Geely buys Miller Motorsports Park, vows to keep it open

The Miller Motorsports Park in Utah has been saved by a sister company of Geely Auto Group. The track was slated for closure on October 31 of this year when the Larry Miller Group of Companies, which owned the track, decided not to renew its lease on the 511 acres. The County Commissioners of Tooele, Utah accepted proposals from buyers, awarding the site for what's said to be $20 million to MyTime, a subsidiary of parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. ZGH also owns Geely, Volvo, and London Taxi Company, which makes the UK's black cabs.

MyTime is focused on racing activities in China, and its plans for the future of the Utah track and surrounding land go well beyond the purchase price. Local reports say MyTime will make "an immediate" $6 to $8 million investment into the location for upgrades, and eventually build a test track, a drag strip, a hotel, and a manufacturing center for race cars. MyTime wants to bring Geely drivers and other Chinese track users there for training, plus Chinese tourists.

Alan Wilson, the track's designer and general manager, is at the center of the news. While designing tracks for Geely in China, Wilson mentioned that Miller was for sale. Estimates suggest that MyTime's plans will bring in one billion dollars for the local economy, and right now keep the 90 employees at the track and the hundreds of employees at supporting businesses at work.

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