brd_492x3251Baltimore Racing Development, LLC (”BRD”) has been formed to bring a “Grand Prix” street race to Baltimore in 2011. The race would be sanctioned by the Indy Racing League (the “IRL”), the premiere “open-wheel” racing circuit in the United States. The IRL’s stars are household names like Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves (who also won ABC television’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2007), Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon (winners of the last two Indy 500s).

Charmed caught up with Jay Davidson, COO of Baltimore Racing Development, to find out more about this proposed street race and what it means for Baltimore.

CHARMED| What is the BRD and how did it get started?
Jay | It is a private company made up of businesspeople and investors looking to bring an Indy street race to Baltimore. We have a strong team - our spokesperson is Al Unser, Jr. a two-time Indy 500 winner, MJ Promotions (which owned and operated both the Houston Grand Prix and the Cleveland Grand Prix) and Martyn Thake, a world-class track designer (designed Grand Prix race tracks on three continents).

CHARMED| What is an Indy race?
Jay | The Indy cars (Formula One) are more traditional ‘race cars’ as opposed to the NASCAR (stock-car racing).  The IndyCar Racing Series is the only open wheel league racing in North America.  The IRL’s season includes races on traditional oval tracks, including the world famous Indianapolis 500, and on temporary “Grand Prix” street tracks (i.e. the Long Beach Grand Prix, the Toronto Grand Prix and the St. Petersburg Grand Prix).

CHARMED| Currently, what cities make up the Indy circuit?
Jay | There are (17) races on the circuit, with (12) being in the United States.  Indy has a cap (20) on the number of races on their circuit, so this so this is really our only opportunity to get Baltimore in the circuit.

CHARMED| Why is Baltimore a good location for the race?
Jay | Currently, Indy doesn’t have any races in the Mid-Atlantic. The management team sees that this corridor between Northern VA, DC, Philadelphia and New York aligns very well with their fan base, and the area is basically an untapped market for them.

CHARMED| Where would the race take place?
Jay | The track would run through the City of Baltimore (Pratt St. Russell St, Light St.) along Harborplace.

CHARMED| What would the race mean to the city?
Jay | It would be great publicity for the city of Baltimore and the State of Maryland.  Based on attendance at other events and the proximity to major East Coast cities, we expect attendance in excess of 150,000 from Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia as well as the greater New York area over the three days. It would generate as much as $100 million.

CHARMED| MJ Promotions called this a “Three-Day Festival of Speed” vs. a “Race.” What does that mean?
Jay | The Indy street events are more than just a race. Only 50% of the people there are avid race fans. The actual street race lasts about 2 ½ - 3 hours, so there are lots of events around the race to make people enjoy themselves and come back. There are so many other things going on to make the race appealing to everyone  - black-tie event, sports races, corporate tents, musical acts, and various entertainment.

CHARMED| What is the goal for the Baltimore Grand Prix.
Jay | This would be an annual race on the Indy circuit. Initially, we would want Indy to sign a 5-year contract, but we would pursuing a contract like Long Beach which is a 35-year. The Baltimore Grand Prix would be the largest IndyCar Racing Series event other than the Indy 500.

CHARMED| What obstacles need to overcome?
Jay | We’ve been working on this project for over two years. We have to have three contracts in order to make this race happen. There will need to be $12 - $14 million dollars raised for the project. Just the street barriers alone cost $2 million dollars.
1) contract with the City of Baltimore – they need to provide a race-ready road
2) contract with Camden Yards and Ravens Stadium because a portion of the race runs along the stadiums
3) sanction fee with Indy league

CHARMED| When would the bid be awarded?
Jay | We should know by April if Baltimore has won the bid for August 2011.

CHARMED| What other cities are competing for the race?
Jay | Houston, Boston, Cleveland are the cities I have heard.

CHARMED| What is your personal motive behind your mission with BRD?
Jay | I am a lawyer by training and at one point in my life did some sports marketing. It’s an opportunity to work in sports and be associated with a great, historical event to Baltimore. And, obviously I’ve made a financial investment in the race.

CHARMED| How is this proposal different than what Mayor William Donald Schafer had previously proposed?
Jay | I don’t know much about that other than the previous proposal didn’t get very far.

CHARMED| How can people join the cause?
Jay | Check out our website – www.baltimoreracingdevelopment.com and become a fan on facebook.

To learn more about or to volunteer for the 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix, visit www.baltimoreracingdevelopment.com.