For those who like to “do” instead of “watch” when it comes to car racing there is a great little place right outside of town called the Bremerton Motorsports Park. To me it will always be the Bremerton Raceway and that is how I will keep on referring to it. The Bremerton Motorsports Park organization came about because politics and additional layers of government always manage to worm their way into any collection of groups having too much fun with very little structure.
To me, the Bremerton Raceway is the community playground for motorsports enthusiasts. When not in use it is strictly utilitarian in looks and functions and has very little in the way of amenities. But on any given weekend from February to October with that first squeal of burning rubber and the permanent smell of hot oil and overheated brake pads the magic starts to happen and the fun really begins.
There are three premier clubs that host a variety of events. These clubs have been operating out at the Bremerton Raceway for decades. For drag racing it is the Handlers. For autocross and road course racing it is either the Bremerton Sports Car Club or the local Porsche Club of America. Members of these organizations have been pouring their hearts and souls into operating and maintaining this facility for many, many years despite limitations on development and adversity when it comes to date selection. The racing events do bring in participants and spectators from around the Puget Sound region. Participants and spectators, who stay at local hotels, eat at local restaurants and shop at local stores.
My husband Jason and I had the pleasure of participating in both autocross and road course racing with our Mustang GT and Mustang Cobra from 1997 to 2001. Let me tell you racing is a great equalizer. Big, small, male or female, it’s all about what you can make your car do for you out on the track. I beat Jason with his own car often enough to keep him humble about it. The owner of the company for which I work just took his 16-year-old daughter out this past weekend for an autocross driving school. She loved it.
The current location of the Bremerton Raceway has been slated for aviation development by the Port of Bremerton for as long as I can remember. That development day gets closer and closer every year. Recently the discussion of going forward to build a new section of road with available stimulus money has ramped up between the port administrators and commissioners. Construction of this new road has the potential to shut down the road course operations completely and is just the first step towards the eventual elimination of all racing at this facility.
I encourage the Port of Bremerton and the park to do everything they can to keep grassroots racing in the Bremerton area. If you like motorsports take some time and head on out to the raceway for an event this summer with your family. Discover that little slice of motorsport magic right here in Bremerton.
