While lawyers settle the sale of Utah Motorsports Campus in a court room, revving engines will be heard from the racetrack this summer.
Tooele County and UMC officials announced Wednesday they had signed a new 2017 management agreement for the former Miller Motorsports Park.
UMC officials also announced their lineup of events for the year.
“We are very happy to have signed a new facility management agreement with Tooele County,” said UMC General Manager Willem Geyer. “The county, and particularly the Tooele County Board of Commissioners, has been great to work with, and we look forward to another exciting season.”
The county entered into the agreement with UMC to preserve the value of the property, to protect the jobs of citizens of Tooele County, and to generate tax revenue from the property, according to the document.
The agreement also calls for the county to receive any operating profits in 2017, or cover operating losses, up to $1.25 million.
UMC will receive 1 percent of the cash receipts as its management fee, according to the agreement.
The operating loss for 2016 was $3.4 million, according to Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne.
UMC will be required to follow county procurement procedures for all purchases and it will pay property tax on all personal business property.
“Tooele County has been very pleased with the professional manner in which Utah Motorsports Campus has managed the facility,” Milne said. “We continue to believe that the facility should remain open as a public venue and is as equally important to the local economy as other employers in the county.”
Milne also highlighted UMC’s partnership with Rodizio Grill and Commercial Industrial Supply of Grantsville, along with the booking of new events, like the Lantern Fest and Bullfrog Race, as examples of the benefits Tooele County received from UMC’s management of the facility in 2016.
The 2017 calendar for UMC includes a full and diverse slate of professional and amateur races, as well as other, non-racing, large events, according to UMC officials.
The racing schedule includes two major-event weekends.
UMC will host the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, the Utah Sport Bike Association Superbike Challenge, and the AMA Supermoto Championship, on June 23-25.
It will be the busiest weekend in the track’s history, according to John Gardner, UMC public relations manager.
Supercars from the Pirelli World Challenge Championships will return, along with the Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA, on Aug. 11-13.
Other motorsports events returning to UMC this season include the 12th Annual American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association Bonneville Vintage Grand Prix for vintage motorcycles on Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 1-3. The yearly visit from the Porsche Club of America will be Sept. 16-17.
Amateur competitions at UMC in 2017 will include an eight-round championship for the Utah Region of the National Auto Sport Association, a six-round schedule for the Utah Sport Bike Association Vortex Masters of the Mountains Series, a six-round season for the Utah Supermoto Championship, a three-round series for the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing Series, and a 10-round slate of events for the Utah Kart Championship.
UMC officials said there will be numerous ways for fans to satisfy their own need for speed. The UMC Kart Track will be open all season, with a new fleet of karts arriving soon.
Also, the Wide Open Wednesday program will return, which allows fans to drive their street cars on the racetrack in controlled conditions on the first Wednesday evening of each month.
UMC’s new Open Track Days, which started last year, will continue with more dates and opportunities for participants to explore the limits of themselves and their cars, track officials said.
An new program is the UMC Off Road Experience, which will allow fans to drive single-seat utility task vehicles on a new off-road course.
Non-motorsports events for 2017 include the Lantern Fest. It will return to UMC twice in 2017, once on May 20 and again on Sept. 16.
A new event for 2017 will be the inaugural Cruzer Palooza Car Show presented by Kindig-It Designs, scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-28.
UMC officials are also in discussion with various groups to bring similar, non-racing events to the facility this year, and will announce new events as they are booked.
UMC is also actively seeking to increase the number of corporate events hosted at the facility this year, providing groups with fun, fast-paced events, either as spectators or participants, according to Gardner.
Tickets for all events are available for purchase on UMC’s new website, www.UtahMotorsportsCampus.com or call 435-277-8000. Children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge to all events.
The schedule of events is tentative, and some changes could be made, according to UMC officials.