STARKE, Fla. — A motorsports facility about an hour from Jacksonville is reopening its full racetrack after major repairs and improvements.

The Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park, also known as The FIRM, is a 420-acre facility in Starke that offers paved-track racing and off-road rally driving.

The facility’s 1.6-mile road course has undergone pavement repairs, with improvements to its turns and longer straightaways.

Bailey Thomas, director of business development at The FIRM, spoke with WOKV’s Jordana Elias about what drivers can expect.

“Speed. So this layout is significantly faster than what drivers who have been here on the short course have seen,” Thomas said.

During the visit, Elias also spoke with two professional racers: Timmy Hansen, a Swedish driver who won the World Rallycross Championship in 2019, and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt, a professional driver from New Zealand.

Hansen talked about what it feels like to push a rallycross car to its limits.

“When you’re flat out in a rallycross car is the most unbelievable feeling that I’ve had in any vehicle,” Hansen said.

O’Meara-Hunt, who also races electric powerboats alongside Hansen in the E1 World Championship, said she was trying dirt driving for the first time.

“To be honest with you, driving on the dirt feels a lot like driving on the water,” O’Meara-Hunt said.

The FIRM also offers rally driving lessons for beginners and more experienced drivers.

The facility is preparing for FIRMSanity, a three-day motorsports event scheduled for November 20–22, featuring activities on the paved track and dirt rally course.

The FIRM is located on Airport Road in Starke, Florida.

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