Road Racing Course in North <strong>Florida</strong>. Yeah, Right. By Chris Hoyt, Director of Operations, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance It sounds like a broken record. Lightning Ridge – dead before one shovel of dirt was turned. First Coast Racing, LLC – a few stories in the paper, but nothing. St. Augustine Raceway – killed by DOT and environmental issues. How many times have we heard “plans” announced for a badly needed road racing facility in North <strong>Florida</strong> only to see them die quickly or fade away quietly? We’ve hear plans so often that we cast a jaundiced eye towards any such announcement, until now. Several of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance staffers and volunteers recently headed to Keystone Heights, a popular lake region about 45 minutes south of Jacksonville, to check out a promising new development taking shape. Ivor Wigham, an experienced rallyist for Audi and rally instructor born in the UK, started European Rally & Performance Driving School a number of years ago in Keystone Heights and has been quietly expanding his facility, which sits on a massive chunk of land adjacent to the Keystone Heights Airport off State Road 21. He recently gave Amelia founder and co-chairman Bill Warner a call, and extended an invitation for us to come see his progress. Our visit was well worth the trip. counties in the state and is viewed more as a second home and/or vacation destination than as a primary residence. Classrooms are already being used by the rally and karting students, and the road course’s plans call for an EMT station with emergency treatment equipment to be built along with shower facilities and hook-ups. Everything you need to enjoy a weekend is at the track. After spending several hours touring the property in an ATV, we were very encouraged and left wishing Wigham the best of luck, and he promised to keep us up to date on his progress. We’re sure that he would be more than happy to host the <strong>Florida</strong> <strong>Crown</strong> <strong>Region</strong> when he is fully operational. How does, “Drivers ed and private track days only an hour away,” sound to you? It sure is music to my ears! For information on the European Rally & Performance Driving School, go to www.GoRally.com or contact Ivor Wigham at 887-872-9993, 352-473-2999 or email him at Ivor@GoRally.com. Wigham’s performance driving school has it all. He instructs rally drivers from all over the world and his 17 miles of “track” specially built for this form of auto sport run from asphalt roads to deep forest trails, which wind endlessly through large patches of pines, scrub oaks, and palmetto bushes dotting his 330-acre property, and he also has another 150 acres for future expansion. In addition, a 12-turn karting track sits right outside of his administrative offices. We were even lucky enough to see a student in action on one of the rally courses. In addition to rallying, he also provides training to improve people’s ATV, karting, and SUV driving skills. Contracts for evasive driving tactics with a number of organizations, a strong relationship with Polaris, and corporate motorsports entertainment events help pay the bills and have allowed Wigham to steadily piece together what should be a first-class racing facility in our own backyard. Now, for all you Porsche-owning, road racing junkies out there, here’s the really good news. When we were there, a paving crew was putting the finishing touches on the pit road of a two-mile road course that will feature some tight turns, long straights, and several elevation changes. Yes, it’s true; I’ve see it with my own eyes! Alleluia! After the track has had time to cure and all of the safety features have been installed, Wigham will begin hosting groups as soon as possible. That includes private owners of exotics wanting some track time, motorcycle clubs, cars clubs, karts, and rallyists. Unlike Roebling Road in Savannah where residential development is beginning to seriously encroach on the track, Wigham’s facility faces no such threat and he has plenty of land to maintain a buffer between him and the public. Keystone Heights is in one of the less populated Chris Hoyt photos: Fresh pavement on 2 mile road course. 16 Porscheklatsch June 2008
Road Racing Course in North <strong>Florida</strong>. Yeah, Right. (continued) Top: Aerial photo from Ivor Wigham, owner of the European Rally School & Motorsport Park in Keystone. Bradford Course, almost 2 miles long, has 16 turns, 4 elevation changes and two pit lanes. Bottom: Photo from Chris Hoyt of car at the European Rally & Performance Driving School. 17 Porscheklatsch June 2008
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