Stirling Moss leads American driver Pete Lovely at the 1960 United States Formula 1 Grand Prix. Photo: David F. Smith (AP)
Let’s say you’re from overseas and want to host a sizable event at a venue that already has an established and dedicated local fan base. It might make sense to treat the venue with sufficient respect — to assume, perhaps, that your event will not outperform all other events and act accordingly. Well, when Formula 1 came to California’s Riverside International Raceway, it did so with a huge ego that immediately came back to haunt the series.
(Editor’s note: This is part of a series of Formula 1 presence in America. The sport has a history — but not much success — in the country. As F1 evolves in America, and ahead of the 2022 United States Grand Prix, Jalopnik is looking back at the places it used to be. left in the dust and what ultimately led to them being abandoned.)
Alec Ulmann, the promoter who had arranged the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring, had been awarded a three-year contract to host F1 races in America, and he was determined to make the most of it. When his bid to host a race at Sebring failed, he turned his eyes to the West Coast and, in particular, the Riverside International Raceway.
Riverside is a key player in the California motorsport scene. Owned by Hollywood car dealer Roy G. Lewis, the track has been close to the local press, ever since Lewis hired Los Angeles Times writer Paul Schlisser to head his promotion team, Randall Cannon wrote at the Caesars Palace Grand Prix. This will be a key point of debate at the end of the event.
The race itself was fine. Jack Brabham had already secured his World Championship, so Ferrari refused to send cars overseas to compete. Local Riverside racer Dan Gurney competed, and Stirling Moss finally took the win.
But then again, there’s the problem of attracting support. Cannon writes that the race drew an estimated 25,000 spectators — which is quite a bit compared to Ulmann’s 70,000 potential audience, an estimate based on attendance figures for local events (specifically, the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix). And Ulmann also failed to learn his lesson about biting the hand that feeds. From the Caesars Palace Grand Prix:
When Stirling Moss forfeited qualification, promoter Alec Ulmann then scorched southern California media. “I fear there will have to be a change in attitude from the local press,” said Ulmann, copying Moss’ comments about Sebring, “before I or any other organization will bring another big race in [southern California]. Ulmann lamented blaming the Los Angeles Times for a lack of promotion, in clear competition with the Times sponsorship of the previous Riverside sports car Grand Prix.
Newspapers competing in the Los Angeles market were quickly pushing back. “They rose with the missionary attitude so typical of the New York type arriving on this coast,” wrote one promotion expert Ulmann, “that they are a great city that brings light and urbanity to the grateful province.” Alec Ulmann was thus sent from Riverside, California, back to Sebring, Florida, to begin promotion for the 1961 Sebring 12-Hour endurance event. Ulmann will also soon announce a 20 percent reduction in Sebring ticket prices.
Of course, the real reason for the show’s lack of attendance can’t be completely pinned down in the local media—though that may have something to do with it. After all, there wasn’t much to promote with the Championship being completed and lots of foreign European riders filling the field. However, Moss took home an astonishing amount of prize money: $7,500, or about $75,000 today adjusted for inflation. The formula for an exciting American event is there, but Ulmann doesn’t seem the right person to capitalize on it. As Cannon added:
When Alec Ulmann compared his Formula One promotion to the Los Angeles Times-sponsored Riverside Grand Prix for sports cars, he also won a newspaper placement produced by the Times. “As a World Champion event, it was underestimated until the last few days,” continued the promoter, “and the advertisements we were able to buy… looked nothing like what the public would expect from an event hosted by a local newspaper. .” It is highly unlikely that Riverside International Raceway and the regional Los Angeles media conspired to underestimate such a prominent international event. What’s more, Alec Ulmann most likely planted – and then led – his own regrets. As a Californian writer who paints Ulmann diplomatically, “he may be a difficult person to do business with in the future.”
Ulmann still didn’t let the talking point die. In March 1961, it was announced that the US Grand Prix would not return to Riverside on unspecified sabotage charges. He claimed that there were several different locations that could possibly host the 1961 event, including Daytona, Laguna Seca, and the track in the Bahamas, but difficult details failed to come to fruition. As the 1961 season drew to a close, it looked like racing in America might not be happening. Fortunately, there is still a ray of hope shining from the race track in upstate New York: Watkins Glen International.
