Yahoo Autos Flatrock Motorsport Park Wants To Be a Car Enthusiast’s Paradise
When you drive through the gates of Flatrock Motorsports Park right now, there’s not a lot to immediately see. In fact, it’s almost all dirt and construction site — that is, except for the 3.5-mile section of world-class race track that hides in the middle of the 800-acre property. Flatrock’s goals are monstrous, but if all goes to plan, it'll be much more than just some quality asphalt.
That isn’t to say the tarmac is something to scoff at, though. The track itself is designed and built by Tilke, the German engineering firm that’s known for building modern Formula 1 Grand Prix circuits like Jeddah and Circuit of the Americas, as well as some top-class proving ground facilities. And though the park has built out an extensive list of amenities and attractions, one of its most notable features is its 30-degree banking. (Yes, that nearly equals Daytona’s 31 degrees.)
Banking aside, the full 5.9-mile “endurance course” track is set to have 34 corners, 127 feet of elevation change, and can be broken up into five different layouts.
There’s a lot of potential here. Flatrock, located in Rockwood, Tennessee — just under an hour west of Knoxville — has plans that tower over most other motorsport facilities in America and the world. In addition to building out a set of courses to attract wealthy members, the track has laid out plans for a hotel, a concert venue, karting, on-location housing, car storage, a ton of parking, and so on. The list of amenities and attractions doesn’t seem to end. Honestly, it’s perhaps borderline-excessive — and there’s not much wrong with that.
“Flatrock is the culmination of a 20-plus-year dream to create a world-class motorsports and entertainment destination,” Flatrock CEO Rusty Bittle told Road & Track. “When we began to make this dream a reality, there was a shared ambition to build not just one of the most spectacular circuits in North America, but also in the world.”
On a recent trip to Flatrock, I had a chance to see how the dream was coming together. Slabs were getting laid down for condos and garages, the track’s welcome gantry was going up, and most importantly, more work was being done to put down the rest of the track’s full 5.9 miles of pavement. (Thankfully, the banking is already completed)
Otherwise, there’s not much to report just yet. The folks behind the track say they’ve been in talks with various international racing series in an effort to load up their event calendars, and have had “positive conversations” with car manufacturers about potentially partnering on driving experience programs.
“We are in ongoing talks with several series to hopefully stage a race at Flatrock in the future, but it is too early to go into specifics at this moment in time,” track spokesperson Tom Cooney told R&T.
Either way, don’t expect Formula 1 to make its way there. If all goes to plan, at FIA Grade 2, the track won't be built for it; that said, it will be certified for IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship, Formula 2, and more.
The other good news is that even though a large part of its business model is its ultra-exclusive, high-cost club membership, Flatrock says it has no plans to exclude club racers and track day folks. Access to all will be guaranteed.
“Flatrock Motorclub is a place for those seeking motorsports experiences at all levels,” Bittle said.
For now, Flatrock is a work in progress. But it's promising. If you're a car enthusiast in the U.S., you'll soon have a new spot to add to your bucket list. Start planning.
You Might Also Like
