Grand Prix of Cleveland and Puerto Rico Grand Prix


Situation: Both venues required the conversion of an operating airport into a fully functional racetrack.


Our Role: Like all other temporary circuit venues, these events require ground up design, facility construction and tear-down each year.  The events in both Cleveland and Puerto Rico, however, have the added complication of taking place on the grounds of a fully operational airport.  This requires the added involvement of coordination with civil aviation authorities.  Moreover, project planning and timing for these events must run on tighter and more precise schedules so as not to interfere with airport operations beyond the specified times.


For the Grand Prix of Cleveland at the Burke Lakefront Airport on the edge of downtown Cleveland, the planning and operations begin twelve months in advance of the actual event. However, the racetrack itself can only receive its final, yet critical finishing touches, only once flight operations have been suspended–four hours prior to the first scheduled on track session.  Likewise, flight operations must resume only two hours after the conclusion of the last on-track activity.  Thus, only six hours are all that is allotted to convert an active airport into a world-class racetrack and back again to an active airport.  In all a crew of 300, working for a combined 90,000 hours under the management of MCS, are required to complete the event.


The months of planning and preparation culminate in a highly coordinated operation to place 867, five-ton concrete blocks that comprise the circuit walls, 1.5 miles of debris fencing and 280 tire barriers that consist of 64 tires each not to mention miles of power and communication cables in order to have an operational racetrack.  In the months and weeks ahead, all of the materials and equipment need to be amassed and precisely staged so that circuit construction can be completed flawlessly.  Additionally, the race venue infrastructure complete with grand stands for 30,000 spectators, corporate entertainment suites, crowd control fencing, a media center and the positioning of race teams, concessions, vendors, sanitation and television production must all be completed while the airport is fully operable.


To date, we are the only motorsports venue management company to have successfully completed two separate airport circuit events in North America.

CASE STUDIES

Brainerd International Raceway (BIR)


Situation:  A 40 year-old facility with new ownership. Over the past 20 years Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) has gravitated toward an almost exclusively drag racing facility. The new owners wanted to revitalize road racing at the track, which would require design upgrades to the safety system for the existing 3-mile road course.  The owners also wish to add a new course to fit inside the existing facility, utilizing the signature turns of the old track, but allowing simultaneous use of various parts of the facility for different events or groups.


Our Role:  MCS was retained by the new owners to upgrade the existing facility and incorporate a new course within the design. When construction is complete, BIR will have a National level NHRA drag strip, a new 2 mile road course (designed and built to the latest standards), regulation skid pad, autocross course, school teaching and maintenance facilities and residential condominiums.  All of these facilities can be used separately at the same time or in conjunction with one another. MCS is in the process of upgrading the original 3 mile road course to current standards with additional safety upgrades to accommodate professional motorcycle racing.

AutoSport Country Club and Resort


Situation:  The development of the first motorsports and automotive lifestyle country club in Canada.

Our Role:  As in the Genoa, Colorado project, MCS has been brought in to create the project’s master plan including facility and track design as well as to manage the overall project.

Still in its very early stages of planning and development, the project owners wish to keep the venue location confidential in advance of a formal announcement.  However, we can reveal that the project will consist of a 500-acre parcel of land that includes approximately 2000 feet of lake frontage.  A 2.5-mile, road circuit will be supported by a garage area that will contain live-in lofts above.  The entire facility will be anchored by a 30,000 square-foot country club, corporate entertainment facility and auto-museum.  Finally, non-automotive amenities will be comprised of rental condominiums, private homes, an 18-hole golf course and sailing/rowing club.

Genoa Motorsports Park, Genoa, Colorado


Situation:  A private group of developers wish to build a motorsports country club complete with an FIA certified road course that can be used in multiple configurations.


Our Role:  MCS has been brought in to create the Master Site Plan including track and facility design.  Once the final site determination is made and sale of land is completed we will begin with assisting in the permitting phase that will lead to the development of the site implementation of the Master Site Plan including all aspects of construction through to site completion.


Grand Prix of Houston and Grand Prix of Denver


Situation: While both of these events are promoted by different entities, their needs and situation were nearly identical.  Both events utilize the grounds of major sporting arenas (Reliant Park in Houston and the Pepsi Center in Denver), faced hurdles from civic governments and local businesses as well as continued to operate major events in the months leading up to and immediately after the race event took place.  In addition, both events required full-time operations management.


Our Role: MCS designed the original track layout and master site plan for Houston and design and facility improvements for Denver.  Crucially, after each event, lessons learned were implemented into the following year’s event in an effort to continually improve the overall event.  Additionally, as both are temporary venues, it was necessary to modify and update site plans and operations in accordance with changes to the overall site infrastructure.


We forged strong partnerships with Kronke Sports Entertainment and SMG, the management of both venues, that was key to planning around other major events taking place at each of the venues in order to facilitate seamless transitions between events while keeping the race site construction on schedule.  Moreover we liaised with local fire and police departments as well as city planners to insure a minimum disruption of city services including minimizing the impact of commuter traffic.


Both events required the management of both permanent operations staff as well as fly-in staff for which MCS took on a Senior Management role.  Once the site build commenced, we also took on the role of overall site management and general contractor of all sub vendors and services including but not limited to: track construction, seating and suite construction, electrical and plumbing, sanitation, security and public safety, television and communications.


While both events overall require roughly eight months of attention, the actual site build-out and tear down was completed in under six weeks.

  Grand Prix of Cleveland

  Grand Prix of Houston

Vegas Grand Prix and Arizona Grand Prix (Las Vegas, NV & Phoenix, AZ)


Situation: Both of these were new events for 2007 and began from a clean sheet of paper. In both cases, the events faced significant regulatory and planning hurdles from civic governments.


Our Role: MCS was brought in to develop the initial concepts for the facility and track design. We listened to the concerns of local governments and businesses that would be affected by the race event and developed a track layout and site plan that was presented to each of the cities involved for approval, which they duly received.

  Vegas Grand Prix

  Brainerd International Raceway and Resort - Photo BIR

Palm Beach International Raceway


Situation:  Complete redevelopment of the road course at the facility formerly known as Moroso Motorsports Park.


Our Role: MCS was tasked with a complete design review. Our analysis determined improvements that would enhance the quality and marketability of the facility and worked closely with the developer and their contractors on the redesign, simulation and the safety system design and placement.


Palm Beach International Raceway has become a prototypical multi use facility and has garnered positive feedback from such drivers as Kyle Petty, Darren Manning, Lawson Aschenbach.

"It's billiard table smooth, it's a nice layout," said Manning, a veteran of IndyCar Series competition. "It's got good combinations of corners, a nice chicane you brake through, a lot of long corners, and a nice long straight to work on your straight-line speed... It's nice, and it's good not to get thrown around by the bumps all the time."


"It looks great, and they've done a great job with the racetrack," said Grand-Am driver Lawson Aschenbach, who now resides in West Palm Beach. "It's a very nice, classy environment, and hopefully, people will get excited about it. "This is absolutely a great place for spectator races," Aschenbach added. "With Miami and Orlando within driving distance, it's got a great base of fans, and the Palm Beach area is great for drivers. This town really knows who's who and what's what.”

  Palm Beach International Raceway - Photo PBIR


  Arizona Grand Prix initial design concepts

  Grand Prix of Denver

Puerto Rico Grand Prix

Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix


Situation: Baltimore was the first new temporary street track in North America since 2003. And the first in the center of a major city since 1990. The Baltimore track is set in the heart of downtown and encompasses major highways, businesses, hotels, restaurants, a Convention Center and Oriole Park at Camden Yards…all within the race track. Immediately outside the track are residential neighborhoods, more business and the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Plans had to be developed to make sure all those affected by the event could function during construction, race weekend and the teardown.


Our Role: MCS was retained in the summer of 2008 to help develop budgets and economic impact studies, we made presentations to the City, State, businesses organizations and residents groups, resulting in the City signing a 5 year contract with the promoter to bring international motor-racing to the streets of Baltimore. MCS designed the track layout and master site plan.


For the Baltimore Grand Prix we forged close working relationships with all agencies, developing plans to insure any disruption to the City’s day-to-day operation was kept to a minimum.


The planning phase took three years, the last year almost full time. By August of 2011 we were ready to begin construction. MCS coordinated all the vendors to make sure the “city” we were building within the City of Baltimore, went in as smoothly as possible. 2200 race walls (with a total combined weight of 20,000,000 pounds), 2200 sections of race fence, 65,000’ of temporary spectator fence, 30,000 grandstand seats, electrical generation and distribution, sanitary systems, solid waste collection and disposal, television cameras and 6 miles of cable for the communications networks were just some of the tasks we accomplished in the 40 days it took to build the facility.


MCS also devised the plans to pave over the downtown Light Rail tracks, in 8 hours (finishing the paving the day before the race), run a race on the new asphalt, and remove all the new paving after the race and reopen the Light Rail by 11:00AM the day after the race


The result: Regarded as the most successful inaugural street event ever, with an estimate three-day attendance of 175,000.


Feedback from press, drivers and fans...


“The Izod IndyCar Series is batting 1.000 in Baltimore after the most successful inaugural American street racing event in the past 30 years.”


"This feels like one of my best wins," he said. "The atmosphere -- this is the best podium ceremony I've ever had in my career -- massive! So many people. On my cool-down lap, I looked at every stand, absolutely full. They put on the best race we have had all year, really impressed, really impressed”.

– Will Power


“The Baltimore Grand Prix already has jumped to No. 2 on IndyCar's road racing hit parade, right behind the venerable 37-year-old Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and ahead of Mid-Ohio, Toronto and St. Petersburg.”


"It's unbelievable," third-place finisher Kanaan said. "I've never been in a place where it was this crowded and the fans were so passionate. Back in Brazil it's kind of like that, but yesterday night I'm walking to have dinner and it took me 45 minutes to walk four blocks because everybody was stopping me, taking pictures.”


“For three decades, street races from the Meadowlands to Miami have been jockeying to call themselves the "Long Beach of the East...and in the Baltimore Grand Prix, it looks like INDYCAR finally found one that deserves that crown.”


“Roger Penske looked out his window in the Hyatt Hotel at the Inner Harbor and didn't believe was he was seeing…It was Saturday and the grandstands along the Baltimore Grand Prix course were packed solid with fans…"I was amazed at the turnout," said the owner of Team Penske. "To see huge crowds like that on a Friday and a Saturday shows this event has great potential."


“The skycap at the airport even said that he took his kids on someone else’s advice, and built memories for years to come.  He is not a race fan—and plans on attending EVERY year.  Every driver I have spoken to said you knocked it out of the park and the crowd inspired them to give it their best.  Victory Lane was practically a mosh pit—and frankly, bigger than the Indianapolis 500”

Baltimore Grand Prix

M1 Concourse, Pontiac MI


Situation:  87 acres located in Pontiac Michigan. The property was originally a GM manufacturing and testing facility, although it had been completely demolished in 2009 there were still 83 acres of concrete that had to be cleared before construction of the new facility could be started. The developer was looking for a unique, safe yet technically demanding test track to be integrated with the vision of private collector garages, repair and restoration shops, restaurants and retail. The property is located right on Woodward Avenue, America’s first highway (M1) and the location of the world’s biggest car celebration, the Woodward Dream Cruise. 


Our Role:  MCS was retained by the developer early in the project to work with the design team to develop a test track that would enhance the experience of having a track on the same property as your private garage, yet allow the business of the development to continue uninterrupted when the track was in use. The result is a 1.5-mile track that can be used in both directions, incorporating current safety standards, a dedicated pit lane and a 2.5-acre festival/event arena and skid pad. The track was designed to be pleasurable for the inexperienced owner to use, technical enough to be enjoyable to the experienced driver and adaptable for OEM and media testing, ride and drives and other functions.

M! Concourse Design Options

M! Concourse Final Design