‘Very little likelihood’ of Northern Carolina track
San Juan Bautista’s mayor says there is “very little likelihood” of a Formula 1 race track being built near his town.
With Liberty Media keen to expand Formula 1’s reach in America, there is talk of hosting a second American grand prix.
One proposal is being put together by businessman William Yao’s WY2M Inc, which hopes to build a track in Northern California near San Juan Bautista.
However, local residents are against the idea while the town’s mayor says they just don’t have the infastructure for it.
Mayor Chris Martorana told Forbes: “I think there is very little likelihood that the proposal will move forward at all.
“Placing a track directly adjacent to a town of fewer than 2,000 residents with infrastructure that barely meets their needs seems to me to be unworkable. The traffic issues associated with the influx of 250,000 spectators is impossible from where I’m sitting.
“Our region is barely able to sustain the water needs of the current population and industry. A track using millions of gallons a day, even for the limited number of operational days, is a pretty tough sell around here…At this point we haven’t heard anything from the proponents in weeks. I suspect it’s dead.”
However, WY2M says they are still pressing on with plans.
In a statement the company said that they are “exploring land that is located in the San Benito County and adjacent to the city of San Juan Bautista.
“We are aware of the obstacles presented in developing this scale of a project in a small rural area. Water, in fact, is one of the obstacles. However, we are proposing to build a water treatment plant.
“We did meet with city council representatives from San Juan Bautista, as approximately ten (10) acres of the 550 total acres of the property is located within San Juan Bautista city limits, to address questions surrounding the project. We are currently working with the County Supervisors and their staff to further explore and look at the next steps to bringing the project forward.”
