The streets around Oriole Park at Camden Yards (above, foreground) and the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore are officially going to play host to the "Fastest Racing in the World." Details from the lovely Baltimore Sun can be found HERE.
First off, the promoter (Baltimore Racing Development Corp.) puts up the claim that the cars will reach past 180 miles per hour on this track, and I have to believe that's true. Going off the map from BRD's original proposal, the blast across the harbor on Light Street will easily get 150 mph, and the drive down Pratt Street will likely hit 180 or 190, depending on the smoothness of the track.
Another nice thing about Baltimore is that, like downtown Indianapolis, everything is fairly close to everything else. From east to west, within about 10 city blocks, you have a set of fine hotels and restaurants, the Pier 6 Amphitheater (if this isn't utilized in the weekend, the promoters fail), more restaurants and the ESPNZone, the Baltimore Aquarium, some old ships (including a WWII sub and the Revolution-era Constitution) that give tours, a couple of malls with good restaurants (try the crab cakes at Phillip's), the Convention Center, and Oriole Park/M&T Bank Stadium. At the south end of the track is the splendid Baltimore Science Center.
(As an aside, you've just been given a tour through, essentially, summer weekends of my entire childhood)
The potential exists for this to actually be a very good event. I'm looking forward to it!
I watched American LeMans, Trans Am and World Challenge racing in D.C. in summer 2002, and it was SO HOT and humid that I was miserable. And I'm a Floridian who doesn't mind being warm. My home thermostat is set at 82 spring -- autumn while I use slow-turning ceiling fans, and I close the cold-air vent in my office.
ReplyDeleteI found Canada's weather SO PLEASANT during IndyCar weekends while the D.C. concrete jungle - RFK stadium parking lot - was so hot with stagnant, humid air (and many hot race cars).
Would you expect an August race on that site in Baltimore to be different?
Not at all...If they race in August, expect heat, humidity, and the occasional storm. I was at the race at RFK as well and, while it was hot, the fans in the DC area certainly showed up to see what the deal was. Baltimore could end up being similar, especially since the MARC train drops you off right in the middle of the action there.
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