By Catherine Noble | Contributing Writer
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is the only raceway owned and operated by a city municipality in the United States and since 1987 has offered a chance for regular citizens to live out their racecar driver fantasies.
The address of PIR on N Victory Blvd. is a fitting testimony to a community that overcame disaster. In 1948, on Memorial Day, a dike broke, flooding the city of Vanport, Oregon, the second largest city in the state at that time. In 30 minutes, the flood swept away the city’s post office, library, fire houses, infirmary and elementary schools. The college relocated and became Portland State University, but the other buildings were never rebuilt, leaving behind remnants of their foundations on an array of still intact city streets.
Where some would see ruins, the Portland Junior Chamber of Commerce (known as the Jaycees) envisioned a place to race, and in 1960, convinced then Mayor Terry Shrunk to strike a deal with the federal government for a gift of approximately 89 acres of broken roadways for racing.
From 1961, especially during what became the annual Portland Rose Festival’s Rose Cup, racers careened through the erstwhile city on motorcycles, in sports cars and karts, and the low hum of city life became the thunder of mechanical engines in what was now known as West Delta Park. The sport was dangerous. Drivers spun out, slamming into piles of broken foundations, or tumbling into ponds. Sanctioning racing bodies threatened the continuation of The Rose Cup Races, demanding a safer roadway, and in 1971, the track was finally paved.
Two years later, in 1973, PIR turned a profit, and now the commercial enterprise brings in almost $50 million a year. Races held at PIR include IndyCar, Formula E, NASCAR Xfinity series and SCCA autocross events and PIR holds 650 events annually for 400,000 spectators.
And for Portlandians who want to try out racing themselves, $500 can get you a day to race your own car through the 12 turns on the track. The course includes classroom instruction and instructor-led spins around the almost 2-mile loop.
Jonathan Morgan, a sales professional, is one such Portlandian who recently attended Hooked on Driving School. Morgan says the experience increased his admiration for people who race professionally and also led him to think about his city driving in a new way.
“Not that I wasn’t a safe driver before, but now I know how to handle braking and turning for maximum efficiency.”
Three years before the Pro Drive Racing School was founded, the track underwent $800,000 of renovations including the addition of a chicane, an S-shaped curve that adds drama to the flat track.
“It’s two 90-degree turns in quick succession,” Morgan explains. He says he came out of the serpentine curve a little too fast, and thought it wise to stop racing for the day. “It was a disappointment, but a total hoot.”
Hooked on Driving and Pro Drive Racing School both offer a variety of classes for Portlanders with a need for speed. For those who enjoy quieter activities, there’s also a dog park there.
Catherine Noble, MFA, is originally from Chicago, Illinois, and misses the winters not at all. She credits her parents for encouraging her love of engines, both mechanical and social, which factors in her current project: a book on the 1920s aviatrix Bessie Coleman.