Miller Motorsports Park

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Miller Motorsports Park
Location 2901 N. Sheep Lane
Tooele, Utah 84074
Time zone UTC-7 (UTC-6 DST)
Capacity 8,000 Grandstand Seats + Trackside Seating
Owner Estate of Larry H. Miller (deceased)
Broke ground 2004
Opened 2006
Construction Cost US$100 million
Architect Alan Wilson
Major Events FIM Superbike World Championship
SBK Round 7
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
SunRichGourmet.com 250
American Le Mans Series
Utah Grand Prix
AMA Superbike Championship
NASCAR Camping World West Series
Full Course
Surface Asphalt
Circuit Length 4.48 mi (7.220 km)
Turns 23
Lap Record 2:18.128 (Timo Bernhard, Penske Racing, 2007, LMP2)
Outer Course
Surface Asphalt
Circuit Length 3.048 mi (4.876 km)
Turns 14
Lap Record 1:31.050 (Timo Bernhard, Penske Racing, 2008 LMP2)
East Course
Surface Asphalt
Circuit Length 2.2 mi (3.52 km)
Turns 12
West Course
Surface Asphalt
Circuit Length 2.2 mi (3.52 km)
Turns 13

Miller Motorsports Park is an auto, motorcycle and kart racing facility located in Tooele, Utah.

Contents

[edit] The Track

The Full course is a 23-turn (28-apex), 4.486 mi (7.220 km) road circuit run counter-clockwise. The front stretch can see vehicles reaching speeds of 200 mph (321.9 km/h). Smaller configurations of the track can be made from the full course, including a 3.048 miles (4.905 km) outer course that does not use the tighter infield lay-out, as well as two 2.2 miles (3.5 km) layouts that each use half of the full course and can be run simultaneously. At almost 4.5 miles (7.2 km), it is the longest road racing facility in North America. It is about ½ mile (0.8 km) longer than the previous holder, Road America. The Outer course is one of the fastest road courses in North America, with AMA Superbikes posting average speeds over 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h).

Its corner names (in order) are Sunset Bend, Dreamboat, Work Out, Scream, Black Rock Hairpin, Right Hook, Knock Out, Demon, Devil, Diablo, Indecision, Precision, Fast, Faster, Gotcha, Mabey Y'll Makit, Satisfaction, Agony, Ecstasy, 1st Attitude, 2nd Attitude, Bad Attitude, Tooele Turn, Kink, Club House Corner, Wind-Up, and Release.

Miller Motorsports Park also contains a 0.89 miles (1.43 km) kart track that can be configured as a first-rate supermoto track with the inclusion of two dirt sections.

The facility has a 24 acres (97,124.6 m2) paddock that contains 220 team garages, 40 day garages, 27 grand prix garages located along the hot pits, an on-site medical facility, five million dollar Club House, vintage car museum, and a helicopter pad.

Miller Motorsports Park has also been named as the exclusive Ford High Performance Driving School providing a wide range of driver training programs including an opportunity to drive one of four Ford GT's on course.

[edit] History

This track was originally conceived as a novelty track for Larry H. Miller, owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, to use as a personal playground, with a budget of about $5 million. Due to enormous local motorcycle and auto industry support the concept gradually grew into an $85 million plus project, one of a kind in the U.S.

The track was designed by world renowned engineer Alan Wilson. The kart track was opened in September, 2005 and the large track was opened to the public on 1 April 2006 when APEXtrackdays hosted the first motorcycle track day. A ceremony conducted by Miller kicked off this inaugural event.

In 2006, the track's first year of operation, it hosted the Utah Grand Prix American LeMans Series, Honda Summit of Speed AMA Superbike double-header event, and the Discount Tire Sunchaser 1000, a nine-hour endurance race held by the Grand American Road Racing Association (since shortened to 250 miles). It is unusual for a race track to attract so many relatively big-budget race events in its first year of operation. The track is also host to a WERA Grand National motorcycle roadracing event and the regional motorcycle roadracing series Masters of the Mountains, promoted by the Utah sport bike association.

The facility was named Motorsports Facility of the Year on 8 November, 2006 by the Professional Motorsport World Expo in Cologne, Germany.[1]

On 14 July 2007, the track hosted its first-ever NASCAR event with a 150 miles (241.4 km) Grand National West Series race on the 3.048-mile (4.905 km) Outer Track.

On 22 August, 2007, Miller Motorsports Park announced a three-year deal to bring the FIM Superbike World Championship to the track; the Superbike World Championship will race at the track for the first time on 1 June 2008 with the AMA Superbike Championship. To avoid direct comparisons between World Superbike and AMA Superbike, and because of sponsorship issues, the two championships will race on different configurations of the circuit. World Superbike will use the Outer course, while AMA Superbike and its support classes will use the Full course.[2]

[edit] Maps

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 40°34′30″N 112°22′29″W / 40.575°N 112.37472°W / 40.575; -112.37472

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