Editorial: Give Boston’s IndyCar race a green flag

[unhappycamper]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/03/19/give-boston-indycar-race-green-flag/2nptTeHT68N38IbdZ57eUP/story.html



Cars navigated a turn during the IndyCar Series Baltimore Grand Prix in 2013.

Give Boston’s IndyCar race a green flag
March 20, 2016

The Labor Day weekend forecast calls for high-velocity action, with roaring 700-horsepower engines, squealing brakes, and swarming crowds. Start your engines.

The IndyCar race and related events scheduled for Sept. 2-4 in the Seaport District promise the kind of spectacle Boston’s old guard would have fled from in fifth gear. Consider that the centerpiece will be a 2.2-mile course that can handle cars zooming at speeds of up to 180 miles per hour. Not exactly a laid-back holiday weekend on the waterfront. While some skeptics remain loudly opposed, city and state agencies have for months been working closely with the race’s organizers to ensure that the first-ever Grand Prix of Boston is entertaining and safe, without a single taxpayer dollar being put at risk. If the planning pans out, the race will provide a burst of excitement — as well as a financial boost — to offset the malaise that typically descends at summer’s end. But before organizers get the green flag, they must gain approvals and permits related to construction, traffic, public safety, alcohol sales, security, and other matters — a checklist that should call attention to any serious flaws in need of fixing.

The race, which is being privately financed at an undisclosed cost, is part of the popular Verizon IndyCar circuit. By the time the professional drivers pull into town, they already will have made stops in Detroit, Indianapolis, Toronto, and other locations. Organizers of the Boston event began selling tickets last week, and say about 22,000 were bought almost immediately. They estimate 170,000 people will attend one or all of the three days, which also will feature musical performances, beer gardens, a “family fun zone,” fireworks, and a job fair for veterans. Therace promoters hope to make the Grand Prix of Boston an annual happening over the next five years.

That depends on how smoothly things go in September. Because multiple jurisdictions are involved — due to the course geography — the race faces many layers of scrutiny, including from the City of Boston, the state Department of Transportation, Massport, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, and the United States Postal Service. In addition, the promoters have submitted an application to the Boston Public Improvements Commission, which regulates rights of way. That board has scheduled a March 31 public hearing on the matter.

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This is just another stupid idea to make $$$$ off of sports; similar to GE moving its corporate HQ to Boston.

What does Boston gain from sponsoring these races? How much do the mystery investors and Verizon make from this?

My personal take is fuck no.