Auto racing enthusiasts ask to use stadium
The Authority board asks for assurances and more figures
Motor enthusiasts are looking to Aloha Stadium as their gathering place on Oahu after the April closure of the Hawaii Raceway Park.
Yesterday, the Aloha Stadium Authority board approved the Sports Car Club of America's wishes to hold timed solo events at the stadium's vast parking lot.
Enthusiasts of the motor sport drifting also wish to hold events at the parking lot, but their green light is pending assurances and figures from their insurance company.
Douglas Torres, a nearby resident, raised concerns about the noise and dust that gets kicked up to nearby homes and properties from the burning rubber.
"We don't need a racetrack in front of my house," Torres said, stressing that he understands the needs of the racing community. "The state needs to step up and find them a place to race."
The motor-sports community understands Torres' concerns, said Evelyn Souza, spokeswoman for Save Oahu's Race Track, or SORT. The group hopes to lease the old private raceway park because the infrastructure is already there.
As a temporary solution to keeping racers off the streets, groups like SORT, the SCCA and TV producers Punish'UM Motorsports hope to use the stadium's parking lot for regular events.
SORT hopes to fight private efforts to turn the raceway park into an industrial zone, and is seeking public assistance. Raceway parks on the other islands are supported by the state or respective counties.
"It leaves an entire community of thousands, with millions of dollars in investments into their cars, out in the cold," Souza said. "About 85 percent of racers in the state live on this island. We have more dog parks than raceways."
Punish'UM Executive Producer Tracy Arakaki said the group hopes to hold qualifying events at the parking lot for international drifting competitions, beginning Jan. 6.
The act of drifting is a controlled skid, intentionally oversteering and controlling the turn. The sport, less reliant on speed than other motor sports, was popularized in Japan before reaching U.S. shores.
On Dec. 15 the group wants to hold a "dry run" competition not open to the public and also film a public service announcement with Lt. Gov. "Duke" Aiona and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
However, the group turned in its application to the board only yesterday. The board asked the group to turn in safety requirements submitted to the insurance company and to work with its staff to set an insurance cap.
The board meets Thursday to consider Punish'UM's application, after the stadium's staff reviews the group's insurance documents.
"We've been working with our insurance company for three months now ... so we should have a policy by (today)," Arakaki said.