Flatrock Motorsports Park in Tennessee Elevates the World of Racing to Another Level

Nestled in the Country Heart of Cumberland County’s Rolling Landscape, Flatrock Motorsports Park has Racing Enthusiasts Gearing Up!

Flatrock Motorsports Park anxiously broke ground in 2023. It is located just minutes off Interstate 40 in Rockwood, Tennessee, thirty miles west of Knoxville. This premier entertainment and motorsports resort destination is designed for automotive, motorcycle, and CIK-approved kart track racing. The facility is being created “by racers for racers” and is located within 773 rolling Tennessee acres. The powerfully designed circuit tracks will weave in architectural synchrony, creating nearly six miles of total racetracks. Flatrock Motorsports Park is easily accessible, within 80% of the US population. 

The announcement of the expansive racing destination project was made in 2021 by Rusty Bittle, the developer and founding partner of Flatrock, USA. The property was previously owned by Plateau Park Partnership and had sat quietly for years. However, the project has now gained momentum and is generating excitement among the racing and surrounding communities as they eagerly await its completion.

“A Tennessee motorsports park is a legacy project for me,” said Bittle in an interview with The Upper Cumberland Business Journal in July of 2021. “The state of Tennessee has a reputation for automotive excellence, we are leading the way on advanced transportation technologies like electric vehicles, lightweight composites, and artificial intelligence. A motorsports park will help the state and Plateau build an international reputation for next-generation transportation technologies and become a tourism destination for automotive enthusiasts.

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Tilke Engineers & Architects, the world’s leading designer of race tracks and test facilities, has designed FIA-certified tracks with an average lap speed of 101.53 mph, 23 curves, and an elevation change of 127 feet. These tracks include the FIM Grade A Certified “Grand Prix Course,” a competition track set to open in 2024 with a distance of 2.6 miles, and the “Club Track,” a private member track that broke ground on August 22, 2023, with a distance of 3.5 miles. These tracks, when combined, make up the “Endurance Course.” The design features a unique dual pit in/pit out Motorclub paddock, digital marshaling, advanced video, and racing electronics, all of which have been given special consideration.

“I think a world-class motorsports destination is what I keep saying — that’s what I want to be,” partner and president Rusty Bittle told Chris Medland in an interview on October 26, 2022, with RACER.com. “We think we’ll be one in the world, I don’t know if there’s anything else out there like we’re doing, so I think it will be very unique in the motorsports industry as well. 

“This has been about a 20-year dream. It started as a kart track and has evolved into an 800-acre motorsports park. Ultimately for me, most tracks are not destinations. There are private clubs now that are not really open to the public, obviously, and then there’s tracks with track promoters. So we wanted to really bring that concept together and have two tracks — a commercial track and then a private facility — but then the most important thing was to have amenities and it be a destination.

The driving resort is an exclusive, members-only club that offers private racing to its members. It also provides an opportunity for them to purchase real estate in the sophisticated Motorclub Villas neighborhood, which is located just a short distance from the tracks. Members can choose from a limited selection of custom-building sites as well.

Membership also includes access to a 24,000-square-foot clubhouse that offers fine dining and ample gathering space. After a day of racing, members can unwind and relax in the pool, steam room, or on-location spa, where they can indulge in comforting massages and rejuvenating facials.

In the future, there are plans to add more convenient hotel lodging and a track event conference center. Furthermore, there will be a helipad, dining restaurant and brewery, a winery, a campground, and on-site farming to provide for restaurants. An amphitheater will also be built for outdoor events and concerts, and more amenities are expected to be added. 

As Bittle mentioned, offering memberships doesn’t mean the public can’t participate in the fun!  The park is open to the public on race days and offers full family experiences, providing a wide range of amenities and entertainment to come.  

The proposed park is estimated to generate up to $110 million under a best-case scenario in its first five years. The study was based solely on the track and paddock and was commissioned by Tilke Engineers & Architects.  Bittle, hopes the park will have a positive economic impact on the community, as has been seen with similar projects in the Southeast.