The Coatesville Grand Prix – Still at the Starting Line

COATESVILLE, PA. – In theory, grand prix racing events are fascinating, interesting and unique. They give us the chance, rarer than you might expect, to watch vintage cars actually hit the road, saturating the air in thick scents of worn leather, leaking – well, leaking everything – and ancient exhaust fumes, as marvels of technology and engineering speed past to the delight of the crowds.

In reality, grand prixs are difficult to pull off. 

It was far too hot for September on the day of the Second Annual Coatesville International Vintage Grand Prix in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a town that boasts a stretch of the Lincoln Highway – the oldest cross-country highway in America – and not much else. For the first hour, crowds gathered behind hay bales and saw horses oohed and ahhed as open wheel race cars dating back to 1926 and vintage motorcycles from every country of origin lined up and sped off and out of sight.

And then the crowd discovered one of the biggest flaws with grand prix racing as a spectator sport. The fundamental element of a grand prix is that it is designed to drive through the town, usually a town in Monaco or Italy, but a town nonetheless. But once the cars have left the starting line, they are well and truly out of sight.

As they say in racing, hurry up and wait.

But because of the heat or because of the 2.2 mile lap around the nearly abandoned industry town that has seen better decades, attendees drooped quickly, heading toward the park, which housed many, non-car related vendors and food trucks, before heading home. Though Coatesville organizers originally claimed that the event would last until six, racing finished around three. The pits were open to the public, where they could get a closer look at the vintage race cars, but for veteran car show attendees, the forty or so race cars were devoured quickly.

Coatesville didn’t make any egregious errors. They had a shuttle from the parking lot to the event, a festival with local involvement from schools, businesses and organizations, gorgeous vintage race cars and a great announcer. The fixin’s for a fantastic event were all there but, unfortunately, it all came together just a little bit flat.

Why is that? With most car shows or car events that miss their mark, the cause is obvious – there wasn’t enough food, no music, not enough cars. With Coatesville, the answer is a little murkier.

For one, how do you make a grand prix entertaining when attendees are no longer able to see the cars? The track definitely could have been shorter, and I think that there must be a way to record or follow the race as it was happening. Drones and mobile recording programs are a great way to keep the audience engaged, even when the cars are out of sight. And though apparently there was a straightaway further down the line, no one appeared to know about it. Instead, spectators stood only at the one corner, where cars came speeding around just to disappear again. Encouraging the crowd to move around would be one good way to keep attendees interested.

Or skip the tech and go straight for the obvious – add something for spectators to do while the cars are gone. The music was good, though it was obvious that the DJ didn’t have as much information as he needed before the event began. Credit where it’s due, the music was loud enough without being too loud and interesting and unique from most car events. On its own, however, it wasn’t enough to hold the fidgeting at bay, as we waited and waited and waited for the cars to return.

So why not a car show? Forty cars isn’t nearly enough and Coatesville more than had the room for a massive event, where you could potentially see the race as you enjoyed other classic cars. And they had the perfect room for it, because the vendor and food event was a decent distance from the racing, particularly long when it came to the bone-melting heat of the day, and admittedly a little sad too, passing more for rent signs than open doorways, proof that Coatesville is another of America’s disappearing towns.

This is only the second year of the Coatesville International Vintage Grand Prix, and if I sound overly critical, it’s because I know the event has fantastic potential. There is the space, the passion and the drive to create a truly remarkable grand prix in this hidden little town off the Lincoln Highway, and I hope that they continue to improve it with each passing year. Unfortunately, I don’t think that one racing event will be enough to breathe new life into Coatesville, I don’t think even an Indy race could do that. But the race itself is at the start, not the end of its life. I look forward to seeing what it does next. 

Images by Tomm Scalera