McCrone Motorsports is working with Lorain’s city administration and Council to develop a racetrack at Cromwell Park on the city’s east side.
Kris McCrone, CEO of the Elyria-based Kart racing team, met with Council Dec. 6 to explain details of a development plan with at least two phases of growth for new race tracks on 204 acres of land between Colorado Avenue and the Black River.
If all goes according to plan, construction could start in spring 2022 with racing by August or September next year.
The first track, almost a mile long, will offer gas-powered rental karts open to the public.
McCrone said he expects to share more information at Council’s next regular meeting Dec. 20.
Then, Council is expected to consider a letter of intent or other legislation to formalize the sale of land accessible from Root Road.
McCrone and Mayor Jack Bradley credited United States Steel and Lorain steelworkers for their role in the deal.
U.S. Steel will forgive an $850,000 mortgage the city had to buy the land, dating from 2004.
Council held a closed-door executive session with McCrone, Mike Bossetti, owner’s representative from Sortis Design, and attorney Ryan Gembala.
They and City Assistant Law Director Kenneth Resar explained plans, drawing praise from most of the Council members there.
Afterward, McCrone and his associates, Bradley and Councilman-at-Large Mitch Fallis offered details about the project.
Meet the track
The facility will start with full-service gas-powered race rental karts open to the public.
The karts will do 55 mph over a half-mile road course, McCrone said.
There will be a 9/10ths mile competition track for events.
Phase two will be a ⅜ mile dirt oval for sprint cars and other races, he said.
The track will be developed on land south of the Camaco Lorain Manufacturing center, 3400 River Industrial Park Road.
“Why not that site?” McCrone said.
He said he was looking at a property in Elyria when Lorain Port Authority board Chairman Brad Mullins called.
Port staff were at a conference and learned about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency working with German automaker Porsche to build a Porsche racetrack atop a brownfield.
Charlotte Motor Speedway also is built over a landfill, McCrone said.
Mullins sparked the conversation with Port staff and board members, then Bradley and city Law Director Pat Riley about moving to Lorain, McCrone said.
He also credited his business partner, Chris Yessayan, for his work on the project.
Environmental concerns
Cromwell Park takes its name from Cromwell Steel, a manufacturer that built there starting in 1916, but that went bust and disappeared by 1932.
At least part of Cromwell Park is an old landfill, so developing the site will require involvement of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
McCrone Motorsports will build over the landfill cells and keep those contained, Bossetti said.
“This is a piece of land that doesn’t have a heck of a lot of utility, given its current condition, and I think Kris and his team saw an opportunity to come in and take something that couldn’t be used for the good of the city and make something positive out of it,” Gembala said. “We’re going to get the public involved in terms of their opportunity to use this facility.
“We hope to host some professional races as well. You hate to say, lemonade out of lemons, but –.”
“It’s a beautiful piece of land out there,” Bossetti said. “It’s really pretty.”
Steel company approval
“This was a deal that we’ve been working on for a long time,” Bradley said.
He traveled to Pittsburgh with Safety-Service Director Sanford Washington, Resar, McCrone and his staff to meet with William Hinckley, U.S. Steel’s general manager for real estate, and the steel company’s environmental attorney.
U.S. Steel has conditions for the land to protect the company and the city, but will release the mortgage if McCrone Motorsports completes those tasks, the mayor said.
“Without getting U.S. Steel to release that mortgage, this deal does not happen,” Bradley said. “So without that, the deal was dead.
“So that’s happened and now these guys are going to move forward with this development, which is a big win for the city of Lorain.”
McCrone thanked United States Steel and its workers, and said McCrone Motorsports would not be at Council without their help.
