Del Mar

“Coming Soon--Noise and Pollution. Courtesy, Del Mar Grand Prix sponsors.”

That’s the message millionaire land developer Harvey Furgatch will send to the public via 50 red, yellow and blue billboards he is paying to have put up around the county on May 15.

It is the latest move in a campaign by Furgatch to derail the grand prix-style race at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, scheduled for Oct. 16-25. Last month, Furgatch lost a court battle with the Coastal Commission in which he sought to bar the event.

Furgatch hopes the billboards, which a spokesman said will cost $20,000, will discourage potential race sponsors. The billboards, which will be up for at least a month, will include a telephone number to call to get the names and addresses of race sponsors.

Furgatch, a Del Mar resident who lives at the beach near the proposed race track, could not be reached Thursday. He has hired a company to collect signatures on a petition protesting the event. Nick Johnson, who is running the anti-race campaign for Furgatch, said he was unsure where the petitions will be sent.

Johnson said Furgatch also plans to spend about $5,000 for advertisements in Advertising Age and other magazines or newspapers to discourage potential race sponsors or advertisers.

“If you were Toyota of America and you saw this much protest . . . would you be a sponsor?” Johnson asked.