LVMS accused of blocking F1 efforts

Wednesday, May 6, 1998 | 8:14 a.m.

Tommy Baker has been trying to bring a Formula One race to Las Vegas for the better part of three years, so having to wait another 90 days doesn't seem to bother the founder of United States Grand Prix.

USGP is one of three groups bidding for the rights to develop a 160-acre parcel of land at the south end of the Strip. The Clark County Commission decided Tuesday to hold off awarding the bid for up to 90 days, and Baker said the delay won't hamper his group's attempt to secure a coveted F1 race.

But he's hoping the delay doesn't provide opponents of the F1 proposal -- such as Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- an opportunity to undermine the project more than they already have.

Sources close to the County Commission have told the Sun that Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials are attempting to block USGP's bid to build an 18-hole golf course and 2 1/2-mile F1 circuit in hopes of landing their own F1 race at the Speedway.

But F1 President Bernie Ecclestone reiterated Tuesday that there is no chance of running a Formula One race at the $200 million LVMS complex in North Las Vegas.

"I can confirm that any American Grand Prix would not be on an oval circuit as oval circuits ... are not used for Formula One events," Ecclestone said in a statement faxed to USGP.

Ecclestone has stated on several occasions that he also would not stage an F1 race on an infield road course -- such as the one at LVMS -- at a facility that features an oval track.

"(Ecclestone) has again underscored the fact that ... any American Grand Prix would not be (held) on an oval circuit or at any venue that has an oval track as part of the facility," Baker said. "This has nothing to do with the Las Vegas Speedway, it has to do with all oval tracks.

"There has been ongoing contention by the Speedway that this (race) could happen at their facility. Formula One is not only not going to consider their speedway, they're not going to consider any oval-track speedway in the United States."

In other words, Baker said, a Las Vegas F1 race is either going to be run at his group's proposed track, or it won't be run in Las Vegas.

"If this race gets crunched, it will be (held) in Atlanta or it will be in San Francisco and no one in this town will benefit," Baker said.

While visiting Las Vegas last month, Ecclestone said his preference would be to hold a Formula One race in Las Vegas. The globe-trotting, high-tech series hasn't raced in the U.S. since 1991.

"I think Las Vegas is good for us and I think we would be good for Las Vegas," Ecclestone said. "We've been talking to Tommy Baker here for a long, long time so we certainly owe him a go if he can make it work."

Richie Clyne, chairman of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, did not return a phone message Tuesday seeking comment.

In hopes of bolstering his group's chances of landing the winning bid, Baker released additional information Tuesday about a proposed season-ending Formula One race in Las Vegas -- if his group is chosen to develop the property.

Baker said one of the support races he has proposed to hold in conjunction with the F1 race is an all-star event in which some of America's top drivers will compete in an International Race of Champions-style race on the road course. The IROC series pits drivers from various racing series against each other in indentically prepared cars.

"We would have drivers from (CART), the IRL, NASCAR, NHRA and IMSA, who are born in America ... racing in an IROC-style race around the Grand Prix circuit," Baker said. "All the top-name American drivers will be here in a support race ... guys like Dale Earnhardt, Al Unser Jr., and Michael Andretti."

Baker said his group's golf course/race track facility, if built, would present a financial windfall to the county. USGP's proposal, Baker said, would guarantee the county a minimum of $500,000 a year in rent over the 50-year length of the lease.

At the end of the lease, the development would be turned over to Clark County without compensation, Baker said.

"Based on our projections, we're going to pay over $50 million in rent over the term of the lease," Baker said. "Despite what has been said in (one published report), we're not getting a free ride by any means.

"With the exposure a Formula One race would bring to Las Vegas ... plus what (the county) is going to be getting in rent over the term of the lease, our deal just gets better and better and better. As far as we're concerned, our proposal is laps ahead of the field."

A Formula One race in Las Vegas, Baker said, would benefit the entire community -- including Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"We're trying to be a community-wide event," Baker said. "We want to involve all the casinos, we want to involve the downtown area, we want to involve the Speedway."

But for now, it's just sit back and wait.

"We're quite comfortable with the proposed delay, as it will simply enable the commissioners and the staff to know more in-depth the benefits to our project and to get answers to the appropriate questions that have been asked," Baker said.

"We already have an extension from Bernie Ecclestone, in writing, for the time frame that he wants to allow. He has already moved the (race) date back to the year 2000. Originally, in the proposal, he had said he wanted a race by the year 1999."