Pacific Northwest Racetrack Makes It To The Big Leagues

MotoAmerica just announced that Ridge Motorsports Park will host a weekend of Superbike racing beginning in June of the 2020 season. The news is huge for motorcycle racing fans in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada because the facility is located in Shelton, Washington, which is 60 miles from Tacoma, Washington, 90 miles from Seattle, 140 miles from Portland, Oregon, and it is a relatively easy four-hour drive down Interstate 5 from Vancouver, British Columbia.

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“We’re excited to be taking the MotoAmerica Series to the Pacific Northwest next year,” MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey said. “We know we have a lot of fans up there, who haven’t had the chance to see Superbike racing up close in a long, long time. This is going to be a great event and Tracie Schmitt and the staff at the Ridge Motorsports Park have welcomed us with open arms and are as excited as we are that we are going to be racing at their track. We know our riders, teams, and fans will enjoy the circuit and the surrounding area. Riders always like the challenge of a new circuit and the layout looks to have very fast and technical sections that will be exciting for them to race on. It’s a beautiful place and it promises to have great racing. We can’t wait to get there in June.”

The centralized location has helped Ridge to become a popular destination for trackday enthusiasts of both the two- and four-wheeled variety from those major cities and beyond. The northwest has been without a proper road course until the 2.47-mile-long, 16-turn Ridge Motorsports Park opened in 2012. Until that time, racers and trackday junkies were forced to deal with treacherous track layouts or the flat and relatively mundane configuration of a place like Portland International Raceway, but that has all changed for the better. Part of the allure of riding at Ridge is the park-like setting as it is situated on a rolling hill in the middle of the forest with views of both Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier on the horizon.

“This is a big moment not only for Ridge Motorsports Park, but for the Shelton, Washington, community,” said Tracie Schmitt, the general manager of Ridge Motorsports Park. “MotoAmerica will be the first nationally televised event for this young facility and the first nationally televised road course event that’s been held in Washington state in decades. We are proud of the relationship we’ve built with the MotoAmerica team. To finally make the announcement of the MotoAmerica Komatsu Superbike Championship at Ridge Motorsports Park is an exciting moment for everyone involved.”

One of the most important aspects of this announcement is that the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship has continued to expand year after year since its inception. By adding a race like this to the Pacific Northwest, the organizers are going to see benefits including regional racer participation and the addition of fans who might not otherwise have a major racing championship event close enough to warrant spending their hard earned money to attend. Between the epic destination, exciting course layout, and the influx of money into the facility and community, we are all excited to hear this news. Apparently the Ridge Motorsports Park management team is as well, because they have committed to additional facility upgrades intended to make the fan and racer experience even better by the time the championship rolls into town next year.

“Expansion projects to support the growth of the facility and the MotoAmerica Komatsu Superbike Championship at Ridge Motorsports Park have been strategically scheduled to ensure a successful completion before the June 26–28 event,” Schmitt said. “Pit entrance will be extended to provide additional track surface supporting the transition from turn 15 to 16; design has been completed to add another creative element to the already nationally recognized 2.47-mile road course; 100,000 square feet of paddock space will be added to tie in the current paddock to the pedestrian bridge; and a newly designed facility entrance is planned and the final highlight will include the new grandstands being installed to create the extreme fan experience from each viewpoint on the property. The recent teaser announcement of Ridge Motorsports Park being added to the already successful MotoAmerica schedule has had an overwhelming response from the fans. This is going to be a great event.”

Check out the Ridge Motorsports Park website for more information on the track, its history, and the upcoming trackdays, races, and events that have made it such a popular powersports destination over the past half decade.