Track Gets Thumbs-Up in Biggest Race Yet
By Joel Landau
The Daily Journal
thedailyjournal.com

Millville, N.J. (August 11, 2008) – New Jersey Motorsports Park officials accomplished a key objective this past weekend: They made a favorable impression on the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, the kind of large regional car club that's key to the new park's future.

Carl Jensen, SVRA competition director, said Sunday the organization's members were thrilled with the facility, and he already began negotiating with park owners to schedule future dates in Millville.

"No question about it -- we're coming back," Jensen said. "We're happy with the whole park. Obviously they're still learning some things, but everyone on the staff has been helpful and cooperative. Everything we asked for they provided."

Joe Savaro, one of the park's owners, said getting approval from big car associations like SVRA is vital for the facility.

He estimated 5,000 people attended SVRA races over the weekend, the first major event held on the park's signature track, the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway. It was the biggest race at the park since the facility opened last month as Cumberland County's largest entertainment venue.

Park officials expect more people to attend this weekend's Shelby American Automobile Club event. And the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, scheduled for Aug. 28-31, should attract the largest crowd this season, they said.

Crews worked hard to get entrance roads paved and buildings finished in time for Thunderbolt's first race, Savaro said. Some final minor work on the concession stand and Timing Tower will be completed by this weekend, he said.

Rain did not interfere with any races, park official Don Fauerbach said.

The city's Police Department did not observe any traffic problems related to the park, Chief Ed Grennon said.

Rob Armbruster, the park's chief marketing officer, said the staff is still learning how spectators want to watch the races, by studying their traffic patterns and the "viewing points" where visitors are watching the events.

"It's really helped us learn where we're at and what we'll be," he said.

Jensen said SVRA members were happy with the track, which he termed "technical" because of its many turns. The park's location in the Northeast is also important, he explained, because it allows for shorter drives for members who live in this part of the country.

Jensen noted the facilities in Millville are as good as the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., which has some of the same owners as the local park and is considered a benchmark for motorsports venues.

Among the few complaints from drivers were a lack of grass on large parts of the recently constructed park and the lack of a water hookup for those who chose to camp at the site all weekend.

Mack McCormack, a resident of Craryville, N.Y., who drove a Mini Cooper at Thunderbolt Raceway, said there are very few motorsports parks in the northeastern part of the country. The Millville park is top-notch, he said.

"There's this one turn, called the Octopus, that's pretty annoying," he said. "But everyone else has to do it, too."

Toms River resident Ted Duvigneau said he's only visited the area once before in his life, but now plans to come to the park to watch a few races this year, and perhaps buy a 2009 season pass.

"People in New Jersey have been waiting a long time" for a local park, he said. "It's awesome. People are really into it."