[rlrileysr]

We may have another option for open track time in a few years (2017) in Tucson. From the Tucson (RED) Star:

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Pima County has reached a lease agree*ment with a group that wants to build a mul*timillion- dollar auto racecourse next to the Pima County Fairgrounds.

The Board of Supervisors approved an agreement Tuesday with Southern Arizo*na Raceway LLC to build the course on 400 acres south of the fairgrounds.

The developer will be required to spend at least$15 million to build a racetrack, lighting, pit road and pit area, and meet any other require*ments mandated to qualify for a French-based Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile Grade 2 license. Southern Arizona Raceway also must provide amenities such as grandstands, rest-rooms and concessions in exchange for a long-term lease with the county.

The agreement also includes the group building the Arizona International Motor-Sports Museum, which the company hopes will rival the Pima Air and Space Museum.

Rent will be about $137,000 a year or 2 per*cent of gross revenues, whichever is greater.

The raceway will feature a lighted 2.8-mile course with 14 turns.

The developer will have up to 18 months to design and begin construction, and to line up investors, county documents say. The track is expected to open no later than spring 2017.

Richard 'Andy' Anderson, who will co-manage the project with Charles Quiroz , approached the county with some project partners in 2011 with plans to build a pro*fessional course next to other racing-related venues at the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds already has Tucson Speedway, a paved NAS*CAR track, Southwestern International Dragway and the Musselman Honda Circuit.

Anderson said his group expects to invest $67 million within the first 10 years of opera*tion, which the county projects will generate $264 million in revenue and create more than 150 high-paying full-time jobs.

The total economic impact of the raceway during that time is expected to be about $1.2 billion, according to county documents.

Southern Arizona Raceway is expected to host organizations and events such as Indy-Car, TUDOR United SportsCar Champion*ship Racing, Superbike racing and Historic Sportscar Racing, which are projected to draw between 15,000 and 50,000 spectators.

The course will have other uses when pro*fessional drivers aren't racing, including a racing school, which would teach everything from defensive driving to advanced high*speed courses.

Private car clubs, like those for Porsche owners, might also use the course for special events, Anderson said.