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Hampton promoted as US 'Motorsport Technology Capital'

The Hampton Motorsports Technology Alliance, a new partnership between public bodies and private companies, has been formed to establish the city of Hampton, VA, as the 'Motorsports Technology Capital of North America'. The initial partners are the city's Department of Economic Development, the Peninsula Alliance for Economic Development, NASA Langley Research Center and the Langley Full Scale Tunnel. The HMTA will promote the region's expertise and technology assets to the motorsport and high-performance automotive industries

According to market analysis results of the Frost Motorsports Impact Study, Hampton has technology capabilities that would make it a 'one-stop location' for engineering, technology and testing applicable to the motorsport industry. The study concludes that there is no other location in the world that would offer this total concentration of resources, and recommends the addition of a test/race track facility and a specialized R&D park targeting the industry.

"Hampton feels that it can successfully tap into the growing performance engineering market, which is estimated at $5bn and is increasing rapidly," said Ray White, the director of Hampton Economic Development. Trends indicate that the US motorsport market is showing the fastest growth and is forecasted to increase by 60 percent within the next five years.

"Besides the metropolitan areas off Charlotte, NC, and Indianapolis, IN, there is no other area in North America that has a strong cluster of companies and resources that meet the overall needs of the high-performance automotive industry," said Timothy Frost of Frost Motorsports. "Knowledge generation, knowledge intensive firms, innovation, technology transfer, diversification and specialization are central to the motorsport industry."

In the Frost study, the Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST) is identified as the primary indicator that could enable this commercial venture to come to fruition. Managed by Old Dominion University's College of Engineering & Technology, the tunnel has been attracting NASCAR and other racing teams at record-breaking numbers for aerodynamic testing, starting around the mid-1990s. As a commercial testing facility, the tunnel offers reasonable pricing structure, excellent data correlation, large test sections and a central East Coast location. Open-wheel cars, NASCAR trucks and dragsters have also tested at the tunnel. By tapping into the motorsport industry, the LFST has been able to generate surplus revenue and operate in the black while achieving its goal to reopen an important technology asset and provide 'real-world' learning experiences for Old Dominion University graduate students.

Building on the synergy between aerospace and motorsport, NASA Langley Research Center, a world-class research facility, offers technology easily adaptable to the high-performance automotive industry. Currently, NASA is developing a coating and 'soft wall' product that could significantly address safety concerns for aircraft and racecars. The products of NASA have been widely applied to the design and manufacture of automobiles, ships, submarines and spacecraft.

Hampton wants to promote the potential economic savings of having $4bn in hard assets and technology transfer opportunities in one location to the motorsport industry. Interested companies would join an established automotive base in the Hampton and the surrounding region consisting of Ford Motor Company, Siemens Automotive, Valeo, Schaevitz Sensors, Orbital Engine Corporation, ITW Southland and numerous other companies. In the USA, there are approximately 24,000 businesses and 120,000 employees currently working in the industry. Per capita, Hampton and the region boasts the highest concentration of scientists, engineers and technicians, second only to the Silicon Valley. Racing teams and motorsport-related companies can tap into a labor pool that is prepared for the task at hand.

There are already 1372 circuits in the USA, consisting 75 percent of oval tracks, 21 percent drag strips and 4.4 percent road courses. Time in a car helps driver confidence and highlights areas such as durability, which are impossible or expensive to reproduce. None offer the unique combination and potential of Hampton's concentration of resources such as technological assets, labor force, central location and college/university systems -- a test/race track would provide the ultimate total package.

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