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Pride or profit?

For track designers, the business in showpiece Formula 1 raceways is pretty good right now. But at the other end of the track design scale, many new circuits are emerging around the world that have been built at a fraction of the cost of these facilities.

The US$3.7 million it cost to build Motorsports Park Hastings in Nebraska, USA, included the land, and its happy owner called me after just two years of operation to announce proudly that his investment was fully paid off. Its major event is a historic car club meeting with a weekend rental fee that would not pay for an F1 Paddock Club luncheon. Its enthusiast, non-professional customers have enjoyed safe, fun, competitive racing, plenty of parties, and are committed to returning next year with their friends and more cars.

There is, absolutely, a place for Formula 1, its glamorous locations and venues and its top-of-the-world status in racing. I, for one, will never miss a grand prix on television, even if it means getting up at some crazy early morning hour, but the customers for the tracks I design do not drive F1 cars. Instead, they race Porsches, Mustangs, late model BMW 3-Series, old Formula Atlantics, Honda 600s, Suzuki 750s, old Sprites and MGBs, and the Cobras, Healeys, Ferraris and Corvettes that they watched as teenagers and are now able – as they near retirement – to finally own.

For them the goal is to race with their friends; to run within the limits of their non-pro driving skills; to be able to go off track and survive with car and body unscathed; and to be ‘racing drivers’, even if they can only fantasize about a career with Williams, McLaren or Ferrari.

For others, these tracks provide more intense opportunities for racing at national and international level, where they can race in series such as the American Le Mans, Grand American Cup, AMA Superbike and World Challenge, or in countless Porsche, BMW, Ferrari Challenge, SCCA and other club level events.

The tracks where they race are, first and foremost, businesses. Most are owned by single entrepreneurs who need to make a profit in order to finance the ever-evolving safety demands and service needs of their facilities, whose businesses must remain stable through economic upheavals, and who have to aggressively pursue new revenue sources in order to prosper.

These tracks are the lifeblood of the racing industry. They are the venues for amateur and low-level professional racing. They are the place where drivers and mechanics learn their trade; where the race industry finds its everyday market; where driving schools prosper; and where sponsors get their first taste of the benefits of being part of the racing world.

Racing at this level is not very glamorous, and neither are the race tracks. Instead, they tend to be practical, relatively low-cost facilities that have to be designed for the markets they serve, for the customers who use them, and for the ability to make a sustainable profit. There are no glorious buildings, just practical, effective facilities designed to operate the business of racing.

The tracks themselves have to be safe. Customers who are injured or who damage their cars don’t come back. They cannot afford to, so safety is more than just a moral responsibility – it is a basic business strategy. Spectating customers are enthusiasts, or rapidly become enthusiasts because they are not kept out of the paddocks, fenced away from the action. They are encouraged to mix with the competitors, and to be close to the cars and bikes, so they are able to revel in the sense of excitement and drama that is such an inevitable part of all levels of racing competition. Above all, these tracks must be able to be operated efficiently and cost effectively by small numbers of relatively low-cost staff.

One of the great advantages of building a new race facility is that, unlike in the past when most tracks simply evolved, the designer can now really affect the ongoing profitability of the new facility with careful design that is based around the needs to manage the facility and its business activities as effectively as possible. To make this possible, it helps if the designer is an expert in actually running a facility, because that is the only way he will really understand what goes on behind the scenes.

New tracks are often now being built in developing markets, in countries where racing is still new, and where a promising future exists for the realistic enthusiast and practical businessman. The new track developer in these markets has a responsibility greater than that of just making a profit for himself and his investors. He has to use his track as the base for the development of the sport and business of racing in his market. He must take the lead in attracting new competitors, sponsors, and fans. The better he does this, the stronger his track business will be.

So the track he creates needs to be designed to help develop the market, to be safe for raw beginners, and yet to have the character that retains loyalty as their skills mature. It must be designed to welcome new fans and turn them into lifelong supporters, and is the catalyst for the growth of a profitable, sustainable future.

Yes, it is great to be able to point to a magnificent edifice as a tribute to a designer’s skills. However, the real measure of his success will always be judged by the profitability and longevity of the tracks he builds.

Alan Wilson is a principal in the firm of Wilson Sahara Inc, based in Utah, USA
 

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