After much speculation and a months-long closed-bidding process, Tooele County officials announced its plans to sell Miller Motorsports Park to Mitime Investment and Development Group, a subsidiary of Geely, the largest independent automotive firm in China. Geely paid $20 million for the facility, which cost $100 million to build when it opened in 2006. Geely also owns Volvo, a company it bought from Ford in 2010. Tooele officials also announced that the new owners will rename the 511-acre facility the Utah Motorsports Campus.
The track’s original designer and general manager, Alan Wilson, will return to the park and run it for the new owners. UMC will remain open in its current guise as a full-service motorsports park, but its new owners also will use it as a place to develop drivers, mechanics and track managers who want to work in China’s emerging motorsports industry.
Terms of the deal include an agreed-upon investment in the property of $270 million over the next 10 years and up to a $1 billion over the next 25 years as Geely adds training, education and tourism aspects to the facility. The deal is supposed to be in place by the end of 2015 so operations can proceed uninterrupted in 2016.
NASA WSC video
The Western States Championships Presented by Toyo Tires have wrapped up, but you can relive all the best moments in the highlight reel put together after the event. Check it out here on NASA’s YouTube channel.
NASA Mid South’s Fall Fest Has It All
NASA Mid South’s Fall Fest scheduled for Sept. 26 and 27 will be held at Memphis International Raceway this year. The event is packed with racing and Time Trials, HPDE 1-4 and a competition school. In addition, NASA Mid South also is offering an instructor clinic and Hyperdrives, which allow drivers who might be interested to get some basic instruction and one on-track session for $69. To register, click here: https://nasaproracing.com/events/2013
NASA Northeast Hosts Inaugural Event at Palmer Motorsports Park
NASA Northeast is visiting Palmer Motorsports Park in Palmer, Mass., for the first time Sept. 26-27. Palmer features a brand-new 40-foot-wide, 2.3-mile-long course with some 190 feet of elevation change. Just 7 miles off the Massachusetts Turnpike, Palmer Motorsports Park offers paddock camping and bathrooms with showers. NASA Northeast will be offering racing, Time Trials, HPDE, and Hyperdrives for $50.
For an instructional video on getting around Palmer Motorsports Park the right way, watch here:
To register for the event, click here: https://www.nasaproracing.com/events/2144
NASA Southeast and NASA Florida Return to Daytona
After their inaugural event at Daytona International Speedway in 2014, NASA Florida and NASA Southeast are going back for more fun on the same 3.64-mile course used for the 24-hour event each February. Called the Great Pumpkin Run, the event is scheduled for Oct. 31 through Nov. 1. To register for this event, click here: https://www.nasaproracing.com/events/1937
Ask National
Q: How does a race director choose between a waving-green-flag restart, and one where all stations simply cease to display a double yellow?
A: One instance is called a “restart,” and one is called a “resumption.” Restarts are used for races. Resumptions can be used during practice and qualifying sessions, since there is no “leader” to give the green flag to.
Q: Endurance racing regulations stipulate teams must have an ABC-rated fire extinguisher of 5 pounds or more and two gallons of water in their pit space. Why both?
A: The extinguisher is obviously for a fire. The water is to dilute any gas spills. We also require grease sweep in case there are any oil spills. Gas and oil on pavement is like spilling paint thinner on a painted surface. So, we need the teams to clean up the mess as soon as possible.
