I heard about this plan at a track day at PIR and found this press release on the Oregon SCCA website back in April (it doesn't seem to be there now, though). Starting construction in 2005 seems a little optimistic to me. I recently talked with someone from Goldendale who said there's some opposition based on noise pollution concerns. Still, wouldn' t it be great to have our own Thunderhill-type track in the great NW? Goldendale, BTW, is about 115 miles west of Portland, and 15 miles north of the Columbia River into WA.


Oregon Region Sports Car Club of America
For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeff Zurschmeide
503-638-7300 email: zursch@oregonscca.com
www.oregonscca.com

Portland, Oregon (March 11, 2004) - The 1500 members of Oregon Region, Sports Car Club of America took the first steps toward building and operating their own racetrack, planned for the rolling hills outside Goldendale, in Klickitat County, Washington.

On Thursday, March 4, the board of directors of Oregon Region voted to form a Limited Liability Company to obtain land and construct a multi-purpose, non-spectator motorsports park. The new company will be seeking investors this year and plans to build the track in 2005.

The park will initially include facilities for road racing, autocross/skidpad, and performance rally.
The club will make a purchase offer on 700 acres of farmland just outside the Eastern Washington farming community. The typically arid land east of the Cascade Mountain Range makes the site an ideal location for a track the club hopes will be in use most of the year.

The Goldendale area recently rediscovered its motorsports history. It is just a few miles from the historic Maryhill Loops Road, the first paved road in Washington. That road, now owned by Maryhill Museum, is used for the annual Maryhill Loops Hillclimb for vintage race cars. It also has been used for numerous automobile television commercials. There is also an active motocross facility in operation in the area.

"We are still a long way from realizing our dream of actually having a track there," said Holly Remington, Regional Executive for Oregon Region SCCA. “But for us this is an important first step.”

The Oregon Region is best known for its participation in the annual Rose Cup races held each June at Portland International Raceway. The Rose Cup remains one of the signature events in amateur racing in America and attracts drivers from throughout the western states.

Remington said the club intends to continue to use PIR for many events and will continue to provide safety, corner workers and other staffing for events such as Champ Car and American Le Mans.

Unlike the Portland road course, the planned race track at Goldendale will be designed for amateur races, not expected to draw the crowds that often attend events at PIR. The plan is for a 3-mile road racing circuit that can be run as two tracks of approximately 1.5 miles each, if desired.

“It is important to note that this facility is not designed to accommodate large numbers of spectators and major commercial events, but rather to provide a venue for amateur and club events, similar to Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, CA.,” said Jeff Zurschmeide, chairman of Oregon Region's New Track Committee.

Thunderhill was developed by Oregon Region's sister club, San Francisco Region SCCA.

The 60-year-old Sports Car Club of America is the nation’s oldest and largest amateur motorsports organization, with a national membership of about 65,000. The Oregon Region was established in 1962.


2004 G35c 5AT Prem/Nav/Aero/18"wheels/Alum.Pedals