From a press release:

If you haven’t yet heard about BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex, the new, 400-acre motorsports and driving enthusiast destination near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, read on! (And mark your calendars–we’re planning a very special grand opening for Thursday, September 13, 2002.) Currently, BeaveRun’s professional six-acre vehicle dynamics area, suitable for all types of vehicle testing and training, is open, as is the top-notch Karting Center and challenging 8/10-mile short track. The first of BeaveRun’s two world-class Alan Wilson-designed road courses is scheduled for completion at the end of July 2002. Stay tuned for more BeaveRun news–or call us if you need more information right now.

BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex is the One-Stop Destination for Multitude of Driving and Motorsports Experiences

Four hundred acres of racing, driving, testing and training excitement are now open for enthusiasts and their favorite four- or two-wheeled vehicles

July 1, 2002 (Big Beaver Borough, PA) – BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex, the country’s newest destination for driving and motorsports enthusiasts, has opened its gates to the public. With an initial phase of construction almost completed, consumer and corporate customers can now reserve time at two of BeaveRun’s planned three race tracks—a challenging 8/10-mile short track and the first of two road courses.

Also available for booking are the top-tier BeaveRun Karting Center, the expansive Vehicle Dynamics testing area and a wide selection of driving instruction and training programs offered through the BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Academy. Excavation for the 400-acre multi-use complex began on December 4, 2002 (sic) and additional development will continue through the end of 2003. Designed and operated by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex is a true one-stop destination for anyone who loves the sport, the challenge of competition and the art—and pure fun—of driving. It is also an ideal training ground for any driver who wants to improve his or her skills.

A second phase of construction is scheduled for completion by BeaveRun’s fall 2002 grand opening. It includes the addition of premium support facilities, such as climate-controlled classroom and meeting spaces, professional pit and service areas and a private Track Club.

During its final phase, scheduled to conclude by summer 2003, BeaveRun will open a second road course as well as an exclusive motocross track.

Altogether, these facilities pack more diversity of driving experiences into a single location than most any other motorsports park or racetrack. And, because BeaveRun is located just minutes from Interstate 76, north of Pittsburgh, the facility is accessible to a greater number of driving enthusiasts—half of the U.S. population resides within a 500-mile radius of BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex. BeaveRun co-founders and general partners Tim Silbaugh and Tom Wettach, both longtime motorsports enthusiasts, broke ground for BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex in the spring of 2002, after nearly four years of development and planning. “One of the best decisions we made early on was to retain Alan Wilson, who has designed 16 of the country’s most successful racetracks. Alan promised us that he’d talk us out of the project,” said Silbaugh. “Fortunately, he took one look at the terrain and the topography and immediately saw the potential for transforming it into a world-class motorsports complex.”

In addition to offering driving enthusiasts an exciting new destination choice, BeaveRun also brings a positive economic contribution to western Pennsylvania. The complex is initially expected to bring over 100 jobs to the region, and generate up to $2.5 million in revenue for the area’s hospitality industry.

Three Race Tracks Designed to Challenge—and Exhilarate

With two distinctive road courses, a challenging short track and five possible course configurations, BeaveRun has been designed to offer both professional racers and driving enthusiasts a level of diversity found at few other racetracks. To match the unique character and topography of the western Pennsylvania landscape to his vision of what makes a track truly desirable, designer Alan Wilson drew on decades of racing and event management expertise. Wilson is one of the few design professionals to have managed events for virtually all forms of racing, from World Championship Formula I, Indy Car, IMSA, GTP, SCCA and Trans-Am to International Motorcycle Championships. It is this depth of real-world expertise, including his experience as an SCCA-approved Official Track Safety Inspector that Wilson has infused into every inch of BeaveRun’s design.

The first Wilson-designed track to open at BeaveRun is the 8/10-mile short course, the centerpiece of the BeaveRun Karting Center. The 18-turn track features moderate elevation changes and offers a high level of challenge and fun for both kart and motorcycle racing as well as solo timed car events, such as Autocross and Solo I competition.

The first of BeaveRun’s two road courses, due to open in early July features 1.6 miles of fast-flowing, 36-foot wide pavement. The track winds through gently rolling terrain with significant elevation changes and incorporates 12 comparatively high-speed turns and long straight sections. This combination offers the opportunity for aggressive speeds and challenges drivers to find the optimal line for their vehicles. An expansive 900-foot long, 60-foot wide pit area will accommodate all levels of racing support, and high-elevation spectator points around the track allow panoramic views of virtually the entire course. The second road course, scheduled to open during the summer of 2003, includes a series of track connectors and extensions. The 2.0-mile track will take full advantage of higher-elevation sections of the terrain and carve through densely wooded areas of land. Designed to be the more technical of the two tracks, the course layout includes several complex corners which, combined with the elevation changes, creates a challenging circuit. Together, the two road courses offer nearly four miles of racing excitement, as well as five possible track configurations.

“Our tracks have been designed and purpose-built to host some of the country’s most exciting car, karting and motorcycle racing, from Sports Car Club of America competition to manufacturer series,” said Tim Silbaugh. “And, because we have such exciting elevation changes throughout BeaveRun, visitors who would rather watch racing than participate in the events benefit from exceptional spectator areas with sweeping views of the entire complex.”


BeaveRun Karting Center is One of Country’s Best

Only three Karting tracks in the United State are designed to meet the stringent specifications of Commission International du Karting (CIK), the global sanctioning organization for professional kart racing. The BeaveRun Karting Center joins this elite group with a facility that easily accommodates national-level kart racing events, and is also intended to introduce newcomers to the sport.

Combining a purpose-built, challenging 8/10-mile, 18-turn track with a full range of karting instruction, racing events and retail operations, the facility will earn top accolades from karting enthusiasts and racers around the country. The BeaveRun Karting Center is also an ideal venue for anyone new to karting who desires instruction and equipment rental. New drivers can take advantage of the Center’s “Arrive and Drive” program, which includes Trackmagic rental karts, helmets, safety gear and beginner instruction.


BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Area Designed to Test Limits

Exclusively designed for manufacturer product and component testing, driver training and autocross and slalom events, the BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Area (VDA) features every element needed to safely test a vehicle’s limits. Encompassing a generous six-acre stretch of top-grade pavement, the BeaveRun VDA also exceeds most industry standards for vehicle testing facilities.

Customers can take advantage of a full complement of vehicle dynamics features, including an expansive 400-foot diameter skid pad—one of the largest available anywhere. The VDA also offers an impressive 1,000-foot ramp-up road that allows high-speed testing. Additional unique features include a special change lane with four-inch pavement differential, ideal for both system testing or driving instruction applications, and a number of varying driving surfaces designed especially for suspension testing.


BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Academy

Learning new driving skills or improving the level of existing expertise is the full-time focus of the BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Academy.

BeaveRun’s resident driving professionals, as well as the country’s best racing and specialty driving school instructors, offer ongoing public and corporate programs for driving enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels. Currently scheduled programs range from the BeaveRun Teen Driving Program, a full-day advanced driving skills course for young drivers, to motorcycle racing schools conducted by Team Promotion and the Northeast Sports Bike Association, Law Enforcement Driving and Instructor Training sessions and adverse weather driving skills programs, to the HSR Racing School, taught by the E. Paul, Inc. High-Performance team. The PennDOT motorcycle safety program will be operated from BeaveRun beginning in 2003.


The BeaveRun MotorSports Club

For individuals and corporations within driving distance of BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex, the BeaveRun MotorSports Club will offer an exclusive opportunity to have preferred access to BeaveRun facilities at members-only rates. Currently under development, the Club will give members the opportunity to reserve time at any of BeaveRun’s tracks and facilities at reduced rates, and during time periods available only to members. Additional benefits will include exclusive events and hospitality and private Club facilities open only to members.

About BeaveRun MotorSports Complex BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex (www.beaverun.com) is conveniently located in Big Beaver Borough, Pennsylvania, just 40 minutes north of Pittsburgh on Route 18. With I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) Exit 2 just two miles south of the 400-acre destination complex, and Pittsburgh Airport only 25 minutes away, driving and motorsports enthusiasts from around the country can take full advantage of BeaveRun’s world-class, multi-use facilities. BeaveRun MotorSports ComPlex encompasses some of the most scenic terrain in western Pennsylvania, and features premium facilities that create an unmatched experience for both amateur driving enthusiasts and professional racers.

Phase One of BeaveRun’s planned development includes the first of two planned road courses. The 1.6-mile, 36-foot wide track will ultimately connect to a second road course, planned for completion in 2003.

Together, the courses offer nearly four miles of world-class road racing. The BeaveRun Karting Center, one of only three national karting facilities to be certified by the Commission International du Karting (CIK), includes a challenging 8/10-mile, 18-turn paved track, also ideally suited to motorcycle racing and many forms of testing.

Also open for public and corporate use are the testing and training facilities of the six-acre BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamics Area, home of the BeaveRun Vehicle Dynamic Academy. Future plans call for continued expansion of facilities, including the addition of a private Track Club, expansive pit areas, panoramic spectator areas and a motocross track.