New Rocket Plane League?

This is sort of interesting (h/t Instapundit):

The man behind the $10 million X Prize for private spaceflight is joining forces with a venture capitalist who's also an Indy car backer to establish a NASCAR-like racing league for rocket-powered aircraft.

X Prize founder Peter Diamandis and race car capitalist Granger Whitelaw took the wraps off the Rocket Racing League during a Monday news conference, just days before a rocket plane demonstration that could serve as a model for the races.

[...]

"It is nothing like NASCAR or Indy car," he told the journalists. "It is 10 times louder."

In Monday's statement, the Rocket Racing League said the races would operate much like auto races, "with the exception that the 'track' is up in the sky."

"Courses are expected to be approximately two miles long, one mile wide, and about 5,000 feet high, running perpendicularly to spectators," the league said. "The rocket planes, called X-Racers, will take off from a runway both in a staggered fashion and side-by side and fly a course based on the design of a Grand Prix competition, with long straightaways, vertical ascents, and deep banks. Each pilot will follow his or her own virtual 'tunnel' or 'track' of space through which to fly, safely separated from their competitors by a few hundred feet."

Although interesting from a technological standpoint, from a spectator standpoint it's going to be tough. Watching airplanes flying at 5,000 and up to two miles away will be virtually impossible. But then, nobody goes to watch Indy cars either, so it won't be a shock to Mr. Whitlock to look up into the stands and be able to read all the seat numbers.

The other issue, of course, is the noise. Who's going to allow races of this sort anywhere near populated areas? That means only the hardiest of the hardy fans will show up since they'll probably have to drive long distances out into the desert to see a race.

I'm not sure this new league is all that well thought out.