Save Moroso petition - a question ...

[Lotus7]

Yes, I signed it, would hate to see it lost to racing, but I'm curious ....

Is the track privately owned?
If yes, are they being forced/coerced to sell?
If not, one assumes the owners have decided what's best for them?

Or is the situation completely different ...?

[ChristopherBernard]

According to Wikipedia “ PBIR is being sold to Disney because it’s run by Mickey Mouse”.
Interesting.

[cory mcleod]

Yes, I signed it, would hate to see it lost to racing, but I'm curious ....

Is the track privately owned?
If yes, are they being forced/coerced to sell?
If not, one assumes the owners have decided what's best for them?

Or is the situation completely different ...?

Can you provide a link to the petition or other info? Last I heard, the track was owned by a group of enthusiasts who also own Memphis Motorsports Park and maybe other tracks.

Moroso/PBIR was my "home track" for a few years when I was a relative noob in the early '00s, I would be very sad if we lose it.

[mikey]

correct. PBIR is privately owned by an ownership group that also owns Memphis and the IHRA.

Seen the rumors about selling PBIR to Walmart, but nothing concrete seems to be available online.

Regarding whether or not Mickey Mouse actually runs PBIR, nobody should ever cite Wikipedia as a source. Anybody can edit Wikipedia LOL

[Steve Demeter]

Would be a shame in any case if another track is lost for whatever reason

[Bob Wright]

Ok, comments being banged around are part true, part not.

Without going into too much detail (because I shouldn't):

The track is owned by 6th Street Partners, a NYC private equity firm. It also owns 3 other tracks, the IHRA and the Bertil Roos driving school, acquired when the previous track owners defaulted on loans. It came to light 2 or more years ago that 6th Street would be willing to sell, and a syndicate was put together to acquire the race related operating company from 6th Street. Then COVID happened and everything was put on hold for 12 months.

6th Street then gave the PBIR listing to CBRE (a nationwide real estate firm) and it was put up for bid, advertising availability of up to 2MM sq/ft of industrial real estate on the site (it is zoned industrial, therefore permitted). It is thought that there were 10 or more bidders in a private auction that took place this spring. Of the total, 2 bidders wanted to keep the track operating, the others didn't. The winning bid is supposed to be full of contingencies and no contract is thought to have been signed yet, which is why the track is booking events into 2022.

There are a lot of Palm Beach County government officials very opposed to this bid and proposed usage, but they need to know the public is behind them-hence the petition.

So how do I know this? FRP is one of the bidders, possibly second highest. We have been quietly working on this for 2+ years and have a finance syndicate in place. We have a design and a game plan, but were simply out bid by an over-the-top take out price by a very large real estate development company. We believe we have the backing of Palm Beach County, but its no sure thing to get the winning bid to go away. There are more details I won't go into for many reasons, but the above is the gist of it.

Sign the petition, pass it along to anybody and everybody you can think of.

http://chng.it/Vq2xB8nWRQ

[EYERACE]

Email this morning from Central Florida Region SCCA confirms PBIR / Moroso has been sold and the last event will be the March 26 & 27, 2022 SCCA Sarrc/Regional. Racing will cease in April.

[Jim Garry]

This just popped into my email because of a Google Search I created awhile back. This is for PBIR. Good news, for now ...

https://gotowncrier.com/2022/04/coun...es-at-raceway/

[E1pix]

Very important work Ian, Thank You for doing it. Signed, contributed.

We’ve all heard of “Mickey Mouse tracks,” but this takes that into a disheartening realm.

I know little of this track, and have never been there. An old buddy, though, was badly hurt there in 1990, testing a new American IndyCar, on the very day a feature I wrote on him in On Track was on press. I’ll never forget getting Jeremy Shaw’s call to tell me that my article was literally taken off press with the news, and the staff scrambled to suddenly fill several pages. Not the track’s fault of course, I think a braking issue led to the incident. If I can let the driver know, I will.

I noticed a reference to “two Jupiter-based Indy Car drivers getting their start at PBIR.” They would of course be Kyle Kirkwood and Oliver Askew, and perhaps they could get involved as faces to the cause. I do have access to a family member of one of those two. No promises, but that might be what this cause needs.
(Edit: letter has been sent)

Good Luck and Thanks for getting involved. What’s PBIR today could be any track tomorrow...


PS — I’m not sure the best way here is suggesting track closure would mean kids racing on the street instead. It makes racers look irresponsible, plus is barely grounded in truth. Most kids racing around streets don’t necessarily have racing budgets, though I certainly could be wrong on this.

Sorry to wax on, but it’s what I do.

[problemchild]

We’ve all heard of “Mickey Mouse tracks,” but this takes that into a disheartening realm.

.

The current configuration of the track is horrendous. Mickey Mouse is appropriate.
I signed the petition to support my South Florida racer friends but I hope I never have to bring customers to an event held there. I have been to tracks that were not the best tracks, but that is the only one that a customer said "never bring me back here again".

Let's hope they choose to keep the streets in Florida safe by providing a place for racers to race.

[DaveW]

I have fond memories of PBIR. That was where I first drove the prototype Citation/Zink Z16. Bertil Roos and I were both in the January SCCA National FF race in 1980. A few laps into qualifying, I outbraked Bertil into the 1st corner (LH off the drag strip). I had been racing against him for several years and never had been able to do that anywhere before this.

That was a portent of things to come - the Z16 was a car that was pretty much spin-proof and I could usually outbrake anyone anywhere.

[tlracer]

Signed & posted to various FB pages.

[Bob Wright]

Just an update on my earlier post above. Don't read too much into the Zoning board voting down the proposal. The land is zoned industrial, and warehousing is a permitted use. The buyer will simply come back with an alternate plan, or the County Commissioners will over-rule the zoning decision and approve the proposed plan.

At the end of the day, our information says Sixth Street and the buyer are committed to seeing the deal through and Sixth Street will mothball the track until it does. Also, remember there were at least 8 other bids for warehouse usage; Sixth Street has many options, none of which involve operating a race track.

[mikey]

PBIR is perhaps akin to a favorite restaurant of years past. More of a nice memory than still a nice place. The facility never struck me as a place that required saving. The track itself isn't even that interesting to drive and can be a bit boring or repetitious with its relatively short lap time. I personally am pulling for Shawn Cunningham and friends to open "the Track".

[problemchild]

PBIR is perhaps akin to a favorite restaurant of years past. .

Excellent analogy The 80s version was legendary !

[EYERACE]

You mean you would brake before 8 & 8a ???

[EYERACE]

Interesting post added at the home page for Florida Region yesterday
www.flscca.com

4-25-22 ......that post is now no longer at their site

[EYERACE]

steps:

1. go to www.FLSCCA.com
2. click on: race programs .....not the drop down items that appear when your mouse is on > race programs
3. then click on the words link for: Palm Beach International Raceway
4. then click on and read the statement from IRG Sports.... it's final, it's over.

Rats.

[mikey]

Palm Beach International Raceway - Statement from IRG Sports + Entertainment on the Official Closure of Palm Beach International Raceway (racepbir.com)

[E1pix]

Dang Mikey, that just sucks.

But consistent with the word on the street. And in only being that, why I didn’t post a followup.

Sad to read the “let me be clear” confirmation...

[mmi16]

Palm Beach International Raceway - Statement from IRG Sports + Entertainment on the Official Closure of Palm Beach International Raceway (racepbir.com)

A Bean Counter organization - knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

[Rick Iverson]

A Bean Counter organization - knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Nicely said

[Lotus7]

It was interesting to read their claim that "they got no serious offers from people wanting to continue to use it as a racetrack";
perhaps not entirely true?

[Chris Livengood]

I imagine it is hard to get serious offers when you admit to decades worth of economic failure.