Big time motor sports may just be on its way to Bremerton.

Commissioners at the Port of Bremerton agreed last week to transfer the lease on port property for a proposed new racetrack from the nonprofit Bremerton MotorSports park to the for-profit Circuit of the Northwest LLC.

The 45-year lease specifies a $5,000 rent for years one to five; $7,000 in the sixth and seventh years, and the reminder of the lease at a $40,000 annual payment or five percent of the company’s “defined gross revenue” – whichever is greater.

The new company has plans to build a $30 million racetrack on about 250 acres along Highway 3, across from Bremerton National Airport, if it can find investors to back the project.

Circuit of the Northwest partners Brian Nilsen and Mike Burdick told commissioners about their plans during a regular port meeting Nov. 25. The two, who both have served on the board for Bremerton MotorSports, said the new track will fill a void in the area.

“The Northwest is very underserved in motor sports, as anyone who goes to racing will attest,” Nilsen said.

The proposed 2.4 mile road course could accommodate a variety of motorcycle and auto races, he said. In addition to the main track, the facility would include a space for a motor cross track, kart track, a clubhouse, convention center and spectator seating.

“We want to make it something really special,” he said.

Circuit of the Northwest has hired the German engineering firm of Tilke to design the track. The area, which is narrow, hilly, and has more than 130 feet of elevation change, requires a unique layout, Nilsen said. He added that the close proximity to Seattle is a plus.

“Usually these tracks are out in the middle of nowhere,” he said.

It is described as a 40-foot-wide road course, with a 2,600-foot front straightway. The closest similar racetracks are in Utah and California.

In 2002, the port entered a lease with Bremerton MotorSports Park for the property surrounding a closed runway that is next to the airport. For years, that group made the property available for road and drag races. But when plans surfaced for a connector road in that area that could threaten racing, the group began to look at other options for a larger, more progressive race park.

In 2011, the port leased the group 250 acres along Highway 3 that was deemed undesirable for commercial development. Bremerton MotorSports eventually obtained approval for a multipurpose racetrack at that location.

Nilsen said that when Bremerton MotorSports decided that it couldn’t operate a commercial track as a nonprofit, the board voted to allow Burdick and Nilsen to carry out the effort as a for-profit partnership.

Whether the track is built will depend on funding. Nilsen said he and his partner are currently looking for investors in the Puget Sound region.

“I don’t think it’s going to take that long (to fundraise),” Nilsen said. “We’re going to be providing a product that is in demand. We’re seeking individual donors, groups and corporations. And if we can’t get it accomplished that way, we’ll have a membership drive. We’re gonna get this done.”

This track, because it is diverse, will be successful, unlike other recent plans to bring Nascar racing to Kitsap County, he said.

“Nascar races only once a year,” he said. “With what we’ve got planned, we’ll have a multi-use facility that can be in operation throughout the year.”

He said sanctioned events would happen in July and August, but local racing would take place on the track year-round. It will operate like a golf course, he said, adding the there will be initiation fees and then monthly membership fees that members pay and then can use the facility when they want.

As the owner of a local motorcycle dealership, Nilsen said he has to send customers out of the county to race.

“I’ve been racing my whole life,” he said. “Now, when I sell someone a motorcycle and they ask where they can race, I have to tell them there’s nothing in Kitsap County.”

To learn more, visit the Circuit of the Northwest’s website at www.circuitofthenw.com.