Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Four months after the US Air Motorsports Raceway went on the auction block, the ownership of the Shawano County attraction remains unclear.
Auctioneers reported an out-of-state buyer had purchased the motorsports complex for $345,000 at an auction conducted July 1 at the racetrack.
No sale has been recorded at the county courthouse, and the yearly property tax bill is being sent next month to the racetrack’s previous owner, listed as Green Mountain Finance Fund LLC of Norwalk, Connecticut.
Officials at Green Mountain Finance Fund — who also sometimes use the name Topwater LLC — have declined to comment on the Wisconsin racetrack property.
Located at W5901 County Road BE in the town of Wescott, the racetrack is a popular venue for events involving go-karts, motorcycles and other racing vehicles. The attraction opened in 2004, and it was sold for $2 million in 2012 after a foreclosure.
J.P. King Auction Co. announced this summer that the complex would go to the highest bidder at an auction that was opened to the public.
Of the three bidders who participated July 1, the highest bid of $345,000 came from a suitor who participated by telephone. Auction officials declined to name the apparent buyer, but described the person as an out-of-state racing insider who operates track elsewhere.
A representative of the auction firm later said the would-be buyer ended up negotiating some sort of agreement to operate the business jointly with the previous owner.
The US Air Motorsports Raceway continued its season without any apparent changes in operation, and track managers now are preparing for the winter off-season while declining to discuss ownership of the motorsports complex.
Officials at the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce said that while they have no new information about the ownership, either, they said the attraction has continued to hold events and operate normally since the auction.
The track generally operates between April and October.