Apparently there was a problem getting a zoning permit but someone built it. Could it have been built but never opened to the public? Google imagery looks like it's abandoned and the website is dead.
Apparently there was a problem getting a zoning permit but someone built it. Could it have been built but never opened to the public? Google imagery looks like it's abandoned and the website is dead.
I thought from the start that the two bigger tracks were go-kart and bmx. But the description for Sun Valley Motocross was three size tracks. So I thought maybe the BMX looking one is actually motocross and the tiny one is for the youngest kids. Or maybe the biggest one is for the youngest kids with lots of room for them to more easily maneuver and fall down and not get run over. I dunno.
It's an RC racing facility called Sun Valley Speedway (aka KZ Speedway). Not to be confused with a motorsports track of the same name in Canada. Three of the most popular types of RC races are held here - asphalt road course, dirt oval, and off-road.
I couldn't find a web site for this track, but there are several RC racing sites and forums which confirmed it's identity for me.
Did a little more research... the motocross track was planned to be built next to the RC tracks. It was shot down by the local government in February 2008 before anything was built. The RC track closed in August 2008 after the track operator lost his lease with the land owner.
Groovy. I found all there is about not getting the zoning but for some reason I thought maybe some dude built it anyway and it wasn't allowed to open to the public. I've gotta remember to use the keyword "speedway" next time. And RC I'm not familiar with so I'll remember that, too. Nice work finding info.
My dad, brother, and I raced RC cars competitively when I was a teenager, so I recognized this type of facility for what it was.
My favorite memory of racing was fighting off hundreds of mosquitoes while racing in a 500 lap asphalt oval race next to a swamp near McHenry, IL, in 1990. The race featured pit stops to change battery packs and tires, which was my only chance to swat at the bugs and scratch my itchy bites.
Anonymous
@ 2019-12-07 16:31:15
As of 2019, this whole area has been redone. You can't even see the track anymore.
Anonymous
@ 2020-04-30 19:42:31
I raced 1/5 RC motorcycles there from 2003-2008 as well as racing in the first ever in the US HPI Baja 5B race on the dirt track -Jimmy L
Anonymous
@ 2020-04-30 19:44:06
Last time I went by there (a couple of months ago) the sign was even still up
I couldn't find a web site for this track, but there are several RC racing sites and forums which confirmed it's identity for me.
My favorite memory of racing was fighting off hundreds of mosquitoes while racing in a 500 lap asphalt oval race next to a swamp near McHenry, IL, in 1990. The race featured pit stops to change battery packs and tires, which was my only chance to swat at the bugs and scratch my itchy bites.