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Thread: 1989 F1 USA GP @ Phoenix AZ ----- 25th anniversary

  1. #1
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    1989 F1 USA GP @ Phoenix AZ ----- 25th anniversary

    Formula one grand prix in Phoenix Arizona downtown street circuit June 4th 1989 today the 25th anniversary.

    I live in Phoenix Arizona and I am privileged to be able to just drive to downtown and ride the same roads that legends like senna, prost, mensell, piquet, berger...etc drove. Downtown did change a bit but %90 of the same streets still exist.

    1989 track route implemented on current 2014 status


    1989 original map


    Sunday race tickets were only $30 ($66 when adjusted for inflation) this is cheap considering the current US F1 tickets cost about $200 the cheapest stands.

    Sports illustrated article from 1989:

    There is a saying—or at least there ought to be—that the driving force behind any project that doesn't appear to make sense is money. Take Sunday's Iceberg U.S.A. Grand Prix-Phoenix. The obvious question was: Why on earth would anyone stage an exotic race for foreign cars through the baking streets of a city in the middle of the Arizona desert in order to promote an Italian line of clothing called Iceberg, which isn't widely sold in the U.S.?

    The answer to the riddle is well known to a diminutive English businessman and multimillionaire named Bernie Ecclestone, 52. A brief summary of Ecclestone's career goes like this: He started selling motorcycles and used cars in London, made enough money to get involved in Grand Prix racing in the '60s. and did pretty well at it, buying his own team in 1971. He became president of the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), an organization of the Grand Prix racing teams, and recently bought a mansion near London from arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, whose current address is a Swiss prison. Ecclestone's work keeps him wheeling and dealing around the world.

    But back to the desert. The story of the Phoenix Grand Prix actually began in 1976 in Long Beach, Calif. Long Beach, which was fraying around the edges at the time, decided to hold a Formula One race through its streets to draw attention to the city, and in that respect, the event succeeded; downtown Long Beach has boomed, and some of the credit must be given to the Grand Prix. The F/1 machines have since touched down in Las Vegas, Dallas and, most recently, Detroit. But when Detroit's deal with F/1 ended after last year's Grand Prix, Phoenix, which had been pushing Ecclestone's FOCA for a race for three years, landed the event. In January, the city council held a special meeting and voted 7-1 to go for it.

    The decision was not applauded by all, however, because the cost to local taxpayers will be about $8 million over the five years of the contract with FOCA. And a lot of local folks couldn't even afford to attend Ecclestone's extravaganza: Standing-room-only tickets were $35 for Sunday's race, while a grandstand seat shaded from the 100� heat went for $200 for a three-day package. And the fact that Ecclestone was a promoter of the event as well as the head of the racers' organization—not an uncommon arrangement—was hard for some to swallow.

    Defending the race was Duane Pell, chairman of the city council's subcommittee on sports. A native of Phoenix who spent 22 years as a city fireman before running for office, Pell figured that a small invasion of funny-talking, effete-looking Europeans would be good for his pickup-truck-driving, cowboy-boot-wearing constituents—folks just like him, he says—under the trickle-down theory.

    "The city's role is clearly defined." he said last week. "We build and maintain the circuit, and that's it. No city money goes to Ecclestone, and all the profits or losses are his. It'll cost us $3 million this year and about $1.2 million per year after that. When you figure how much outside money will be brought into the economy, it's the best pro sports deal on the table. I'm convinced that this is good for the city."

    Phoenix wants to become a mecca of international commerce and tourism, and the main idea behind luring the race to the Arizona desert was to romance the multinational corporate executives that the event's sponsors would bring to the event. Said Pell, "All you need is one or two of the decision-makers to like the area and decide to locate here."

    Equally important to the city fathers—as well as to the major sponsor, Iceberg, a product name all but lost on American consumers—was the television exposure. ESPN's satellite feed was beamed to some 80 countries and more than 200 million viewers.

    Phoenix did a remarkable job of putting the race together in a mere 4� months. All was in readiness by the time the "dog and pony show," as Ecclestone called it, arrived in a caravan of semis that had traveled nonstop from Mexico City, the site of the previous Formula One race. The 2.36-mile, 14-turn circuit through downtown Phoenix was wide and relatively fast—a vast improvement over Detroit, the drivers agreed.

    The drivers, mostly little fellows with exotic names like Tarquini, Nannini and Gugelman, comported themselves much as they do on the more traditional stops on the tour. Formula One drivers are athletes whose intensity toward their sport and indifference to fans and the media are often seen as arrogance. Consider world champion Ayrton Senna of Brazil: With a retainer of more than $5 million per year from his Marlboro McLaren- Honda team, he doesn't need to be popular. "They want to take their money, go to the bank, get in their jets and disappear," said Ecclestone.
    As it happens, Phoenix snared the race at a time when Formula One competition is in serious decline. It has become a game of finance and technology, and the McLaren- Honda team has emerged as vastly superior by virtue of the tidal wave of yen supplied by Honda for engine development. McLaren- Honda includes an army of Japanese technicians and engineers, most of whom seldom emerge from the electronics trailers that, through sophisticated telemetry, monitor scores of engine functions every minute the McLarens are on the track.

    So it was hardly surprising that Senna took the pole position, the 34th pole in the 29-year-old driver's career, breaking the late Jimmy Clark's record of 33. Senna led through the first 33 laps of the 177-mile race, until his car faltered and eventually retired with ignition problems. That allowed his teammate, two-time world champion Alain Prost of France, to win by 39.696 seconds. It was Prost's 36th Grand Prix win, nine more than recorded by Jackie Stewart, who is second on the alltime list.

    But a sentimental victory of sorts went to Eddie Cheever, the man who may turn out to be the savior of the Phoenix race. The only American among the world's three dozen F/1 drivers, the tall, handsome and articulate 31-year-old lives with his wife, Rita, and new daughter in Rome and Monte Carlo. But he was born in Phoenix. It was Cheever's 123rd Grand Prix in 11 trying years on the circuit, and his third-place finish in an Arrows-Ford on Sunday was only the second time he had finished that high since 1983.

    But was the event a success as far as Phoenix was concerned? Was it worth the millions in city funds to impress corporate big shots and TV-watchers in distant lands, even though only 31,000 fans, a lot fewer than expected, paid to watch? Well, maybe hometown boy Cheever had something to do with it, but the folks who did show up seemed to enjoy the day thoroughly. And, hey, Bernie Ecclestone, isn't that what this sport is all about? Bernie?
    1989 los angeles times article:
    PHOENIX — Is there naivete in the Valley of the Sun, or has Phoenix been taken in an international con job?

    The city has anted close to $3 million to bring 39 Formula One drivers and cars from 12 countries to race for two hours Sunday in the United States Grand Prix over a 2.36-mile circuit laid out on downtown streets.
    And city officials have promised to spend upward of $5 million more to bring them back for four more years.

    They also gave Formula One promoter Bernie Ecclestone all TV rights to the race.

    The reasons, in theory, are publicity and profit--to get Phoenix on worldwide TV, to spread its dateline around the world in newspapers and magazines and to attract jet-setting race fans who will bring vast sums of money into the community, where they will eat, sleep and party for a few days.

    Neither idea sits well with operators of two of the area's existing race facilities, Phoenix International Raceway and Firebird Raceway.

    "As someone who has lived here all my life, as well as promoting racing, the deal the city made really bothers me," said Dennis Wood, operations consultant and former owner of PIR. "It was so unnecessary to accomplish what they say they want.

    "We showcase the finest racing in the country--Indy cars, Winston Cup stock cars and sprint cars--in three major events that are televised nationally. And we've never received a single cent in subsidy from the city. Never in the track's history. And we've never asked for any. Buddy Jobe owns the raceway now, and he spends his own money to put on attractive races, as I did before him."

    Charlie Allen, owner-proprietor of Firebird, expressed the same sentiments.

    "We conduct racing every week of the year at Firebird, and our major drag races and boat races are seen on TV and carry Phoenix's name on the news wires," Allen said. "We estimate we generate $8 million to $11 million to the economy of the area.

    "I think it's real wrong that the city is spending the taxpayers' money to subsidize a race like this just to stroke some city officials' egos. If they want to subsidize racing, why don't they do something for us, or PIR. Our racing is better than anything they're likely to see Sunday."

    Another stated reason for bringing the race here, although it lacks a great deal of validity when it means sitting or standing in the sun on a 100-degree day, is that the race gives residents of the Valley of the Sun the chance to see Formula One cars at race speeds.

    They were given an opportunity to watch them free Friday, a decision that was made partially to accommodate office workers inside the race course who did not feel like paying admission to go to work. Only a smattering of spectators lined the fences to watch the first round of qualifying, dominated as usual by Brazilian Ayrton Senna at 94.287 m.p.h.

    Senna has been the pole-sitter for the last seven Formula One races, and 11 of the last 12, in his McLaren-Honda.
    Today, though, it starts to cost big money to watch.

    Standing room is $25 today, $35 on Sunday. Grandstand seats for the weekend range from $85 to $200. Only the $200 seats have an awning cover.

    Corporate boxes cost $6,000 each for 12 seats, and Paddock Club Suites, which are located above the 40 garages built to accommodate the race cars and crews, cost $25,000 each for 40 people.

    Much of the city's original investment went to build the permanent garages and a two-story operations tower. The open-air garages will be used later as a covered parking lot for city employees.

    Another $300,000 was allocated for overtime pay for the police and fire departments. Much of that is going to a special fire department unit and the Good Samaritan Medical Center, which is anticipating a number of heat prostration cases.

    Coincidentally, the center is across the alley from A. L. Moore & Son Mortuary.

    "Not intentional, I can assure you," said one fireman with a sweaty grin.

    The funeral home is inside the track fencing, which severely curtails its business, according to Bill Gumbert, manager.

    "We have two other places in the area to accommodate our customers, but the race certainly has a negative impact on our business," Gumbert said. "If the city had been a bit more considerate at the beginning, I would look more favorably on it, but we have been supportive of the downtown area since 1906, and we had no input into the planning.

    "Even answering our phones has been difficult, because the noise is so intense."

    Another who complained about the noise from 650-horsepower engines reverberating among the high-rise buildings along Washington and Jefferson streets was Ralph Johnson, who operates a shoeshine stand a block from the course.

    "Most of my customers come here to sit and talk while I'm putting on the spit-and-polish," Johnson said. "With all this damn noise, we can't hear a thing."

    Worse than the noise, according to many downtown workers, was the chain-link fencing that surrounds the course.
    "This is ridiculous," said Ray McClure, an attorney. "I work across the street from the county courthouse and I have to wander around for six blocks to get there. The city must have spent half their $3 million just for fencing."

    Among the major benefactors were expected to be hotels and motels, which were projected to be at capacity. But a survey of downtown hotels, including race headquarters at the Hyatt Regency and at the Phoenix Sheraton, found that rooms were plentiful.

    Crowd estimates are falling in the same manner. Last April, news services reported that on-the-site promoter Jack Long expected 60,000 on race day. His estimate is now "between 35,000 to 40,000."

    The ultimate naivete might have been one resident's reaction to the event's official name: Iceberg Phoenix Grand Prix.

    "Isn't that cute, calling it the Iceberg race so visitors won't think about the heat so much," a Sheraton waitress said with a straight face.

    In reality, Iceberg is the name of an exclusive line of Italian casual clothing that specializes in very expensive sweaters.

    Which are definitely not going to be needed in Phoenix this weekend.
    Promoters got lucky that weekend air temperature was unusually cool for that time of the year in Phoenix, temperatures averaged around 95f in the shade, maximum temperature recorded in the shade for downtown Phoenix that day was 97F. Still very hot for the drivers, with all the concrete and direct sunlight, I would estimate they felt more like 110f. This is bellow average, today is 108f in phoenix with excessive heat warning.
    Ticket sales were low, 33k sold. Promoters blamed the summer heat for the low attendance, they were told locals avoid going to events during summer, true fact. This prompted promoters to move the race for the next two years into month of march.
    This was one of the best seasons of formula 1 ever, and to see it do so poorly in USA, is a shame.

  2. #2
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    When they originally announced the Circuit of the Americas race dates they said it would go right before or after Montreal in the middle of June. And I immediately thought well that's a great way to get people to come the just ONE race and never ever want to come back.
    Luckily they chose door number 2 and went with the date in the fall.

  3. #3
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    Wow, it hasn't changed much, has it? Remember when Senna got fooled by a young driver at that Jefferson street turn where he overtook Senna but then he got overtaken by him again in the next lap. That was a good move on Senna actually.



  4. #4
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    I got to bump this up. tomorrow is Sunday June 4th, 28th anniversary to exact same Sunday day. Tomorrow will be 108 degrees fahrenheit. They were lucky they had 97 degrees that day. Wish I still had my time machine so that I can watch Prost win.
    I did drove my E36 on what is left of the track in 2015, here it is:
    Last edited by hakentt; 06-03-2017 at 08:33 PM.

  5. #5
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    USGP tickets start at $180 for the three day general admission pass. I believe Sunday only is $60.

  6. #6
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    today is june 4th and right now I just checked the weather and it is 106f, very hot.

    Quote Originally Posted by burninator View Post
    USGP tickets start at $180 for the three day general admission pass. I believe Sunday only is $60.
    Are you talking about COTA in 2017? if so then prices about the same. But Phoenix was white thrash town back then and no one cared about F1. Even Nascar barely got 50k fans in 1989 in Phoenix with tickets being $10

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