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Kona Motorsport Park - 2009?
Courtesy of:
Hawaii Motorbeat Monthly
By
Paul Maddox
Another decade, another County
administration...
The Kona Motorsport Park project began
in earnest back in 1994 with Mayor Steven Yamashiro's administration
on the Big Island. We got lots of "Gee, sounds interesting... you
need to talk to so-and-so" shuffling, but did get a recommendation
that we consider the 2,000 acre parcel of State conservation land
northeast of the Kona International Airport.
During Mayor Harry Kim's 8 years in
office we made a little more progress, with a full review of the
project for the County Council and visits from officials to Hawai'i
Racing Association events ~ including an appearance by Mayor Kim at
one of our Parker Ranch KMX races for the keiki. But no progress was
made by the County to secure the proposed 250 acre KMP site from the
State for the County motorsport park.
At that point the HRA was proposing a
complete facility that would include a drag strip, paved road
courses for sports cars, bikes and go-karts, along with off-road
areas for motorcycles, ATVs, trucks and a stock car oval ~ an
ambitious plan that would hopefully interest professional track
builders. But without the County actually having taken the steps to
acquire use of the property, no investors were interested... It was
all too pie-in-the sky for serious money folks.
By the end of 2008 Harry Kim's team
was completing its tour and the new candidates were beating the
bushes for votes. The HRA got letters of support for the KMP from
all the major players ~ the most detailed from Billy Kenoi. He
spelled out the steps that would be necessary and how he would get
it underway if he were elected.
Ta-tum! He's been elected. And Mayor
Kenoi has put together an administrative team that all have interest
in seeing the Kona Motorsport Park get underway.
With the economy in the lua, the HRA
has scaled down plans for the park to just off-road facilities ~
which will serve the majority of its 2.500 members, the dirt bike
riders and off-road truck 'ohanas. For now that will do just fine.
Meetings last month with the Mayor and
his team have seemed very positive and this just might be the crew
that will get possession of the State land for our much-awaited park
and access to it from Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. If so, I'm sure the
HRA members will waste no time in creating the off-road tracks and
trails we've all been hoping for these last fifteen years. Stay
tuned! PM
More from Paul Maddox at:
www.hawaiimotorbeat.com
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