By Pat Wall – Special to the Pahrump Valley Times

Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch is definitely a Pahrump business on the fast track.
The resort was the dream of Canadian-born racing enthusiast Rupert Bragg-Smith, who opened the original driving school in 1997.
Known as the Blagg-Smith Driving School, he offered a three-day driving course to Corvette owners who wanted to be able to safely handle their powerful new machines.
Their training was held in a large pop-up tent classroom and a double-wide office. The original track was a 2.2 mile oval.
A lot has changed since those days.
John Morris and Brad Rambo, business visionaries from Orange County, purchased the 220 acres in 2004 from Blagg-Smith after an extensive, nationwide location search. Nothing seemed to fit until, following the suggestion of Nevada racing friends, they checked out the Pahrump property. It was love at first sight and the rest is history.
As you drive through the impressive flag bedecked gate, you notice you have entered racecar heaven. This is Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch, known worldwide as a one-of-a-kind members only, private country club. The wow factor is everywhere. It’s quite obvious that no expense was spared in its development.
The SMMSR membership clearly puts the love for their vehicles and the rush of testing their capabilities into all their activities at the ranch.
When Blagg-Smith built the original track and school, he had three employees. That number has grown to 60 professionally-trained employees, offering only the very best service to the SMMSR membership. Joining John Morris and Brad Rambo is Dave Petrie, original partner of Blagg-Smith, who is now general manager of the ranch. Completing the executive team is Mike Weeks, vice president of sales, along with the knowledgeable and caring staff, with most of the employees residing in Pahrump.
There is so much to see and do, it boggles the mind. Follow along as we take you on a written tour of this self-sustaining racecar owner/driver’s paradise.
The first thing that catches your eye, as you begin the tour, is the planned country club style look of the buildings. The owners joined forces with Russ Meads of Classic Homes to create the architectural atmosphere that is everywhere you look, starting with the 8,800 square foot clubhouse and events center, that can accommodate 100-120 guests with seating for an additional 70 on the patio; perfect for barbecues or watching Pahrump’s magnificent sunsets.
There are stone floors, friendly to the sleek sports cars that are often exhibited there during events. Imported granite counters and trim add an elegant touch. Huge windows are positioned to capture the spectacular mountain views. Other features include a full catering kitchen, nine built-in plasma screens, wireless internet and professionally decorated décor in soft, desert tones that are also echoed throughout the interiors of the other buildings on the Ranch. Harmonious, luxurious and peaceful come to mind.
The fitness center and spa boasts a full gym, a lap pool, men’s and women’s locker rooms and showers. Outside there is a five-hole putting green. One can’t get totally away from golf, can they?
Feeling fit from your visit to the spa, you might want to try your competitive hand at the Tag Karting course. The ranch also has a driving school course to teach you how to properly handle these zippy little machines, that boast their own 1.2 mile track.
After enjoying the track by putting your personal machines through their paces, you might want to try some of the other entertaining options the ranch has to offer. How about a challenging rock wall to climb with harnessed safety, an indoor shooting range, a basketball court, billiards, poker, lounge and bar, driving simulators and racquetball court. Of course, there is more on the drawing board to come.
Next on the tour is the Ron Fellows Corvette Driving School. Racing great, Ron Fellows, formed an association with General Motors in the 1990s that evolved to where he became the primary development driver for their Corvette Racing program. Victories that association produced include the 24 hours of Daytona, 24 hours of Le Mans, 12 hours of Sebring and virtually every road racing circuit in North America.
Ron Fellows is a familiar presence at the driving school, imparting his racing wisdom to the students. His sleek racecar transport is parked just inside the gate when Ron is on property.
The professional school has two fully equipped classrooms, catering kitchen area, a display area for all manner of racing memorabilia, including Ron Fellows collectables and so much more.
The courses available to the students include the Radical Racing School training in the Radical SR3.
The Ron Fellows Corvette Driving School provides 33 Corvettes for students to drive during the training. GM replaces these vehicles when they have logged 12,000 miles. The school teaches each student how to handle this powerful machine. They receive 300 miles of track time and three days of classroom studies. At the end of the course, they receive a certificate of completion.
The next building houses a dealership-sized showroom featuring the aforementioned Radical racing car. Then there is the Michelin Bridge that goes over the track, allowing up to 45 fans unobstructed viewing of a race in progress; there is also a visitor tower.
The centerpiece of Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch is THE TRACK; four challenging miles of it, offering 10 different configurations that can be put in place to always keep your particular run challenging and fresh.
There is a lot of building going on at the Ranch; the expansion of the condo time-share community featuring luxurious bedroom units with great views, a full kitchen with brushed aluminum appliances, granite counter tops, king size beds and lovely decorative touches. Each of the units in the $1.3 million complex has its own private garage located at ground level. Corporations and individuals both enjoy the comfort and privacy the units afford. They are available on an annual lease basis.
Speaking of garages, you can’t help noticing the individual lines of them throughout the property; each with their own identifying set of numbers. They are leased on an annual basis to the members and are private, secure and climate-controlled, worthy of the pricey vehicles housed there, and are completely full at this writing. More garages are currently under construction.
Rather than the game of golf to challenge the members, world-class motor sports activities are available to the SMMSR membership with all the expected amenities. Membership follows country club regulations with an initiation fee and monthly dues. There are also designated hours of track usage time along with a scheduled slate of events. Professional service to the membership is a number one priority at SMMSR with certified technicians available to assist the membership, including vehicle maintenance and tire replacement.
Future growth is on its way with a nine-acre lake that will soon be available for Pahrump to enjoy along with water sports to include boating, fishing, sunning on the sand beach and for the bold of heart, the Jet Lev 200 Technologies water propelled Jet Pack. Even George Jetson didn’t have one of these jet-age water devices.
Community service is very important to John and Brad. They have opened the SMMSR racetrack to both the Nye County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada Highway Patrol to hone their driving skills. Future plans include driving safety training for local teen drivers.
For more information about Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch call 702-727-6363 or visit them on the web at racespringmountain.com.