Revved up for fun: Grand Prix brings karting excitement to Alexandria

Aug. 14—ALEXANDRIA — The track Saturday, according to 7-year-old Zachary Pleake, was hard and fast — perfect for racing.

"It's pretty good, pretty solid," Zachary said as his parents situated his go-kart near the start/finish line before his heat.

Despite his youth, Zachary has already been racing go-karts for two years — mainly, he said, "because they go really fast."

Speed was the name of the game over the weekend at the Alexandria Grand Prix, which attracted thousands of spectators for two days of street racing action, as well as a Saturday night concert, food trucks and other vendors.

Sanctioned by the Southern Indiana Racing Association, the event also drew racers from a variety of demographic groups — from age 6 to retirees — many of whom have Alexandria circled as one of their favorite stops on the season schedule.

"It's always fun here," said Palmer Eicher, a 24-year SIRA veteran. "It's our local track, and we have a lot of people in town here who are our family. We bowl here at the bowling alley, at Norwood Bowl, and just a lot of people know us, so it's kind of our home track, even though we're from Noblesville."

Eicher noted that he and his fellow drivers often camp near local tracks in motor homes, adding to the family atmosphere on the circuit. Communities like Alexandria, he said, particularly appeal to that element because many residents help set up the camping areas and help drivers get settled.

"It's not like going to the fixed tracks, where the community's not involved there," he said. "They're very involved in all these street races, and that's what makes it so special."

The downtown streets that are blocked off, drivers said, offer a challenging, but fair test of their skills. The course covered parts of Wayne, Washington and Main streets, with a new wrinkle — a slight left-to-right jog ahead of a sharper left turn — added this year.

"The configuration of the track makes it hard to really master," said Jeff Yeich of Frankfort, "but it is fast, and you can really compete with the other drivers instead of having to compete with the street."

After low attendance, a lack of volunteers and loss of sponsorships forced the Grand Prix's cancellation in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic short-circuited plans for its revival in 2020, the event appears to be back on solid footing, which city officials attribute to extensive behind-the-scenes work by an untold number of volunteers.

"We love SIRA for putting it on, and the committee that puts the race (on), I think is wonderful," said Alexandria Mayor Todd Naselroad. "They do a lot of work year-round, not just this weekend."

Naselroad noted that planned improvements to Washington Street downtown should enhance drivers' experience in the future.

"It's only going to get better when we complete that project," he said. "It's going to be a nice, smooth track all the way around."

Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.