Palmer Motorsports Park

[jstan]

This looks awesome.

Any idea on a ball park ETA when it will be open?

[Mark Swinehart]

Fall 2014

[CP]

Woohoo! Nice work Fred! Thompson next year and possibly Palmer near the end of the season too...

[nile13]

True, that on Devens talk. I've been running at Devens since 99 as well. But... Devens asphalt is crumbling quite a bit and the talk of finding alternative sites is getting louder over the last 2-3 yeras.

[brucesallen]

During the generation of the SCCA business plan for Palmer Motorsports Park it became clear that Autocross fees could never justify paving. Must be another reason for the pavement.

[nile13]

Interesting insight, Bruce. But for the sake of pure math, lets look at some numbers. BMWCCA currently charges $50 per driver per autoX event and consistently has 100+ registrations. That is $5K+ for a day of playing in the corner that could coincide with activities on the track. Same BMWCCA charges, I think, about $200 for a day of track and allows about 50-60 cars. I believe that corner workers, safety stuarts, etc need to be paid from that sum as well, while autocross tends to be self-sufficient in that respect. Not sure if insurance adds to track activities.

Again, I'm certain that all aspects were looked at and calculated. And I'm sure it's a pipe dream for autocross crowd to have another good accessible sight. It would be twice as long a drive form me from Boston, but still, would be nice In any event, I'm envious and happy that the project is moving forward. It's all good.

[RPM]

Last night I updated the Board of Directors regarding plans for the track in Palmer MA. We are fully permitted and are commencing site work. We are seeking advisors, partners, and supporters.

We wish to preserve the goal originally envisioned by COMSCC president Rob Goldfarb and NER SCCA of a true road course serving car clubs and the grassroots motorsports community in New England. That vision is still very much alive in Palmer. We think the track is ideally situated and the circuit jaw-dropping for even the most seasoned drivers.

Here is a birds eye view of the ~500-acre site in the town of Palmer, abutting a power line and state forests and surrounded by 1000-foot hills.



Below is a 3D scale model of the 2+ mile track. The track has 189 feet of elevation from turn 2 to entry into the right loop. (In contrast, the greatest elevation at the Glen, from bus stop to the toe, is 110 feet.) It will be run only counter-clockwise initially.


More to come soon - web site, blog, live video feed, etc.

Hello.... I just searched for this and came upon this forum. I am interested in any information on this developement as it is literally across the street from myself.
I will admit I have some reservations on noise and taffic,and I am conflicted as well because over the years i have open tracked my mustang and enjoy it !!!
I have been on track in Sebring, Nashville,Texas , Charlotte and waterford in MI. to name a few. Would love to get a tour as it is being built if possible.

[boltonite]

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/ ... lan_b.html

[imgon]

Great news Fred. Hope everything continues to progress positively. It will be so cool to have purpose built road course closer to home. Can't wait to try it out.

[iamrazor]

Excellent article.

I think I speak for everyone in the local motorsports community when I say....
thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

As an IT dork, if you'd like some help with anything from coding to infrastructure, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand(s)...

[grovefromnh]

I see that someone wants to put a casino in Palmer. Hopefully nowhere near the track.

[breakaway500]

What's the matter..afraid of a little friendly game of poker..?

[dradernh]

I see that someone wants to put a casino in Palmer. Hopefully nowhere near the track.

The town and Mohegan reached agreement today; it's now up to the Mass Gaming Commission as to whether this project or one of two others proposed for the Springfield area will be Western Mass' new casino.

The track isn't near the spot where the proposed casino will be located, but if your route uses Exit 8 you might have some traffic as you get off the Pike. The casino's proposal calls for a reworking of the Exit 8 interchange, however, so maybe track traffic will be able to bypass the casino area.

[RPM]

Will you be offering private indvidual membership? Or just Club Membership? I can see the road being cut in and hear them working from the house.

[dradernh]

Came across this image on another site purportedly showing the track in the early stages of its development.