2010 IKWC Host City
Phoenix - Arizona, USA

The United States of America is a vast multi cultural land, home to the world's most diverse population, and the world's number 1 tourist destination. Located in the Southwest portion of the U.S.A., in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix, Arizona is one of the largest cities in America. Now the 5th biggest metropolitan area in the USA, with over 4 million people, the Phoenix area stands in bright contrast to the remainder of the state of Arizona, which is mostly uninhabited land. The state of Arizona is about the size of France, but has only 1/10 of the population of that country.

Home to many headquarters of large corporations, nature preserves, master planned golf courses, and several major league sports teams, the Phoenix metro area offers a diverse spectrum of choices for work and play. Also called the “Valley of the Sun”, the Phoenix area is one of the hottest and driest places in the world during the summer, with average summertime temperatures well over 100 degrees Farenheight (?? Centigrate). However, throughout most of the rest of the year the Phoenix metro area experiences very mild and temperate weather, making it an ideal location for a variety of outdoor activities and a very pleasant place to live.

Phoenix also has a passion for racing. It has to 2 major racing facilities, the Phoenix International Raceway and Firebird Raceways, an outdoor kart track, 3 indoor rental kart tracks. It was the last home of the US Formula 1 Grand Prix before it's more recent return to Indianapolis, decades of Indycar races, GT sportscar races, and currently hosts 2 Nascar Championship races every year, as well as numerous other regional events. Phoenix is also the home of the best purpose built racing driver training facility in the USA, the Bob Bondurant Racing School.

The area currently known as Arizona has a very colorful history. Over the last 2000 years, it has been claimed by several countries, from the outskirts of the Aztec empire, to home of the American Indians, included as part of Spain, then Mexico, transitioned to become the USA’s “Old West”, and finally evolved into today’s tourist destination as the "Grand Canyon State". Arizona is proud to retain a connection with all its past cultures, and with the natural beauty of the desert landscape, and the resulting mixture of people, history, and culture is a unique place that can only be described as... Arizona!

Although the Phoenix Formula 1 street circuit had a rather uninteresting lay-out, the 1990 USA Grand Prix in Phoenix was quite interesting and exciting. Rain in qualifying resulted in Minardi's only front row start, with Pierluigi Martini, follwed by Andrea de Cesaris in 3rd with a Dalara, and a Tyrrell in 4th at the hands of a "rookie" Jean Alesi. Alesi jumped from 4th to 1st by the first turn and led up to lap 34, when Ayrton Senna (who started in 6th), was finally able to catch him. That resulted was one of the most unforgetable pass-repass exchanges in F1. Senna was able to eventually get by him 2 laps later and win the race, but Jean Alesi proved on this race that he would be around for a long time.