High Rocks fall in North Carolina
Developers have applied for permission to build a new road course in Rowan County, North Carolina.
Property owner Dave Risdon and business partner Frank McGuirehave asked the Rowan County Board of Commissioners for a conditional use permit to construct a road racing course of more than two miles in length on the site of the now dormant North Carolina Finishing Mill.
Preliminary plans for the proposed course, named High Rock International Raceway due to its location adjacent to High Rock Lake, call for sweeping elevation changes, two high-speed straightaways, and dramatic carousel, corkscrew and 's' turns.
The 45-foot wide track will be designed by world-renowned planner Alan Wilson and will provide a venue for sports car and motorcycle club racing as well as nationally sanctioned professional road-race events.
World-class racing course
"This will be one of the most exciting road courses in the world. We are extremely fortunate to be working with Alan Wilson and to have acreage that offers exceptional topography on which to construct a world-class road racing course," said Risdon.
The proposed road course will be the hub of an innovative motorsports community including a race team performance center, privately-owned racing chalets, guest cottages that overlook the Yadkin River and a spacious RV campground. In addition, the track will offer memberships to High Rock Country Club. Membership privileges will include use of the track on select weekdays and evenings, access to all track events and exclusive access to a club lodge.
Risdon, who acquired the mill property in October 2001, has already begun demolition of the 400,000-square-foot mill building. Construction on the multi-million-dollar track project is expected to start in the autumn and be completed by the summer of 2006.
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