Flatrock Motorsports Park is Coming to Tennessee!

Did You Know The FlatRock Motorsports Park Is Coming To Tennessee?

Flatrock Motorsports Park and Motorclub, a new racing facility located in Tennessee, is underway! With its groundbreaking ceremony taking place on Wednesday morning, this $100 million project will cover 773 acres off I-40 about 30 miles west of Knoxville. It will include two tracks – a 3.50-mile Circuit Club track and a 2.67-mile Grand Prix track that can be linked to create an Endurance circuit of nearly six miles. The goal is to make Flatrock Motorsports Park “a world-class motorsports destination” with the possibility of hosting IndyCar or MotoGP events in the future.

What events will the Flatrock Motorsports Park host?

Rusty Bittle, partner and president at Flatrock Motorsports Park has been quoted, “We think we’ll be one in the world; I don’t know if there’s anything else out there like we’re doing so I think it will be very unique in the motorsports industry as well…Most tracks are not destinations; we wanted to really bring that concept together and have two tracks – a commercial track and then a private facility – but then the most important thing was to have amenities for people who aren’t even interested in getting on the track.” Amenities such as hotels, villas, wineries, breweries, and restaurants are all part of this 20-year dream! With all these amenities there is a good chance we could see Formula 1 events in Tennessee sometime in the near future!

The Grand Prix track at Tennessee will be terraformed to meet the standards for hosting any motorcycle category up to MotoGP. The Club circuit is also designed with the intention of accommodating IndyCar races in the future. The owners of the Flatrock Motorsports Park have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with undisclosed sanctioning bodies and expect to host events as soon as 2023, culminating in a big event on the Grand Prix track in 2024. Once operational, both circuits should comply with FIM Level 1 (for motorcycles) and FIA Level 2 regulations. The club track is expected to be ready by early next year, while amenities will come into effect gradually afterwards.

Will the Flatrock Motorsports Club Be F1 Ready?

At this point, there are no plans to make the facility designed by Tilke Engineers & Architects F1-ready. However, Bittle feels that with some upgrades in the future, it could reach a level that would allow for top-tier events such as Formula 1. He also believes that motorsport is growing rapidly in the US and initiatives like ‘Drive to Survive’ have helped increase the number of female fans. With the ground-breaking ceremony just days after a record-breaking event at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas, he sees this as an opportunity to capitalize on an F1-led boost in interest.

The Flat Rock Motorsports Park does have its challenges, however. Tennessee is not well-suited for F1 racing due to its geography. The state has a relatively flat landscape, making it difficult to build the challenging and varied tracks that are required for F1 racing. Additionally, Tennessee’s humid climate can be unsuitable for certain types of tires used in F1 race cars.

With the groundbreaking ceremony fast approaching, it’s time for everyone in Tennessee to get ready to start living life in the fast lane!

Stay tuned for more news on the Flatrock Motorsports Club.