A brand-new, purpose-built racing facility on the western edge of the Great Plains, an hour east of Denver, is scheduled to open its gates in late March with an appreciation event for those who have helped get the track up and running.
High Plains Raceway represents the reaction of a consortium of Colorado automobile and motor sports clubs to the loss of several previously used facilities, and is thus the only facility in the United States to be conceived, financed, designed, and built by a collection of amateur road racing clubs and their members. In this respect, HPR is similar to both Cal Club’s Buttonwillow, and the San Francisco Region’s Thunderhill, although those circuits are wholly owned by a single club.
HPR’s participating entities, known collectively as Colorado Amateur Motorsports Associates (CAMA), include Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing, the SCCA’s Colorado Region, the Motorcycle Road Racing Association, the Porsche Club of America’s Rocky Mountain Region, and the Multi-Car Club Alliance, which brings in the Colorado arms of marque clubs honoring Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, Viper and Z-Cars, as well as the Colorado Exotic Car Association.
At first glance, HPR looks very good on paper, as broad, sweeping turns (15 of them) and several healthy straightaways consume its 2.5 miles of length, with a variety of elevation changes along the way. CAMA was formed in 2003, when it became apparent that a facility to replace the old Second Creek Raceway was needed, and construction began last August at the site, 17 miles east of Byers on U.S. Route 36.
Three 2009 weekends organized by Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing are scheduled for May 16-17, July 11-12, and Oct. 3-4, with full details available at either www.rmvr.com or www.highplainsraceway.com.
