Professional Wildman Travis Pastrana Is Building A Racetrack
Travis Pastrana has basically done it all at this point. He's broken practically every bone. He's won 17 X Games medals. He's a rally champion five times over. He's competed on two wheels and for in everything from supercross to Pikes Peak to NASCAR. He's jumped out of airplanes without a parachute. Pastrana has even held jump for distance records on a motorcycle and in a car. The dude is properly insane in the best way possible, so surely any race track he opens will be equally bonkerballs.
The 36-year-old daredevil currently does all of his testing at "Pastranaland" outside of Annapolis, Maryland. His backyard paradise has become the playground for daredevils all over. Moto riders test bigger and meaner jumps there, while his Nitro Circus cohorts do increasingly dumber and cooler shit. The plan is to recreate this kind of atmosphere at a new Maryland track called Circuit 199.
The goal here is to use advanced technology and techniques to allow athletes to throw down bigger shit while keeping safety at the forefront. There's no telling exactly what the crew at Circuit 199 will have in store for us when it opens, but the plan is to include a paved rallycross course, an "action sports progression park" and a year-round bicycle/skateboard/scooter facility at a minimum.
It sounds like the track plans to host not only rallycross races on this paved course, but go-karts, supermoto, side-by-side, flat track motorcycle, and certain car races as well. There are plans to "assist in expediting the shift to electric technology in racing." I'm not exactly positive what that means, but I like it. I like it a lot.
"Our goal is to be a positive outlet in the community." said Travis Pastrana on Circuit 199. "We want to build a facility that promotes fitness, camaraderie, and provides entertainment as well as economic growth for our community. We want to open our doors for local charity events whenever possible and we want to give people access to top driver and rider coaches who can help coach and mentor everyone from beginners through the most elite. I want to spend time with my family, outside and active, doing what we all love, together. That's why I chose Maryland. This is our home."
There are plenty of motocross, drag race, and circle tracks in this country. What we need more of is short-course rallycross tracks. If America wants to take rally and rallycross seriously, the next generation of racers need to develop their skills somewhere. I totally love this idea, and hope to one day make it there for a good rip around. Preferably in something electric.