BY PAUL HAMMELWORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
HASTINGS, Neb. — As he roared down the straightaway at 100 mph in an $80,000 canary-yellow Corvette, George Anderson had a thought: "It just doesn't get any better than this."
George Anderson drives his Corvette around the 2.15-mile track at Motorsport Park. He said his hometown was ideal for a motor sports venue.Then he downshifted into a gravity-bending corner, the car's 650-horsepower engine growling under the hood.Anderson, 59, owner of a high-performance machine shop and sports car dealership in Hastings, has turned a passion for fast cars and high speeds into a multimillion-dollar playground for auto enthusiasts. Motorsport Park is east of town, amid cornfields and ethanol plants.It's a country club for big boys with big, fast toys. It draws members, car clubs and motorcycle racing groups from around the region.Some car owners have purchased $300,000 condominiums at the track to store their Porsches, Corvettes and Mustangs so they're ready to race when they can get away.
Click to enlarge.There are $1,000 initiation and $500 annual membership fees to join the Guardrail Club, which provides "T-times" (track times) to cars zooming up to 140 mph on the 2.15-mile asphalt road course.Members are primarily middle-aged folks who have disposable income and crave the adrenaline rush of pushing the pedal to the metal in souped-up autos. They range from a local cattle feeder to an Internet millionaire."Golf costs money, and bass boats are expensive, too, but this has a lot more thrills than most of those hobbies," said Randy Hablitzel, a 60-year-old self-employed businessman who was out testing his 1989 Ford Mustang on a recent afternoon."This is go-carts for big kids," he added.The track, which opened in 2006, is similar to Mid America Motorplex, the 2.23-mile track south of Omaha near Pacific Junction, Iowa, that opened in 2002.The Hastings track has 75 lots that can be developed for luxury condominiums. The condos, each of which can store up to six cars, have two bedrooms, decks that overlook the race course and hot tubs.
Condos overlook the 2.15-mile track at Motorsport Park east of Hastings. The buildings include space for storing racing enthusiasts' vehicles.Fifteen lots have been sold, and nearly a dozen condos are completed."They like their freaking privacy, and that's what we provide here," Anderson said of the guests.But Motorsport Park is also bringing economic development to Hastings.Besides additional business for Anderson and his machine shop and dealership, there have been purchases of Corvettes and other fast cars in the area.And when 140 car club members drive in from Denver or Omaha for a private weekend of racing, there's more business for local motels and restaurants."It's an economic plus," said Tom Hastings, president of the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce, who credits Anderson for fulfilling an ambitious dream.David Balingit, director of the National Auto Sports Association's Rocky Mountain region, said the Hastings track is the best such racing complex in his eight-state region.That's because the track, designed by widely known course designer Alan Wilson, is safe, smooth and fun to drive, Balingit said. The hospitality from Anderson and the community of 25,000 is unmatched, he added.Some drivers refer to Motorsport Park as the "racetrack with the homemade cinnamon rolls," which are among the pastries Anderson delivers each morning.After driving time is over, members quaff beers in the soon-to-be-completed clubhouse."When we come to Hastings, they roll out the red carpet for us," Balingit said.Anderson, a Hastings native whose family owned an irrigation-pump business there, said his hometown was ideal for a motor sports venue — just as Nebraska's Sand Hills have become an ideal spot for private golf courses.Land is reasonably priced, and there are fewer neighbors and zoning restrictions to deal with in building a racetrack, Anderson said.Despite higher fuel costs, the vast majority of racing car owners are willing to shell out the additional dollars to drive fast on a controlled course, he said.There have been a couple of crashes at the track since it opened.But the cars have such safety features as fire-extinguishing systems and roll cages, drivers wear safety suits and the track has tire barriers and car-slowing gravel traps to minimize injuries, said Dusty Kohl, the track manager.Anderson has plans for the future, including a motocross track and drag strip with grandstand seating for 6,000 to 8,000.On a recent steamy weekday afternoon, the track was a buzz of activity, with a racing team sponsored by Hastings businessman Terry Klatt, a member of the Nebraska auto racing hall of fame, stopping by to work on its cars between races at McCool Junction, Neb., and Belleville, Kan.Klatt's spacious garage here has a front that looks like a 1940s Mobil Oil service station.Landscapers were working on some of the condos while Anderson was revving up the Corvette. One of his mechanics drove out one of the $225,000 Shelbys that Anderson's shop, Gessford Machine, sells and modifies for customers as far away as New Zealand."This is what a $51,000 engine looks like," Anderson said, raising the hood on the brushed aluminum, two-seat sports car. "This is the real deal. This is a pretty keen job I have."
