Ozarks International Raceway
 Logo of the Ozarks International Raceway | |
| Location | 29211 Missouri Route 135, Gravois Mills, Missouri[1] |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC−6 / UTC−5 (DST) |
| Coordinates | 38°16′16.43″N 92°53′24.22″W / 38.2712306°N 92.8900611°W |
| FIA Grade | 3 |
| Owner | J.R. Pesek |
| Broke ground | 2020 |
| Opened | April 2022 |
| Major events | Future: NASA Championships (2025) Former: Porsche Sprint Challenge North America (2022) USF Juniors (2022) |
| Website | ozarksinternationalraceway |
| Main course (2022–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.970 miles (6.389 km) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Race lap record | 2:16.527 ( Hans Peter, Swift 016.a, 2023, Formula Atlantic) |
| Outer course (2022–present) | |
| Length | 2.500 miles (4.023 km) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Inner course (2022–present) | |
| Length | 1.400 miles (2.253 km) |
| Turns | 9 |
Ozarks International Raceway is a multi-use race track that opened in 2022. The track has circuits for a 3.970 miles (6.389 km) paved road-course racing, off-road racing, rally, and a dirt tri-oval.[2] It is located in 650 acres (260 ha)[3] at 29211 Missouri Route 135, Gravois Mills, Missouri, United States, in the Lake of the Ozarks region.
Construction
[edit]The raceway was the idea of race driver J.R. Pesek.[4] Pesek was quoted by KTVI as saying, "This part of the country, I think, is kind of starving for the track."[4] The race circuit was built in the early 2020s on the site of a closed farm named 4 J Farms.[2][5] The circuit was designed to minimize its effect to the land. Pesek was quoted as saying, "The trees and designing of the racetrack, we only took down what we had to. There wasn’t many we had to take down, we’re trying to respect the environment."[4] A 58-bay garage was constructed from repurposed turkey barns.[2] It has a 10,000 square feet (930 m2) control tower and media center.[6] The construction utilized local labor, materials and primarily local companies.[6]
History
[edit]The track was scheduled to be open for testing and rentals in late 2021.[2] It opened in April 2022.[5] In its debut year, it hosted the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Cayman cars and USF Juniors on April 22 to 24.[7][8][9] The USF Juniors race was the series' debut; both events on the first features day (April 23) were won by Mac Clark.[7] The second day (April 24) was rained out.[7] The track was planned to host IMSA's Lamborghini Super Trofeo championship and SRO's GT World Challenge America championship as its first professional events on May 20 to 22.[10][11] On April 27, 2022, the SRO announced that the Ozarks round in 2022 had been replaced with NOLA Motorsports Park on the same date due to the challenges related with infrastructure and supply chain.[12]
Tracks
[edit]The main track is the 17-turn 3.970 mi (6.389 km) road course.[13] The track has 80 feet (24 m) of elevation with eight rises and drops.[13] The road course has a 2.500 mi (4.023 km) outer and 1.400 mi (2.253 km) inner circuits via connecting routes.
Lap records
[edit]As of July 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Ozarks International Raceway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main course: 6.389 km (2022–present)[14] | ||||
| Formula Atlantic | 2:16.527[15] | Hans Peter | Swift 016.a | 2023 Ozark Lake Fest Majors |
| USF Juniors | 2:22.170[16] | Mac Clark | Ligier JS F4 | 2022 Cooper Tires Grand Prix of The Ozarks |
| GT4 | 2:34.178[17] | Aidan Kenny | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport | 2022 Ozarks Porsche Sprint Challenge North America round |
References
[edit]- ^ "Ozarks International Raceway". GT World Challenge America. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d Racer Staff (December 2, 2020). "Ozarks International Raceway aiming for 2021 launch". RACER magazine. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ "SRO America Confirms Ozark International Raceway and Shifts VIR Dates for 2022". GT World Challenge America. October 10, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c Six, Chris (October 11, 2021). "Ozark International Raceway to host first professional motorsports event in 2022". KTVI. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Gravois FPD Provides Support to Ozarks International Raceway –". The Leader Statesman. April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Wood, Vicki (November 30, 2020). "World-Class Racetrack Coming To Lake Of The Ozarks". LakeExpo.com. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Clark Sweeps Inaugural USF Juniors Weekend". Speed Sport. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Ozarks Int'l Raceway". Sprint Challenge. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Full Replay - Porsche Sprint Challenge at Ozarks Int'l 4/23/22". Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. 23 April 2022. FloRacing. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "2022 Ozarks International Raceway". IMSA. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (10 October 2021). "Ozarks Round Confirmed in Updated 2022 Schedule". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "SRO America Schedule Update". SRO Motorsports Group. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ a b Seaman, Kirk (January 20, 2021). "Ozarks International Raceway is set to bring motorsports to Missouri". Hagerty Media. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ "Ozarks International Raceway - Racing Circuits". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "2023 Ozark Lake Fest Majors - Formula Atlantic - Race Saturday Official Results" (PDF). 15 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "2022 Ozarks USF Juniors Race 2 Statistics". 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Ozark International Raceway - April 22 - 24, 2022 / Gravios Hills, MO - Official - Race 1 Results". 23 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.