By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The late former LVCVA CEO Rossi Ralenkotter said no to the Formula 1 race on the Strip in Clark County.
Former Mayor Carolyn Goodman also said businesses said no to F1 in the city of Las Vegas downtown area.
The disruptions to the Strip and downtown were too much to bear, the thinking went.
Not anymore.
The current boss of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Steve Hill, worked out a deal with F1 behind closed doors several years ago and now there are four months of building and disassembling a 3.8-mile race circuit in the Strip corridor for the two-hour race in November.
Hill said the annual November event held before Thanksgiving draws 165,000-175,000 visitors.
The F1 race is here in Vegas at least through 2037 thanks to a ten-year, $100 million LVCVA sponsorship deal with the race promoter. Clark County rubberstamped F1’s presence, though Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft, who is a LVCVA board member, would like to see the four-month track construction/breakdown period condensed.
The first Las Vegas Grand Prix was 2023 and it was quite a mess. Lawsuits, traffic jams and lost revenues for businesses dominated headlines.
It’s Year 4 for the controversial race that appears to financially help a small group of Strip corridor hotels, while causing aggravation for locals.
PSA
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