Racing in the streets

Summer’s here and the time is right, for racing in the streets.” (Bruce Springsteen)

On the June bank holiday 2012, the streets of Dublin will serve as the backdrop for Ireland’s first ever Bavaria City Racing event, a celebration of international racing cars and drivers from around the world. Dakar trucks, Super League Formula, Indy Car, Formula 2, drifters and Formula 1 will all participate. It promises to be one hell of a show.
The event is being brought to Dublin by Bavaria Brewery and Gleeson, the Irish distributors of the popular beer brand and is, not surprisingly, expected to be one of the biggest events ever seen on the streets of the capital, with the added bonus of free admission.
“It will be the most exciting event in Ireland in 2012,” insists Patrick Cooney, managing director of Gleeson. “Having witnessed the event first-hand in both Rotterdam and Moscow, I am confident that this will be a great event, supported by both the people of Dublin and indeed from all over Ireland.”
The organisers of Bavaria City Racing Dublin are expecting in the region of 100,000 spectators but given the popularity of recent events like Top Gear and the generally positive attitude to all things motoring here, it would be surprising if that number isn’t at least doubled when the day eventually arrives.

Bavaria City Racing started off in Rotterdam in 2006. That modern city has welcomed the sound of roaring engines, and spectacular doughnuts, accomplished by F1 cars, every year since. After five successful editions, Rotterdam now boasts approximately 550,000 fans at each event, making it one of the city’s biggest crowd-pullers. The event went to Moscow in 2008 with Red Square and the Kremlin offering a surrealistic platform for F1 teams and other top level international motor sports attractions. It has now grown into one of the largest public attractions in Russia. Lotus Renault, Vodafone McLaren and Ferrari, to mention a few, all made an appearance in 2011, as did drivers Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Vitaly Petrov, David Coulthard, Nelson Piquet Jr., Heikki Kovalainen and Adrian Sutil. The sixth edition of Bavaria City Racing Rotterdam took place on August 21 and Hot Press had the opportunity to witness this thrilling spectacle firsthand. To say that Dublin is in for a treat would be an understatement.
There is nothing quite like the sound of a high-performance racing car as it blazes past you at speeds of up to 300kph, the roar of the engines echoing around the buildings of the city. It starts off benignly enough with a sound in the distance like a drone of bees. As it approaches, the noise reaches decibel-shattering levels, the heart beats a little faster and the adrenaline rush is palpable. In the blink of an eye and a haze of smoke – it’s gone!

ROARING ENGINES

On a hot, humid Sunday afternoon in August, the atmosphere in Rotterdam was, to use the old cliché, electric. The whole city had been sucked into the action, making it as much a social occasion as anything else. From as early as 8am, crowds began to lay claim to the best viewing points along the route. Being Dutch of course, they were highly organised, with folding chairs, picnic tables, and cool boxes full of food and drink. As Rotterdam is a high-rise, built-up city, virtually every apartment balcony along the route was packed with revellers, while pleasure boats of all sizes, filled with fans, bobbed around the harbour alongside the track. Meanwhile, in the VIP area of the paddock and in main viewing stands, models, footballers and key racing figures such as Eddie Jordan mingled with the beautiful locals.
You don’t have to be a Formula 1 fan or a petrol-head to appreciate the incredible driving skills or the exhilarating assault on the senses that the combination of speed, sound and burning rubber provides. And when one of the cars screeches to a halt, before revving up again and spinning around before your very eyes well, words can’t describe it – you really do have to be there!
Announcing the news of the event’s arrival in Dublin at a press conference in Rotterdam just before the racing began, Gavin Collins, managing director of Bavaria City Racing Dublin, could barely conceal his delight. ”It’s been 16 years since Ireland witnessed the excitement of a current F1 car, but Bavaria City Racing Dublin is about to change that,” he beamed. “It will be a fun-fuelled weekend of interactive activities around the main event, with something to meet every individual’s interests, from fashion to music to motor racing, with a gala dinner and after-parties. It’s going to be huge.”

The Bavaria City Racing route in Dublin is designed to showcase some of the key landmarks of the city as well as providing ample viewing access to the public. Formula 1 cars will follow a track beginning at the shiny new Convention Centre, heading up Custom House Quay, travelling across Butt Bridge and onto D’Olier Street. From there, they will race around College Green, passing Trinity College, turning in front of the Central Bank in Dame Street, before twisting back onto Westmoreland Street and towards O’Connell Bridge, travelling back along the quays and returning to the main paddock at the Conference Centre.
“We are sure the people of Dublin will experience an unforgettable day,” enthused Peer Swinkels, of the Bavaria brewing family. “For the first time, the heart of Dublin’s city centre will be exposed to the roaring engines of the Formula 1 cars. You normally pay a premium price to see a Formula 1 car racing past – but here at Bavaria we like to do things differently and bring Formula 1 close to the public and free of charge.”

For more, see bavariacityracingdublin.ie.