I was at the USGPs in Phoenix in '89 and '90 with my Dad and took a trip down memory lane, thanks to you. In '89, we cheered for the hometown boy...in '90, we didn't care who won. We were just thrilled to be part of the excitement...and were we ever excited!!
David Hindal: 1989, 1990, 1991
I attended all three Phoenix USGP's but by far the highlight was in 1990 when my sister and I crashed the Benetton party at the Biltmore. We managed to slip by security and reached the "party favors" table which had Benetton cowboy hats on it. We just put on a couple of hats and we were in. While there I met Jackie Stewart and Nelson Piquet. But I spent most of the time talking with Bob Varsha of ESPN. My sister on the other hand was busy making time with race artist Randy Owens. Really quite fun. I know almost everyone hated Phoenix as a venue but I liked it.
Dave McGarvey: 1991
I flew to Phoenix from Oakland, California to attend the Phoenix GP in 1991. It was my second GP, and I talked my dad and brother into going too. Although they had attended many Indy-Car races, this was their first F1 race. It was a warm day, low 90's, and we sat in the grandstands at turn 6. All grandstand seats had great views because they were all elevated about 8 feet high. There were a lot of Brazilian Flags waving as Senna dominated the entire race. Everyone agreed he was in top form that day.
Afterward, we somehow ended up in the pits and got to see Senna up close during a post-race interview. A large crowd of fans followed him around until he left. We stayed until the crews had packed up the equipment and put the cars away. We were hooked, ready for the Grand Prix in 1992, but it never happened.
David Tiscareno: 1991
I attended quite a few races here in the states, from IMSA, Indy Car (not IRL), and Midgets. But there is no COMPARISON to a screaming F1 engine going down the streets of Phoenix. I attended the last two races at Phoenix. Our view of the track overall was great. McLaren and Ferrari were awesome, and the Professor—what else can I say? But my lasting memory of Phoenix was the Lotus. What a piece of machinery.
Ignacio Ghilgione Orsini: 1991
The race seemed spectacular to me. From the beginning, Ayrton Senna left no doubt that he is the best driver, demonstrating this in qualifying a second ahead of Prost, an habitual thing for Ayrton, then winning the race flag to flag. What I liked best was Senna's role throughout the weekend, it was very exciting.
The course I like best is Phoenix, like Monaco a narrow street course, and as such demands much from the driver and the machinery.
The team that impressed me the most was McLaren and of course their driver Ayrton Senna who continues to prove that after J.M. Fangio he is the best driver in the world.