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Hawaiian Super Prix
The Hawaiian Super Prix was a proposed CART FedEx Championship Series exhibition race scheduled for Saturday November 13, 1999. It was to be the final race of the 1999 FedEx Championship Series season, as well as the season ending event for 2000 and beyond. It was to be held on a temporary circuit at the Kalaeloa Airport on the island of Oahu, near Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The invitation-only event was to utilize an all-star format featuring the top drivers on the circuit. The organizers advertised a $10 million purse – including $5 million to the winner, the largest single-day payout in the history of motorsports to date.
25 days prior to its scheduled running, the race was cancelled by the promoters. Lack of revenue, poor decisions and missteps by management and series officials, and labor dispute involving local stevedores were cited as causes.
The failure of the Hawaiian Super Prix was a PR "black eye" for the CART series.
Indy car racing had never visited Hawaii before, but had achieved success with other events across the Pacific Ocean at Australia and Japan. Hawaii Raceway Park had been open since 1962, but no major stateside series had competed there. A history of outsiders and "carpetbaggers" coming to Hawaii to put on major events had made winning local support difficult. Hawaii was also considered by some to be hostile to outside businesses.
The promoters were optimistic that a major automobile series could host a successful race in Hawaii, despite the remote location, especially given the favorable economic climate of the late 1990s, and strong tourism industry. A crowd of up to 100,000 spectators was estimated, with over 20,000 coming from the mainland. Despite initial skepticism from city and state leaders, the event eventually gained local support. A potential of $80 million in tourist-based revenue helped gain support.
The idea for a major Hawaiian auto racing event began as early as 1993, with Dick Rutherford as the promoter. Rutherford had been involved with Indy car racing since 1971, a close friend of car owner U.E. "Pat" Patrick. He also ran the ARS series from 1986–1987.
A street course race was planned at Aloha Stadium, featuring an all-star format of drivers from several top disciplines, similar to the IROC format. The race was to be contested with Shelby Can-Am cars, and thirteen top drivers signed on to enter. However, it never turned a wheel.
Rutherford shifted his focus, and re-booted the idea around 1996. By 1998, he began leaking details about his plans, but had no firm location for the race, nor a sanctioning body on board. He eventually forged a partnership with the CART series, and moved ahead with the plans.
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Hawaiian Super Prix
The Hawaiian Super Prix was a proposed CART FedEx Championship Series exhibition race scheduled for Saturday November 13, 1999. It was to be the final race of the 1999 FedEx Championship Series season, as well as the season ending event for 2000 and beyond. It was to be held on a temporary circuit at the Kalaeloa Airport on the island of Oahu, near Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. The invitation-only event was to utilize an all-star format featuring the top drivers on the circuit. The organizers advertised a $10 million purse – including $5 million to the winner, the largest single-day payout in the history of motorsports to date.
25 days prior to its scheduled running, the race was cancelled by the promoters. Lack of revenue, poor decisions and missteps by management and series officials, and labor dispute involving local stevedores were cited as causes.
The failure of the Hawaiian Super Prix was a PR "black eye" for the CART series.
Indy car racing had never visited Hawaii before, but had achieved success with other events across the Pacific Ocean at Australia and Japan. Hawaii Raceway Park had been open since 1962, but no major stateside series had competed there. A history of outsiders and "carpetbaggers" coming to Hawaii to put on major events had made winning local support difficult. Hawaii was also considered by some to be hostile to outside businesses.
The promoters were optimistic that a major automobile series could host a successful race in Hawaii, despite the remote location, especially given the favorable economic climate of the late 1990s, and strong tourism industry. A crowd of up to 100,000 spectators was estimated, with over 20,000 coming from the mainland. Despite initial skepticism from city and state leaders, the event eventually gained local support. A potential of $80 million in tourist-based revenue helped gain support.
The idea for a major Hawaiian auto racing event began as early as 1993, with Dick Rutherford as the promoter. Rutherford had been involved with Indy car racing since 1971, a close friend of car owner U.E. "Pat" Patrick. He also ran the ARS series from 1986–1987.
A street course race was planned at Aloha Stadium, featuring an all-star format of drivers from several top disciplines, similar to the IROC format. The race was to be contested with Shelby Can-Am cars, and thirteen top drivers signed on to enter. However, it never turned a wheel.
Rutherford shifted his focus, and re-booted the idea around 1996. By 1998, he began leaking details about his plans, but had no firm location for the race, nor a sanctioning body on board. He eventually forged a partnership with the CART series, and moved ahead with the plans.