Photography by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire
When Curtis Francois got hold of the keys, operations at the area’s largest auto racing track had already skidded to a halt. The former professional racecar driver and real estate developer bought Gateway Motorsports Park in late 2011 and gradually assembled a mélange of race events to reignite interest. On August 26, the track hosts its biggest event in years, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, a Verizon IndyCar Series race in which drivers will hit speeds near 225 mph.
Does this IndyCar race mark a return to prominence for the track? It is, without a doubt, a foundational event for the racetrack. It will be a weeklong festival leading up to the race on Saturday. And it’s the largest motorsports race of any kind in the history of St. Louis. This is the top tier of open-wheel racing, with all the cars and stars that competed in the Indianapolis 500.
Courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Curtis Francois
How’d you land it? It took about two years of flying around the country, meeting different people within the IndyCar organization. It took a lot of explaining and analysis of the St. Louis market. Ultimately, it came down to the fact that St. Louis showed a great demographic base for racing fans.
What’s special about our fans? The St. Louis region is home to the largest automotive racing fan club in the United States [the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club]. You can only attribute that to a passionate fanbase and great organizational structure that has remained strong despite not having professional racing for a couple of years. It’s reflective of the history of our region, of great grassroots racing fans that are hungry for racing.
What’s unique about IndyCar compared with other race formats? IndyCars represent the highest level of technology used in cars today: the highest speeds, the highest G-loads, the highest down force. They represent the pinnacle of motorsports achievement.
Any advice for someone who’s never been to an IndyCar race? Racing is an event that you have to see, hear, smell, and experience firsthand to understand how great it is. Television is a great alternative if you can’t be at the racetrack, but once you’re at the racetrack and watch and understand what goes on and meet the drivers, get up close and personal with the cars, you’re going tobe hooked.
