Revving engines, cheering crowds and unparalleled excitement are part of what to expect at the new Ridge Motorsports Park Performance Center opening this spring, but they’re not the only things. While the 9,585-square-foot complex will serve as motorsports and event venue, it also doubles as a community resource, training and career center; triples as a corporate destination for meetings, seminars, tradeshows and retreats; and quadruples as a thriving hub to be enjoyed by everyone in the nation.
“Ridge Motorsports Park owners Joe Manke and Rusty Gill have poured their passion into making this a phenomenal place not only for racers, but for the local community as well,” said Ridge general manager Tracie Schmitt.
“By supporting additional jobs for our region and serving as a training platform for young adults, this complex creates beneficial opportunities not only from a job and career standpoint, but from an economic standpoint. The complex is designed to bring in events that support local economics while offering a destination that lets everyone see what an amazing community we have.”
Growth of a Dream
A longstanding dream became reality with the opening of the existing Ridge Motorsports Park in 2012, and its wild popularity and community support rapidly brought on momentous growth. The park, located at 1060 West Eells Hill Road in Shelton, Washington, had grown from 176 events in 2016 to more than 400 events in 2018.
The national-caliber facility has hosted events that range from BMW of North America’s legendary BMW M Track Days to RM Sotheby’s production highlight for the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold for $48 million.
The need to support clients and fans with a complex that provided both a professional and entertainment environment launched the concept of the new Performance Center. Like the existing facility, the new Performance Center has been built entirely with private funding. Future growth and expansions will share the same financial approach.
The new building allows racing and entertainment to be enjoyed from the inside with an open layout, but it also allows other areas to be closed off for private meetings and other exclusive events. The facility’s Ridge Training Center is designed to accommodate a host of activities for Ridge purposes as well as outside clients. These can include daily staff meetings, educational and product training, client engagement events, business meetings, and management gatherings and retreats.
New Performance Center Layout and Amenities
The new Ridge Performance Center was designed to not only meet corporate needs, but to also create a fun and inviting atmosphere for every visitor. The two-floor facility provides a range of amenities and options that offer something for everyone – businesses, guests and the local community.
First Floor
The first floor features the training center, performance shop, Grand Prix track registration and café.
Ridge Training Center: The versatile design of the Ridge Training Center provides a professional environment in a private space, but with a Pacific Northwest twist. The training center offers two roll-up doors that can be opened to enjoy a spectacular view and fresh air of the surrounding environment.
The training center is ideal for motorsports driver and rider introductions and training, product display and marketing, and meetings of all types and sizes. It also comes equipped with top-of-the-line audio-visual equipment is for presentations.
Ridge Performance Shop: All visitors are welcome to browse the items and enjoy the invigorating ambiance of the Ridge Performance Shop. Guests will find a lineup of Ridge apparel and accessories, such as sweatshirts, coats, T-shirts, lanyards, water bottles and more. Music and videos add to the atmosphere. Purchase items on the spot or browse and order additional items online.
Ridge Grand Prix Registration: Ridge Grand Prix Registration shares the space of the Ridge Performance Shop. Guests can watch lap times on the Ridge Grand Prix while registering and waiting for the upcoming session on the Ridge Grand Prix track.
Ridge Café: Like the training center, the Ridge Café provides full enjoyment of the great outdoors while maintaining a comfortable environment protected from the weather. It was also designed with the everyday Ridge Performance Center guests in mind.
Quality food in a cozy, café-style atmosphere is on the menu, with dishes that delight a wide variety of tastes. As the main hub for all performance center catering and daily operations, the café features comfortable seating and locations to charge electronics while waiting for classes on the track.
Second Floor
The Ridge Performance Center’s second floor is home to the main greeting area, the banquet hall, private restrooms and a pair of event suites. Food service in the suites is handled by Ridge Catering, and each suit also has access to the Ridge Café.
Main Greeting Area: The main greeting area features a check-in desk and exclusive VIP seating.
Banquet Hall: The banquet hall offers 2,156-square-feet of luxurious space, including the main banquet room, a lounge area for registration, catering or VIPs, and a catering prep area. The space can accommodate a dance floor, stage and any number of generous seating arrangements.
The highlight of the banquet area is the set of double doors that lead to its 800-squre-foot walkout mezzanine overlooking the Ridge Grand Prix and national-caliber 2.47-mile Ridge Road Course.
Event Suite 1 – The Business Suite: The Business Suite was designed with corporate function in mind, and it can be structured to facilitate a wide scope of events. This suite fills the demand the center has seen for client engagement and management retreats, and its layout can be changed to accommodate conferences, largescale discussions or entertaining clients during the Ridge Grand Prix kart racing.
The 550-square-foot suite comes with a bar, buffet and double doors with access to a private mezzanine overlooking Ridge Grand Prix, Ridge Road Course, and the upper paddock.
Event Suite 2 – The Celebration Suite: The Celebration Suite is ideal for all types of private gatherings and parties. This applies to birthday parties, engagement parties, bachelor or bachelorette parties, corporate parties and reunions.
The 550-square-foot Celebration Suite features a bar, buffet and double doors with access to a private mezzanine overlooking Ridge Grand Prix, Ridge Road Course, and the upper paddock.
Additional Features at Ridge Motorsports Park
The amenities available at the new Ridge Performance Center are supplement by the existing features at Ridge Motorsports Park.
The park has had the honor of partnering with some of the most notable names in the industry, and those partnerships and lineup of exciting events are expected to expand with the expansion of the overall offerings.
The Ridge: The Ridge is a multi-surface facility offering a 2.47 mile road course that includes the Ridge Complex and an elevation change of more than 300 feet. The track is complimented by 16 turns as well as a 50-foot plunge down the Ridge Complex.
Ridge Grand Prix: As the only kart track replica in North America, Ridge Grand Prix is a 1/5 scale version of the Ridge Motorsports Park nationally recognized road course. Ridge Grand Prix has all the same features as its road course big brother, including elevation change, blind corners and the park’s signature Ridge Complex.
Ridge MX: The AMA-sanctioned Ridge MX track is more than 1 mile long, ideal for the race series and more than 230 riders it sees every year. The national-caliber circuit is comprised of more than 13 different corners, including the 90-foot tripe and the Ridge “Step Up.” Prestigious events in the track’s lineup include The Loretta Lynn Qualifier, slated for April 19 to 21.
Two Skid Pads: The facility’s two skid pads offer driver skill training, auto cross, drifting, car shows and numerous additional activities.
Ridge Off-Road Park: The new Ridge Off-Road Park offers an exciting ride for the off-road dirt enthusiast. The track currently consists of a dirt drag strip and obstacle course for ATV and UTVs. Ridge Off-Road Park likewise supports events such as MudFest, the West Coast Subaru Show and manufacturing testing.
About Ridge Motorsports Park
As the Pacific Northwest’s premier destination motorsports complex, the Ridge is located near the city of Shelton in Mason County, between the picturesque Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. The region is not only hailed for its stunning, natural forest environment and spectacular views of Mt. Rainier and Mt St. Helens, but it’s also the birthplace of racing in Washington state.
Located minutes from the Olympic National Forest and Hood Canal, the park’s central position serves the major population centers of Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon, as well as British Columbia Canada.
The private airport of Sanderson Field is fewer than 2 miles away, featuring a 5,000-foot runway and general aviation facilities to serve private aircrafts and business jets.
Ridge Motorsport Park has been home to many notable events and activities, including BMW M Days, the West Coast Subaru Show and Olympus Rally. It was also the facility of choice for RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction that broke records selling a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for $48 million. Manufacturer days have included Porsche, Honda, Chevrolet, BMW, and Ford.
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