TEN million bucks. Mega auto racing event
would rev up the economyA purse like that has never been offered in auto racing, but it will be soon.
And in Hawaii.
Huh?
Believe it.
Plans are in the final stages for the inaugural Hawaiian Super Prix, to be held in November 1999, says the event's co-founder, Richard Rutherford, a retired General Motors engineer who has been involved in high-performance racing virtually all his adult life.
Sixteen of open-wheeled racing's biggest names will compete for a first prize of $5 million. The pole winner will pick up $250,000. The average payout for each team will be about $300,000.
That's more than the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500. And it's happening here.
Rutherford said he is confident the time is right to bring an event of this magnitude to Hawaii.
"The site isn't set yet. The state contract isn't set yet, but all of it is so very, very close," Rutherford said. "It's 99.9 percent sure it's going to happen."
Rutherford said he's finalizing contract wording with the state today. The event's sanctioning body and sponsors are expected to make their announcements next month.
I'VE seen the project prospectus and it's ambitious. This is more than just a car race. It promises to be a week-long extravaganza that plans to include a charity golf tournament and deep-sea fishing contest as well as Hollywood celebrity events and a pay-per-view audience on Showtime.
As for the competition itself, the drivers will race for an hour in the first segment, take a one-hour break and restart in the reverse position of their finish in the first segment.
Points will be awarded for laps led, fastest laps, qualifying position and on-track passes for position.
"It means we want to have excitement throughout the race," Rutherford said. "It's just not something that (the racers) can sit back on their laurels and think they've got the race won.
"For five million dollars, these guys are going to destroy their cars trying to win this race. I could race them in go-carts, and for five million dollars they're going to be racing like madmen."
Rutherford said the original plan was to hold the race on Honolulu International Airport property in the Lagoon Drive area. But the idea of staging it at Barbers Point was recently approached.
He said that site offers distinct advantages. As many as 150,000 spectators could watch there, as opposed to roughly 40,000 at the airport site. Parking and security also would be better at Barbers Point, he said.
"The more likely of the two will be Barbers Point," Rutherford said.
ACCORDING to the event prospectus, the event will generate nearly $79 million in Hawaii and produce in excess of $4 million in tax revenue.
Those are nice numbers, especially when you consider the race organizers haven't asked the state for any cash directly.
"We've had some great help from all the people," Rutherford said. "The Coast Guard, the Navy, with helping us secure this as a venue site. So far, I've had nothing but yes, yes, yes."
Rutherford also credits the help he has received from Russ Francis, who works for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
"He's the one who has talked to the governor and brought it to their attention," Rutherford said. "He called us up and . . . said I want this event here. Without him this would have never happened."
Events such as this are what Hawaii needs. To be sure, the plans and projections are ambitious, but I believe Rutherford and his group will be able to pull it off.