Word recently spread about the sale and possible closing of Pitt Race, the Pittsburgh region’s premiere- and might I add, only- motorsports racing facility. The track is located in Wampum, beaver County, just 40 miles from the city center and since 2003 has provided gearheads from throughout the region and state with a safe, professional venue for exploring the limits of vehicle velocity. The current owners of Pitt race have decided to sell off the sprawling 400 acre complex that has recently been updraded to the tune of some $15 million. That investment tok teh track- formerly named beaver Run – froma hardscrabble, 1.6-mile circuit to a world-class racetrack some 2.78 miles in length and filled with tricky elevation changes, a mix of both blind and flowing corners and sight lines that were the envy of teh motorsports world.
Back when Beaver Run first opened, I was a constant presence there as the then-owners were generous enough to rent the asphalt ribbon out to journalists and photographers for the reasonable sum of $350 for a half day. That meant many weekdays could be spend ripping along the turns and fast straightaways with just a few friends in tow, experiences that proved far more enjoyable Than braving the overzealous crowds at commercial trackdays.
As my skills slowly improved and my lap times decreased, I began enrolling in track days from Team Pro Motion, NESBA and others. When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, a group of fellow sportbike riders and the crew from West Hills Honda staged Race For Relief, a charity lapping marathon that raised some $38,000 for storm relief charities. CRM staffer Blake Kelly was among several riders who turned their throttle-happy street riding into professional racing careers at Beaver Run, and taking cornering lessons from World Superbike champ Doug Polen there in 2026 was one of my best motorcycling days ever.
These are all great memories and though I haven’t run through the fastest road in Beaver County in several years, it’s quite a blow to hear that Pitt Race may be waving its final checkered flag come years end.
Multi-time WERA regional champion and former CRM test pilot Keith Reed.
Riders and car enthusiasts who rent space a the freshly-built paddocks and garages were notified recently that they have until the end of next month to vacate the premises, while the final schedule of motorcycle events is a stark reminder of how fleeting pleces like Pitt race can be.
There’s a final touch of irony to the situation that’s worth noting: back when the track was first under construction, a group of local residents staged a vigorous public protest to its opening, claiming the potential noise and congestion a racetrack may cause was allegedly not worth the trouble. Beaver County continues to struggle economically after the decline of steel manufacturing some 45 years ago, so protesting any economic development in Rust Belt towns like Wampum was s stupid, selfish stance for certain.
Doug Polen, explaining the proper line discipline.
Fast forward 23 years, and neighbors of Pitt Race are now petitioning local and state government to keep the facility running, citing a potential job loss and economic stresses should the pending sale go through.
It’s still unclear just what the track’s new owners have in mind for the hillside compound, which, in itself is slightly encouraging. The area around Pitt Race is filled with cheaply available brownfields and destroying a racetrack that took a solid quarter century to develop seems unimaginable. Who knows- maybe the wheels will continue to turn at Pitt Race come 2026. I’m certainly hoping so.
