Possible new road course in Shelton, WA - The Ridge Motorsports Park

[Patrick Olsen]

Saw this posted over on corner-carvers.com. Of course, I'm transferring away from this area in a month, but if the Navy sends me back here later, maybe there will be another track to play on!

The Ridge Motorsports Park

Pat Olsen

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[RedMonkey999]

Well that IS good news! Now let's see if it actually happens...

[Mr_Hox]

Yes, please!

[Spoonwacker]

Looks very cool. Potential ChumpCar/Lemons venue, too?

[kevin 5150]

would be nice to get a new track in the area.

[kaptainkevlar]

It'll be awesome IF it happens.

Here's to hoping...

[QksilverRS]

its closer than Portland! Im in for sure!

[96WRX]

Track looks great, but where will more then 50 people park, and where will they be able to watch the races from. The parking area seems rather small and I don't see any spectator areas. I realize that this is a preliminary sketch, but I'm sure investors will have the same questions.

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by Subie Gal

in friggin SHELTON?!?!?........

ha..... yeah okay. I mean I hope it happens but I'll believe it when I see it.

Is there something specifically about Shelton that wouldn't support such a facility? Based on the description on their website it sounds about perfect. One of the biggest hurdles to new track developments is the neighbors bitching about the noise. Well, the neighbors in the area they want to develop are a landfill, a prison, and a couple of state facilities (including the WSP's own track). Sounds ideal.

Originally Posted by 96WRX

Track looks great, but where will more then 50 people park, and where will they be able to watch the races from. The parking area seems rather small and I don't see any spectator areas. I realize that this is a preliminary sketch, but I'm sure investors will have the same questions.

As their website clearly says, it's not intended to be a spectator track, it's intended to be a "motorsports country club" type venue. There are a number of tracks that have opened/re-opened/expanded in the past decade around the country - Monticello in NY, Spring Mountain near Las Vegas, Motorsport Ranch, etc - that are the same sort of facility and are doing quite well. I've been to VIR in VA a number of times - there's almost no spectator parking there, yet they host Grand Am events. Grass = parking lot.

Pat

[Dena]

shelton friggin rocks.

[theotherguy]

How can you not like Shelton?

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by Subie Gal

Shelton is a friggin hole in the wall hick town with little to no support for this kind of thing based on my experiences.

Remember it's the stuffy land owners/council members in that area that kicked Rally right out of the forest... THE FOREST... where we bothered nobody......

I don't think a rally event is a particularly relevant comparison. How much $$$$ were you injecting into the area economy as you were out there bothering nobody for a single weekend? My guess is it was an order of magnitude less than a track like Monticello in NY or VIR in VA or BeaveRun in PA brings to the surrounding community during events throughout the year. Money often changes people's minds.

This whole thing may never come close to fruition. It would not be the first motorsports country club proposed in the past decade that failed to come to life. I think it's a little early to dismiss the proposal, though.

[edrach]

I know it's wishful thinking, but where would they put a rallycross course.

[theotherguy]

I knew you liked Shelton, how could you not?
I do have to agree with you though. I doubt if the motopark will go anywhere.
The commission shut down the drag strip in Shelton last year, it was a good time while it lasted.

[GDBF]

Where's my beer bitch?? Shelton??? That looks like Suzuka and Tsukuba mixed.

[tec-9-7]

Personally I was glad to see Shelton get it's own brew-pub.

[96WRX]

Originally Posted by edrach

I know it's wishful thinking, but where would they put a rallycross course.

In the big grassy field where they plan to park the cars for an event.

[kaptainkevlar]

Originally Posted by GDBF

That looks like Suzuka and Tsukuba mixed.

Now that I look at it, you're very very right

[Tyrus3]

It looks pretty close, almost inverted along one axis. It would be sweet if it happened.

[generalee69]

This attempted project is being spearheaded by a group from IRDC (along with others). It is still very early in the planning stages. They are being extremely cautious how they proceed.

They are completely aware of the problems that the community had with the NASCAR proposal, which is why they are pushing this more as a participants venue than as a place to draw spectators.

If you are interested in seeing this become a reality I would suggest checking out their website and write to the people they recommend.

[sneaky]

When we bring a rally to a city we bring hundreds of people that need to eat, sleep and buy gas. Take palmroy for example, Wild West has to be the biggest thing to happen to that town each year... :-)

[klaxed]

That looks pretty facking sweet!

[sc00by4life]

What happened to the possible expansion on Pacific that Jason Firoini was talking about some years back.


This track in shelton would be great.


Jamie- if they build a road course, I dont see why they couldn't add a rally course and even the oval track in the future expansion.

[Patrick Olsen]

Originally Posted by Subie Gal

Pat apparently you know little about how Rally affects the economy.

Jamie, your reading comprehension kills me.

Originally Posted by Subie Gal

We were out there several per year spending THOUSANDS & thousands in the local economy

OK, so you spent thousands & thousands of dollars in the local economy for the one weekend of the event. The track's developers are estimating it could inject $12 million into the local economy each year. In case I'm not being clear enough, millions of dollars is a couple orders of magnitude greater than thousands of dollars (which is exactly what my point was in my earlier post). Yes, I'm sure a rally event brings more people to a town, particularly due to all the spectators. But a road course that runs open track events, drivers ed classes, etc etc, will be pulling in people for months and months throughout the year, not just a single week or weekend.

Anyway, I guess you just don't know much about track days. I'm not surprised. You're not into it.

Originally Posted by Subie Gal

this is not far from Shelton....
look what happened HERE???!
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/6836892.html

And? What does building a $368 million speedway with $180 million of the taxpayers' money have to do with a vastly smaller-scaled, privately funded road course? Other than the fact they both involve motorsports I don't see the connection.

Pat

[Tim-H]

Bumping this up with a new post on their blog yesterday. Looks like there are some residents trying to do everything they can to stop this thing. If you can support the development, it looks like they may need people to show up.

http://raceinmason.wordpress.com/