January 26, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Shelton's Ridge Motorsports Park will have its logo on the No. 22 Porsche GT car in the Rolex 24-hour race at Daytona this weekend.
Courtesy photos
Shelton's Ridge Motorsports
debuts on national stage
By NATALIE JOHNSON
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The Ridge Mot0rsports
Group, owner of the Ridge
Motorsports Park on Eells
ill Road outside of Shel
ton, plans to get attention
on a national level this ~or~]~fo~io~i~da~in~at~a~[
weekend. ~fi~ ~
On Saturday and Sun-
day a Porsche GT (car No.
22) bearing the Ridge Mo-
torsports logo will compete
in the Rolex 24 at Daytona,
a 24-hour race on the 3.56-
mile Daytona Beach, Fla.,
road course.
Rod Powell, part owner
of the Ridge Motorsports
Group, plans to travel to
Florida this week for the
race.
"This is to announce to
the community that they've
got a horse in this race," he
said. "If you've got an in-
terest you can watch your
horse run."
When Steve Paquett,
owner of Canada's Bullet
Racing, took a few laps on
the Ridge, he was hooked,
Powell said.
"Steve came and saw the
track, fell in love with the
track, fell in love with the
community and wants to
locate his company here,"
Powell said.
While sponsoring Bul-
let's No. 22 Porsche GT in
the race would normally
have cost Powell's group
approximately $300,000,
Paquett covered the cost to
help give exposure to the
new Mason County track,
Powell said.
GT means Grand Tour-
ing class, which includes
street cars modified for a
race track.
The Ridge Motorsports
Group plans to rent a space
during the Daytona Grand-
Am race to promote their
track.
"It presents to the ama-
teurs that we appeal to
that we're a professional-
level operation," Powell
said. "We're going to talk a
lot about Shelton and a lot
about Mason County ... No
question - this is going to
bring people from around
the world to Shelton."
Powell said this is the
50th anniversary of the
prestigious race and will
think we have a strong
chance of being on the
podium. Win, lose or draw,
it doesn't matter, we get to
be on TVo"
get worldwide television
coverage. He hopes that
it will bring attention to
Shelton's own Ridge Mo-
torsports Park.
"The driver lineup is
a who's who in the world
of motorsports," he said.
"If you're into racing, you
know every guy in this
race."
The race will be broad-
cast on the Speed Chart-
nel, Powell said. It starts
at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday,
Jan. 28, and ends at the
same time the following
day.
"I think We have a strong
chance of being on the po-
dium," Powell said. "Win,
lose or draw it doesn't mat-
ter, we get to be on TV."
Bullet Racing is part of
Grand-Am Road Racing,
which will bring several
teams to compete at the
Rolex 24 race.
The experience is exhil-
arating, but also surreal,
Powell said.
"Most people spend a
lifetime trying to make it
to this race ... It's very,
very cool, it's very weird,"
he said. "When you have
an idea and you nurture it,
you have to convince your-
self first and as you pro-
ceed you have to convince
others ... as it comes to
fruition, it's like having a
baby. Our baby is growing
up in a hurry."
While Powell is excited
about traveling to Florida
for the Daytona race this
week, he is also planning
ahead for the sold-out 2012
racing season at the Ridge.
"We have several mar-
quee events that will be
nationally publicized," he
said. "We're getting excited
and we're getting nervous."
The first event is sched-
uled for March 15. During
2012, 172 track dates have
been sold. Races only take
place on weekends, Powell
said, but organizations can
rent the track on weekdays
for non-race events."
The scheduled events
are primarily for the fin-
ished road course, Powell
said. The separate drag
strip is still under con-
struction and should be
completed by May 15.
Other amenities, includ-
ing buildings, at the track
will be completed through
the next three years, Pow-
ell said.
"We'll be able to run both
surfaces independently in
May," he said.
Regularly
Love
your
Sponsoring Bullet Racing's No. 22 Porsche GT
would normally cost approximately $300,000.
/
V/SA
t
Regularly
All your doctors. they
all knew one another and actually talked to each
other? It would make your care more successful.
What a concept! Quality. Caring. Community.
All right here.
MGH Ankle & Foot
(360) 427-0366
MGH Eye Clinic
(360) 426-8717
MGH Family Health
(360) 426-3862
MGH Mountain View
Women's Health Clinic
(360) 426-0955
MGH Oakland Bay Pediatrics
(360) 426-3102
MGH Shelton Orthopedics
(360) 427-0663
MGH Surgery Clinic
(360) 426-4142
MGH Sbelton Family Medicine
(360) 426-2653
Mason General Hospital
& Family of Clinics
Mason General Hospital 901 Mountain View Drive, PO Box 1668,
Shelton, WA 98584 * Shelton (360) 426-1611, from Allyn (360) 275-8614
www.MasonGeneral.com
TTY/TTD: (360) 427-9593 • Equal Opportunity Provider..Translation
Services Provided.. Se habla espa6ol.. Approved by the Joint
Commission.. Healthcare's Most Wired Hospital, 2011.
Wishing You 50 More
Love from --
Bob, Beth, Barry, & Bonny
Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, January 26, 2012 - Page C-5