first=Joseph|date=January 30, 1989|work=The New York Times|accessdate=October 22, 2015}}</ref><ref>New site for grand prix race,Observer Reporter Washington, associated press June 4th 1989</ref> The city had only 4 months to finish the 2.36 mile long circuit in time, which required fencing off and repaving the road surface, building grandstands, garages for the pit crew, and other infrastructure. The project was so massive that local media joked that the city looked as if it was preparing for a ] invasion.<ref>The Phoenix New Times, The Less Than Grand Prix by Tom Fitzpatrick Wednesday, 10 May 1989</ref> | |||
| In the ] in 1989, ] took pole in his ]-] but suffered an electronic failure a little over halfway through the race. The scorching heat of the Phoenix desert made it a nightmare on the teams and drivers and of the 26 cars that started the race, only six finished. ], Senna's teammate, won the race<ref>, ''The Washington Post'', 5 June 1989</ref> ahead of ] and ] native ]. Fourth-placed ] scored what turned out to be his final points-scoring finish. His ] team also would never score points in Formula One competition again. | In the ] in 1989, ] took pole in his ]-] but suffered an electronic failure a little over halfway through the race. The scorching heat of the Phoenix desert made it a nightmare on the teams and drivers and of the 26 cars that started the race, only six finished. ], Senna's teammate, won the race<ref>, ''The Washington Post'', 5 June 1989</ref> ahead of ] and ] native ]. Fourth-placed ] scored what turned out to be his final points-scoring finish. His ] team also would never score points in Formula One competition again. | ||
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 The track in 1989 and 1990  The track in 1991 | |
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
|---|---|
| Major events | Formula One |
| Length | 3.72 km (2.312 miles) |
| Turns | 15 |
| Race lap record | 1:21.434 (Ayrton Senna, McLaren-Honda, 1991) |
The Formula One United States Grand Prix was held on the Phoenix street circuit in Phoenix, Arizona, between 1989 and 1991. It was held in downtown by the Phoenix Civic Plaza and the America West Arena, prior to the introduction of the state's baseball stadium, Bank One Ballpark. The United States Grand Prix lasted in Phoenix for three years, but was ultimately dropped due to poor fan turnout. There were no further Formula 1 races in the US until the Indianapolis Motor Speedway first held a Grand Prix in 2000.
Summary
At the suggestion of Scottsdale businessman Howard Pynn in 1987, the city of Phoenix began investigating holding a Formula 1 race. Phoenix officials proposed the idea to Bernie Ecclestone, who was then vice president of the Formula One Group, during the 1987 Detroit Grand prix. In October 1988, the city of Detroit decided to run an Indy car event instead of Formula 1 in 1989. On January 13, 1989, Phoenix City Council agreed to stage an annual Formula 1 race on a five-year contract. Phoenix city council also voted to spend $9 million of tax payer's money on race circuit infrastructure over the 5 years. It was well known to organizers that Phoenix can be very hot during summer, but nonetheless, Phoenix inherited the Detroit race's scheduled slot of June 4, 1989. The city had only 4 months to finish the 2.36 mile long circuit in time, which required fencing off and repaving the road surface, building grandstands, garages for the pit crew, and other infrastructure. The project was so massive that local media joked that the city looked as if it was preparing for a Soviet invasion.
In the inaugural race in 1989, Ayrton Senna took pole in his McLaren-Honda but suffered an electronic failure a little over halfway through the race. The scorching heat of the Phoenix desert made it a nightmare on the teams and drivers and of the 26 cars that started the race, only six finished. Alain Prost, Senna's teammate, won the race ahead of Riccardo Patrese and Phoenix native Eddie Cheever. Fourth-placed Christian Danner scored what turned out to be his final points-scoring finish. His Rial team also would never score points in Formula One competition again.
In an attempt to beat the scorching Arizona heat, the event was moved to become the season opener the next year, held on March 11, 1990. Senna recovered from his near miss in '89 to win the Grand Prix. Jean Alesi finished 2nd, making his mark as a driver to watch in the future as he pressured the Brazilian world champion in a Tyrrell, a car that was average at best compared to the McLaren. Alesi's teammate, Satoru Nakajima, also scored a point in that race. The event was the only time a Minardi made it onto the front row of the grid, as Pierluigi Martini qualified 2nd behind Gerhard Berger.
The last United States Grand Prix held in Phoenix was on March 10, 1991, with Senna again claiming victory. Again reliability was a factor, with only nine cars still running at the end of the race. For a second straight season both Tyrrells finished in the points; Stefano Modena, who had replaced the Ferrari-bound Alesi, in fourth heading Nakajima in fifth. The death blow for the organizers came when word arose that a local ostrich festival had drawn more people than the Grand Prix.
See also
- Grand Prix Arizona – a planned Champ Car race to be held on a different street circuit in Phoenix
References
- Siano, Joseph (January 30, 1989). "Auto Racing; Grand Prix Moves to Phoenix". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- New site for grand prix race,Observer Reporter Washington, associated press June 4th 1989
- The Phoenix New Times, The Less Than Grand Prix by Tom Fitzpatrick Wednesday, 10 May 1989
- "Prost Gains 1st Victory of Year;Wins Phoenix Grand Prix", The Washington Post, 5 June 1989
33°26′52.5″N 112°4′28.5″W / 33.447917°N 112.074583°W / 33.447917; -112.074583
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