A Race for High Rollers

"A ridiculous go-kart track," sniffed the Milan newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. Thrown up on a parking lot in just 45 days, the 2.3-mile, 14-turn course does bear a certain resemblance to its kiddie cousin. It was built by Caesars Palace, the gaudy hotel and casino, as part of a $7 million effort to establish Formula One racing in Las Vegas. "Everything we do," a Caesars V.P. declared, "is designed to bring in gamblers. Major sports events bring good customers--high rollers."

The track acquitted itself fairly well in its first test. The top eight finishers averaged more than 96 m.p.h., faster than established events in Monaco and Montreal. The fifth-place finish by Brazilian Nelson Piquet was enough to give him the 1981 world championship. As for high rollers, Sports Book Manager Jimmy Vaccaro observed: "The race just doesn't draw the breed of gambler the fights do. Boxing people bet everything; a race fan plays twenty-one with his wife."

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