Organizers for Formula 1 race in Las Vegas approach Tavo Hellmund, say funding no longer an issue
The organizer of the planned Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas has revealed that he “would love” to work with Tavo Hellmund, the racing entrepreneur who resurrected the United States Grand Prix and the Mexican Grand Prix.
The plans for a Las Vegas Grand Prix came to light in 2014 when it was revealed that F1’s track design firm Tilke had visited the city and designed a circuit which incorporates the world-famous 4.2-mile stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip. In March, F1’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said that although the organizers have got a contract, it hasn’t been signed due to a lack of funding.
Farid Shidfar, the entrepreneur who is leading the organizers, now says that funding is no longer a roadblock as he has an “agreement in principle” with Chinese investors to provide the $150 million needed to get the race off the grid. He adds that, “Tavo Hellmund and I have spoken in an informal way and I would love to involve him with this. He has managed to pull this kind of thing off before and he definitely knows his stuff. Having said that, I think his efforts are being focused elsewhere, so I think it is going to be up to him to decide if he wants to do another race.”
Hellmund has helped to bring several races to the F1 calendar, most recently the Mexican Grand Prix that returned in November after a 23-year hiatus. It was a resounding success with a reported attendance of 335,850 over the three days of the event.
Hellmund was one of three key figures responsible for the return of the race. The other two were Ecclestone and race promoter Alejandro Soberon, chief executive of CIE, the world’s third-largest live entertainment company.
He would bolster an already-strong team. Richard Cregan, a consultant on the F1 races in Russia and Abu Dhabi, is on board, and Peter Wahl, Tilke managing partner, says, “when I got the chance to visit Las Vegas for the first time in late summer of 2014, I had some imaginations about this extraordinary city situated right in the heart of the Mojave desert. The moment I arrived, it was overwhelmingly clear to me that Las Vegas was an ideal destination for Formula 1 racing. With support from a group of passionate, highly skilled and well-connected individuals, we successfully designed a racetrack which is partly on the Las Vegas Strip and does not impact any resort.”
Since the debut of the Mexican Grand Prix, Hellmund has been linked to a bid for the Manor F1 team and a plan to host a Grand Prix in San Francisco. He says, “I’d be happy to help Farid in any way possible. I have a lot of friends in Vegas, and I think an F1 race there would be fantastic. Plus, it would be good to work with Richard on something as unique as this.”
Wahl adds that “the track definitely has its own character and shall provide drivers high-speed challenges with different sharp corners. Best part, the track is designed to host large numbers of spectators, and I can’t wait to see the first car fire up and race down Las Vegas Boulevard -- no doubt that moment in time will be remembered as the peak of my track-designing career. I believe the Vegas race will become one of the highlights of the F1 calendar.”
He may not have long to wait, as Shidfar says, “There has been discussions of 2018 but it could be as early as 2017. We need roughly 14 months to prepare for this race.”
The plans for a Las Vegas Grand Prix came to light in 2014 when it was revealed that F1’s track design firm Tilke had visited the city and designed a circuit which incorporates the world-famous 4.2-mile stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip. In March, F1’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said that although the organizers have got a contract, it hasn’t been signed due to a lack of funding.
Farid Shidfar, the entrepreneur who is leading the organizers, now says that funding is no longer a roadblock as he has an “agreement in principle” with Chinese investors to provide the $150 million needed to get the race off the grid. He adds that, “Tavo Hellmund and I have spoken in an informal way and I would love to involve him with this. He has managed to pull this kind of thing off before and he definitely knows his stuff. Having said that, I think his efforts are being focused elsewhere, so I think it is going to be up to him to decide if he wants to do another race.”
Hellmund has helped to bring several races to the F1 calendar, most recently the Mexican Grand Prix that returned in November after a 23-year hiatus. It was a resounding success with a reported attendance of 335,850 over the three days of the event.
Hellmund was one of three key figures responsible for the return of the race. The other two were Ecclestone and race promoter Alejandro Soberon, chief executive of CIE, the world’s third-largest live entertainment company.
He would bolster an already-strong team. Richard Cregan, a consultant on the F1 races in Russia and Abu Dhabi, is on board, and Peter Wahl, Tilke managing partner, says, “when I got the chance to visit Las Vegas for the first time in late summer of 2014, I had some imaginations about this extraordinary city situated right in the heart of the Mojave desert. The moment I arrived, it was overwhelmingly clear to me that Las Vegas was an ideal destination for Formula 1 racing. With support from a group of passionate, highly skilled and well-connected individuals, we successfully designed a racetrack which is partly on the Las Vegas Strip and does not impact any resort.”
Since the debut of the Mexican Grand Prix, Hellmund has been linked to a bid for the Manor F1 team and a plan to host a Grand Prix in San Francisco. He says, “I’d be happy to help Farid in any way possible. I have a lot of friends in Vegas, and I think an F1 race there would be fantastic. Plus, it would be good to work with Richard on something as unique as this.”
Wahl adds that “the track definitely has its own character and shall provide drivers high-speed challenges with different sharp corners. Best part, the track is designed to host large numbers of spectators, and I can’t wait to see the first car fire up and race down Las Vegas Boulevard -- no doubt that moment in time will be remembered as the peak of my track-designing career. I believe the Vegas race will become one of the highlights of the F1 calendar.”
He may not have long to wait, as Shidfar says, “There has been discussions of 2018 but it could be as early as 2017. We need roughly 14 months to prepare for this race.”
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