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Friday, July 28, 2006
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BIR sold Venerable race track now owned by Forest Lake family, which plans to keep the engines roaring Senior Reporter It's official - Brainerd International Raceway has new owners and, yes, racing is its future.
After months of speculation that a sale was imminent, the announcement came Thursday afternoon. BIR is now owned by a Forest Lake family. And they plan to continue racing and are calling the track Brainerd International Raceway and Resort.
The 550-acre raceway, with a number of ownership and management changes, has been part of the lakes area almost continuously since it opened in 1968 as Donnybrooke Speedway.
Jed and Kristi Copham, Forest Lake, BIR Holdings LLC, purchased the track for an undisclosed amount from Michigan-based Sports Resorts International Inc. The deal was closed Thursday after months of negotiations.
Reached by phone Thursday as he planned a drive to Brainerd, Jed Copham said he first talked to the track's former ownership when BIR was listed for sale more than a year ago.
Copham, 33, a mechanical engineer with a passion for cars, came from the printing industry. He's built two cars and raced at BIR. That passion got him interested in entering the racing industry.
The Mounds View-based family printing business Liberty Enterprises was started in 1985 and sold in June 2005.
Copham described himself and his family as amateur road racers and occasional drag racers. In 2004, Copham was involved in an effort to build a race track west of Pine City. The proposal, Copham said, had supporters and opponents.
Through the experience, Copham said he learned BIR was a gem and irreplaceable.
"It's a national treasure, if you ask me," he said, adding the plan is to make the track as attractive a destination as possible for anybody who has a passion for racing.
With BIR for sale, Copham said it made it harder to stay the course to build a new track in Pine City when one was available some 80 miles away.
Copham said a transition team was eager to get started and he looked forward to developing new relationships in the Brainerd area and the motorsports community. Copham planned to meet with track employees here Friday.
Copham said the track is a long-term investment for the family and they hope to have fun, earn a living and be part of a racing legacy.
Don Williamson, mayor of Flint, Mich., is Sports Resorts International chief executive officer.
Staffers at the Flint, Mich., city hall said Williamson was in meetings Thursday afternoon. He did not return a call for comment. In a news release, Williamson said as mayor and with his wife, Patsy Lou, running for state Senate in Michigan, the couple is focusing their efforts within their local community.
"We have owned the Brainerd facility since 1994 and continued to invest each year with numerous capital improvements," Williamson said in the release. "We feel this has continued to make BIR a great destination for thousands of motorsports fans and racers."
The Williamsons wished the Cophams well and thanked the Brainerd community for its support. Williamson was at times a polarizing figure in the area. This summer, after Sartell-based Sundance Inc. bought the convenience store, gas station and restaurant space near BIR, the business put out a sign to let customers know "the colonel" was no longer involved in the ownership.
The race track became the Colonel's Brainerd International Raceway in 1999. In 2002, the colonel portion of the name was dropped and the name was changed back to BIR. In the transaction announced Thursday, Williamson retains a six-unit condominium on a 6.5-acre parcel adjacent to the track.
BIR's largest annual event is the National Hot Rod Association's Lucas Oil Nationals. The event, which is set Aug. 10-13, is in its 25th year.
Kathy Schroeder, Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce tourism director, said after months of rumors about a possible Six Flags amusement park at the facility the chamber is excited to have speculation end and the race track continue.
Schroeder said the area benefits from direct exposure on ESPN2 television coverage of the track and a variety of press coverage of events and racers. Schroeder said three million people watch the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals on television and estimates are the track draws 30,000 to 50,000 people here for the annual event alone.
Two years ago when there was talk of a track sale with speculation on housing or another venture not involved in racing, the chamber had the University of Minnesota's research office run figures on the motorsports facility's impact on the area economy.
The University of Minnesota estimated there is a $6.5 million direct effect from the nationals event from such areas as lodging, retail, dining, gas and food sales and camping supplies. And the university reported an indirect effect of more than $1 million in banking, utilities and insurance for the nationals.
Schroeder said the research is based on scientific models looking at the number of people who attend the event and what they purchase.
Future plans for BIR include continuing the current drag racing and road course racing programs while searching for new racing events. Copham said future work may include revising the 3-mile road course with a goal of separating the current drag strip from the track's main straight-away.
And there may be a new, separate, shorter road course using turns 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the current road course. The 3-mile original course would continue to be used. The shorter track is expected to offer multiple uses at the facility.
Copham said BIR should look like a destination as people enter the facility complete with manicured green grass. He said there will be options for activities that are fun and educational such as drivers training, vehicle dynamics and motorcycle training as well as cold weather testing. Rod Wolter will continue as BIR general manager.
"As amateur road racers and occasional drag racers, my family and I are excited about the purchase of BIR," Copham said in a news release.
"Like many around the state of Minnesota and the Midwest, our family has been coming to BIR for years as participants and spectators. The opportunity for our company to purchase this facility and continue its legacy is a welcomed challenge that we look forward to for many years to come."
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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