Arizona International Raceway (AIR) @ Attesa will be Arizona’s only permanently zoned, professional motorcycle and automobile road racing facility
Danrick Builders has announced the design of its primary international road race circuit has been finalized and site plans submitted to Pinal County to initiate permitting. All land use entitlements are secured and construction of the new track, Arizona International Raceway @ Attesa will begin immediately upon county approvals.
Attesa is Danrick Builder’s master-planned motorsports, entertainment and advanced technology research community located 43 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The 2355-acre property is within the metro Phoenix area (population 4.8 million), just south of Casa Grande, and an hour from Arizona’s second largest city, Tucson (population 1 million). Attesa is an anchor of Pinal County’s burgeoning advanced technology corridor in central Arizona.
“The Phase 1 pro track will be 16-turns and 2.65 miles long,” said Dan Erickson, Managing Partner, “built to Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) standards with multiple configurations and significant elevation changes. Phase 2 will expand the pro circuit to 4.25 miles and add a high-performance driving school and skid pad, closed-course off-road track plus testing facilities for manufacturers, racing teams and aftermarket suppliers.”
“Arizona International Raceway @ Attesa will also have a membership club including clubhouse, private garages, residential opportunities, an RV park and more.” he added. “When finished, AIR will have three different circuits, all able to be used at the same time, each able to be raced in both directions. This is important as there are half dozen amateur Arizona sports car and motorcycle racing organizations that need a permanent home track.”
“The racers demand options and different track layouts. We’re going to deliver.” Said Erickson. “And we’ll be the only other track besides ISM Raceway, a NASCAR oval, that is permanently zoned for racing. Our club members and guests will have no worries about sound restrictions, hours of operation or losing an investment due to a cancelled use permit. ”
England’s Apex Circuit Design Ltd is the award-winning, internationally recognized facility (track) and destination design firm responsible for the new complex at Attesa. With a primary focus on the design of FIA and FIM approved circuits, both temporary (street) and permanent, Apex has worked on more than 140 projects on six continents and boasts over 20 operating facilities for Formula 1, MotoGP, World Rallycross, karting and other types of racing. They are working hand-in-hand with Attesa’s local engineering partner, HILGARTWILSON, on design and construction documents.
“AIR @ Attesa will be our first internationally-sanctioned road racing circuit in America,” said Dafydd Broom, Design Director of Apex Circuit Design. “This facility in Arizona is one of our most exciting projects as we’ve refined the track significantly since we began work with Attesa four years ago. Our final design, we believe, will truly be world class and fan entertaining, and attractive to the fastest series in open wheel, prototype, motorcycle and saloon racing.”
“With road racing’s growing popularity in America,” he added, “and a worldwide need for safe, private tracks to test and develop new vehicles year-round, we feel they’re building at exactly the right time at exactly the right place.”
Only 45 minutes south of America’s 5th largest city, Arizona International Raceway @ Attesa is five hours from San Diego, six from Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and within easy driving distance from Albuquerque, El Paso, Denver and Salt Lake City. The location is extremely low risk from operational disruption due to inclement weather or geological events like blizzards, earthquakes, flooding, forest fires, tornadoes, etc.
The track is being carved from flat farmland and a massive amount of dirt will be moved to create the desired elevation changes to maximize the fan and driver experience. The state’s largest earthwork contractors estimate it will take six months just for site work and grading, as more than a million cubic yards of dirt will have to be excavated. “That’s enough to fill up every pro sports stadium in Arizona plus all the college stadiums,” Erickson said.
“This is an important milestone for us,” said Pat Johnson, President of Attesa, “and we have to thank so many people at Pinal County, starting with District 3 Supervisor Steve Miller, Economic Development Manager Tim Kanavel, past and present County Managers Greg Stanley and Louis Anderson, and Himanshu Patel, Community Development Director. We also have to thank Nick Wood from Snell & Wilmer in getting the zoning done, and the City of Casa Grande.”
Danrick Builders applied for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) in spring 2016 and the entitlement process was completed in January 2019, but ground-breaking has been delayed by a hold on certificates for an assured water supply needed to subdivide in Pinal County.
“The County has shared our vision since 2015 when we first conceived Attesa,” added Johnson, “and they’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty. They’re helping us, and every other developer, farmer or community stakeholder, in getting the water issue solved. Our land grew corn, cotton and cattle for more than 50 years. We’re still farming the land today, while we wait. We have wells and water rights for agriculture but those don’t transfer directly to residential or industrial land use. It’s less a water problem than a paperwork and regulatory agency problem but significant regional efforts are underway and we are confident resolution will be found.”
Conceived as a place for people to live, work and play, Attesa will feature single family homes, townhomes and apartments, industrial/commerce space and a concert/public event venue in addition to the race tracks. Ultimate plans include a luxury resort hotel and convention center, a retail and entertainment district as well as an airpark and private airport with FBO services, domestic utilities and public safety facilities.
According to an Economic Impact Study prepared by Scottsdale’s Elliott D. Pollack & Company, Attesa is projected at buildout to generate more than 13,300 full and part-time jobs plus an additional 1,722 indirect and induced jobs in Pinal County upon completion. Total economic impact would average $1.8 billion per year.
For more information on the development, contact Attesa at 602-707-7222 or visit www.attesa.com.
