AUGUST 11, 2001

Motor racing goes to Washington

THE American Le Mans Series has signed a 10-year agreement with the authorities in Washington DC for there to be a annual sportscar race on a street circuit laid out around the Robert F Kennedy Memorial stadium in the nation's capital city. The race will be known as The National Grand Prix of Washington D.C. and the first will be run in July next year. The announcement follows the trend in the United States to take racing to the people rather than trying to get people to go to the races.

The city sees the event as a great showcase for and Mayor Anthony Williams made reference to Melbourne, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Montreal is his announcement. The race has been in the planning stages for nearly a year and there were talks with the CART organization but in the end it was decided to concentrate on sportscar racing for the time being. It will be interesting to see how the event develops.

It is worth noting, incidentally, that Jordan sponsor Legg Mason has been involved in the planning of the event.