Work to begin soon on new race complex / Liberty County motorsports park could host first event in 2009

Original Article

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: Sat 11/17/2007
Section: B
Page: 4

By CINDY HORSWELL Plans are under way to begin building a $35 million raceway park north of Houston that would be the first in Texas designed for national Grand-Am and AMA Superbike races. Liberty Motorsports Park will be located on 819 acres off FM 105 near Cleveland in Liberty County, said the park's president, Marcus McBain. The park could host its first national event in April 2009. McBain signed a memorandum of understanding with the city of Cleveland this week for public tax and infrastructure assistance. A racing enthusiast who has won two national races and seven regional championships, McBain said he has been working to get this project off the ground for about four years.

"It was a longer, more drawn out process than we wanted. But I think we got there," said Cleveland Mayor Jill Kirkonis, after signing the agreement on Thursday. The city has agreed to spend $1.2 million to run water and sewer to the site after it's annexed in January and after completion of a feasibility study.

Details of the plan

A special tax zone will be created that would fund public improvements in the park zone. In addition, the city approved two tax incentives. Track developers will get 2.5 percent of the 7 percent occupancy tax on the city's hotels and recoup any sales tax generated from the track site for promoting tourism in the city. In return, track developers are predicting that at least two nationally televised races will be held at this master-planned facility that will attract more than 60,000 spectators. Then there will also be revenue generated from regional races, trade shows, car and motorcycle schools, festivals and music concerts, McBain said. If all goes as planned, the economic impact from this project could be significant in terms of additional jobs and spending, Kirkonis said.

"What we are trying to create is a Disneyland atmosphere, not a Friday-night drag race," said McBain. Spectators will not be blasted out of the park by loud engines as the park plans to limit the noise level to 105 decibels to "make it a place that people would live," McBain said. That's because the plan includes about 40 trackside condominiums for racing enthusiasts who will have special track privileges as well as use of a clubhouse and pool.

Gaining in popularity

Most spectators will be seated on an elevated grassy hillside where they can bring their lawn chairs and coolers, but some will be watching from suites with many amenities that overlook the track.

The 2.8-mile asphalt track makes twists and turns, rather than running in an oval like NASCAR tracks do, McBain explained. This sort of road course is gaining in popularity as a sports venue, he said, noting more than 13 million people in the United States bought tickets for this motor sport in 2004. He said some smaller operations already offer this type of road racing in Texas, but the Liberty County facility will be the first that will be geared for the big national events.

"There are only 10 other raceways in the country of this caliber," he said. Twelve miles of roadway will be constructed around the site to avoid traffic jams at the large events, McBain added. Plans call for trees to be cleared in December and January and then construction to begin in February, he said.