FAQ & UPDATES
Mitch Wright Joins NMS
NOLA Motorsports Park, the new driving and race facility under construction in New Orleans is very pleased to announce that Mitch Wright will join the company as its new General Manager.
"Mitch was our number one choice to run NOLA", said facility owner Dr. Laney Chouest, and having him on board to develop and run NOLA is a major step forwards in the development of organized motorsports activity in the New Orleans area at the NMS". (Nola Motorsports Park)
55 year-old Mitch Wright is currently Race Director for Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, where he will remain until the end of this season before moving to New Orleans. He joined Miller before the internationally recognized track opened and was directly responsible for introducing major events such as ALMS, AMA and Grand-Am and most recently he has managed the World Superbike week-ends that earned Miller the award for Race Organizer of the Year in 2008. As important, he also created and ran local track racing championship series for karts, motorcycles and cars which have become a staple activity at Miller. He has generated many track access activities for users ranging from casual fans to some of the world’s most accomplished professional riders and drivers, all of which have enabled the track to develop a whole new motor sports culture in a market that had very little organized motorsports activity.
While Mitch’s contribution to the stature of Miller has been immense, his contributions to motor racing in other fields have been just as impressive.
Prior to joining Miller, Mitch was Vice-President of SCCA Pro-Racing, where he had responsibility for the entire Sports Car Club of America’s professional racing activities. These included the World Challenge Touring Car and GT Championships which he took over in 1999 when the series had little stature and which he quickly developed into the very successful and competitive Speedvision Championship series.
He is an accomplished racer, having won 16 car and kart racing championships. He spent two seasons racing in Europe and has raced a wide variety of cars in America. Many of these he built and developed himself, developing a reputation that led to his being recruited by SCCA Pro-Racing in 1997 to be their Technical Manager, from which position he rose through series management to lead the company as its Vice President.
"I have known Mitch since he joined the SCCA in 1997", said Alan Wilson, NOLA’s track designer and the development consultant to Dr. Chouest. "He is a good friend and is absolutely the best person that NOLA could find to build it into a nationally recognized facility. Mitch is the ultimate race enthusiast, who knows more about the motor sport than anyone else I know. As a hands-on competitor building and racing his own karts and cars he understands what is needed to help people get into the sport and really enjoy it, and as a pro he knows how to make events successful and how to make them fun for fans".
Mitch will join NOLA full-time at the end of October this year and will be responsible for developing all forms of track activity, ranging from Club member’s events to autocross, kart, motorcycle and car racing series and to the eventual promotion of professional level events. Mitch will also be active in developing all levels of amateur driving experiences, both racing and non-racing with his extensive background and knowledge of track safety systems and safe operating procedures.
"Having Mitch Wright at NOLA Motorsports Park is a major step forward", Laney Chouest notes. "He brings instant credibility to our program, immense knowledge, and a stellar reputation. More than that, he is a really good guy who will become everyone’s friend and that is very important to our goal of becoming the most driver-friendly motorsports facility in the country".
Mitch is married to Lynda, who is a teacher and Mitch’s greatest supporter.
We welcome them to New Orleans.
Latest Update
Additions to NMS Hotstop Contest
If you missed the announcement last week, we are testing an 800ft stretch of pavement on our entry road scheduled to be installed in a few weeks. To get involved tell us the top speed that you think each vehicle will reach before having to come to a stop at the end of the 800ft stretch.
To mix things up we are now adding karts and motorcycles to keep these fancy cars and drivers honest.
Full details to be released in the forum thread soon on the new entrants: http://www.nolamotor.com/forum/showthread.php?32-NMS-Hotstop-Challenge
Speaking of pavement and soil stabilization…
Soil Stabilization
If you were around our area Sunday night you experienced the heavy rains that came through. We rode by the track on the day following the heavy rain in our 4,700lb German tank. The surface was exactly as we expected. The pictures speak for themselves.
The science and ingredients for how A N.E.W. Rock Co, Inc makes this possible in soft soil of our area will be discussed in an upcoming blog entry. Want to see it beforehand? Drive by the site on Nicolle and you can see it from the road.
Blog
The first entry in our new blog is posted on the nolamotor.com homepage. Check back weekly as we delve into the behind the scenes activity happening.
Watch the front page of our site to follow the blog or follow us on Facebook to be updated as we add our latest thoughts.
Job Opening
We are now seeking resumes for long term position at NOLA Motorsports Park. We are looking for an experienced civil engineering surveyor with construction supervision experience. Send all resumes to work@nolamotor.com.
Who Is Dat???
Anyone have information on who this is? We are building a car with custom wheels that are similar. Want to see who knows the owner of this car. Email us with details at info@nolamotor.com.
Construction Underway!
Construction is now well underway. Visible progress is being made daily. We encourage everyone to print out our latest satellite image and drive by the facility to get an idea of the scale of our park. Very soon we will be releasing our open track day and membership information detailing the ways for everyone to be involved at NMS.
» Satellite View
» High Res Printable Site Layout
» Map & Directions
Garett Potter Joins NOLA Motorsports Park
Effective immediately, NOLA Motorsports Park is pleased to announce that the distinguished kart track manager and tuner Garett Potter has joined the team as Director of Karting Operations. Garett's responsibilities will include the track's club series, corporate entertainment, and the NOLA national racing team.
NMS is a state of the art racing facility now under construction just 20 minutes southwest of New Orleans, home of the famous Mardi Gras (and of course the newly crowned Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints!). The track sits on over 450 acres and will feature the two largest tracks of their type in North America: two road courses of 2.4 miles each which can be combined into a 4.8 mile course, and a kart track of 1.2 miles. Karters will enjoy multiple track configurations, a club house, team garage condos, and a world class retail center.
"I am extremely excited to join the NOLA group" said Garett. "I am grateful for the confidence and opportunity given to me by owner Laney Chouest and the rest of the NOLA team. I can't wait to get started establishing a kart series, corporate entertainment programs, and the national race team. With the track slated to open in November we have a lot of work ahead of us, but with the talent that NOLA has in place I know we can pull it off.
I would also like to thank Mitch Wright and the crew at Miller Motorsports Park for the fantastic support I've had there over the last few years - I learned a lot and wish them well. It won't be easy leaving my family and friends in my home state of Utah either."
Laney Chouest adds: "Garett is a world class player in karting, so he fits perfectly with our mandate to be a world class racing facility. He’ll help make this track a new outlet for fun here in New Orleans - a place that has at least as much fun as anywhere else! We’re only bound by the laws of physics. And the insurance rules, but they’re a little more flexible."
To reach our goal of becoming the most innovative racing facility in the nation, we are seeking input directly from you, the motorsports enthusiast. If you have any questions, input or ideas about these programs, or would just like to learn about NMS visit our forums.
Lunch with Desiré
Congratulations to Desiré Wilson, renowned race car driver and wife to Alan Wilson, on her recent interview with Motor Sport Magazine. Desiré has played an integral role in designing our track and will be extensively involved in the test driving program to complete the track.
Read the article, courtesy of Motor Sport magazine