Go-kart races and drifting exhibitions, hosted by drag racing promoter, approved for EPCAL: Riverhead Town Board wrap-up

The drag racing promoter at the Calverton Enterprise Park is expanding his events this year to include car shows, go-kart racing and drifting exhibitions. 

The Riverhead Town Board passed resolutions during last Wednesday’s meeting approving a request by the promoter to remove four Sunday rain dates from the Race Track Not Street drag racing event schedule, and approved a new special event application for the “Show and Go Auto Spectacular” to be held in their place. That event will not have drag racing, but instead have drifting competitions, a go-kart racing course and a massive car show. 

Pete Scalzo, the drag racing promoter who brought Race Track Not Street to the town-owned runways at the industrial park two years ago, said the new show will “satisfy the folks that are not all into drag racing, but do like drifting, do love car shows and do love go-kart racing.”

“It’ll be something different. It’ll be something that people have been asking for,” Scalzo said.

Drifting is a driving technique where the driver “uses the throttle, brakes, clutch, gear shifting and steering input to keep the car in a state of oversteer while maneuvering from turn to turn,” according to the website Driftworks.com. Drifting has become very popular, Scalzo said. Cars drifting will be held to the same requirements as those in his drag racing events, Scalzo said. 

Go-karts are smaller sports cars that typically hold one person. Scalzo said many professional Formula One racers start their careers racing go-karts. Unlike some facilities on Long Island that allow drivers to borrow go-karts to race, drivers must bring their own go-karts to race at EPCAL, Scalzo said.

Scalzo said safety protocols that are used for his drag racing events, including the use of jersey barriers and metal crowd-control fencing, are also required to be used for the events, per requirements by the town’s police chief and fire marshal.

The “Show and Go Auto Spectacular” events will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 27, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, and Oct. 22, with a rain date scheduled for Nov. 5.

Scalzo’s motorsports events will be held starting in August. Most of them will be held Saturdays from 2 to 9:30 p.m.. 

MORE COVERAGE: Town approves 14 drag racing events in Calverton next year, subject to pending sale of site

During the May 17 meeting, board members also:

• Authorized the town to publish a “request for expressions of interest” for the planning, design and engineering of both the proposed town square riverfront amphitheater and adaptive playground. Both projects received $200,000 each through the New York Department of State Brownfield Opportunity Area grant program in December. The playground project also received $245,000 from the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant award. 
• Set the hours of operation for town beaches. Beaches will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends starting May 27 until June 24, when they will be open seven days a week until and including Labor Day (Sept. 4.)
• Set a public hearing on the special permit application to allow the construction of an 18,000-gallon propane tank at the existing commercial site of Do-Well Propane at 120 Edwards Avenue in Calverton. The tank will be used for storage and distribution of propane gas, according to the resolution. The roughly 90,000-square-foot site is in the Industrial A zoning use district, which allows storage and distribution facilities of nontoxic gasses by special permit. The hearing is scheduled for June 6 at 2:10 p.m..
• Granted a special permit for 75 East Main Street to allow for the operation of a day care center.
• Set a public hearing on the special permit application to allow a one-and-a-half story retail store at 740 Main Road in Aquebogue to be converted into a medical office. The hearing is scheduled for June 6 at 2:15 p.m..