New 2.1 Mile Road Course Proposed in S.W. Missouri

[arpenn]

This story just ran on the local news tonight. Three local investors are in the process of purchasing 326 acres near Marshfield, Missouri and planning to build a state of the art 2.1 mile road course :026:. This is about an hour north of Branson, Missouri. Here is a link to the news story, there is the news clip and a drawing of the proposed track.

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/26074099.html

I don't know if this will actually happen, but I sure hope it does. This is about 8 miles from my house!:eclipsee_steering:I will try to keep everyone updated as things move forward.

[tnord]

unfortunately, we've been through this before.

[arpenn]

Travis,
I understand, I am being cautiously optimistic. Only time will tell the real story. Like I stated earlier this isn't far from my home, so I will try to post updates as I get them. I assume you are referring to the KCI Motorsports Park? What going on with KCI, have they broken ground yet?

[tnord]

yes, i'm referring to KCI. a friend of mine is actually the one that has been driving that whole effort. Funkhouser hasn't held to the deal that Barnes struck with KCI, and basically it comes down to the burial grounds (not kidding) on the property promised to build the track not being up for grabs anymore.

it's basically dead.

[Z3_GoCar]

Ah, yes Marshfield birth place of Edwin Hubble. It's about time someone realized the prime location of central Missouri for a road racing track. I always thought the terrain was wasted on the little dirt bowl circle tracks. Last time we were there, we waited at the Sonic for about an hour before they brought our lunch out. Now they have to include a tractor pull venue and they'll be set:D

Hang in there Travis, KCI might be the living dead of road tracks. You never know if it'll come back to life.

James

[anrkii]

holy crap.

thats literally eight miles from my house.

wow.

[tnord]

well James, someone else is going to have to pick up the ball and run with it, because i'm pretty sure the main mover behind it has given up.

a track in central missouri would be cool though. there's the as mentioned great terrain, and it's not so terribly far from texas you couldn't pick some of that crowd. just as long as they don't go over-the-top with it and try and build some extravagant track with clubhouses and everything it could do just fine.

EDIT; I just read the article and I'm afraid it's destined for failure. the likelyhood of attracting a pro event to a 2.1 mile track in missouri is not good. what event would they take OFF the schedule to fit this one in? VIR? Barber? Road Ameria? Road Atlanta? Laguna? Infineon? Lime Rock? Watkins? see where i'm going with this?

[SLUF]

I would sure like to think this is something that will be successful. I'll keep my fingers crossed and pray to the race car gods. (You know, Mario and AJ!)

[arpenn]

Here is a link to the story that ran in the local paper on Wed 7/30/08 the day after the story broke on KY3.

http://www.marshfieldmail.com/site/tab4.cfm?newsid=19877363&BRD=2841&PAG=461&dept_id=603499&rfi=6

[BrandonP]

what event would they take OFF the schedule to fit this one in? VIR? Barber? Road Ameria? Road Atlanta? Laguna? Infineon? Lime Rock? Watkins? see where i'm going with this?

Ya that is what I was thinking, I can't believe they would take one of the races off the schedule to add one here. I think that is just to get people locally on board.

It would be cool to have big races like that here, but I just hope at least it becomes a club level track such as Hallett or the like, and not a dead dream. :shrug:

[bldn10]

"what event would they take OFF the schedule to fit this one in? VIR? Barber? Road Ameria? Road Atlanta? Laguna? Infineon? Lime Rock? Watkins? see where i'm going with this?"

Yea, but what events would we take OFF the schedule - Hallett, HPT, MAM, Memphis, St. Louis, Hastings? See where I'm going? We need a 7th track in the MiDiv like we need another Miata class. SCCA club racing is pretty much a zero sum game at this point - one track's gain is the others' loss.

That said, it would be 2nd closest for me and the layout looks interesting.

[IPRESS]

Watch out Bill,:D there are so many miatas that another class would just mean more money for the regions.
I understand your take, too many races for not enough racers.

[Z3_GoCar]

well James, someone else is going to have to pick up the ball and run with it, because i'm pretty sure the main mover behind it has given up.

a track in central missouri would be cool though. there's the as mentioned great terrain, and it's not so terribly far from texas you couldn't pick some of that crowd. just as long as they don't go over-the-top with it and try and build some extravagant track with clubhouses and everything it could do just fine.

EDIT; I just read the article and I'm afraid it's destined for failure. the likelyhood of attracting a pro event to a 2.1 mile track in missouri is not good. what event would they take OFF the schedule to fit this one in? VIR? Barber? Road Ameria? Road Atlanta? Laguna? Infineon? Lime Rock? Watkins? see where i'm going with this?

Hey Travis,

Here's some tracks used by the pros use that could be dropped for a real road course: PIR, Iowa Speedway (Sorry Rusty), the non-24hr race at Daytona, Lowes Motor Speedway. See a trend in these tracks? They're all tri-ovals pretending to be road courses, and not doing a good job at either. Probably the same could be said about the club races at Gateway, or even Memphis. I wish we didn't have to run Fontana in our schedule, that we could still run riverside instead. But times have changed, and maybe we need to build a track farther out in the desert away from urban spral.

James

[tnord]

"what event would they take OFF the schedule to fit this one in? VIR? Barber? Road Ameria? Road Atlanta? Laguna? Infineon? Lime Rock? Watkins? see where i'm going with this?"

Yea, but what events would we take OFF the schedule - Hallett, HPT, MAM, Memphis, St. Louis, Hastings? See where I'm going? We need a 7th track in the MiDiv like we need another Miata class. SCCA club racing is pretty much a zero sum game at this point - one track's gain is the others' loss.

That said, it would be 2nd closest for me and the layout looks interesting.

except the difference is we're the customers in that situation, so we don't really have anything to lose since we don't have a vested interest in it. i agree though, this division doesn't need another event crammed in the schedule. we don't really NEED more tracks, just more people.

[tnord]

Hey Travis,

Here's some tracks used by the pros use that could be dropped for a real road course: PIR, Iowa Speedway (Sorry Rusty), the non-24hr race at Daytona, Lowes Motor Speedway. See a trend in these tracks? They're all tri-ovals pretending to be road courses, and not doing a good job at either. Probably the same could be said about the club races at Gateway, or even Memphis. I wish we didn't have to run Fontana in our schedule, that we could still run riverside instead. But times have changed, and maybe we need to build a track farther out in the desert away from urban spral.

James

i was waiting for that to be brought up. the pro-races being run at Iowa Speedway is Grand-Am, which has a real close relationship with NASCAR. and as you noted, a certain someone owns that track.

lowes? that was an attempt by SWC to attract NASCAR fans, complete with the fake-out Jimmy Johnson seat.

2nd Daytona event? well, there's a little more road-racing history there, but yeah, i could do without that one.

Memphis? never been (10hr tow for THAT track?), and if the current trend continues, they won't be able to have races there anymore. Hastings? yeah, that's not going so well with the whole club racing thing. i think the des moines crowd is figuring that out now.

[anrkii]

I do agree that we need more new people involved in SCCA than we need new tracks built.

However, marshfield mo is over three hours tow from any other roadcourse track, and the ozmt region has a strong autocross club, which will collect some more racers as well. Im not too sure on the whole angle of grabbing up pro race series and getting them to run in missouri, that sounds a tad optimistic, but a shiny new purpose built road course in an otherwise vacant area in the midwest region surely couldnt hurt.

I am exited about a new track appearing within walking distance of my home.

[bldn10]

"a shiny new purpose built road course in an otherwise vacant area in the midwest region surely couldnt hurt."

The FACT is that we are not adding events; if anything, we are cutting them. If we pick up a few cars in the Ozark area and then divide the new total not by 6 but by 7, the average car count (already down) at each track will go down. That makes it more difficult for Regions to hold events. That hurts.

Here in Memphis we already have a tough time given our location in the extreme SE of the MiDiv. W/ this new track between us and the rest of the Division, many of the drivers who used to come here will do that one instead. I suspect that this new track is the death knell for us. :(

[Speed Raycer]

Yep.. STL and Memphis will be the first to feel the pain. They're already "on the chopping block" as far as Dover is concerned. A "real" road course w/i 3 hours drive from STL, KC etc will certainly deplete the entrant #'s on the east side of the division.

[arpenn]

Here is a link to the latest article that ran this week in the Marshfield Mail Newspaper about the new road course.

http://www.marshfieldmail.com/articles/2008/08/05/news/doc4898cd4263901951151388.txt

[keycom]

Do you mean here?
http://www.marshfieldmail.com/articles/2008/08/05/news/doc4898cd4263901951151388.txt

[CCDangie71]

Yep.. STL and Memphis will be the first to feel the pain. They're already "on the chopping block" as far as Dover is concerned. A "real" road course w/i 3 hours drive from STL, KC etc will certainly deplete the entrant #'s on the east side of the division.

+1

If this track becomes a reality, why would anyone from KC go to Gateway for a race? This track has a better chance of being built than KCI Posersports Park since they aren't taking the country club approach. I just wish Paul Newman would have bought Mid-America Raceway in Wentzville back in the early 80's. That track was world class and now it's a subdivision. :(

Bottom line is, we truly don't need another track.

[arpenn]

Yes dead link, sorry! Thanks for catching it.

[77ITA]

Hoping to attract American Le Mans Series to Missouri?

Ha! "Developer's plan" indeed. :rolleyes:

[Speed Raycer]

Maybe they're talking about the 24 Hours of LeMons and the reporter confused the races ;)