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new colorado track
If it meets the fund raising goals we will have a new amateur track owned by member clubs by '08
http://hpr.lighthouseclients.com/ topo map of the track layout. http://hpr.lighthouseclients.com/ima...Detail-Web.jpg |
Pretty tight! Looks like they are trying to compete w/ Miller Motorsports Park here in Utah. :unibrow:
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Miller is a spectator track and for profit. So I don't know about competing. I'm sure we will get other SCCA divisions coming in for events outside their own area, just like we go to miller, sandia in NM and hastings in nebraska.
High Plains is strictly for amateur clubs and the event rentals for member clubs will reflect that. Either way, if the fund raising goals are met and the track gets built, it will be a nice track for the whole area. 2nd creek was small but it did well for the time we used it. It was a very fun track. It only covered 60 acres. Houses started coming over the hill and pushed it out. The dirt oval didn't help with the noise complaints either. Hope to see people come out for the opening season. |
schweet! I wouldn't mind playing around on that.
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Anyone coming down to the Western Sprints Revived at Sandia on June 30th and July 1st in Albuquerque? Let me know...Robert
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The zoning change to allow amateur motorsports has been approved by a vote of 5-0. The Use by Special Review permit has been submitted. Once that has been approved we will close on the land. The building permits are ready to go once that happens.
So far we have raised $140K from 160 people. We want to raise at least $500K from member donations and commercial/advertising. The more we raise the better amenities and the lower the loan amount we would need. www.highplainsraceway.com |
As of 8-30 they have raised $220K from member donations. This is above the $850K that we started out with. That is with maybe 5-10% return from the mailings that were sent out to the car club members.
The USR application has been submitted and should be put on the agenda within 2 months for a public hearing and a vote will be taken at that hearing. So far there has been no opposition and every vote so far has been unanimous. I don't think the county will mess around since we are the reason they changed the zoning to allow amateur motorsports to begin with. |
Fund raising is continuing and have so far collected $254K from 323 club members.
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Another update, $302K and climbing. there is also added link to a contributor page.
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Another update.
October 20, 2007 – HPR News Release What's Happening-Continued ! Well it is another weekend working in my home office and wishing I was at the SCCA double Regional. I have just completed processing this week's credit card contributions, which bring our total so far in the member fundraising campaign to $346,682. That's an increase of a hundred thousand over my letter of September 8th. We have now reached 35% of our fundraising goal and are at 70% of the amount projected to meet that portion of our construction release parameters. To date we have mailed fundraising brochures to 4,573 members, with more planned. The response to date represents 426 generous members. While most contributors have opted for some level of the brick recognition program there have been many who have shared whatever amount they can spare. All levels are appreciated and needed to have a first class facility. We have conducted four track informational meetings at May Farms in Byers and at the Red Lion Inn. Some of you have had the opportunity to walk the track. The clubs have started a phone campaign soliciting support for the track from the members who have not yet contributed. It is very encouraging to see the excitement level amongst the membership as the reality of HPR grows. The legal documents for the loan program continued to consume much of the CAMA representatives time the past few weeks. I am now pleased to state that the Operating Agreement for CAMLC and the loan documents to CAMA are now complete. The package has been turned over to SEC lawyers to prepare the Private Placement Documents. We anticipate that all the documents will be complete by no later than Mid-November and we can begin signing up all the interested loan participants. If you have an interest in the program please contact any of the CAMA representatives or your club board. Arapahoe County provided us with their first response to our Use by Special Review (USR) application. The review thus far has not identified any negatives and their questions related mostly to requests for more details on the design, grading and drainage plans. The design team is busy preparing responses and modifications to the application and is giving priority to returning the package to the County in a timely manner. Speaking of the design team, in addition to Bill Howard (RMVR) of Plan West who is handling our permitting & design along with Rick Goncalves (RMR-PCA) of RG Consulting, our engineer, we have two new key additions to the team. Matt Proehl (RMR-PCA) who is a Project Manager for Haselden Construction has taken the duty of being the Track Construction Manager. Also, we are very excited to have entered a consulting agreement with Wilson Motorsport. Alan brings many years of expertise and will assist us with construction planning, asphalt specifications and track safety features. The design team has been extremely busy preparing the construction grading plan. Much time is being devoted to establishing spot elevations and finished contours. The team's energies are focused on the vertical & horizontal curves along with the angle of the verge trackside and in run-off areas. I have been a participant in the process and while I have been allowed some token input, I think they just keep me around as the buffer to keep budget and reality in harmony. Once the grading plan is complete Matt will be able to prepare accurate construction estimates, timelines and start the contractor bidding process. Assuming a positive response from the County, a successful capital campaign this fall, along with a warm spring in '08, we are hopeful to be racing at HPR next summer. The clubs are working together to prepare a tentative event schedule for next season. Watch the website for the announcement of that schedule. Don't forget that contributions are deposited to a restricted account and will be returned to you if CAMA has not reached the construction release parameters by December, 2008. Keep the contributions coming and tell your friends you are a `founding contributor' . Sincerely, Charlie Thompson CAMA Manager |
We broke the $400K mark from member contributions. Loan documents have been complete and people are starting to subscribe.
Total so far from starting capital and member donations we have $1,283,000. Commercial advertising has not been counted yet, most likely they are waiting for the use permits to be approved. That should go before the county board early .08, hopefully in January. Here is a simulated lap on the old configuration, new config should be done soon. http://www.youtube.com/HighPlainsDenver |
Minor updates for the capital campaign and also a better date when the USR goes before the county board for a vote.
$415K from members $883K starting capital $250K so far from the loan program. Maximum they are looking for in the loan program is $1.4 mil in $50K increments from track enthusiasts. They have verbal commitments for 3/4 of it and the rest are maybe. What they have right now is half of what they need to break ground. $1,548,000 we need $3 mil. Once the USR is approved and they haven't seen any indication it won't go through, I am sure the capital campaign will have another influx of commiments from loans and member contributions. There isn't anything about advertising or commercial donations, I am sure those are mostly set up when the USR is approved. The USR should go before the county board before feb. 15th. |
Here's a vid of a simulated lap at the new track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ8hb0ENSN4 $430K- individual member donations $883K- starting capital $450K- loan program $1,763,000 goal $3,000,000 |
The USR for High Plains Raceway has been approved by a unanimous vote by the county. Closing for the land is schduled on the 31st.
This despite a land owner who lives 5 miles away and complains about noise from the semi trucks driving on us 36, and us denver drivers that aren't used to slow moving farm implements. |
The land is ours, so the only thing holding the track back is money.
Here is the latest "whats happening" update. March 3, 2008 – HPR What's Happening! After all of the excitement of January with USR approval and the land purchase, I expected a calmer February but it has been quite the opposite. There are so many irons in the fire and little things requiring attention. The marketing committee sent out another great mailer announcing the USR & land purchase. The YouTube videos on the website have created a lot of excitement. Many thanks to Andy Labout (PCA) and Paul Leonard (SCCA) for the authentic videos they have each created. Watch the website for the availability of a game version. Harry & Greg Mathews (RMVR-CECA), Rome Chelsi (CECA) along with many others conducted a very successful fundraising dinner last weekend. It is exciting to see that the energy around the track project is growing daily! The design team has been especially busy. The horizontal design of the track is now complete and the computer calculations for the vertical design are about to be finalized. Grading and construction drawings are anticipated to be complete in three weeks and next week we anticipate having enough details to start portions of the construction bid process. The bids will give us a badly needed final budget. My best estimate today is that we need $2.8 million to start construction and another half million for a few of the desperately desired amenities. The detailed budget will be released to the website as soon as it is approved. Which brings me to the heart of "What NEEDS to be Happening" in March. The thermometer is currently at $2.3 million. This represents $900,000 in loan commitments and $511,000 in contributions. While these numbers are commendable, they represent the efforts of only a portion of the active membership of the Clubs. I have talked to so many people considering the loan program or planning to buy a brick that state that they `just have not got around to sending it in'! Well we are all racers who procrastinate till the week before the race to get the car ready. Well March is that window of opportunity to get ready! If we are prepared later this month to start construction but are short on money, then we could miss a lot of green flag opportunities. Now is the time to send it in! Your clubs' boards of directors, their CAMA representatives, our many volunteers and advisors have nearly completed their task to make HPR a reality. Now it is up to the club members. The future of racing in Colorado is in your hands. As Harry Mathews stated at the fundraiser, "You have to `Pay' if you want to `Play' and the survival of the amateur clubs rests primarily in their ability to control their own future". Even with tracks in Pueblo, Hastings & LaJunta how will the clubs survive if they can't generate enough drivers and workers to those locations to conduct events. All clubs are reporting large drops in participation levels. The Denver area is the major populous of Colorado and the future of our sport relies on having a Denver area facility to draw new members and keep the old ones active. We at CAMA hope that some of the other proposed track projects are also successful as they will only enhance that growth. Inscribe your `Brick' today and let's keep HPR on-track! Charlie Thompson CAMA Manager |
The latest "what's happening" letter has been posted on the HPR web site along with an updated fund raising total. There is also a link for founding sponsor advertising rates flyer.
$2,574,000 has been raised so far. www.highplainsraceway.com http://www.highplainsraceway.com/pdf...sors-Flyer.pdf |
I "might" be in Denver for a business trip in the next week or two. If I go... I'll have to check this out!!!
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We haven't broken ground yet, but it is getting very close. It is so close that the track will be built. The founding sponsor program is underway, that should bring the balance what is needed.
Seeing the land from satellite images is one thing, standing on the land is totally different. The place is huge and we're only using less than half the land for phase 1. pm to let me know if you're going to be coming out and maybe we could meet up. |
It looks like we will be able break ground on the track this year!!!
Although they are still waiting to get all the constructions bids sorted out, we should have enough money collected to build a usable facility. The preliminary estimates called for $2.8 to build a usable facility. Our old track, 2nd creek was what I would call a usable facility and it worked well for 20 years although it was very small. Construction release parameters-- That CAMA owns the land. DONE That the needed zoning is approved. DONE That the site plan is approved by the County. DONE That firm quotes are in hand for the major cost items of this project. in progress And last, but not least, that the Capital Campaign has raised enough money to at least pay for a "Useable Track." -- According to the latest tally we have $2,835,000 raised from members, commercial and individual loan program. $601K- individual member and commercial sponsor contributions $884K- starting capital $1,350,000-- loan program |
Here's the latest update.
June 3, 2008 – HPR What’s Happening! Where to start? There has been so much happening since my last letter. First, when we received the approval of our Use by Special Review application (USR) from Arapahoe County, several conditions were listed which as of today have now been completely satisfied. Our use permit can now be signed. This will allow for the final negotiations to conditions and collateral assignments required to obtain our Grading Erosion and Seeding Control permit (GESC). This permit is necessary to break ground. In the meantime CAMA has obtained and is analyzing several bids for grading and asphalt. Needless to say, with the current costs of diesel and oil, these bids are all higher than hoped. Your representatives have been working very hard to analyze these bids and find the right combination of contractors and options to ensure a raceable facility close to the available budget. Speaking of the budget, CAMA selected to stop updating the thermometer until after current market costs could be better identified, however it will now be updated to reflect our current funding level of $3,024,000. This represents $1,500,000 in loan commitments and $640,000 in member contributions. While race clubs are generally not political, we do applaud Washington for their program of distributing Economic Stimulus checks. Please send your economic stimulus money to CAMA and we will ensure it is utilized to stimulate a deserving asphalt contractor. CAMA’s negotiations with the Champ Car bankruptcy court resulted in nearly 1,000 Gran Prix concrete barriers being given to our organization. The move required 210 truck loads costing in excess of $80,000 however this investment will provide us with all the safety barriers and facility control we will possibly need. We even obtained enough of the 2’ pit lane walls to set up a safe car service and signaling area along the pit lane. Track tours of the HPR site are becoming even more popular. Utilize the website, www.highplainsraceway.com , CONTACT US page, if you would like to do a walk-about. The Capital Campaign committee has expanded a program for first year advertisers called the Founding Sponsor program. Contact a CAMA representative if you or a friend has a business which could enhance our fundraising through advertising. This unfortunately will be my last letter as other business opportunities are forcing me to step down from my Manager role. It would take pages to thank all of the members who have provided the support I needed to perform my duties. The timing is good as the HPR plan and funding are in place allowing me to pass the baton to a fresh set of legs as construction begins. All of the clubs, members, and race fans who have contributed to date should be very proud of what we have accomplished so far - - a spectacular achievement. Inscribe your ‘Brick’ today and let’s keep HPR on-track! Charlie Thompson Former CAMA Manager |
The web site has yet to be updated, but all the contracts are signed and the money is in place. Ground breaking should begin in the next week!!
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wow. that is purdy. colorado? i could make it
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60 miles east of I-25 and I-70(mouse trap), 17 miles east of Byers on us 36.
The z car club of colorado is a part owner too. btw, that pic is looking southwest. |
New ariel pics have been posted and here is a new speeded up video of a full lap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4c7FJpCIp8 follow the url to the photo link. www.highplainsraceway.com |
Those are some wicked sharp & short turns!
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At speed it is going to be very technical. The portions of the track i was able to drive on slowly, I couldn't get a sense of any banking, if any there might be about 2-3 degree banking. The crossovers have no banking at all.
This is definitely going to be a fun track when it opens. Unfortunately it won't have all the ammenities up right away. But our goal was to have a usable track and that's what we have. We still need money to get electricity and water along with a timing tower, the list goes on. Eventually we will rival a turn key track. This is much more than any other proposed club tracks have. It's owned and built by 11 clubs, no outside investors to answer to. |
Of 16k tires delivered, less than 200 are left to bolt together. All done by volunteers.
www.highplainsraceway.com The z club of colorado has the track 2 times this year. May 23rd and Sept 12th. Sept 12 will coincide with the midwest regional zfest. www.zccc.org |
I forgot to mention, the starter stand is up and ready for the green flag. Check out pics of that and other prgress pics on the photo page.
There is a history link as well. It's amazing what the local car clubs have done along with their members and the the experience they brought with them. |
These are comments and vids by Paul Leonard on the Generic Racing forum. He also did the sims for the track.
Keep searching for youtube links for more vids. This was just the first open lapping day. The motorcycles take to the track for the first time today with a full weekend of racing this weekend. HPR first report -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had a great time at the HPR lapping day yesterday. This track is going to prove difficult to master. Figuring out the best lines won't be so hard, but actually hitting the proper braking points and apexes, and not losing your concentration during a 2' lap will be difficult. It is very busy ... congratulate yourself on one turn, and you'll miss the next. T1 is faster than I thought (At least 70 mph in my car). I think it can be a great place to overtake someone, or to set up an overtake entering T2. T2 was tough for me to enter late enough. If you turn in early, you get pushed out wide and lose lots of speed exiting. It's a very long turn, and it will be proper to dive in deep and enter late, but you'll have to counter that with protecting the inside line (55-60 mph). T3 following is also a challenge. It can be tough to see it as you leave T2, and you never quite know if you can take it flat out. I got the the point of just a sustained lift, but I think once the track improves and you can see more markings, many cars will be flat out (75 mph). The kink following is of course flat out in every car. The straight is long, and I hit the same top speed as Pueblo (125 mph). As you brake going up the hill at the end, the apex to T4 (Bikers Berm) is very hard to see. The plastic poles they've stuck in the curbing help. I never got in close enough to this apex, which could be taken at probably 90 mph. I think I'll apply some Rogaine to my genital area before next time. I think T5 (Niagara) can be taken WAY faster then I was going (60 mph) It has lots of camber, especially close to the apex. But again, this is tough to hit. A lot of these turns really sneak up on you. Not sure if it's the lack of markings, or the elevation, the unfamiliarity, or the general business. T6 (Dannys Lesson) is your basic late apex, but does afford good overtaking opportunity against those not watching their mirrors. It also allows those with good cornering skills to exit much faster and gain some ground over the next long straight. 45 mph. T7, High Plains Drifter, is pretty cool. Long, fast, cambered, sweeping uphill. I saw many folks not drive this correctly. It requires patience to enter, and you do not want to unwind when you think you've left the late apex. You'd better hang on to that turn for another second or two. 95-100 mph. T8 surprises you after you crest the preceding hill. It's a slow turn (40 mph), but there will be lots going on as you protect the braking zone yet, till try to get set up for the Bobsled. Speaking of which, no amount of simulation can prepare you for the descent into Hell. Your car will fell like is has 2X the horsepower as you slalom down this smoothy. 9a and 9b, although very close together, had speeds of 80 and 100 mph. The bottom turn T10 is another hair-grower. You'll have a chance to not give up any time here if you dont brake too much, but any offs will be devastating. T11 (entering the Ladder) has a very, very late apex. Although the curbing stretches much of the length of the turn, I still apexed at the end of it. It's decreasing, uphill, with great camber, so you can get on the gas more than you realize. You enter at 50 mph and track out at 70 mph. I think this can be a creatinve passing location. T12 is another blindy. Not much going on here. Just don't get lazy and forget to clip it. T13, 14 and 15 .. the Corkscrew. Very very fun. It's hard to see the entrance, but set it up properly and you'll have 10 mph more exit speed than everyone else. Is a very fun left, right, left, also. You'll like to think that the cheering crowds are watching your awesome line as you head back in front of the (soon to be) grandstands. I think that you can take the 2nd and 3rd kinks flat out if you enter the first one properly. Leaving this corkscrew is also where you leave track to enter pit lane. Be cautious of the car in front of you. If you plan a pass on the inside left, and he decides to leave the track, there could be trouble. Finally, although the pit entrance to the track is smooth, I found it difficult to see oncoming cars. You basically join T2 right at the track out point, so if you don't see the traffic, you'll be in someone's way. I was craning my neck as much as possible, as using my mirrors as well, and still neglected to see cars at times. Maybe it's my sports racer, or whatever, but there are other cars out there with even less visibility than mine. All in all - a great track! We can be proud of it. Hopefully we'll have more facilities in the future and it can become a national destination. __________________ HPR videos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm lazy - these are just raw, unedited videos. But at least they are near-native quality. I took these with my Cam-FX bullet camera Friday during the lapping day at High Plains. Weather was fantastic most of the day. Barely any breeze, and fairly warm in the morning. Pretty good turnout ... about 40-50 folks, I reckon. The track surface is smooth as glass, and just about as slippery right now .. very green. The only rubber I saw laid down was where folks had spun. My tires really never got any heat in them, and they just came off track with a polished look. Curbing is interesting. Only about a foot wide, with plastic poles stuck in it along it's length. By the end of the day, probably 5 or 10 of them had been destroyed. Most likely by Miata drivers, I would hazard a guess. Those guys should just enter RallyCross events and get it over with. The track is terrific, though. Very busy, lots of techincal sections, always got to be alert. Several high speed turns .. a few which I never got the nerve to take at the limit. It will be great when it gets some rubber down and more markings. The first ... I'm following Dan G around the track in his Spec M3. Look closely as he enters the corkscrew and you can see him lift a tire (34 MB). http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.c.../HPRSpecM3.wmv Next, my Radical during one of the rare clean laps (31 MB). http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.c...RCloudyLap.wmv Finally, a scary moment. High Plains Drifter can be taken flat out in my car IF you enter late and don't encounter dust on the pavement. Enter early, and discover dusty roads, and prepare to leave the track at 95 mph (8 MB). http://www.drivingforcemotorsports.c...DrifterOff.wmv |
Wow that looks like a blast!
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The z club has a couple of days at the track. So mark your calender.
Saturday may 23rd and Saturday sept 12th. For more info check the zccc newsletter the Odometer. www.zccc.org |
Hey beautiful road map specially i liked round shaped awesome track racing lines also track tours of the HPR site are become more popular.
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