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Indoor auto racing track may go elsewhere
Saturday, December 29, 2001 By Mark Belko, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
A West Virginia businessman who wanted to build an indoor auto racing track at Pittsburgh International Airport apparently is taking his proposal elsewhere.
Bob Brant, vice president of Brant Motorsports, said in a Dec. 13 posting on his company's Web site that he is considering "several alternative sites for the facility in states adjacent to Pennsylvania."
Brant did not identify any locations. He had considered Youngstown, Ohio, as a site for the track at one point but had played down that possibility in the past.
"The marketing objective remains staying close enough to the Pittsburgh region to support the extensive race fan base, while potentially capturing adjacent markets in this motorsports-oriented area," he wrote.
Brant's comments were posted on the Brant Motorsports Web site a day after he met with Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey at the county courthouse. Brant could not be reached for comment yesterday.
While Brant originally intended to finance the entire $400 million project privately, he said in the Web posting that it became apparent as conditions changed and costs escalated that some type of "private-public partnership" would be necessary to complete the facility.
Brant indicated that the county was not interested in providing that kind of help.
"When the company approached the county with requests for consideration of public financial subsidy or assistance, it was apparent that there was significantly less enthusiasm for the project if participation was a requirement," he wrote.
Roddey said Brant never formally requested any direct financial help from the county. He said Brant was seeking $35 million in infrastructure improvements near the airport to support the track.
He estimated that Brant would need $60 million to $80 million in county or state financing in addition to the infrastructure improvements to get the track built.
Roddey said the cash-strapped county was in no position to provide such subsidies.
Roddey added he wasn't sure how receptive the state would be to a request for funding given other high priority projects in Western Pennsylvania, including a proposed $120 million to $130 million jet maintenance center for US Airways at Pittsburgh International.
After meeting with Brant earlier this month, Roddey said the project had stalled because of the inability of the businessman to finalize financing for the track. He said the proposal had fallen victim to a faltering economy and declining sponsorships in the auto racing industry.
The project has suffered several setbacks since being announced in 1999. In June 2000, Bob Brant's brother, Ted, died. It also was sidetracked by delays in getting federal approvals for the environmental assessment.
In his posting, Brant acknowledged the bureaucratic delays and his brother's death had an impact on the project. He also said escalating costs forced the developers to seek alternative structure designs to save money and to maintain the feasibility of the project.
He said he is now looking to reduce the financing gap either by reducing costs or "through public participation in regions open to the potential of motorsports industry development."
The indoor track, which has escalated in cost from $300 million to $400 million, would be the first of its kind in the world. It would seat 60,000 people and use a sophisticated air flow system to remove exhaust.
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