The organizers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have promised the level of disruption will be lower and communication improved ahead of the second edition of the race on Nov. 23.
The inaugural grand prix held along the Strip delivered a thrilling race but drew criticism from a number of local residents and workers for the impact the track build had, closing roads and affecting traffic. The track surface had to be put down ahead of the first race but Brian Yost, chief operating officer of the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA), says there is far less preparatory work that will have to be done ahead of year two.
“We will not be going through the same level of disruption we went through last year in terms of the track build,” Yost said. “The track has been paved, it is now in good shape — with all of the water valve caps secured — so we’ve eliminated that hurdle. We knew there would be a level of disruption, that level will be reduced this year.”
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Yost adds there will be a concerted effort to ensure ways of minimizing the impact of the race are effectively communicated, so access routes and alternatives are made as clear as possible.
“We learned how valuable regular communication was with a variety of constituents. And this year, that communication will be even further enhanced, whether it’s to the general public, whether it’s to the hotel visitors, whether it’s to the employees, the over 120,000 men and women that work up and down Las Vegas Boulevard. We will make sure that word is out.”
Formula 1’s chief commercial officer Emily Prazer says the involvement of so many stakeholders — including Caesars, MGM and Wynn resorts alongside the LVCVA — means the race has the firepower to try and improve efficiency in year two.
“I think that the community was nervous because it’s never been done before,” Prazer said. “I don’t think anyone’s been as aggressive as this collective group to shut down Las Vegas Boulevard for the duration. So I understand why they have concerns.
“But my take on it is we’ve kind of proven the logistics side of it. Now we need to shorten the time of which it takes us to build things, which we’re working on, again with the support of everyone here. And we’re working collectively on a much stronger community and communications plan which will launch at the end of June.
“So while I’m not going to suggest it’s ever going to be perfect, because obviously everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but we’re going to try a lot harder to make sure that we pacify some of those nerves.”