More details emerge for Ft. Lauderdale Grand Prix

The Fort Lauderdale street race is apparently moving forward and could end up on the 2013 IndyCar and ALMS schedule despite being left off in the initial calendar. The Broward County Commission has a request for discussion about potential sponsorship of Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday (today), and the proposal offers a wealth of details about the event.

We got our hands on the Andretti Sport Marketing’s power point that answers a lot of questions.

First off it seems that Tony Cotman’s NZR Consulting firm is working on track design (NZR is responsible for the layout and construction of the street circuits in Sao Paulo and Baltimore.) The weekend would feature ALMS and a vintage car race, but as of yet there was no references to any of the Road to Indy support series. They are seeking a five year contract with a three year option.

Also. They included a proposed track diagram running along the beach on A1A South with a hairpin before turning north on A1A past the Ft. Lauderdale Aquatic Center with a couple left-right-left turns on side streets before ending up on Cortez Street, which would be a short stretch followed by a 90 degree right hander back onto A1A South. The track looks like it has at least three to four good passing areas, a beautiful backdrop and a number of hotels would fall within the track’s footprint. There’s also a number of parking lots that can be used for corporate hospitality and other attractions. Reading through the Ft. Lauderdale City Council it appears there are plans to renovate the Aquatic Center to use it as a viewing area for the grand prix.

A proposed layout for Fort Lauderdale Grand Prix, which could take place as early as 2013

The current Izod IndyCar Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay lives in Ft. Lauderdale. A number of drivers including Helio Castroneves, and Tony Kanaan live in nearby Miami. Hunter-Reay’s main sponsor DHL is based in Plantation. Organizers are expecting 120,000 spectators over three days with 63,000 in attendance race day. Given that Barber Motorsports Park is pulling in 50,000 on race day, 60,000 in Ft. Lauderdale seems reasonable.

Highlights from Andretti Sports Marketing PowerPoint

View along main straight with beach to the right