LEFT COAST RACING SCENE: Tulare Motor Sports Park update

by Dave Grayson

Slowly but surely the proposed Tulare Motor Sports Park, TMS, is working its way through California’s strict development requirements and the final plan and environmental impact report, EIR, could be presented to the Tulare City Council by early summer. TMS is being master minded by well known Fresno based developer Bud Long who, over the past six years, has assembled an impressive team of experienced firms and individuals, developers, real estate professionals, designers, architects, planners, investors and local government officials.

The $300 million proposed project will be built on 700 acres adjacent to the Tulare International Agriculture Center. The crown jewel of the development will be a one mile D shaped, polymer asphalt covered super speedway.

The front straightaway, will be1,503 feet long with two degrees of banking while the backstretch will measure 1,211 with three degrees of banking. The straightaways will sweep the drivers into 24 degree banked turns measuring 1,283 feet. The ultra professional pit road will be 70 feet wide capable of serving the needs of 43 race teams.

Also included in the master plan is a quarter mile drag strip measuring 1,320 feet long by 60 feet wide complete with dual concrete and sand pit emergency braking areas. The plans for this full scale drag strip includes seating for 35,000 along with 120 luxury sky boxes which will seat an additional 4,800.

However there’s a lot more to the TMS complex than just auto racing. It’s also going to be a first class residential and recreational area as well. Luxury condos, under the supervision of the Clovis-California based Bratton Group, will offer an extremely high quality of living. The condo owners will also receive exclusive privileges to all motor sports events at the complex.

They will also be treated to top of the line shopping and dining facilities,special activities at the convention center, a sculpture laden garden area and they can enjoy the recreational opportunities presented by the 35 acre man made lake. All of these amenities will feature easy access via the tram service that will circle the complex.

The temporary living and recreational needs of visiting race fans will also be well accommodated at TMS. The complex will feature a resort hotel as well as a RV resort area featuring 180 full hook up sites. Weekend visitors can also take in the fun of the proposed amusement park complete with carnival rides and games an indoor mini track,arcade areas and fast food vendors.

But for all of this to become a reality TMS, like all commercial developments in California, is going to have to successfully complete the maze of governmental and environmental requirements. The land agreements were reached in February of last year. Not long after that Bud Long hosted a meet and greet with Tulare business owners and residents to present the merits of TMS.

He told those in attendance that he expected the construction process to take 12 to 18 months and felt the facility could be up and racing by spring of 2009.Question number one for Long was why build something like this in Tulare as opposed to a more remote site that would be free of future encroachment? They were told  that a facility with varied recreational opportunities really needed to be located within the confines of a city.

There were also concerns regarding noise mitigation’s issues. Long told the audience that the one mile super speedway was going to be built stadium style and the noise would rise straight up. He also pointed out that excessive noise from the drag strip could be buffered by the presence of buildings on the site and any form of noise abatement would be seriously considered.

Also, at that same meeting, there was a question regarding exactly what racing organizations would support a one mile super speedway. According to a published report,by the Tulare based “Valley Voice”, Long has reportedly already spoken with officials from NASCAR and the Indy Racing League, among others, and has received some positive interest. He was quoted, from the meeting, that NASCAR officials actually visited Tulare last year and were reported to be very impressed with the strong fan base of California’s central valley area.

The proposed park’s first real encounter with regional government came in August of last year when TMS representatives appeared before the Tulare Aviation Commission. This meeting was scheduled largely because the park’s property runs adjacent to the local airport.

According to published minutes of that meeting the Commission’s staff reviewed the park’s EIR and presented a few minor concerns. One of them was a need to move a portion of the speedway’s grandstand away from the airport area referred to as Conical Zone Six.

It was also pointed out that all gasoline tanks required by the racing facilities would have to be underground. The absolute deal breaking issue was the Comission’s insistence that the race tracks could not schedule any events during the annual Farm Show.

This annual week long agriculture exhibition is huge in Tulare and attracts an estimated 50,000 visitors each year. TMS counsel assured the Commission that all of their concerns would be met and the result was a stamp of approval with the project being hailed as “a great addition to the city and the airport.”

In November of last year the Tulare City Council voted, 12 to 1, to officially consider the plan for the TMS. Official certification of the park’s EIR is expected in May of this year. Official approval from the City Council is expected 30 to 60 days later meaning the TMS could get a local government green light as early as June.

However, according to reports from “The Valley Voice”, the approval process could turn out to be one of the most emotionally charged City Council meetings the community of Tulare has seen in quite a long time with opinions on the project reportedly running about 50/50.

Proponent praise for the park is stemmed on the potential economic boon the city could receive from tax revenues as well as the creation of approximately 1,000 full time jobs. Park opponents seem to be citing the aforementioned noise mitigation issues as well as a negative impact on what has been termed as Tulare’s small town charm. Opponents, from the community of approximately 50,000, are openly wondering if Tulare residents really want such a massive change in a relatively short amount of time.

Yet another interesting aspect, from the creation of TMS, is the highly visible impact it will have on auto racing prominence in California’s central valley area. Already firmly established there is the Thunderbowl Raceway.

For many years now the one third mile clay oval, located at the Tulare Fairgrounds, has been the home of high quality Saturday night racing reinforced with annual special events such as the February 22nd appearance of the nationally known World Of Outlaws touring series.

Also in this region is the Tracy-California based Altamont Motor Sports Park which for more than four decades has been the scene of high quality NASCAR sanctioned racing. In the community of Atwater, approximately 100 miles north of Tulare, lies the site of the proposed Riverside Motor Sports Park which is expected to break ground on its conglomeration of nine race tracks later this year.

Add the creation of the Tulare Motor Sports Park to this area then it’s going to be certain that the central valley is going to become one of the most potent and prolific motor sports regions on the entire left coast.