The Ridge Motorsports Park

The Ridge Motorsports Park is located near Shelton, Washington, approximately 25 miles northwest of Olympia, Washington.

The Ridge Motorsports Park
Location1060 West Eells Hill Road Shelton, Washington, U.S.
Time zoneGMT−8
Coordinates47°15′20.41″N 123°11′25.01″W
OwnerJoe Manke and Rusty Gill
OperatorTracie Schmitt
Opened26 May 2012
Full Circuit
SurfaceAsphalt/Concrete
Length2.47 miles (3.975 km)
Turns16
Race lap record1:32.962 (Miles Jackson, JFC Racing, 2013, C Sports Racer)

Ground was broken for the Steve Crawford designed road course on 26 April 2011. The full road course is 2.47 miles long with 16 turns and a change in elevation of more than 300 feet from start to finish.

The first event at "The Ridge" was a charity event benefitting local Mason County food banks, held on 10–11 December 2011.[1][2]

The first official race, a Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association - WMRRA event, was held on 26 May 2012.[3][4] Subsequent events include championship racing by regional car and motorcycle sanctioning bodies, lapping events by car clubs, motorcycle organizations, and other events.

For the 2014 season, turn 13 of the original road circuit was reconfigured to mitigate excessive surface degradation, and the terrain surrounding the road circuit underwent an enormous amount of grading and smoothing prior to the application of topsoil and hydro-seeding, to both enhance the appearance of the facility and to manage runoff. New poured in place concrete barrier walls were constructed to replace temporary barriers, curbing was added in several places and additional new paving was completed. Finally, a large spectator viewing area was created on the upper part of the site.

In 2015, an outdoor scale replica kart track was added to the site, named "Olympic Grand Prix", or "OGP". OGP is a 1/5th scale replica of the road circuit, including elevation change.[5] Additionally for 2015, the available paved paddock area was nearly doubled in size.

For 2016, electrical power and water systems were brought on line and a bathroom & shower building was completed. Construction of a new motocross facility called "Ridge MX", also began in the spring of 2016, with initial test laps being run on 6 May 2016. An invitational pre-grand opening test event was held on 1 October 2016 and the official grand opening was held on 29 October 2016.

In 2020, The Ridge Motorsports park added a chicane to the 2,850 foot front straight to slow down superbikes ahead of its inaugural MotoAmerica event on June 26-28. Use of the chicane is optional for each sanctioning body and track day organizer.[6]

Lap records
PilotConfigurationTimeVehicle TypeVehicleDate Set
Eric JohnsonNo Chicane1:42:932KartKTMJune 22, 2013[7]
Miles JacksonNo Chicane1:32.962C Sports RacerJFC Racing Stohr CSRJuly 28,2013* pre-2014 configuration[8]
Jake GagneChicane1:39.5681000cc Motorcycle2020 Yamaha R1June 26, 2021[9][10]
Sean Dylan KellyChicane1:42.863600cc Motorcycle2020 Suzuki GSX-R600June 26, 2021[11][12]
Adam RobartsNo Chicane1:37.791000cc Motorcycle2017 BMW S 1000 RRAugust 17, 2019[13]
Adam RobartsNo Chicane1:39.939600cc Motorcycle2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6RAugust 17, 2019[13]
Cable RosenbergNo Chicane1:37.058Sports CarCable Rosenberg Team Naturally Aspirated Dodge ViperApril 5, 2021[14]

References
  1. "Backers hope two local motorsports parks aren't too many". Kitsap Sun. 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  2. "Charity Track Days At Newly-Built Ridge Motorsports Park Raises Over $10,000". Roadracing World. 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  3. "Eli Edwards Wins Five WMRRA Races At The Ridge Motorsports Park". Roadracing World. 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  4. "Race day at the Ridge bring bikers in droves". Shelton Mason County Journal. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  5. "Ridge Motorsports opens go-kart course". Kitsap Sun. 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  6. "MotoAmerica: Ridge Motorsports Park Adding Chicane, Bridge, Fan Zones". Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  7. "Look back and look forward". The Ridge Motorsports Park. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  8. "NW Region SCCA Romp on the Ridge Return" (PDF). NWR SCCA. 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  9. "MotoAmerica Superbike: Gagne On Pole With New Lap Record". Cycle News. 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  10. "Komatsu MotoAmerica Superbikes at The Ridge" (PDF). 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  11. "MotoAmerica: SDK's New Lap Record Takes Supersport Pole At Ridge". Roadracing World. 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  12. "Komatsu MotoAmerica Superbikes at The Ridge" (PDF). 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  13. "WMRRA: Adam Robarts Wins Four Races, Breaks Records At Ridge Motorsports Park". Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  14. "GTA Ridge Motorsports Park April 4-5, 2021 RESULTS". Global Time Attack. Retrieved 2021-06-04.


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