[quote=“brent_strong,post:106,topic:30685"”]
Not to downplay that, but the very first F1 race in Melbourne, Australia drew over 400,000 people.
[/quote]
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http://www.grandprixcities.com/raceattendances.html
[B]2007
March 18, 2007 Australian Fromula One Grand PRix - Albert Park Cicrcuit, Melbourne, Australia race day attendance of 105,000 (Source: Sky News Australia)April 2, 2006 Australian Fromula One Grand PRix - Albert Park Cicrcuit, Melbourne, Australia - four-day aggregate attendance of 301,800 –including a race day crowd of 103,000 (a drop from 2005) [/B]
BTW that is 250k seating capacity, not including the infield.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/indy500/2004-05-27-attendance-count_x.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/autorace/longterm/1999/indy500/facts.htm
With 250,000 seats, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue in the world. Annual attendance generally draws more than 400,000 spectators.