Caesars Palace Grand Prix

For other races in Las Vegas, see Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Coordinates: 36°07′1″N 115°10′30″W / 36.11694°N 115.17500°W / 36.11694; -115.17500

Caesars Palace Grand Prix
Caesars Palace - Las Vegas
Race information
Number of times held 4
First held 1981
Last held 1984
Most wins (drivers) No repeat winners
Most wins (constructors) No repeat winners
Circuit length 3.650 km (2.268 mi)
Race length 273.750 km (170.100 mi)
Laps 100
Last race (1984)
Pole position
Podium
Fastest lap

The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was a car race held between 1981 and 1984. For the first two years, the race was part of the Formula One World Championship, before becoming a round of the CART series in 1983. Nissan/Datsun was a presenting sponsor of both races.[1]

History

Derek Warwick (Toleman TG182 Hart) at Las Vegas in 1982.

When Watkins Glen went off the schedule after 1980, F1 continued to look west and put an event in Las Vegas for the 1981 campaign. The new race ended the year, whereas Long Beach started it; but Las Vegas was not popular among the drivers, primarily because of the desert heat. It has also been described as one of the worst circuits Formula One has ever visited.[2] The track was laid out in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel and was surprisingly well set up for a temporary circuit: wide enough for overtaking, it provided ample run-off areas filled with sand, and had a surface that was as smooth as glass. Its counter-clockwise direction, however, put a tremendous strain on the drivers' necks. When Nelson Piquet clinched his first World Championship by finishing fifth in 1981, it took him fifteen minutes to recover from heat exhaustion after barely making it to the finish. The 1982 race was won by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell, but that was the end of Formula One racing in Las Vegas since the races had drawn only tiny crowds and the 1981 race turned out to be a huge loss for the hotel.

Following the withdrawal of Formula One, the event was assumed by CART for 1983 and 1984. The circuit was modified with turns 1, 6, and 10 connected in a continuous straight, producing a flat 1.125-mile distorted oval. The two races were contested over 178 laps, a distance of 200.250 miles.[3][4][5] For the 1984 running, the exit of the final corner was widened, increasing lap speeds by around 7 mph from the previous year.[6][7] Following the 1984 race, the circuit disappeared from the calendar, with the location now covered with urban development (namely The Forum and The Mirage).

There have been speculative rumours of a return of a Las Vegas Grand Prix to the F1 calendar. In fact, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 program advertised a possible street circuit along The Strip, but it never materialized. After the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis, rumors again circulated, however, it is one of many circuits linked with future races, and a strict limit on the number of races in a year means Las Vegas is not a favourite for a race.

Winners of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Year Driver Constructor Location Report
1981 Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford Caesars Palace, Las Vegas Report
1982 Italy Michele Alboreto Tyrrell-Ford Report
CART Indy Car history
Year Date Winning Driver Car Team
1983 October 8 United States Mario Andretti Lola-Cosworth Newman/Haas Racing
1984 November 10 United States Tom Sneva March-Cosworth Mayer Motor Racing

See also

References

  1. ↑ Salmans, Sandra (19 August 1982). "ADVERTISING - Nissan Promotion". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ten worst... F1 tracks". F1 Fanatic. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Caeser's Palace". Champcarstats.com. 8 October 1983. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "1983 Caesar's Palace Grand Prix III". Champcarstats.com. 8 October 1983. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "1984 Caesar's Palace Grand Prix IV". Champcarstats.com. 11 November 1984. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "1983 CART Las Vegas grand prix intro". YouTube. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "1984 Caesar's Palace Grand Prix IV Part 1". YouTube. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2012.

External links

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