Miller Motorsports Park

[RichK]

Well, the AMA put on the first "pro" weekend at Miller in Utah.

WOW! What a great track. From the TV pictures & race reports from some local racers, it looks to be a F1/MotoGP quality track (with a few minor improvements needed). The GP style garages and tower look really nice, and the paddock clubhouse sounds great.

The track layout looks very nice - a 3500 foot front straight (the 600s were hitting 160mph), and a corkscrew-ish set of turns on the back side. Lots of high speed corners. I was concerned that this track would be "Tilke-ish", but it really seems to flow. The ALMS race should be really interesting.

Now that the Freddie Spencer school is at Miller, I may visit soon and try it out.

[cameraman]

It was a great weekend but the spectator areas are not finished and I can't imagine that they will be able to get grass to sprout in Tooele UT in late June or July.

***There is no grass or shade in the general admission spectator areas***

They GA areas have fantastic views but they are sunbaked dirt, gravel & dust at the moment. If you are going, buy a grandstand seat if you want to get out of the sun. If you have one of those large RV's that you can sit on the roof then by all means get an RV spot. The RV slots are in the center of the track and you will have great viewing from the roof. Not at all bad from the ground but even better from the roof. Also bring the most powerful binoculars you can find. From any location on the track you can see all the way to the opposite side if the track. You can literally follow a car all the way around the 4.5 mile track, it will occasionally drop behind some berm depending on your location but you can pick it up again a hundred yards down the road. You can clearly see 90-95% of the track from all of the stands.

The jumbotrons were not finished for the AMA race but hopefully they will be done for the AMLS race. Judging by size of the foundations and steel poles that were already in they are going to be seriously huge.

I do not think that RV's are allowed to stay on the property overnight but I might be wrong. I know that there was no sign of water, power or drainage at the slots I walked past. But that too wasn't finished so who knows.

The place changes hourly. They have construction crews working constantly and they keep adding things as they go.

Another hint, the track is at 4200 ft in very dry Utah air. You will sunburn orders of magnitude quicker than you will at some place like RA or Laguna Seca. This is SPF 50 country.

[FanofMario]

Any chance a champcar race can be had there?

[RichK]

Any chance a champcar race can be had there?

The owner/builder is already talking about being capable for F1/MotoGP, etc. He's talking about building big grandstands, the whole deal. I believe the garages, runoff, curbing are all FIA/FIM level.

I don't know much about the Salt Lake City market (nor do I really care) to know if the track will attract ChampCar, but I'd love to see some top tier formula cars on this track.

[cameraman]

It sure does not fit the downtown festival of speed concept.

As a race it would be great.

The place is pretty much devoid of high catch fencing and who knows if that would fly with insurance gnomes.

If you wrote the budget on a 25K race day crowd you would probably meet your goal.

[mapguy]

but I'd love to see some top tier formula cars on this track.

You mean something like this...

http://www.team-orange.com/ck1-test.jpg





:D

[RichK]

Damn, I've got to take that web page down.... :cry: :laugh:

It's good to see the 'ol car again, though. *sniff*

[oddlycalm]

Great asset for the area and I always applaud a new natural terrain road course. I'm guessing camerman is on target about the current size of the market, but that should change with time. You don't invest in this kind of facility for the short haul. Nobody has any idea what the market could be after a few years of development.

Most people along the Wasach Front have never road racing. As they begin to come and see races a hardcore audience will emerge as it always does. It will also influence kids. There's no doubt that if I hadn't grown up near Waterford Hills watching sports car races I never would have gone to Watkins Glen, Road America, Mosport, Brainerd and St. Jovite and would never seen F1, Can Am, Trans Am, FIM GP, etc.

My reservation about Miller has been the rather unfortunate location, but realistically that probably can't be helped. Large tracts of affordable land where you can make as much noise as you want aren't in abundant supply any longer. I've spent some miserable days at Tooele during the summer months, so I'm biased and it's hard to imagine going there by choice.

oc

[FCYTravis]

Hey, don't knock the Formula Vees - they can oil down the track with the best of 'em! :laugh: ;)

[cameraman]

You don't invest in this kind of facility for the short haul. Nobody has any idea what the market could be after a few years of development.

He doesn't expect to pay the bills with AMA, GA or ALMS races. That place is booked solid by all manner of clubs, team test dates, weekend warriors and driving schools. That is what pays the bills. The big races are advertising and building interest in road course racing. All those races have to do is not lose a pile of money and they have done their jobs.

[G.]

Nobody has any idea what the market could be after a few years of development.

Large tracts of affordable land where you can make as much noise as you want aren't in abundant supply any longer.

ocI was thinking about looking into land prices near the track to build a home on.

Then I can complain about the noise. :gomer:

[cameraman]

The noise complaints have been on the front page of both local fish wraps this past week. It has been quite the furball.

[oddlycalm]

He doesn't expect to pay the bills with AMA, GA or ALMS races. That place is booked solid by all manner of clubs, team test dates, weekend warriors and driving schools. Exactly, just like every other road course. My point wasn't about ROI though, it's about how large the market potential is, and nobody has any idea at this point. It's possible that as it develops it is much larger than anyone imagined.


The noise complaints have been on the front page of both local fish wraps this past week. It has been quite the furball. So you can have a giant open pit mine, a smelter, one of the largest Army depots anywhere, and it's the race track that's the noise problem? Whatsa matter, they disturb the smelter crew over the hill at Magma or was it one of the 12 people that actually live in that gravel pit.... :shakehead

Seriously, there are only 8415 home in all of Tooele County....

oc