The Des Moines Street Circuit (branded as the Ruan Greater Des Moines Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons) was an auto racing event held on a temporary street circuit in Des Moines, Iowa from 1989 to 1994.
History In 1987, after announcing the intention to host a Trans-Am race in 1988, Des Moines officials travelled to the Detroit Grand Prix to gather information on the financials of the race. Two proposed layouts were introduced: one held in the middle of downtown near the Des Moines Convention Center (now the Wellmark YMCA building) and one held on both sides of the Des Moines River. Ultimately the race would be postponed to 1989 after running out of time for preparations. Nine surrounding suburbs, including Ankeny, voted to approve hotel tax revenues being sent to pay off a $1.2 million loan to secure funding for the race.
On November 18, 1988, it was officially announced that the 1989 race would go ahead. The final layout was revealed to be a circuit held around the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Popular Mechanics described the track as "[demanding] more of horsepower and brakes than handling finesse, although there are some significant elevation changes along the way."
For 1993, the layout was straightened at 4th Street and shortened to . The Sunday Trans-Am race was canceled due to rising river waters as a result of the Great Flood of 1993. Trans-Am driver Ron Fellows started a relief drive at the Molson Indy Toronto the following weekend to help raise funds for those affected by the floods.
Attendance to the race dropped off significantly from 50,000 on Sunday in 1990 to 40,000 on Sunday in 1991. Due to dwindling attendance and financial trouble, the race for 1995 was cancelled with hopes of a return for 1996. On March 30, 1995, the Grand Prix board voted to declare bankruptcy.
Notable drivers to have raced the Greater Des Moines Grand Prix include Bill Elliott, Tommy Kendall, Jovy Marcelo, Willy T. Ribbs, Lyn St. James, and Jimmy Vasser.
Lap records
The fastest official race lap records at the Des Moines Street Circuit are listed as:
CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEvent Street Circuit (1993–1994): Trans-Am 1:20.295 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang 1994 Des Moines Trans-Am round Street Circuit (1989–1992): Trans-Am 1:32.386 Scott Sharp Oldsmobile Cutlass 1990 Des Moines Trans-Am round Formula Atlantic 1:34.039 John Tanner Swift DB4 1991 Des Moines Atlantic Championship round
Past winners
Trans-Am Season Date Driver Car Laps Race Time Average Speed(mph) Refs 1989 July 9 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang 66 1:56:02 61.427 1990 July 15 Tommy Kendall Chevrolet Beretta 69 1:49:11 71.243 1991 July 15 George Robinson Chevrolet Camaro 62 1:44:08 71.44 1992 July 12 Scott Sharp Chevrolet Camaro 50 1:37:46 61.363 1993 July 11 Race cancelled by Great Flood of 1993 1994 July 4 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang 63 1:31:32 66.066
ARCA Season Date Driver Car Laps Race Time Average Speed(mph) Refs 1994 July 3 Scott Lagasse Chevrolet Lumina 75 2:14:24 53.571
Atlantic Championship Season Date Driver Car Laps Race Time Refs 1991 July 13 Jimmy Vasser Swift DB4 30 0:55:39.091
References