Group aims to revive Gateway race track.
09-08-2011, 10:35 AM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Group aims to revive Gateway race track.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/motor...c8c18edc0.html
Former professional race-car driver and St. Louis area land developer Curtis Francois is part of a group of investors that will lease Gateway International Raceway for one year.
The agreement, which is set to be formally announced today, will allow the Madison facility to come alive again — for at least one year with the return of the National Hot Rod Association.
The NHRA Midwest Nationals will take place on Oct. 5-7, 2012, and will be part of the "Countdown to the Championship." It will be the fourth of the six-race "Countdown," which will crown champions in the four professional categories — Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The group might not wait until October 2012, though, to get going — it might try to hold limited racing at Gateway this fall.
"We are currently working with state and local governments to put together a redevelopment plan that will allow us to purchase the facility and lay a firm financial foundation for the track," Francois said. "We've received incredible interest and support from the racing industry, state and local officials, local businesses and racing fans. We are very excited about the jobs this investment can create and the overall economic impact it can have on the region."
Francois, 47 of St. Louis County, is a former professional racer who has driven in the (NASCAR) Grand-Am (Rolex Sports Car Series), Indy Racing League (Firestone Indy Lites), Sports Car Club of America and International Motor Sports Association.
He has been a residential and commercial real estate developer since 1998, concentrating primarily on the developments in the Metro East area.
"In order to be a part of the 2012 season, we had to move quickly and negotiate a lease for the facility," Francois said. "We are excited to reach an agreement with the NHRA. This event is very important for the future viability of the track and illustrates the interest the industry has in revitalizing this wonderful entertainment venue. We look forward to a long partnership with the NHRA."
NHRA president Tom Compton is ready to return.
"We never wanted to leave Gateway," Compton said in a phone interview. "We're thrilled to be coming back. St. Louis is a great market. The group has been terrific to work with and they are good for Gateway."
Francois met with Compton and other NHRA officials over the weekend at the just-completed U.S. Nationals in Claremont, Ind. It was there where Francois finalized the return of drag racing to the St. Louis area.
The NHRA did not race at Gateway this season after Dover Motorsports Inc. closed the track in November 2010. Dover had been leasing the track since 1998. In March of this year, the Delaware company terminated its leases with three of the four majority owners.
Dover also owned 18 acres and relinquished that property to the lease owners in March.
What is unclear is whether the NASCAR Nationwide Series will return in 2012, although the prospects don't seem bright. The Nationwide and truck series schedules have not been finalized.
"All NASCAR sanctions are handled on a year-to-year basis and we will continue to evaluate potential race markets for all NASCAR series," a spokesman said.
In 2010, when Dover announced it would not seek 2011 dates for Gateway, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell said it probably would be hard for Gateway to get back on NASCAR's radar.
"It's fairly challenging to get back on the schedule," he said at the time. "NASCAR is not in the business of pulling dates from someone. So once someone opts out, we fill those venues with what we feel like are going to do a good job and have done a good job. Once that schedule is full, it's quite difficult to get back on there."
Former professional race-car driver and St. Louis area land developer Curtis Francois is part of a group of investors that will lease Gateway International Raceway for one year.
The agreement, which is set to be formally announced today, will allow the Madison facility to come alive again — for at least one year with the return of the National Hot Rod Association.
The NHRA Midwest Nationals will take place on Oct. 5-7, 2012, and will be part of the "Countdown to the Championship." It will be the fourth of the six-race "Countdown," which will crown champions in the four professional categories — Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The group might not wait until October 2012, though, to get going — it might try to hold limited racing at Gateway this fall.
"We are currently working with state and local governments to put together a redevelopment plan that will allow us to purchase the facility and lay a firm financial foundation for the track," Francois said. "We've received incredible interest and support from the racing industry, state and local officials, local businesses and racing fans. We are very excited about the jobs this investment can create and the overall economic impact it can have on the region."
Francois, 47 of St. Louis County, is a former professional racer who has driven in the (NASCAR) Grand-Am (Rolex Sports Car Series), Indy Racing League (Firestone Indy Lites), Sports Car Club of America and International Motor Sports Association.
He has been a residential and commercial real estate developer since 1998, concentrating primarily on the developments in the Metro East area.
"In order to be a part of the 2012 season, we had to move quickly and negotiate a lease for the facility," Francois said. "We are excited to reach an agreement with the NHRA. This event is very important for the future viability of the track and illustrates the interest the industry has in revitalizing this wonderful entertainment venue. We look forward to a long partnership with the NHRA."
NHRA president Tom Compton is ready to return.
"We never wanted to leave Gateway," Compton said in a phone interview. "We're thrilled to be coming back. St. Louis is a great market. The group has been terrific to work with and they are good for Gateway."
Francois met with Compton and other NHRA officials over the weekend at the just-completed U.S. Nationals in Claremont, Ind. It was there where Francois finalized the return of drag racing to the St. Louis area.
The NHRA did not race at Gateway this season after Dover Motorsports Inc. closed the track in November 2010. Dover had been leasing the track since 1998. In March of this year, the Delaware company terminated its leases with three of the four majority owners.
Dover also owned 18 acres and relinquished that property to the lease owners in March.
What is unclear is whether the NASCAR Nationwide Series will return in 2012, although the prospects don't seem bright. The Nationwide and truck series schedules have not been finalized.
"All NASCAR sanctions are handled on a year-to-year basis and we will continue to evaluate potential race markets for all NASCAR series," a spokesman said.
In 2010, when Dover announced it would not seek 2011 dates for Gateway, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell said it probably would be hard for Gateway to get back on NASCAR's radar.
"It's fairly challenging to get back on the schedule," he said at the time. "NASCAR is not in the business of pulling dates from someone. So once someone opts out, we fill those venues with what we feel like are going to do a good job and have done a good job. Once that schedule is full, it's quite difficult to get back on there."
09-08-2011, 09:43 PM
#3
Race Director
Thread Starter
I really didn't know much about him.
It doesn't sound like NASCAR is coming back,but hopefully the circle track and road course will have some events. Wouldn't mind taking the Z on the road course.Gateway is already on the NHRA schedule for next year. Odd for it to be the "inaugural".
http://www.nhra.com/story/story.aspx...ookieSupport=1
2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule
Feb. 9-12 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals Pomona
Feb. 17-19 28th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals Phoenix
March 8-11 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville (PSM)
March 30-April 1 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals Las Vegas
April 13-15 Third annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Charlotte
April 27-29 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals Houston (PSM)
May 4-6 32nd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals Commerce, Ga. (PSM)
May 18-20 24th annual NHRA Summer Nationals Topeka
May 31-June 3 43rd annual NHRA SuperNationals Englishtown (PSM)
June 15-17 12th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
June 28-July 1 15th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals Chicago (PSM)
July 5-8 Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Norwalk (PSM)
July 20-22 33rd annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals Denver (PSM)
July 27-29 25th annual FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals Sonoma (PSM)
Aug. 3-5 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals Seattle
Aug. 16-19 31st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Brainerd (PSM)
Aug. 29-Sept. 3 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Lucas Oil Indianapolis (PSM)
NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship
Sept. 14-16 Fifth annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals Charlotte (PSM)
Sept. 20-23 27th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals Dallas (PSM)
Sept. 27-30 28th annual Uni-Select Auto Plus NHRA Nationals Reading (PSM)
Oct. 5-7 Inaugural NHRA Midwest Nationals St. Louis (PSM)
Oct. 25–28 12th annual NHRA Nevada Nationals Las Vegas (PSM)
Nov. 8-11 48th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Pomona (PSM)
(PSM) - Event will include Pro Stock Motorcycle
09-09-2011, 05:38 AM
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Would be good if they get it all up and running again. At least it's a close track for drag racing events.
09-26-2011, 10:00 PM
#5
Tech Contributor
Wheelspin - 2011 Issue 6 - Newsletter of the St. Louis Region SCCA
Wheelspin - 2011 Issue 6 - Newsletter of the St. Louis Region SCCA
Dear friends,
It's been a challenging year for St. Louis Region, so I'm happy to pass along some great news! As you may already have seen, local developer Curtis Francois has signed a lease on Gateway International Raceway, and NHRA has committed to a 2012 national date. What you may not know is that Curtis has been a St. Louis Region member since 1990 and is a dedicated sports car enthusiast, having raced everything from Formula Ford to Spec Miata, IRL to Grand Am, not to mention Superboats, drag racers, and more. He is personally committed to all aspects of motorsports and making Gateway a success, be it drag racing, motorcycles, club racing, drivers schools, solos, you name it.
I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Francois recently and let me tell you, it was a treat. He is both a real gentleman and a genuine enthusiast, the local racing community couldn't ask for a better steward for Gateway. As he puts it, "anything with a motor and wheels, I love it". Far from an arms-length business deal, Curtis got involved at the eleventh hour because he couldn't bear to see the St. Louis area lose such a great resource. Now all of us in the racing community need to work together and do our part to help him make this investment a success.
So let me just expand on that a bit, when I say "work together" I don't just mean St. Louis region, I mean sports car enthusiasts of all stripes, together with drag racers, circle trackers, everyone. Even if all you do is autocross at Family Arena or race Pure Stock at Belle-Claire, supporting Gateway supports local motorsports and raises the tide that lifts all our boats (er, cars). Let's get dates on the calendar, cars on the track, butts in the seats, and show Madison and St. Clair County how much the St. Louis motorsports community needs and supports our home town racetrack!
For my fellow SCCA types, this might mean stretching your comfort zone a bit. I have to be honest, it has been a rough half decade for racing in Midwest Division. Entry counts have been way down, and thus far our response has been to hunker down and wait for the storm to blow over. But the fact is that it is in our hands to correct the situation, and the way to do that is to grow the local sports car enthusiast market. That means you MUST bring your like-minded friends to the track, and we MUST cooperate and embrace and work together with the marque clubs, Chumpcar, even *gasp* NASA.
For amateur motorsports SCCA is number one. No two ways about it, we are the biggest and the best, we offer the most serious competition, best trained officials and safest playground around. But we are not the perfect fit for everyone. Working together, even with those we have in the past considered "competitors" is the way to grow the total market. A cooperative effort to put on lots of local events, cross market them, and get new folks involved in sports car competition will more than offset the occasional loss of a member to another club that's a better fit for them personally.
I've rambled on enough, feel free to let me know your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Steven Burkett,
Regional Executive
St. Louis Region SCCA
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact....EmLojf5_4wo%3D
Dear friends,
It's been a challenging year for St. Louis Region, so I'm happy to pass along some great news! As you may already have seen, local developer Curtis Francois has signed a lease on Gateway International Raceway, and NHRA has committed to a 2012 national date. What you may not know is that Curtis has been a St. Louis Region member since 1990 and is a dedicated sports car enthusiast, having raced everything from Formula Ford to Spec Miata, IRL to Grand Am, not to mention Superboats, drag racers, and more. He is personally committed to all aspects of motorsports and making Gateway a success, be it drag racing, motorcycles, club racing, drivers schools, solos, you name it.
I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Francois recently and let me tell you, it was a treat. He is both a real gentleman and a genuine enthusiast, the local racing community couldn't ask for a better steward for Gateway. As he puts it, "anything with a motor and wheels, I love it". Far from an arms-length business deal, Curtis got involved at the eleventh hour because he couldn't bear to see the St. Louis area lose such a great resource. Now all of us in the racing community need to work together and do our part to help him make this investment a success.
So let me just expand on that a bit, when I say "work together" I don't just mean St. Louis region, I mean sports car enthusiasts of all stripes, together with drag racers, circle trackers, everyone. Even if all you do is autocross at Family Arena or race Pure Stock at Belle-Claire, supporting Gateway supports local motorsports and raises the tide that lifts all our boats (er, cars). Let's get dates on the calendar, cars on the track, butts in the seats, and show Madison and St. Clair County how much the St. Louis motorsports community needs and supports our home town racetrack!
For my fellow SCCA types, this might mean stretching your comfort zone a bit. I have to be honest, it has been a rough half decade for racing in Midwest Division. Entry counts have been way down, and thus far our response has been to hunker down and wait for the storm to blow over. But the fact is that it is in our hands to correct the situation, and the way to do that is to grow the local sports car enthusiast market. That means you MUST bring your like-minded friends to the track, and we MUST cooperate and embrace and work together with the marque clubs, Chumpcar, even *gasp* NASA.
For amateur motorsports SCCA is number one. No two ways about it, we are the biggest and the best, we offer the most serious competition, best trained officials and safest playground around. But we are not the perfect fit for everyone. Working together, even with those we have in the past considered "competitors" is the way to grow the total market. A cooperative effort to put on lots of local events, cross market them, and get new folks involved in sports car competition will more than offset the occasional loss of a member to another club that's a better fit for them personally.
I've rambled on enough, feel free to let me know your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Steven Burkett,
Regional Executive
St. Louis Region SCCA
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact....EmLojf5_4wo%3D
