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Spectator
News from MOROSO
Friday, August 29, 2008
Three self-described racing enthusiasts with business backgrounds announced Thursday that they have purchased Moroso Motorsports Park west of Jupiter.
The group plans to reopen the facility as "The All New Moroso Motorsports Park" this fall after renovations are completed.
"Both myself and my partners have been local motor sports enthusiasts for years, and we've participated in club activities at the park," said Joseph G. Lubeck, the track's new managing partner. "We felt this was a unique site and location. The facilities were in need of investment to upgrade and modernize. We felt it was a local treasure."
The Moroso family, which owned and operated the track since 1981, will serve in an advisory and "ambassadorial" role but will retain no ownership stake, according to the new owners.
"I am excited about the continuation of the Moroso legacy and am looking forward to my continuing role as a consultant and trusted adviser to the park," former owner Susan Moroso Strecker said in a statement.
Lubeck is an attorney and managing partner of investment funds focused on real estate. His partners, Raymond E. Graziotto and J.C. Solomon II, bring a background in real estate development.
Graziotto is a 1989 graduate of West Virginia University who serves as president and chief operating officer of Seven Kings Holdings, a real estate development firm based in Jupiter with more than 80 employees, according to the company's Web site.
Solomon, a 1974 WVU graduate in business, is listed as founder and chief executive officer of Seven Kings.
No purchase price was disclosed but the new owners say they are making "multimillion-dollar" investments. Enhancements will include new bathrooms and concessions as well as track improvements that will allow simultaneous use of the road course and drag strip.
The group's plans include the formation of a Palm Beach Driving Club, garages on site and a mix of public and private restaurants and amenities.
"We expect we will have the new tracks completed at the beginning of November," Lubeck said. "The grand reopening should follow thereafter."
High fuel prices and competition from other forms of entertainment have put pressure on local tracks across the country. Moroso, currently closed for construction, has drawn an estimated 1 million people per year and generated $25 million in annual economic impact in the past.
The drag strip is scheduled to reopen in time for the Ford Power Fest Oct. 18-19, said Kelly Birkenhauer, the park's vice president of sales. A complete overhaul of the road course is expected to be completed in November.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2008/08/29/a1b_moroso_0829.html