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dyintorace
dyintorace GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
3/16/09 5:36 p.m.

Not mine.

But I'd love to buy it! If we all chipped in $100, could GRM afford it??? Just think...a permanent home for the Challenge!

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090301/business-for-sale-a-louisiana-racetrack-for-675-million.html

Pat Joffrion spent two years and much of his life's savings turning a large tract of Louisiana sugar cane, 30 miles outside of Baton Rouge, into the No Problem Raceway Park. Opened in 2001, the raceway has two amateur racetracks: a 4,000-foot drag strip and a 1.8-mile winding racecourse.

Previously, Joffrion successfully transformed an empty commercial lot into an unlikely assortment of businesses: sandlot volleyball courts, a tanning salon, and a drive-through window serving, of all things, frozen daiquiris.

The raceway draws about 5,000 spectators per event. More than a third of the tracks' $1.56 million in revenue comes from amateur contestant fees, which are about $40 per driver. Saturday-night Midnight Madness events are especially popular with younger racers, who challenge friends to drag races and "drifting" contests, in which drivers intentionally spin out at high speed. "We race everything from grocery getters to Porsches," says Joffrion, a former accountant.

Joffrion, 56, says "it's time to slow down." Well, almost. In the past year, he has added a $200,000 1,500-seat grandstand and has begun work on a concert pavilion in the hopes of attracting big-name bands.

The Asking Price: $6.75 million, including 179 acres, two racetracks, two garages for up to 26 cars, control towers, concession stands, a sports bar, a fire truck, and an ambulance. Joffrion says he is willing to finance a portion of the sale. Price Rationale:

The asking price includes $2 million worth of real estate. Joffrion says he has spent $6.8 million in improvements. Because of the nature of the business, there is no valuation rule of thumb. The owner is basing the asking price on what he believes is a fair price for a buyer looking for a reasonable rate of return.

The Pros: Earnings are up an average of 10 percent per year since 2005. The business comes with enough land to expand the racetracks and other facilities.

The Cons: Much of the raceway's value lies in the improvements the owner has made to the site. To properly evaluate the price, a buyer will have to scrutinize the value of those improvements and assess the potential for expansion. Though the business appears so far unscathed by the recession, attendance may dip if the economy worsens.

The Bottom Line: The raceway is priced below what it would cost to acquire the land and build from scratch. "Even if the owner's appraisals are a bit off," says Tom West, author of the Business Reference Guide, "this could end up being a very good buy."

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/16/09 5:57 p.m.

I am in.. where do I send my $100?

MrJoshua
MrJoshua SuperDork
3/16/09 6:28 p.m.

I like the way the company has done business so far. I would gladly invest in GRMracing stock!

ZOOMiata
ZOOMiata GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/16/09 6:36 p.m.

I'd buy a share at $100 -- even if it is in Louisiana (heck of a drive for track time for me).

Stuc
Stuc HalfDork
3/16/09 7:06 p.m.

Ha I might even do that, broke as I am... but... we need uhm... 67,500 people, right? It might be hard to split up the track time evenly

walterj
walterj Dork
3/16/09 7:18 p.m.

Where are all those bad loans for people with no qualifications when I need one?

Think I can get $6.7M using a 20yr old 911 and a busted 401k as collateral?

JFX001
JFX001 HalfDork
3/16/09 7:23 p.m.

Hmmmm....Obama....stimulus check....creation of jobs...small amount of coin in comparison to AIG/Banks....hmmmm....1 charitable event per month....

P71
P71 GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/16/09 7:42 p.m.

Where do I send my $100? That would rock!

stroker
stroker New Reader
3/16/09 7:59 p.m.

hell, I'd buy 10 shares for $1000. We should be able to get 6750 shareholders at that rate. What's the magazine subscription total?

MrJoshua
MrJoshua SuperDork
3/16/09 9:12 p.m.

I'd give $200 if they buy one in North Central Florida.

Moparman
Moparman Reader
3/16/09 9:16 p.m.

I am in for a grand.

MrJoshua
MrJoshua SuperDork
3/16/09 9:28 p.m.

On a serious note-I would easily invest a grand on a GRM stock.

Ooooh-big spender!

ww
ww Dork
3/16/09 11:08 p.m.

I'll second that. I've dropped a grand on a lot less entertaining purchases before...

friedgreencorrado
friedgreencorrado Reader
3/16/09 11:54 p.m.

Have any of y'all ever run at No Problem? I've seen various online references to it online since it was built, but never talked to anyone who's ever been there.

And I couldn't help but notice this little gem from the article:

"Saturday-night Midnight Madness events are especially popular with younger racers, who challenge friends to drag races and `drifting' contests, in which drivers intentionally spin out at high speed. (emphasis mine)

Any of you drift guys wanna call them up and set them straight?

maroon92
maroon92 SuperDork
3/17/09 12:16 a.m.

I just got my first check at a new job (partial week)....$100...where do I send it?

geomiata
geomiata Reader
3/17/09 12:57 a.m.

i could even do $100

John Brown
John Brown GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/17/09 6:52 a.m.
maroon92 wrote: I just got my first check at a new job (partial week)....$100...where do I send it?

Congrats, now you can fix the AspireR/T

924guy
924guy HalfDork
3/17/09 7:33 a.m.

what a bargain..too bad im 6.749999999 million short...

Raze
Raze Reader
3/17/09 8:19 a.m.

If we had 6750 people contribute $1000, that'd be 30 minutes of track time per year assuming the track can run due to noise restrictions from 8am to 5pm, but with 'midnight madness' it sounds like the laws are relaxed in that area, so your time may go up to an hour per year, that's still kinda steep, plus you have to 'make money' and with the revenue stream it has you're not going to see much track time after the payers do their thing, but hell in 10-15 years when the loan's paid off you could just turn it into a private track/club and we could all schmooze about GRM style sipping on ice cold PBR and admiring all the scantily clad women covered in motor oil

mw
mw Reader
3/17/09 8:26 a.m.
Raze wrote: If we had 6750 people contribute $1000, that'd be 30 minutes of track time per year assuming the track can run due to noise restrictions from 8am to 5pm, but with 'midnight madness' it sounds like the laws are relaxed in that area, so your time may go up to an hour per year, that's still kinda steep, plus you have to 'make money' and with the revenue stream it has you're not going to see much track time after the payers do their thing, but hell in 10-15 years when the loan's paid off you could just turn it into a private track/club and we could all schmooze about GRM style sipping on ice cold PBR and admiring all the scantily clad women covered in motor oil

I don't want to do the math, but is that 30min based on having only one car on the track? If so, your track time could significantly increase if you let 12 cars on at a time.

To make money, you can just rent out the drag strip to people while we use the road course.

dyintorace
dyintorace GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
3/17/09 10:09 a.m.
mw wrote: I don't want to do the math, but is that 30min based on having only one car on the track? If so, your track time could significantly increase if you let 12 cars on at a time. To make money, you can just rent out the drag strip to people while we use the road course.

I was thinking more along the lines of a true stockholder corporate structure. The stockholders "own" the company, but aren't paid back in track time. They are paid dividends based on operating income. If the value of the corporation goes up over time, the stock rises in value.

Raze
Raze Reader
3/17/09 11:12 a.m.
mw wrote:
Raze wrote: If we had 6750 people contribute $1000, that'd be 30 minutes of track time per year assuming the track can run due to noise restrictions from 8am to 5pm, but with 'midnight madness' it sounds like the laws are relaxed in that area, so your time may go up to an hour per year, that's still kinda steep, plus you have to 'make money' and with the revenue stream it has you're not going to see much track time after the payers do their thing, but hell in 10-15 years when the loan's paid off you could just turn it into a private track/club and we could all schmooze about GRM style sipping on ice cold PBR and admiring all the scantily clad women covered in motor oil
I don't want to do the math, but is that 30min based on having only one car on the track? If so, your track time could significantly increase if you let 12 cars on at a time. To make money, you can just rent out the drag strip to people while we use the road course.

Yeah, I figured my mistake after I posted but was too lazy to fix it, thanks for calling me out and you're right, with 12 cars on the track that'd give you a minimum of 6 hours/year for $1000, but like i said if you could run to midnight even a few nights that'd give you another couple hours or more, and if all 6750 people put in $1000 you'd just have to pay taxes on the property annually, which would be significant, however drag strip/spectator fees would prolly cover it...

Rangeball
Rangeball Reader
3/17/09 12:44 p.m.

[Jest] GRM Membership

New Details:

Upfront joining fee: $1,000

Includes:

-Three free track sessions at No Problem Raceway Park (All subsequent sessions are at GRM discounted price)

-Free Admission to Test-N-Tune on Wednesday

-12 month magazine subscription

-GRM preferred stock

-FREE GRM "signed" Calender (It slices and dices too)

[/Jest] Where do I send my $100?

fiat22turbo
fiat22turbo GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/17/09 1:13 p.m.

I can imagine the thoughts in Tim and Margie's heads:

...think of all the cars I could hide there! - Tim

....now that is one huge patio, Tim better not hide any cars there - Margie

JG would probably wonder if the Armadillos were already there with theirTurtle allies and how effective a shotgun would be on their shells?

Tom's probably wondering if the noise from the concrete trucks and the shotgun would drown out the sound of the Clown's laughter playing constantly in his head.

Tommy would be happily lapping the track in all of the GRM/CM project cars, while skipping school since his parents were otherwise occupied. Besides, someone had to produce content for the magazine, these E30 upgrades don't pay for themselves!

Meanwhile, John Brown and Mental dressed as an Armadillo and a Turtle sneak into the GRM HQ and replace the signage outfront to read: eVil Alliance Racing They then commence to drink up all of the beer.....

Jensenman
Jensenman SuperDork
3/17/09 4:23 p.m.

Y'all take the track revenue. I'll take the concessions revenue.

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