Project appears right on track
Pastrana’s ‘Circuit 199’ would be in Sudlersville
If Travis Pastrana is successful, the tiny town of Sudlersville will became a mecca for action sports athletes such as himself.
Pastrana, an Annapolis native, has proposed building a racetrack and entertainment facility on a 124-acre parcel of land in the Eastern Shore municipality.
The Sudlersville Town Commission is supportive of the project, which Pastrana conceived a couple years ago. Known as Circuit 199, the facility would feature a rallycross course, an action sports progression park and year-round bicycle, skateboard and scooter track.
Throughout his professional career in motor sports, Pastrana has always raced carrying No. 199.
Pastrana, who lives in Severna Park, estimated the facility would cost $15 million to construct, and he would be the largest investor.
“I’m very passionate about this project and fully dedicated to making it happen,” Pastrana said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “I think this could be a very positive thing for the town of Sudlersville.
“We want to build a facility that promotes fitness, camaraderie and provides entertainment as well as economic growth for the community.”
Pastrana has been active on the Global RallyCross Championship circuit since 2011, and that sport provided the driving influence for this project.
Volkswagen and Subaru asked Pastrana to organize a rallycross event in the United States. He oversaw construction of the Nitro Rallycross course on the Utah Motorsports Campus. Drivers gave the all-dirt course positive reviews and sparked Pastrana’s plans for something similar in Maryland.
“My goal is to construct a permanent course where we can build rallycross from the ground up,” he said. “I want to show the world what rally racing can be when done right.”
Pastrana plans to oversee every aspect of creating a fun, challenging course that would attract rally drivers from all over the world.
“I’m designing the course, building the course and testing the course,” he said.
Pastrana considered his children — 6year-old daughter Addy and 5-year-old son Bristol — when deciding to add what is known as a “pump track” for bicycle, skateboard and scooter enthusiasts. It would include three separate courses catered to different skill sets and be open to the public year-round.
Velosolutions, a worldwide leader in pump track building, would supervise that element of Circuit 199. Pastrana said Hyper Bicycles is a potential investor in the project because of the pump track portion.
“Probably the most important factor why I’ve considered investing in this land is that I want to be home in Maryland spending time with my kids,” said Pastrana, whose wife Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins is a professional skateboarder.
“My kids love BMX riding and Go-karts. I want to spend time with my family, outside and active, doing what we all love together.”
According to an artist’s rendering of the facility, the “progression park” would be located adjacent to the rallycross course. Its primary purpose would be to serve as training ground for the world’s best action sports athletes.
Pastrana would oversee construction of ramps, jumps and other equipment necessary for freestyle motocross, BMX and skateboarder riders to practice their acrobatic routines.
Pastrana believes the Circuit 199 progression park would become a desired training base for athletes from all over the globe and host action sports events such as his Nitro Circus Live Tour.
“We would definitely plan to hold a yearly Nitro Circus show there,” said Pastrana, noting there will be an area set aside for on-site vendors.
Circuit 199 could host the Nitro World Games, which were established in 2016. Nitro World Games 2020, slated for Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Various types of action sports have long been part of the X Games competition promoted by ESPN Television. Pastrana pointed out that BMX freestyle riding and skateboarding are now part of the Summer Olympics.
“I want to create a park that has permanent ramps so athletes can train for the Olympics and other competitions,” he said. “Circuit 199 would provide a venue for these athletes to push the boundaries and test new tricks.”
Greg French, whohas served as Pastrana’s accountant since Pastrana was a 14-year-old professional motocross rider, has put considerable time and effort into planning and executing the Circuit199 project. French and Pastrana worked with Waterman Realty to explore numerous potential properties on the Eastern Shore before settling on the Sudlersville tract. It was important to find a parcel that was large enough to accommodate the facility but close enough to a town that could provide water and sewer services.
Pastrana has a contract option to purchase three different pieces of property, one of which is owned by Sudlersville. Largest is a 108-acre private parcel used for farming.
All three properties had been slated for residential housing, but the proposed development never happened. In fact, it was that project that plunged Sudlersville, a quiet town with fewer than 500 residents, into a financial crisis.
Sudlersville, which was incorporated in 1870, has two full-time employees and an annual budget under $400,000, according to court records. Its footprint includes a handful of businesses, an elementary and a middle school, a post office and a volunteer fire company.
In 2007, several housing developers told town officials they were interested in building approximately 650 homes in Sudlersville, which would require upgrades to the town’s water and sewer systems. Changes in federal water regulations were also a factor when the town commissioners decided to move forward with the upgrades.
However, the national housing market soon crashed and the planned development that was expected to help pay for the project never came. Sudlersville was left with about $6 million in debt, which town officials estimated would take 40 years to pay off, according to minutes of a 2017 town commission meeting.
Ron Ford, president of the town commission, said Pastrana’s project could bring much-needed revenue to Sudlersville. Ford, owner of D&WMachineShopfor the past 28 years, believes all five commissioners are in favor of Circuit 199.
“I would say a large majority of townspeople support the project,” he said. “We also have a vocal group of nonresidents who are eager to see this complex built. Based on our meetings with Travis and his management group, the town would be well taken care of. Frankly, I don’t know why there ain’t bulldozers out there right now.”
Pastrana’s team presented detailed diagrams, site maps and other details about the Circuit 199 complex to the Sudlersville planning commission Thursday night during a meeting held by Zoom. If the planning commission approved, French would submit plans for sewer, water, utility and forestry to Queen Anne’s County.
“If we get this complex up and running, I know for a fact it’s going to bring more business to the town,” Ford said. “People are going to want to come here, and the next thing you know we might see a Wawa or Royal Farms. Certainly, the possibilities are unlimited for what this facility could do for the town.
“I’m 100% in favor of this project. I think this is a win-win for everybody. It’s going to give young people a place to go. It will provide jobs.”