Lake shore drive race day.

It's a VERY cool concept and don't think I haven't dreamed about it, but that would just cost too much. To close off an entire road kills travel and just would be a **** load of money. To close off Oak street for "Ferraris on Oak Street" cost like 80k or something. It got canceled because the sponsors dropped out. Now if you're saying that the city would fund it, thats just never gonna happen. I would chop off a toe to see this, don't get me wrong I'd be amazing, but unrealistic. Just my input.

-Dan

 

Racing/Indycar fans have long dreamed about a Monaco style GP on Lake Shore Drive with the s/f line and the paddock around the Grand Park area. The idea is cool, no doubt. And will never happen.

 

The city has closed the drive (Lake Shore Drive, aka LSD) for various events, including triathlons, biathlons (dualthons) and "bike the drive", etc. It's usually a Sunday morning.

 

I remember a few years back there was talk about doing it; like was done in London I believe? You know, the whole Monaco thing.

As an aside, why am I hearing a bunch of serious fireworks going off tonight?

 

During the summer there are fireworks on many nights. Often around 9:30pm we hear the thunder and then look out and sure enough, there they are over Navy Pier.

 

If I remember (I was a kid at the time) correctly former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne had been a big supporter of bringing an Indy or F1 race to Chicago. However, she could never get the city council to go for it. With the current mayor, Maybe you could get a bicycle race, but an auto race would be a tough sell. Too bad, since we all can imagine how incredible that would be!

 

It was back in 79 or 80. I was so excited--they got far enough into the process to actually conduct a ceremonial lap. Mike Royko of all people was integral in drumming up resistance by preaching to people how significantly the event would disrupt their lives by blocking roads, closing parks, etc. The City Council buckled at the final vote believing that the letter-writers spoke for everyone.

But if you want to see racing on LSD, all you need to do is go out and watch the dozens of rice rockets flying up and down the Drive. Yesterday afternoon I was at the park and saw a group of 20+ tearing up and down Lake Shore, over and over.

 

Would be great but just image the spoilers and undercarragies as you go between Irving Park and Belmont !!!!!

 

+1 on the Rice Burners. I live right above them and look down on them constantly at Randolph

 

I hear 'em all night long. I call 'em organ donors.

 

nice spelling on my part....undercarriage it shouldbe...jeeezzz

 

There is quite a story behind this. This all happened back when I was working for the City of Chicago. I was Chief of Design for the Bureau of Architecture and got a call one day asking me to participate in a special project to hold a Formula One race in downtown Chicago. (The people in the Mayor's office knew I was a big F1 fan.) The idea originated with the late Arnie Morton. He wanted a signature event to pair with his Taste of Chicago. In addition to being a chum of Mayor Byrne and her husband, Jay McMullin, he was good pals with Carl Haas and brought him in as the racing expert. Not surprisingly, the project shifted to being a Champ Car race (for all sorts of very logical reasons). Burdette (Burdie) Martin of ACCUS and the FIA was also involved. I remember having dinner at "Arnies" with those three and several of the Mayor's people. I was really charged up about the thing. We had the track all laid out. Pits and paddock were along McFetridge between the Field Museum and the Park District offices north of Soldier Field. The cars then went north on the drive west of the Field Museum, wound past Buckingham Fountain with a couple chicanes, then went back east at the north end of the park and then back south on the drive back to the museum area. (You have to remember, this was before Lake Shore drive was re-aligned.) I think I still have a plan of the track someplace. We had almost all the various city agencies on board when the project suddenly was killed. The "culprit" was the not-for-profit organization, The Friends of the Parks. They came down hard on the Mayor, claiming that the race, coupled with Taste of Chicago, would prevent people from enjoying the park. They were especially concerned about the use of the softball fields at the south end. Too bad. It would have been very, very cool. And the TV coverage of the Chicago lakefront would have been spectacular. One think I do remember is what I said when the Mayor's office told me why the project was being scuttled. "You have got to be #$%^ing kidding me!!!"

 

I'd love to see that map if it could be scrounged up. ?

 

Wow-cool story! I'd definitely love to see a map. Even if you have a map of the old LSD layout that you could redraw it on.

 

+1 on the map.. Would be really interesting to see and frame.

 

We might not get a Monaco like track here, but at least the Olympics: Today the IOC eliminated more candidates and Chicago is in the last 4.

 

Come on Olympics!!!!

 

Would be cool, hopefully one day.

 

Wow, good news to know. Who are the other 3?