Chinese automaker Geely, owner of Volvo and Lotus, continues to expand on a global scale. After an announcement earlier this week that it has invested in building "supersonic trains" in its home country, the company also officially confirmed the purchase of the Utah Motorsports Campus.
The Utah Motorsports Campus, located west of Salt Lake City and just south of the Great Salt Lake, is a massive automotive dreamland. Totaling 511 acres, it includes an adjustable 4.4-mile road track, a 0.9-mile configurable kart track, an off-road course, a rock-crawling course, and a rallycross track. It also includes numerous buildings suitable for race teams and garages, all with a gorgeous background of snowcapped mountains.
The playland has hosted countless events, highlighted by the FIM Superbike World Championship, American Le Mans Series, Pirelli World Challenge, MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. In 2018 alone, it has seen the likes of MotoAmerica, the Pirelli World Challenge, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, the AHRMA Bonneville Vintage Grand Prix, and Travis Pastrana's Nitro World Games.
Geely is taking ownership of a relatively young facility. Utah legend Larry H. Miller, who owned the Utah Jazz and created a massive car dealership network before passing away in 2009, paired with track designer Alan Wilson and opened the campus in 2006 as the Miller Motorsports Park. A 10-year lease with Tooele County ran out in 2015, after the family decided it was best to move on. At that time, Mitime Utah Investment LLC, the Geely subsidiary that is now buying the campus, attempted to purchase the park but was met with complications that didn't clear up until 2018. The name was changed to Utah Motorsports Park in 2016, and Mitime was paid to operate the facility as a good-faith partnership since then.
Geely plans to take full advantage of the park's diverse offerings and massive space by expanding.
"We are studying the viability of adding various race tracks, entertainment venues, and supporting infrastructure that will not only solidify our position as one of Utah's major entertainment facilities but also ensure that UMC will be a profitable venture for the first time in its history," CEO of UMC Willem Geyer said in a press release.
The future of this beautiful park, one of Miller's lasting legacies, has been uncertain in the past couple years, so securing its standing is win for all motorsports fans. Whether or not people are OK with a Chinese company doing the buying is up for debate. But Geely's plans sound ambitious, and it has done right by Volvo, so there's cause for hope.
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The Utah Motorsports Campus, located west of Salt Lake City and just south of the Great Salt Lake, is a massive automotive dreamland. Totaling 511 acres, it includes an adjustable 4.4-mile road track, a 0.9-mile configurable kart track, an off-road course, a rock-crawling course, and a rallycross track. It also includes numerous buildings suitable for race teams and garages, all with a gorgeous background of snowcapped mountains.
The playland has hosted countless events, highlighted by the FIM Superbike World Championship, American Le Mans Series, Pirelli World Challenge, MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. In 2018 alone, it has seen the likes of MotoAmerica, the Pirelli World Challenge, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, the AHRMA Bonneville Vintage Grand Prix, and Travis Pastrana's Nitro World Games.
Geely is taking ownership of a relatively young facility. Utah legend Larry H. Miller, who owned the Utah Jazz and created a massive car dealership network before passing away in 2009, paired with track designer Alan Wilson and opened the campus in 2006 as the Miller Motorsports Park. A 10-year lease with Tooele County ran out in 2015, after the family decided it was best to move on. At that time, Mitime Utah Investment LLC, the Geely subsidiary that is now buying the campus, attempted to purchase the park but was met with complications that didn't clear up until 2018. The name was changed to Utah Motorsports Park in 2016, and Mitime was paid to operate the facility as a good-faith partnership since then.
Geely plans to take full advantage of the park's diverse offerings and massive space by expanding.
"We are studying the viability of adding various race tracks, entertainment venues, and supporting infrastructure that will not only solidify our position as one of Utah's major entertainment facilities but also ensure that UMC will be a profitable venture for the first time in its history," CEO of UMC Willem Geyer said in a press release.
The future of this beautiful park, one of Miller's lasting legacies, has been uncertain in the past couple years, so securing its standing is win for all motorsports fans. Whether or not people are OK with a Chinese company doing the buying is up for debate. But Geely's plans sound ambitious, and it has done right by Volvo, so there's cause for hope.
Related Video:
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