Track in Hawaii?

[Lonely_Driver_Telkin]

So, I am doing a presentation of building a track in Hawaii and it's sustainability for Hawaii economy. I am trying to gain other views of it, and I know since we are car ethusist it can be a little bias. I am wondering what everyone thinks about it?

Like for me, I would totally agree with a track here in Hawaii, in the days of HRP. Hawaii has such a huge car/racing community. The idea of speed, working on a machine, and cars runs through most people's blood lines.

The other side to it is that majority of the revenue if we do build a international race track will come from tourism, and the fact that people have to come over to enjoy it. Not only that, but the land use of it and agricultural development. Can a track really support it self?

But eh, just general discussion. I say if you want to make an argument out of something that someone said, it needs to require some validility. If some people from the continental U.S. wants to put there input, they are more than welcome too...

[MZR-6i]

here is my input...i know that having a track here will bring patrons, not only that, it will increase even SCCA membership with auto-x and plus not only that, it will bring some of the big carshows back to hawaii IE: HIN, NOPI, and others. With the track your can bring more even to the local carshows like streetcar supreme. Not even talking about the big number of motorcycle riders in hawaii. As far as land is concerned, a decent track will not take no more space than what Aloha stadium is taking. Here are some pic of track layouts that i googled.

[Cynt]

If you want actual facts for your presentation you can call me.. I am sure Mike K would be happy to help you some as well.

It is very expensive to run a track and the events themselves. Insurance is astronomical for non SCCA events and SCCA events have a lot of rules and training needs which seem to deter certain groups from participating.

I believe he largest single racers group here in Hawaii is the drag racers. From what Tom has said (owner of the racing school at the old track) his company did pretty well with the tourist from Japan.

I know they proposed a huge international track years ago and it was turned down pretty quickly. Maybe ask Mike about that...

[Cynt]

QUOTE (MZR-6i @ Nov 9 2009, 05:50 PM)

here is my input...i know that having a track here will bring patrons, not only that, it will increase even SCCA membership with auto-x and plus not only that, it will bring some of the big carshows back to hawaii IE: HIN, NOPI, and others. With the track your can bring more even to the local carshows like streetcar supreme. Not even talking about the big number of motorcycle riders in hawaii. As far as land is concerned, a decent track will not take no more space than what Aloha stadium is taking. Here are some pic of track layouts that i googled.[/b]

I know the other problem is, where would we put the track?
No one wants it in their backyard. The property that the former track was on is worth 20 some million (could have changed)

Also, who is going to pay for it? The land, the design costs, the construction, the materials, promotion. All those Salaries. They are going to have to prove it is managed properly before anyone is going to hold a international event there.
It would be a long time before a track would be profitable.

[monkeyboydrew]

With the right advertisement and publicity just about any track will be profitable. When I lived in Guam I saw their motorsports part from its infancy. I believe the drag-strip had only been up and running for a couple of years. Every weekend there was 20-30 cars deep in the staging lanes. Since then (and this has been 4 years or so since I have left Guam) they have added a motocross track, do SCCA events, drift events, rock crawling and 4x4 stuff, cars shows (one of the biggest in the Japan comes every year... X-5). They are set-up with all the timing equipment and real drag tree etc etc. All of this is situated on land that is WAAAAAY smaller than Aloha stadium (its is only 1/8 mile drag), on an island that is WAAAAAY smaller than this one. SO I do think if they do build a track here (Leeward side has got lots of land ....doing nothing) that it would be profitable .....very.
Also, street racing has gotten ridiculous. Would opening a track stop all the street racing going on.....HELL NOOOOOOOO. Would it reduce it....you betcha. And to boot the City and County of Honoruru could then impose stricter laws/rules/regulations that if you were caught street racing (and no shit street racing, not some retard law officer thinking that you were racing) .....POW, say bye to the ride, WHAM see ya to the license for a year, KAPOOOW gimme yo' lunch money or go to jail. End of story. Now how much racing you think is gonna be going on after a few of the heavy hitters end up with no ride and no way to drive one.
This brings us back to the profitability of a race track, now it's the only game in town to get your speed fix, or take on that punk kid w/ the SRT-4 that was revving you out. How much more profitable are we now. MORE and more. But now Friday or Saturday just aint enough, then you open up the Wednesday night run whatya brung or Test-n-tune, there be mo' money in the till. Getting better.
Now let's look at the economy outside the track. Tire sales will jump. Aftermarket parts and replacement part sales will go up, mechanics all around will get more business. Vendors need to provide refreshments at the track, so those sales will rise. Fuel sales will sky rocket (too bad Hawaii couldn't hit a pocket of oil). In all of this taxes will be paid......to the City and County of Honoruru....MO MONEY baby.
Initial costs, would probably be pretty darn high. I know for a fact that individuals have offered donations (sizeable ones to boot) to help build a track. They were refused, one stated reason for refusal was that the individual was a convicted felon....I say who cares. Everyone has made mistakes in their lives, some were just unlucky enough to get caught, end of rant. There are tons and tons of businesses both local and international that would donate (its a damn tax right off for them.....jeesh who wouldn't) and nothing is saying that the entire race complex has to be built in one swoop. Build a dragstrip, make it an 1/8 mile with enough room for expansion. After that has been running for 6 months or so, add a road course for the SCCA guys and gals that incorporates the 1/8 mile strip as a straight-a-way (land management), then after that add more until it's what everyone can live with (notice I said live with and not what everyone wants....never be able to achieve what everyone wants).
Look at it this way. Let's just say that there are 10,000 avid racers on this island (and I would imagine there are more than that) and each one of those racers donated 20.00 bucks to a FOR REALLY REALLY build the track fund...that equals $200,000 bucks. Now let's add to that, with some fund raising (car wash, bake sale...hahah whatever) hell just going door-to-door asking for donations. So for the sake of imagination, let's say that we reach 50,000 more people and that the average donation equaled about 10.00 bucks...well that's another 500,000 bucks. SO before any company, corporation, private dirty filthy stinking rich people made any donations we have almost a million bucks (700,000) going to the track. With the addition of maybe some construction companies donating some time and personnel to build a tower (we supply the materials) and laying some asphalt (again we buy the material, they are just donating their time and machinery) you could stretch 700,000 a LOOOONG way.
So is it possible, YES. Is it sustainable, well I haven't noticed any less cars on the roads....so YES. Will it be profitable....YES. Will the sticks in the mud, or up their butts people that sit on the city councils and whatnot let it go through.....I don't think so. It has been proven time and time again that the interest is here on island, that there is land available for it, and that it would be better for the city and county as a whole, but somehow or another the plans always get stalled, vetoed, and plain ol' rejected and I don't believe for one moment that it is because those that are trying to build a track haven't done what they are suppose to do or have not done their due diligence, I believe that the ruling majority DONT WANT IT HERE. They rather complain about people racing on the highways and byways etc etc. But who knows things may change....I'm not going to hold my breath.

[Cynt]

Wow. I think I read most of that. The letters were starting to blur together......

[Lonely_Driver_Telkin]

Thanks all, this will greatly help in my project!