WHEN Formula One takes over Las Vegas this weekend, it won’t be for the first time.
The Nevada-based city hosted two races in 1981 and 1982, however, it failed to become a success.
A deal had been agreed for the race to feature as the final stop in the 1981 season and it benefited originally from the track in New York suffering financial difficulty.
Despite excitement about the event taking place in Sin City, there were plenty of issues with the track.
It was labelled the Caesar’s Palace Circuit and was built in a casino car park.
This meant that the terrain was totally flat – making it very tough for drivers – and the course was incredibly windy due to the lack of space available.
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The one positive is that spectators managed to have a good view of most of the 2.27m long course.
The track was disliked by drivers due to its layout and was considered the “least appealing” of all the races on the circuit at the time.
Former racer John Watson said: “You had this totally flat ground and three-foot high concrete barriers so you had very little sense of reference points.
“It was probably the least appealing Grand Prix circuit I think I’ve raced on.
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“‘If you put three paper clips side-by-side that was the layout.
“The facilities weren’t great for the teams, but that wasn’t the reason it fell by the wayside — it was fundamentally because the big spenders didn’t show up.”
The cars did produce exciting races on the track, that saw Alan Jones win in 1981 and Michele Alboreto claim victory in 1982.
Despite this, the attendance did not rise and faded which led to the Caesar’s Palace bosses and F1 to part ways going forward.
F1 took its business around the United States and had races in Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix.
The track in Vegas remained however and was developed into an oval circuit for Indycar racing.
This only lasted for a couple of years and the track was last raced on in 1984.
It has since been demolished with a Polynesian-themed Mirage casino resort being built on one end of the former track.
The rest of the course was then ploughed through to make way for an extension for Caesar’s Palace as well as a shopping centre.
It is not the only abandoned F1 track with the Buddh International Circuit in India also not in use.
The new track that the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will race is considerably longer, 3.8miles, and is located on the other side of the Las Vegas Boulevard.
Fans will also have the opportunity to get married at the Las Vegas GP.
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The chapel – appropriately named ‘Race To The Altar’ – has a feature wall adorned in flowers along with a sign that reads: “Lights Out And Together We Go.”
There is also an F1 show car in the chapel that says “Just Married” on the rear wing.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
