After getting thrown for a loop by the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions on large events and crowds, the motorsports-centered Attesa planned community is preparing to hold a groundbreaking by the end of the year on a 2.4-mile configurable track without grandstands or other large viewing areas.
“We are in the endgame for a racetrack groundbreaking,” said Bill Tybur, Attesa director of marketing. It’s expected to happen in November or possibly December 2020.
The new plan was submitted to Pinal County for approval at the beginning of September. The last steps before groundbreaking can take place include finalization of plans by UK-based racetrack designer Apex Circuit Design Ltd and local engineering firm HILGARTWILSON.
“That will determine how much dirt we’ll need to move and how long it’s going to take to build,” Tybur said.
In an ideal situation with no delays, he said, such a track can be complete in 90 days, but in real life, it’s likely to take longer than that.
This track, designed for motorcycles as much as autos, will be able to be run in both directions and have high-speed S-curves, changes in elevation and other thrills that can be enjoyed by both kinds of racers, Danrick Builders Managing Partner Dan Erickson said in an Attesa newsletter.
“We’re building for the masses; for all the open-wheel, sedan, vintage and sports car drivers; and all motorcycle riders, who are not independently wealthy but still want to go fast, as often as possible, in a secure, safe environment,” he said.
Along with this track, the first phase will also have a 186,000-square-foot area for paddocks, garages and RV spaces. Future phases will extend it to 16 possible configurations, including a 4.45-mile loop appropriate for NASCAR, IndyCar and other major pro circuits.
The track Danrick submitted to Pinal County for approval last March, a Formula 1-suitable racing circuit with grandstands and “vast common areas,” is now on hold but will “absolutely” be the centerpiece of the community at buildout, Tybur said.
Attesa, located just south of Interstate 8 at Montgomery and Hanna roads, is envisioned as a 2,400-acre “ultimate motorsports technology lifestyle community” with public races, a membership club for enthusiasts with garage and track privileges, design and testing facilities for motorsports manufacturers, a driving school, high-end restaurants and retail.
Plans also include residential choices from RV spaces to single-family homes for enthusiasts who want to live by their custom-built “Garage Majals.”
Attesa’s membership club already has a couple of hundred initial signups, Tybur said. A majority of those people ride motorcycles exclusively or have both bikes and cars, leading to a greater emphasis on that sector with the first track.
It has been a long road to this point — Danrick first announced the project in June 2016, with a groundbreaking expected the following year. Tybur said the most time-consuming element has been securing the rights to continue what can be a noisy activity, which future neighbors could find a nuisance and want to push out.
“The reason it took as long as it did is we had to take care of the zoning so we could do everything we wanted to do,” he said.
Photo Courtesy Danrick Builders
