Street Track Failures: Episode 1 - RFK Stadium (Washington D.C.)

[@sametime212]

Great video! I live about a mile from there. The track survived after the ALMS race, even hosted Global Rallycross from 2014-2016. It was used for bicycle races, motorcycle/car/truck driving schools, police department driver training, and more than a few late night unofficial hot laps. Most of it has been turned into football, baseball, and soccer fields now, but you can still see one or two parts of the track around the edge.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Firstly, glad you enjoyed the video. Also, it's cool to read comments from someone who is near where the circuit used to be. I did not know that it used to host Global Rallycross races. I knew Global Rallycross went to Washington, but I didn't realise it was at that location. Would make sense though, the track surface was already somewhat there, so some of the track preparation was already done. It's cool to hear of some of the other uses the track had during it's lifetime.

[@BryanShadowbuck]

This is a pretty good idea for a series. Some good ideas for future episodes might be the Canberra Street Circuit used in V8 Supercars from 2000 to 2002, The Kuala Lumpur Street Circuit from 2015, the Caesars Palace Circuit if you want to count it as a Street Circuit and the infamous Jingkai Street Circuit used in A1GP in 2006.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I'm glad you like the idea as a series. Suggestion wise, their are some awesome circuits to make videos of here. Plus in turn it'll be fun to do further research on these as well. The Canberra one in particular is one I'd forgotten about.

[@TC-ix7ul]

Great idea

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

@@tydyeracinggaming4742 - Don't forget about the Shanghai street circuit used by DTM once

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

@@DiegoRuiz1991 That one's been requested a few times before. I imagine it'll be an episode at some point.

[@christycullen2355]

@@tydyeracinggaming4742 this is my new favourite series. Learing about tracks I never knew existed

[@Jakal1391]

As a local, I would love to see this track return. There's really no road racing within a hundred miles of Washington DC. Maybe Formula E or a similar electrical series could return and do away with the noise complaints from the stuffy hill rats.

[@N75911_]

The noise complaints are made by absolute idiots who have nothing else to do in life. The same investors also built neighborhoods around Marine Corps Base Quantico, 30 miles south and have been trying to get them to stop artillery training for the last 2 decades.

[@f-bodygarage]

@@N75911_yeah I live about a mile and a half from the artillery range, shakes my house pretty good but I’ve never minded. Any time I see a post on the local Facebook groups complaining about it my response is always the same “shut up or move” and they never do either which is insanely annoying

[@LJW1912]

Glad I got this recommended, one of the only ones I haven't watched. Congratulations on 10,000 subscribers, glad to be in that number!

[@luckystrike33t]

I remember watching the race live. Loved the track and the event as a whole. And I was bummed that the NIMBY crowd ultimately killed it. Good video!

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Glad you enjoyed the video. I wished I could've seen it live. It did look like a really good event and a surprisingly good track came of it.

[@YoSuey]

I went there for my birthday. Coming from a motorsports family, it was easy convincing. I wish i could have stayed for the world challenge race afterwards, but it got too hot for my father. Not to mention, it took us almost 20 minutes just to leave our sections because as soon as the ALMS race ended, they started moving out what felt like 60 SCCA cars. Looking back, they were definitely trying to end the day as fast as possible for the residents.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Hope you enjoyed the event! Sounds like an awesome birthday experience.

[@indyracingnut]

Here's one for the record...The San Jose CART street circuit. The drivers were scared shitless when they all drove over the train tracks and were launched into the air. I think they added a chicane somewhere to slow them down before the "jump" but not a single driver liked that circuit layout at ALL.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I've had a few requests for San Jose, so I'll probably be doing an episode on that in the near future.

[@K9RacingAndStuff]

Wait, so Baltimore before Baltimore? Nothing new is under the sun, huh?

[@Legend13CNS]

I went to this race! I don't remember much (because I wasn't even 10 yet) besides cars going fast and it being incredibly humid. I just found your channel from the GT car winning overall video, I'm now marathoning a bunch and loving it so far!

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I'm glad you're really enjoying the content. I hope the marathon run of video watching is still going well. Hope you enjoyed your time at the race though.

[@BoboTheVulture]

I went to this. Well, my best friend and I didn't have the money for Sunday tickets, so we went Saturday, which had a nice lineup of Star Mazda (a runaway win for then up-and-comer Scott Speed if I remember right), Speed World Challenge (separate GT and touring car championships which were my favorite at the time), ALMS qualifying and a Trans-Am race. As with a lot of sports car racing in general in the U.S., the event was very fan-friendly as the paddock was largely open to spectators, though the sightlines for the track itself were pretty rough. But that seems to be true for a lot of street races. It would have been nice to see the event take off, not just because it would be good to have another home for racing in that region of the country, but because it would be nice for the RFK Stadium complex to have another event. The last sports team to use the stadium, D.C. United, left in 2017, and it looks as though the stadium will be demolished now. Of course, with that will come further redevelopment of the area, which would make a return in anything like the former form even more unlikely.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Always cool to hear from people who went to these events. Hope you enjoyed the event. It did look like a fun event to be at as a spectator when watching this race back.

[@JohnMunroRacing]

Great shout for a series! I would love to see something about Gotëborg city race in Sweden.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I'm happy to hear that you like this as a series going forward. More are definitely on the way. That is also a fantastic suggestion for a circuit. One I'd long forgotten about and is one I'll certainly be doing some research on.

[@XCougar85X]

Thank you for this series. Also a big fan of the ALMS series. That early 2000's was fantastic. Amazing cars.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Those cars were amazing. Glad you're enjoying this series.

[@Exponaut_R-01]

It’s a crying shame this track didn’t get a chance to shine. If it actually stuck with motorsport it probably would still be used today I reckon.

[@seanadams8444]

Great video! I remember watching this race and the move the Panoz used to overtake the Audi for the win. Some of the passes were cramped but I agree with the video. Would be neat to see either ALMS at Miami cataloged next or even F1 at Detroit.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. F1 in Detroit has been requested a few times before and will more than likely become an episode. Unless you mean a different track, then in my 2nd episode I did cover the Miami track used for the ALMS and CART races in 2002 and 2003.

[@seanadams8444]

@TyDye RacingGaming perfect! And I should've dug deeper into the video library. Using my cell on break and being lazy. Lol, great videos and keep at it!

[@StruggleGaming]

I LIVE IN DC AND WAS GOING CRAZY FINDING ANY INFO ON THIS RACE! NOBODY SEEMS TO REMEMBER IT BUT ME THE CAR/MOTORSPORTS NERD YOU CAN EVEN STILL SEE OLD KERBING N SHIT AHHHHHHHH IM SO HAPPY This race should definitely come back, as much as the locals may have complained its a bit secluded with a whole stadium complex and golf course separating it from being next to homes, im sure it could be done again. I really want Formula E to come since environmentally they wont moan about it and noise wise its easier!

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I would be very happy to see this track return. Definitely, could see a good Formula E track in that layout.

[@DamienPMcC]

Looking at it on Google Earth, it's impossible to see it coming back. Three astro football fields have been built where the main straight, pits and first corner were. Confined to the history books it seems.

[@StruggleGaming]

@@DamienPMcC I feel like they be able to get temporary accommodations there like NASCAR does for the LA Coliseum, especially since DC United doesnt use RFK or those fields for practice anymore.

[@AaronMooreMPG]

RFK Stadium is slated for demolition this year depending on date. It looks like city officials are more interested in funding a stadium for their NFL team the Commendos than hold a motorsports event in the city limits

[@PetrolHeadMotorsport]

Hopefully this video inspires modders to recreate the circuit. Because it would be an amazing experience to chuck a car around there considering it's kinda like America's response to Melbourne

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

It does look like a great circuit to hot lap around. Would perhaps make for a great league racing track.

[@YoSuey]

It's in Rfactor 1, but yes, no one has made it for newer sims yet :(

[@adrielquiroga7901]

I don't think it was a failure, but we had a city course in Santa Fe city, Argentina. The local touring car (TC2000) used to race here. I think it stopped being used due to the trouble it would cause to the city, but I read that people really enjoyed the course, even more because it was held at night.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

That track could feature in this series. It's the first time someone has requested this track, if I'm not mistaken.

[@Anthony_Stuart]

I'd like to see the Yeongam South Korea circuit on here, wasn't a pure street circuit but that's kinda the problem in that case XD

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Never heard of that one, shall have to do some research on that. Cool suggestion.

[@chazmyster]

@TyDye RacingGaming it hosted a few f1 grand prix and plan was to build a city around it

[@nswanner]

New Orleans downtown circuit (IMSA).

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I've had that one requested a few times before, will more than likely become an episode in the future.

[@Dogman36]

i drove around this circuit in Sept. 2018, but i might be the last person to run full laps on it before its demolition in November. not self promoting but a tour of the track is on my channel if you want to see

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I'll definitely be looking at that video that's for sure, thanks for saying. Although, the fact that you got to do laps on this track is cool enough.

[@Dogman36]

@@tydyeracinggaming4742 it was an open flea market for most of its life so access was super easy lol

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

@@Dogman36 Ah, that would explain how open it was then.

[@tynenorth7818]

I grew up across the steet from where this was set-up, on Oklahoma ave. First I can say that I don't know anyone who knew of a plan for this. Suddenly trucks were coming in with beams and noise into a space where we played. Aside from the weekend flea market this space was essentially used as our "playground". Also, the amount of spectators who would park right in front of our homes leaving people who lived in these communities with nowhere to park. When this was all over the equipment was abandoned right in the parking lot. Neighborhood kids, myself inlcuded, would play on the bleachers and on the equipment that no one bothered to take away for ages. There was a lot wrong with how this was orchestrated at the time.

[@hmdwgf]

RFK Stadium hosted matches in the 1994 World Cup.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Ah ok, never knew that.

[@larquefausse3623]

DC was actually pretty good for a street course. Reading the title of the video, I'd accuse the calling it a failure is as clickbait. But it's a correct conclusion that the course failed for other reasons other than technical limitations. As for the ALMS race itself cool. One of the only times you saw a factory-supported Audi R8 lose a race.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

For me, a track's failure doesn't have to stem from a poor track, it can depend on event longevity as well. I really enjoyed this race when watching it back. Pretty good racing on the most part.

[@larquefausse3623]

@@tydyeracinggaming4742 : Yes, that point was not lost after having watched the video. It's just a hell of a topic to start this series about. I knew the subject of its shortened lease would come up, but I must admit that as someone who generally doesn't like street courses I clicked the video just to hate-watch it and see what impossibly high standards and nitpicking that one could have to say about DC as a street course.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

@@larquefausse3623 That's fair enough. Street circuits are by no means to everyone's tastes and are quite intricate in how they're designed.

[@manuelgrothe608]

IndyCar and IMSA in Washington and Baltimore

[@GreenHornet553]

Kind of wish someone took the dimensions of this track as a base and tried to build it somewhere else as a permanent road circuit. Shame such a cool street circuit with the rarity of some elevation change had such a short existence.

[@f-bodygarage]

My buddy and I are going to explore the remnants in February when he flies in to visit and try to see if there’s any portions of the track that can still be driven if you wanted some footage of that

[@neaulllann]

0:30 Yoooo this my hometown circuit

[@kevinalbert3695]

It looks like what happened with the Formula E race in Montreal. Maybe the subject of a future video?

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

That will more than likely be a future episode I'd imagine.

[@cjmsacomments4389]

I could see the Nashville street circuit being a failure in not too long, or potentially the Chicago one

[@williamford9564]

I give Nashville maybe two years left to live. After the two caution fesses attendance this year is going to tank. It is a horribly laid out venue.

[@MaxUpGearUp]

RFK is such a dead stadium now, wish I could’ve seen it in its glory days

[@andrewwhite2863]

What about doing a video on the Columbus, OH street course for IMSA.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

That track will feature in this series at some point.

[@dkmotorracingnz8010]

This could've been an F1 track instead of Miami!

[@minibus9]

awesome video

[@stephenlyons3689]

Great videos and a lot of good circuits I reckon you should do the Las Vegas street circuit in the 80s in the carpark of a casino considering F1 is going back there this year.

[@patrickracer43]

Most of the time whenever I see residents complaining about a racetrack my thinking is usually "well, you knew the track was there why'd you move there?" But obviously that's never the case when it comes to street circuits, because that's always the local government saying "too bad, we like money" and then rhe local residents saying "alright, we'll vote in a new government"

[@CatchiestWorm12]

I genuinely cannot understand the fuss over noise from a once-a-year event. It's one weekend. Noise cancelling headphones exist. There's an infinite number of things you could do outside of your home. I wish people would tell them to get stuffed more frequently.

[@mattikatajainen3491]

Great video 👍

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video.

[@mattikatajainen3491]

@@tydyeracinggaming4742 Just keep on doing these💪

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

@@mattikatajainen3491 That's certainly the plan. 👍

I know this track only as a mod for the game F1 Challenge 1999-2002. I loved racing there. Is this track available for other games?

[@psychlops924]

I thought this track was great, I remember racing it in GTR2. Which it could be revived, but alas, there’s been too many changes in the area for that

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

I didn't know this track was in GTR2. I imagine it was as a mod rather than base game content.

[@psychlops924]

@@tydyeracinggaming4742 No it was part of the base game. That was back before I knew how DLC and modding worked so I definitely didn't get it from any where else haha

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

@@psychlops924 Ah ok. I'm much more used to console gaming than PC gaming. Although, I do keep an eye on videos for cool car/track mods for sim racing games.

[@robossuperchannel9434]

Is it correct to call this circuit a street circuit? None of the roads used to form the layout are "streets".

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

It is a street track. Technically, it isn't if we consider the track was formed via a car park. However, it is referred to as a street circuit. I can understand the confusion though, it is a bit odd.

[@LoganHunter82]

Helsinki Street Circuit - Sörnäinen. Used for DTM, F3000 and GT series 1995, 1996 and 1997. God awful track.

[@tydyeracinggaming4742]

That track has been featured in this series already. It's episode 12. Hope this helps.

[@Iloveracing2007]

I want bicentennial park race track please 🥺🥺🥺

[@flexygoo1295]

We can't have nice things here in the US. Cuz old fux think everything that's fun is too loud

[@mvdbutler]

BALTIMORE INDYCAR

[@_JimS]

DC snowflakes.....not surprising

[@topofthecircle]

The western edge of the racetrack was a block away from the neighborhood. Of course, it's too loud. When Red Bull ran its Rally Cross series in the RFK lot, it was in Lot 8 near the river, far away from the nosy nabes. I'd like to see this track return for Formula E -- much quieter cars.