Are the Number of New Race Tracks Growing?

[JohnBM01]

Ground recently broke on a new motorsports park in New Jersey. It's old news that New Jersey got itself this new motorsports park, however, ground recently broke on it. You can read more about it on their official website here: < http://www.njmotorsportspark.com/ >. Ground breaking for this facility has me questioning if there is a high rate of new motorsports facilities set up around America or if there aren't as many new tracks either forming or will be forming in the near future.

This is my view on these newer motorsports facilities. It's always great for racing because racers will have a home to race rather than illegally on the streets. We have Motorsport Ranch Houston in Rosharon, TX. However, we also have Houston Motorsports Park which plays host to some ASA stock car short track racing. I always feel that motorsports in a major city or in a metropolitan area is always fun. Being a big city boy, there's nothing better than racing in your general hometown area or even in a metropolitan area of a major city. I even remember there was a plan to try to get the New York City area represented in NASCAR after such a plan didn't really pull through. Sears Point (or "Infineon Raceway") is the permanent track home for the San Francisco area. There's the beautiful Portland International Speedway either in or on the outskirts of the City of Roses- Portland, Oregon. Do I think the rate of new tracks are coming along quite well? Hard to really define a rate of new tracks either proposed or in the works. A high rate will mean that as soon as the New Jersey Motorsports Park had ground broken, tracks would begin construction in the Detroit area, the Tulsa area, the San Antonio area, the Seattle area, and if you're lucky... the New York City area. So no, I don't think there's a rapid rate of new race tracks being proposed or constructed. It is nice to see more racing facilities made available.

But what do you all think on if the rate of new race tracks forming in America? Or maybe if new motorsports facilities are established in your home country? Let's reply!

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I've only really got into Motorsport in the last 7-8 years, but more circuits appear to be popping up around the world all the time, especially in Asia and the Middle-East, eg. Bahrain, Turkey, Shanghai and soon Abu Dhabi.

Alot of circuits in Australia seem to have disappeared and I really think we need some new circuits as most of the ones we still have are getting too short and 99% of them have awkward pit-entries!

 

[CAMikaze]

Alot of circuits in Australia seem to have disappeared and I really think we need some new circuits as most of the ones we still have are getting too short and 99% of them have awkward pit-entries!

That has me thinking this is a rather timley question to ask then.

Now that Casey Stoner has won the 2007 MotoGP World Championship, do you think Australia will have a few more race tracks built in the next few years? I believe I heard something mentioned during the Japanese MotoGP telecast about him being a dirt-track racer in Australia, but he eventually moved to England so that he could be able to pursue a road-racing career.

 

[JohnBM01]

Being a Houston native, I really think Motorsport Ranch Houston (MSR Houston) can be a true road racing gem for bigtime racing if sufficient funds are given to upgrade the track incredibly. It's great as it is, but I'd love to see the Houston area GREATLY represented with a quality permanent race track rather than have to wait one weekend out of the year for the "street" race around Reliant Park. There still has to be a good number of race facilities available to cater to more metropolitan areas as well as city suburbs. Like here in Houston, we have suburbs and such like Pearland, Clear Lake, Alvin (the planned place for the now-defunct Houston Superspeedway), and places like that. Alvin seemed to be best for a pure race track to cater to bigtime racing like NASCAR and maybe the IndyCar Series. Now, it's basically cancelled and gone.

Anyone else care to comment on a rate of new tracks being built or conceptualized?

 

[Mt. Lynx]

The number of tracks worldwide are maybe and maybe not growing. Maybe, because we do see a great deal of tracks being built. And maybe not, because we don´t hear about tracks being closed. I think the overall number is pretty much the same.

However, if we´ll stay in the States, I think the number of tracks may have risen some in the last few years.
Thing is, the racingcommunity in the States are more open to new ideas and not afraid to try them, than most of the world. I´m thinking of the various citycircuits that pop up every now and then. And there is no shortage on ovals, that´s for sure. Ovaltracks hardly exist outside of the USA! Furthermore, I can see more ovals being built in the near future, not only in the US, but worldwide. NASCAR is growing rapidly, and will most likely be a world series very soon.
On the downside (for me at least) is the fact that the permanent roadcourses don´t multiply, and most of them are not even cared for properly. There are a number of fantastic circuits overseas in the land of the free, but they are hardly used at all.
F1 has never been big in America, so I hope some other roadcourse based series will be. The ALMS and Champcar are just not sufficient enough.
My hopes now stand with the FIA GT series, whom has been proposed to be a worldseries as of 2009. A new, hightech permanent roadcorse in the vein of Otodromo d´Istanbul or maybe even Baharain, would be a great addition to USA´s racetrack park.

 

[waynz]

Alot of circuits in Australia seem to have disappeared and I really think we need some new circuits as most of the ones we still have are getting too short and 99% of them have awkward pit-entries!

I wouldn't say disappearing.. More like getting less coverage worldwide..

The only tracks that would get international coverage would be the V8 Supercar tracks...

I would say the pit facilities are getting outdated more than anything. And because of the drought it looks like there running around farms than race-curcuits

wayn*z