TOOELE COUNTY — The process of government can be slow and sometimes tedious work, and on Thursday, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. injected a little speed into his life.
The governor stopped by Larry H. Miller's newly opened Miller Motorsports Park, 2901 N. Sheep Lane, about halfway between Tooele and Grantsville, to test out the facility's supermoto track. Supermoto is one of the country's fastest-growing racing styles. It combines tarmac road racing and dirt racing, all on motorcycles with treadless tires — making for a slick, sometimes wild ride.
Donning road-race leathers with No. 16 on his back, Utah's 16th governor took several trips around the track on a 250-cubic-centimeter, pro-class Honda bike. He used that motorcycle after a larger bike he was riding stalled twice, but other than that, he rode without incident: no crashes, no loss of control, but several fairly impressive jumps.
Huntsman had never ridden supermoto before Thursday, although he has been a moto-cross enthusiast since he was a teenager.
"This is what I do as a hobby," he said before taking his ride. "But more than that, this is highlighting a world-class facility."
Miller Motorsports Park opened April 1, mostly for special events like the Racing 2 Save Lives charity event that was going on there Thursday. Plans call for the park to open to the public June 10.
It's a 511-acre park featuring North America's longest road-racing track for motorcycles and all cars except Formula 1 race cars. The park also has a 4.5-mile course divided into a western and an eastern track of about equal lengths. A 0.89-mile track is for go-carts that travel at about 100 mph with parts of the racer's body little more than 2 inches from the ground.
Huntsman on Thursday touted the facility as "a real boon to travel in Utah." Before the track opened, supermoto fans would have had to go to Las Vegas or Reno to ride or watch races.
The park can be rented out for special racing events — it is already 90-95 percent booked through October — and members can rent their own parking garages to store their own cars, which they can take out and speed around for fun whenever they want.
After his ride, Huntsman said he will "definitely" try supermoto again in the future.
As for the track's owner, Miller was also impressed by the governor's ride. "He's a darn good rookie," he said.
E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com