Grand Prix of Miami (sports car racing)
The Trans-Am Series, Rolex Sports Car Series, and American Le Mans Series have also held races in the Miami area.
Contents
IMSA
Promoter Ralph Sanchez brought auto racing to the Miami area in 1983. A course at Bayfront Park featured the IMSA GT Championship and the inaugural Grand Prix of Miami. A 1.85-mile (2.98 km) circuit was laid out on the park roads and Biscayne Boulevard. The 1983 was almost a failure both competitively and financially. A severe rainstorm turned the circuit into a quagmire. However, a year later, the event returned, and grew into a huge success.
IMSA races were held at the first Bayfront Circuit from 1983 until 1985. For 1986, the event moved to a new layout at nearby Bicentennial Park. The Bicentennial Park circuit was a semi-permanent layout which featured purpose-built roads in the park area, along with a temporary segment taking it out on Biscayne Boulevard near the entrance to the Port of Miami. The event continued though 1993, at which time IMSA itself was experiencing a period of decline and reorganization.
| Season | Date | Race name | Overall Winner(s) | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayfront Park | |||||
| 1983 | February 27 | Budweiser Grand Prix of Miami |  Al Holbert |
March 83G-Chevrolet | Holbert Racing |
| 1984 | February 26 | Budweiser Grand Prix of Miami | Doc Bundy Brian Redman |
Jaguar XJR-5 | Group 44 |
| 1985 | February 24 | Löwenbräu Grand Prix of Miami | Al Holbert Derek Bell |
Porsche 962 | Holbert Racing |
| Bicentennial Park | |||||
| 1986 | March 2 | Löwenbräu Grand Prix of Miami |  Bob Wollek Paolo Barilla |
Porsche 962 | Bayside Leven Racing |
| 1987 | March 1 | Grand Prix of Miami | Elliott Forbes-Robinson Geoff Brabham |
Nissan GTP ZX-T | Nissan Electramotive Engineering |
| 1988 | February 28 | Grand Prix of Miami | Price Cobb James Weaver |
Porsche 962 | Dyson Racing |
| 1989 | March 5 | Nissan Grand Prix of Miami | Geoff Brabham Chip Robinson |
Nissan GTP ZX-T | Nissan Electromotive Engineering |
| 1990 | February 25 | Nissan Grand Prix of Miami | Geoff Brabham Chip Robinson Bob Earl |
Nissan GTP ZX-T | Nissan Electromotive Engineering |
| 1991 | April 7 | Nissan Camel Grand Prix of Miami |  Raul Boesel |
Jaguar XJR-10 | TWR |
| 1992 | February 22 | Toyota Grand Prix of Miami | Geoff Brabham |
Nissan NPT-91A | Nissan Performance Technologies |
| 1993 | February 21 | Toyota Grand Prix of Miami |  Juan Manuel Fangio II |
Eagle Mk III-Toyota | All American Racers |
- 1983: Race red-flagged after 27 laps due to heavy rain.[1]
Trans Am
For 1994, the event at Bicentennial Park switched to the SCCA Trans-Am Series. This event lasted only one year. In 1995, the CART series utilized the course for one race, then the course was partially razed for the construction of American Airlines Arena.
| Year | Date | Winning Driver | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | March 5 | Tommy Kendall |
Ford Mustang | Roush Racing |
American Le Mans Series
The ALMS and Champ Car held a joint race on a new circuit at Bayfront Park. The event took place in 2002 and 2003.
For 2002, a 1.387-mile (2.232 km) circuit utilized park roads and extended onto Biscayne Boulevard and 3rd and 4th Streets. In 2003, the layout was changed to drop the 3rd/4th Street loop and add a section on Biscayne Boulevard along the north end of the park.
| Year | Date | Race name | Winner(s) | Entrant | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | October 5 | Cadillac American Le Mans Challenge |  Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro |
Audi Sport North America | Audi R8 |
| 2003 | September 27 | Grand Prix Americas | Johnny Herbert JJ Lehto |
ADT Champion Racing | Audi R8 |
Grand Am
The Rolex Sports Car Series held a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. The event was first held in 1998 as a part of the United States Road Racing Championship, and was revived in 2000 by Grand-Am. The race took place on the combined road course layout.
For 2002-2009, the race was held in conjunction with the Indycar race. In 2009, it moved to October and served as the Grand Am season finale. In 2010, the Indycar race was dropped, and the Grand Am race returned to the spring as a stand-alone event. It was not scheduled for 2013.
- The 1998 race was a part of the United States Road Racing Championship. No race was held in 1999.
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
