Thunderbolt and Lightning! New Jersey Motorsport Park

During this long off season, what should have miserable North East track rats banging their heads and singing falsetto in joy like Wayne and Garth?...Thunderbolt and Lightning!

Chances are that if you read this web site, you have heard of New Jersey Motorsport Park, the new twin track (Thunderbolt and Lightning) facility in southern Jersey being developed by the same group responsible for Virginia International Raceway. If you read this, you probably also felt the disappointment of past projects which never seemed to work out... there is a big difference here, HUGE, this one is for real. Paving is well on the way and the 2008 schedule has just been released.

From the looks of it, it's a happy time to be a Porsche Club of America member. PCA have 10 events for a total of 26 days compared to a big fat ZERO for BMWCCA (....hopefully that will change.)

Great news for motorcycle riders as well, the facility is bike safe and there are many track day/schools on the schedule. Must be nice to finally have a good track available for two wheel fun.

And of course there is professional and historic racing, Grand Am Rolex Sport Cars, ARCA, SVRA and even pro drifting with the D1 tour making a stop.

Stay tuned as we will bring you any new developments as they become available.

Now if we could only figure out a way to make winter go by faster....

2008 New Jersey Motorsports Park Spectator Calendar

Aug 7-10, 2008 SVRA
Aug 15-17, 2008 Shelby Club of America
Aug 29-31, 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Sept 12-14, 2008 D1 Grand Prix
Sept 26-28, 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series

2008 New Jersey Motorsports Park Club & School Calendar

July 11-13 EMRA
July 18-20 SCCA
July 25-27 Keith Code Motorcycle School
July 28-31 Bertil-Roos Driver School
Aug 2-4 Porsche Club of America
Aug 7-10 Bertil-Roos Driver School
Aug 11-14 Keith Code Motorcycle School
Aug 15-17 NY Sportbike Club
Aug 18–19 Porsche Club of America
Aug 19-21 Skip Barber Driver School
Aug 22-24 SCCA Regionals
Aug 25 NE Sportbike Association
Aug 25-28 Skip Barber Driver School
Aug 29-31 NE Sportbike Association
Sept 1-3 Skip Barber Driver School
Sept 5-7 Porsche Club of America
Sept 5-7 Woodbridge Kart Club
Sept 9-11 Skip Barber Driver School
Sept 10-11 Porsche Club of America
Sept 12-14 Porsche Club of America
Sept 15 NE Sportbike Association
Sept 19 VRG Race
Sept 19-21 SCCA
Sept 27-28 Team ProMotion (Motorcycle)
Oct 3-5 Absolute Cycle
Oct 3-5 Porsche Club of America
Oct 6 NE Sportbike Association
Oct 10-12 Porsche Club of America
Oct 11-12 Sportbike Track Club
Oct 17-19 Porsche Club of America
Oct 17-19 SCCA Regionals
Oct 20 Team ProMotion (Motorcycle)
Oct 24-26 SCCA
Oct 24-26 Porsche Club of America
Oct 31-Nov2 NY Sportbike Club
Nov 1-2 NE Sportbike Association
Nov 1-2 Porsche Club of America
Nov 7-9 NASA/PDA

New Jersey Motorsports Park Releases Inaugural Race Calendar for 2008 Season
Professional Racing Returns to New Jersey at All-New Venue

Orlando, FL and Millville, NJ – December 6, 2007 – At the annual Performance Racing Industry
(PRI) tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, the racing world received official word that professional
Motorsports is returning to New Jersey in a major way.
New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), a new Motorsports complex in Southern New Jersey featuring five Motorsports venues, will host five major spectator races in its first year of operation and 34 club and driver school events have
already been booked, filling out the schedule. The marquee race of the season – Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series – is slated for August 29 – 31. More than 100,000 spectators are forecast to visit Millville, NJ over the course of just
two months next summer, as the facility welcomes some of America’s top touring racing series.

NJMP features two road-racing courses: Thunderbolt Raceway, named for the historic P-47
Thunderbolt aircraft which was stationed at Millville Army Air Field during World War II and
where its crews were trained, and the Lightning Road Course – named for the P-38 Lightning –
the first American dual engine fighter.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) will hold the first public spectator event in NJMP history on August 7-10. Historic cars as diverse as the Ferrari Formula 2, Porsche 356, Jaguar E-Type, McLaren M8D Can-Am and Shelby GT350 participate in SVRA events, and will grace the Thunderbolt track.

The Shelby American Automobile Club will hold its national convention, complete with a concours and racing event on August 15-17. Carroll Shelby himself had a hand in the layout and conceptual design of the Thunderbolt Raceway, so it’s fitting that some of the legend’s greatest creations will be put to the test on a track that bears his imprint.

On August 29-31, NJMP will present its crown jewel event for 2008, as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 brings its exotic Daytona Prototype and GT racers to Thunderbolt Raceway. Arguably the most competitive racing series in America, the Grand-Am Rolex Series features superstar drivers like Scott Pruett, Alex Gurney, Max Angelelli and Bill Auberlen, as well as world-renowned teams such as Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates. NJMP expects Grand-Am’s first visit to the facility to be the biggest spectator draw of the season.

On September 12-14, professional drifting makes its road course debut in New Jersey as the D1 Grand Prix comes to town to compete on the Lightning Road Course. Drifters balance speed, artistry and showmanship in this unique judged Motorsport event, and will contribute plenty of rubber to the fresh asphalt at NJMP.

The ARCA RE/MAX Series, America’s most diverse auto racing series, returns to road- course racing for the first time since 2001 on September 26-28 at Thunderbolt Raceway, wrapping up NJMP’s inaugural spectator season. Spectators will get a look at the next generation of NASCAR hopefuls, as they race stockcars around the 2.3-mile road circuit.

New Jersey Motorsports Park is already nearly fully booked for its first season of operation. Beyond the five initial public events, national and regional enthusiast clubs will hold events at the facility, including the Porsche Club of America, BMW Club of America, SCCA, Skip Barber Driving School, and New York Sport Bike Club.