“It could literally put Springfield on the world map,” Clark County Fairgrounds Executive Director Dean Blair said.
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The drivers — Chris Fairchild, Mark Proffitt and Tim Seebold — have all won power boat race championships across the country and world, he said.
Once plans have been drawn up, the total cost of development at the lake will be known, Blair said. But now he’s estimating it will be about $200,000 to build the infrastructure needed for the races. The fairgrounds will also begin to look for a private partner, he said, to help fund the development.
The fairgrounds has already received a $25,000 grant from the Springfield Foundation, Blair said, to create architectural plans to allow for races at the lake, including a parking lot and boat ramp.
The drivers were drawn to the area by Springfield resident Bill Chatfield, one of the winningest crew chiefs in power boat racing.
The boats reach speeds of up to 120 mph and can turn on a dime, B2B Motorsports owner Dana Potts said.
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“They’re amazing to watch in person and especially when you get 20 of them out there on the water together, there’s nothing like it,” he said.
The lake on the Clark County Fairgrounds is a good location for these races because it’s privately owned, Potts said.
Most bodies of water are public land, he said, making it difficult for boat race organizers to earn revenue from spectators. But attendees to any events at the fairgrounds could be charged, he said.
“I joke with Dean this could be the Indy 500 of power boat racing,” Potts said.
Potts, who lives in Indianapolis now but grew up in South Vienna, said this is a great way for him to give back to the community. Bringing the power boat industry to Springfield would also bring education and job opportunities, he said.
“Springfield has always been built on building things. With Navistar, with all the industry here,” he said. “It’s exciting that we could bring some of that opportunity back.”
The test was a great success, Blair said, and all three drivers had nothing but good things to say about the 115-acre lake. Now he’ll move forward with the planning process and hopes to start phase one of development in early 2017. The events could be a major tourist attraction, he said.
“You’re talking about millions of dollars,” he said. “You’re talking about perhaps attracting in this sport, Australians and Europeans.”
The lake could also be used for several other functions, he said, that could draw even more visitors to the area. It would be a good spot to test race boats, host boat shows, he said, and host remote controlled boat races and possibly cross country races.
In-depth coverage
The Springfield News-Sun digs into important stories about jobs and the economy in Clark and Champaign counties, including recent coverage of expansion plans at Navistar and EF Hutton’s move to downtown Springfield.
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