Robert Laberge/Getty Images The start of the Izod IndyCar Series Baltimore Grand Prix on Sept. 4, 2011.The Baltimore Grand Prix is getting a makeover.
In what the promoter calls an effort to offer greater variety, this year’s Baltimore Grand Prix will add two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup races. To accommodate the GT3 class, the USF2000 and Star Mazda races of past years will not be run.
The change was made because the event’s versions of open-wheel cars lead to very similar races, said Tim Mayer, general manager of Grand Prix of Baltimore. “We wanted to diversify what we had on the racetrack and add value,” he said
In past years, Mr. Mayer said, if you were to line up the Indy cars, Indy Lights, USF2000 and Star Mazda cars, they would look like Russian nesting dolls. “You would look at them and say that was a slightly smaller version of that, which is a slightly smaller version of that, which is a slightly smaller version of that,” he said.
This year will see two classes of GT3s – Platinum and Gold – running simultaneously on Saturday, Aug. 31, and Sunday, Sept. 1.
It may be a smart business strategy, said Chuck Goldsborough of Baltimore, a former driver for Team Lexus. He said the Mid-Atlantic corridor was a leading market for Porsche, which could attract casual car fans to the race. The Porsche Club of America Museum nearby in Columbia, Md.
It might also draw international attention to the Baltimore Grand Prix. “Porsche Cup has a huge following,” he said. “It is in dozens of countries. It’s a huge single-make series and very well followed.”
The race has received a lot of attention for missteps that led to three promoters in two years and several lawsuits.
Andretti Sports Marketing, lead by Michael Andretti, came in last year to rescue the event roughly 100 days before it was to run and will act as promoter again this year.
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