Email today from the new General Manager at NOLA, Dennis Lomonaca. NOLA wants to get back in the sights of NASA and SCCA and with the right people (3 champs on this thread alone), interest and motivation, it shouldn't be that difficult.
Hi John,
Over the last few months, I have had the pleasure of leading the NOLA Motorsports team. After a commitment from our ownership, we have spent over $175,000.00 on park improvements. From smoothing out bumps on the North Track to relandscaping the park, the facility is looking fantastic. While the title of General Manager is new for me, I have been around the park for about six years now.
Although I have spent the last four months on the paddock for almost every event we have hosted, I haven't officially had a moment to personally introduce myself to everyone. I have spoken to folks who were members from before we had asphalt on the ground to people who just stopped by to drive a go-kart. The stories and memory all most always end in the same statement... I love this park, and I am willing to help in any way I can.
Last week, I stood on the paddock with the events team from Michelin; they couldn't stop talking about how amazing our facility was. Michelin has had events all over the world. Still, according to them, NOLA Motorsports was the only facility that allowed for the use of a road course, rally course, autocross pad, as well as access to high-class buildings.
Our small but mighty team showed up in a massive way to make their international first-of-its-kind event a success. It was the first park buyout in a long time.
I know in the past there were talks about the park being closed, sold, downsized, and many other things. While there have been some rough patches, I can proudly say that scenario is not where we are currently as a facility. In fact, we are currently working on plans for the park for years to come.
Our future–from our members, guests, staff and ownership–is secure. I intend to use this as fuel to drive the vision of the path ahead. With the year ahead, our focus will be on growing our community of motorsports. From cars, bikes, karts, drifting, and off-road, our commitment is to improve our services and programs to allow people who are just getting in their first drive to professional racers.
While I know we have many things to focus on as we move ahead, one thing that is a significant focus for us is our communication. In the coming weeks, we are relaunching our website and our marketing plans. I am excited to be able to show off what we are working on. In the meantime, if you haven't been here in a while, come and visit.
Thanks,
Dennis Lomonaco
General Manager
NOLA Motorsports
d.lomonaco@nolamotor.com