Liberty Media has said multiple times that it wants to host a second Formula One race in the United States. And although it likely would prefer to hold a Grand Prix in a destination city such as Las Vegas, a town that’s not nearly as well known seemingly is tossing its hat in the ring.
WY2M, Inc. owner William F. Yao presented the County of San Benito in California with plans for a proposed purpose-built motorsport facility in July that’s aimed at hosting an F1 “Silicon Valley Grand Prix,” according to Racer. Named the Motor & Technology Center of Excellence, the proposed 550-acre complex would be located in San Juan Bautista, Calif., which has a population of less than 2,000 people.
In addition to a circuit and a vehicle testing facility, the MTCE would include a hotel, convention center and luxury condos. Although the plan has yet to receive approval from the necessary local bureaus, Yao’s presentation reportedly was well-received — and Yao’s description makes his vision sound like something Liberty would be interested in pursuing.
“During our highlight event, the Silicon Valley Formula One Grand Prix, we will utilize the spectacle of Formula One to create a fully immersive fan experience around automotive innovation,” Yao said, via Racer. “The latest technology will be on full display, from electric to self-driving cars, we will create a secondary experience that attracts the attention of the world.”
Although we’ve seen other attempts at U.S. races — such as the Grand Prix of America — crumble due to poor planning, it doesn’t seem like that will be the case for the “Silicon Valley Grand Prix.” The project reportedly has the support of Circuit of the Americas executive Tavo Hellmund, and Herman Tilke, who’s designed various modern F1 tracks — including COTA.
“With both Tavo Hellmund and Tilke on board, we have scoped and sequenced this project completely,” Yao said. “The entire track could be easily reconfigured on need basis and to accommodate multiple concurrent events.”
MTCE, much like COTA, would aim to host various series, such as MotoGP, throughout the year.
Thumbnail photo via Haas F1 Team
