Craig,
I think I heard something BITD about the city not wanting the race because it cost too much. You are right they must have lost a million dollars in revenue to the hotels etc. The big NBL BMX race at Christmas was credited with bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars to Columbus. Then didn't the city come out with that money pit "Ameri-Flora"? Anyway, they wanted the race gone so bad that they buried the Camel Corner near the railroad tracks under about 12 feet of dirt. Also, I believe that the city had to pass some exemption for the weekend so that the speed limits were lifted on those streets. I think that the race disappeared around the time that Jim Trueman passed away - old brain cells - not sure. I believe that he was the one that had enough clout in Columbus to get this kind of thing done.
Mike