Grand Prix of Miami (open wheel racing)
TheGrand Prix of Miamirefers to an intermittent series ofAmerican open wheelraces held inSouth Floridadating back to 1926.AAAheld oneboard trackrace in 1926, and then the facility was destroyed by a hurricane. The popularCART IndyCar World Seriesdebuted in the Miami area in the mid-1980s with astreet circuitatTamiami Park,then returned to race atBicentennial Parkin 1995.
From 1996 to 2010,Homestead-Miami Speedwayhosted the Indy cars on the 1.5-mile oval. TheCARTseries participated from 1996 to 2000, then the event was switched to theIndy Racing Leaguefor 2001–2010. An additional Champ Car race was held for a brief time atBayfront Parkfrom 2002 to 2003.
Fulford–Miami Speedway
[edit]Location | North Miami Beach,Florida,United States |
---|---|
Broke ground | 1925 |
Opened | 1926 |
Closed | 1926 |
Architect | Carl Fisher Ray Harroun |
Major events | Carl G. Fisher Trophy |
Oval | |
Surface | Wood |
Length | 2.01 km (1.25 miles) |
Turns | 4 |
Banking | 50° |
In 1925,Carl Fisher(who built theIndianapolis Motor Speedwayin 1909) was developingMiami Beachand envisioned theMiamiarea as the winter auto racing capital of the world. Fisher builtFulford–Miami Speedway,the world's fastest1+1⁄4-mileboard trackin nearbyFulford.The outstanding features of the track were the 50 degree banked turns, which required a speed of at least 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) to keep the cars from sliding down into the infield.
On February 22, 1926, the firstAAAChampionship Carrace inSouth Floridatook place at the facility. A crowd of 20,000 spectators sawPeter DePaolowin the 300-mile (480-km) race, the first and only major race ever held at the facility.[1]
Later in the year, the track was destroyed by theGreat Miami Hurricane of 1926.The site of the oval is now occupied by the Diplomat Presidential Country Club.[citation needed]
Race winners
[edit]Date | Race name | Length | Type | Pole position | Winning driver |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 22 | Carl G. Fisher Trophy | 300 mi (480 km) | Board | Ralph Hepburn | Peter DePaolo |
Tamiami Park
[edit]Location | University Park, Florida,United States |
---|---|
Opened | 1985 |
Closed | 1988 |
Surface | Asphalt/concrete |
Length | 1.784 miles (2.870 km) |
Turns | 10 |
Race lap record | 0:55.062 (Danny Sullivan,Penske PC17-Chevrolet,1987,IndyCar[2]) |
Modern American open wheel racing in the Miami area dates back to 1985. In that year, theCARTseries began racing on a temporary street circuit inTamiami Parka small outdoor sports facility in the nearby suburb ofUniversity Park.The race lasted through 1988, and on two occasions (1987 and 1988) included the CARTMarlboro Challengeall starrace.
In each of the four years it was held, it served as the CART season finale. The inaugural event in 1985 featured a famous championship battle between the father-and-son duo ofAl Unser, Sr.andAl Unser Jr.WithDanny Sullivanleading in the waning laps, Unser Jr. was running third, and for the moment, mathematically was going to clinch the championship points title. His father Al Sr. was charging in 5th place, and needed to move up to 4th in order to clinch the title for himself andPenske Racing.Despite personal misgivings about potentially robbing his own son of a championship, Al Sr. passed 4th placeRoberto Morenowith only a handful of laps remaining, and held on to the checkered flag. By finishing 4th, Unser, Sr. beat his son in the championship standings by one point.
Rain plagued the race three out of four years, and after the 1988 running, CART officials announced they were not returning.[3]The primary reason was that CART wanted to change the date of the race to either September or to the spring. But promoterRalph Sanchezdid not want to move the race to September due tohurricane season,and did not want to move the race to the spring because it would create a conflict with theIMSA racehe also promoted.
A significant portion of the course layout was razed for the construction ofFIU Stadiumin 1994. Some subtle remains of the circuit were recognizable as of the early 2010s.
Race winners
[edit]Season | Date | Race name | Winning driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | November 10 | BeatriceIndy Challenge | Danny Sullivan | March | Cosworth | Penske Racing |
1986 | November 9 | NissanIndy Challenge | Al Unser Jr. | Lola | Cosworth | Shierson Racing |
1987 | November 1 | NissanIndy Challenge | Michael Andretti | March | Cosworth | Kraco Racing |
1988 | November 6 | NissanIndy Challenge | Al Unser Jr. | March | Chevrolet | Galles Racing |
Marlboro Challenge winners
[edit]Season | Date | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | October 31 | Bobby Rahal | Lola | Cosworth | Truesports |
1988 | November 5 | Michael Andretti | Lola | Cosworth | Kraco Racing |
American Racing Series (Indy Lights) history
[edit]Season | Date | Winning driver |
---|---|---|
1986 | November 9 | Fabrizio Barbazza |
1987 | November 1 | Jeff Andretti |
1988 | November 6 | Tommy Byrne |
Museum Park
[edit]Location | Miami, Florida,United States |
---|---|
Opened | 1986 (first) 2015 (second) |
Closed | 1995 (first) |
Surface | Asphalt/concrete |
Length | 1.873 (first) 1.345 (second) miles (3.014 (first) 2.170 (second) km) |
Turns | 10 (first) 8 (second) |
In 1995, race promoter Ralph Sanchez brought open wheel racing back to Miami. In the aftermath ofHurricane Andrew,he began redeveloping a devastated area ofHomestead, Florida,into theHomestead Motorsports Complex.From 1983 to 1994, Sanchez had promoted very successful IMSA and Trans-AmracesatBayfront ParkandBicentennial ParkalongBiscayne Bay.
Sanchez revived the Bicentennial Park circuit for one season as aCARTrace, while Homestead was still under construction. The Bicentennial Park circuit was a semi-permanent circuit which featured purpose-built roads in the park area, along with a temporary segment taking it out onBiscayne Boulevardnear the entrance to thePort of Miami.
For the 1995 event, the circuit was run in the opposite direction (clockwise) as it had previously been contested (counter-clockwise). This was done mainly for safety reasons, as the faster Indy cars would find IMSA turn one too tight and prone to accidents. A small kink/chicane was added at the end of the long backstretch (now running northbound) to control speeds. Two of the turns were also widened and slightly re-worked, but that did not significantly alter the layout. The race was won byJacques Villeneuve,and was the1995 CART seasonopener.
Less than three years after the lone CART race in 1995, the layout of the Bicentennial Park racing circuit was partially razed for construction ofAmerican Airlines Arena.In the early 2010s, most of the remaining vestiges of the circuit were completely demolished due to the construction of the newScience MuseumandArt Museumon the site.
This area was later used for a new circuit, known as theBiscayne Bay Street Circuit.Promoted byMichael Andretti,a 1.3 mile, eight-turn circuit in the area debuted for the2014–15 Formula E season.In Formula E, the pit lane is used to store cars for the car change that takes place during each race, and the pit lane is away from the start-finish line, close to the pit lane. From Turn 4 to Turn 5 on this circuit the cars will take it out to Biscayne Boulevard, and Turns 5 to 8 (and pit lane) are located very close to the original Bicentennial Park circuit layout. The pit lane is in the same vicinity as the original circuit.
Race winners
[edit]Season | Date | Race name | Winning driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | March 5 | MarlboroGrand Prix of Miami | Jacques Villeneuve | Reynard | Ford-Cosworth | Team Green |
2015 | March 14 | Miami ePrix | Nicolas Prost | Spark | Renault | e.dams |
Indy Lights
[edit]Season | Date | Winning driver |
---|---|---|
1995 | March 5 | Greg Moore |
Atlantic Championship
[edit]Season | Date | Winning driver |
---|---|---|
1995 | March 4 | Patrick Carpentier |
Homestead–Miami Speedway
[edit]IndyCar Series | |
---|---|
Venue | Homestead–Miami Speedway |
First race | 1996 |
First ICS race | 2001 |
Last race | 2010 |
Distance | 300 miles (482.803 km) |
Laps | 200 |
Previous names | CART Champ Car MarlboroGrand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota(1995–2000) IRL/IndyCar InfinitiGrand Prix of Miami presented by 123.com Americatel(2001) 20th Anniversary Miami Grand Prix(2002) Toyota Indy 300(2003–2005) ToyotaIndy 300 Presented byXM Satellite Radio(2006) XM Satellite Radio Indy 300(2007) GAINSCOAuto Insurance Indy 300(2008) Firestone Indy 300(2009) Cafés do Brasil Indy 300(2010) |
TheHomestead–Miami Indy 300was anIndyCarrace held atHomestead-Miami SpeedwayinHomestead, Floridafrom 1996 to 2010.
In 1996, after construction was complete atHomestead Motorsports Complex,CART debuted at 1.5-mile oval with a 200-mile (320 km) event. At the time the layout was a flat, rectangular "mini-Indy"configuration. In 1997, the race was lengthened to 225 miles (362 km), and the configuration was reconstructed to be a traditional oval shape. For each of its years through 2000, the race served as the CART series season opener. CART also used the facility as their venue for" spring training "(off-season testing).
In 2001, the event switched to an IRLIndycar Seriesevent. It was also lengthened to 300 miles (480 km). From 2002 to 2008, the race served as the IndyCar Series season opener. In 2007–2008, the race was held as a night race. After a schedule reorganization, the race was moved to become the season finale for2009and2010 IndyCar Series season.The 2009 race went without a caution, and set a race record average speed of 201.420 mph. The 2010 race was the last IndyCar event at the track in the foreseeable future.
On March 26, 2006 driverPaul Danasuffered fatal injuries in the warmup session before the race when he was involved in a high-speed collision withEd Carpenterat over 215 mph (346 km/h). The race went on as scheduled, but Dana's teammates withdrew from the race.
In 2002–2009, the IndyCar Series race was part of theSpeed Jam,a twin-race combo weekend with theRolex Sports Car Series.
Race winners
[edit]Season | Date | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||||
CART PPG Indy Car World Series/FedEx Championship Series history | ||||||||||
1996 | March 3 | Jimmy Vasser | Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Honda | 133 | 199.5 (321.064) | 1:51:23 | 109.399 | Report |
1997 | March 2 | Michael Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | Swift | Ford-Cosworth | 147 | 220.5 (354.86) | 1:38:45 | 135.478 | Report |
1998 | March 15 | Michael Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | Swift | Ford-Cosworth | 150 | 225 (362.102) | 1:33:39 | 144.339 | Report |
1999 | March 21 | Greg Moore | Forsythe Racing | Reynard | Mercedes | 150 | 225 (362.102) | 1:38:54 | 136.671 | Report |
2000 | March 26 | Max Papis | Team Rahal | Reynard | Ford-Cosworth | 150 | 225 (362.102) | 1:22:01 | 164.788 | Report |
IRL IndyCar Series history | ||||||||||
2001 | April 8 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Panther Racing | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 2:01:12 | 148.508 | Report |
2002 | March 2 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Panther Racing | Dallara | Chevrolet | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 2:08:16 | 140.325 | Report |
2003 | March 2 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | G-Force | Toyota | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:57:06 | 153.71 | Report |
2004 | February 29 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Team Penske | Dallara | Toyota | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:57:56 | 151.094 | Report |
2005 | March 6 | Dan Wheldon | Andretti Green Racing | Dallara | Honda | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 2:05:28 | 142.033 | Report |
2006 | March 26 | Dan Wheldon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:46:14 | 167.73 | Report |
2007 | March 24 | Dan Wheldon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:48:07 | 164.825 | Report |
2008 | March 29 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:44:04 | 171.248 | Report |
2009 | October 10 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:28:28 | 201.42 | Report |
2010 | October 2 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 200 | 300 (482.803) | 1:52:09 | 158.905 | Report |
Indy Lights
[edit]Season | Date | Winning Driver | Circuit | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | March 3 | David Empringham | Oval | |
1997 | March 2 | David Empringham | Oval | |
1998 | March 15 | Shigeaki Hattori | Oval | |
1999 | March 21 | Mario Domínguez | Oval | |
2000 | Not held | |||
2001 | ||||
2002 | ||||
2003 | March 2 | Mark Taylor | Oval | |
2004 | February 29 | Phil Giebler | Oval | |
2005 | March 6 | Travis Gregg | Oval | |
2006 | March 26 | Jeff Simmons | Oval | |
2007 | March 24 | Alex Lloyd | Oval | |
2008 | March 29 | Dillon Battistini | Oval | |
2009 | October 9 | Mario Romancini | Oval | |
2010 | October 2 | Brandon Wagner | Oval |
Atlantic Championship
[edit]Season | Date | Winning Driver | Circuit | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | March 3 | Tony Ave | 1.4-mile (2.3 km) infield road course | |
1997 | March 1 | Anthony Lazzaro | Infield road course | |
1998 | Not held | |||
1999 | ||||
2000 | March 25 | Dan Wheldon | Infield road course | |
March 26 | Buddy Rice |
Bayfront Park
[edit]Location | Miami, Florida,United States |
---|---|
Opened | 2002 |
Closed | 2003 |
Length | 1.15 miles (1.85 km) |
Turns | 13 |
TheCART seriesreturned to the Miami area once again in 2002. TheGrand Prix Americaswas a jointCART/ALMSweekend, which revived a part of the original 1983Bayfront Parkcourse. A 1.387-mile (2.232 km) circuit utilized park roads and extended onto Biscayne Boulevard and 3rd and 4th Streets. In 2003, the layout was changed to drop the 3rd/4th Street loop and added a section on Biscayne Boulevard along the north end of the park.
The race briefly provided two annual open wheel races in the Miami area. The IRL's race at Homestead was in the spring, while this race was held in the fall.
Race winners
[edit]Season | Date | Race name | Winning driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | October 6 | Grand Prix Americas | Cristiano da Matta | Lola | Toyota | Newman/Haas Racing |
2003 | September 28 | Grand Prix Americas | Mario Domínguez | Lola | Ford Cosworth | Herdez Competition |
Atlantic Championship
[edit]Season | Date | Winning driver |
---|---|---|
2003 | September 28 | Michael Valiante |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]Works cited
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Images of Fulford Speedway".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-27.Retrieved2020-01-01.
- ^Galpin, Darren."Tamiami Park track info".Tracks Around the World.Retrieved11 January2010.
- ^Wittenmyer, Gordon (November 8, 1988)."Miami's Indy-car Future, Like Its Past, Is Clouded".Sun Sentinel. Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2014.RetrievedJuly 8,2014.