Editorial: Racetrack in VBT subdivision guarantees lots of noise

By Paul W. Henning
How would you like a racetrack in your subdivision? That is what the people living around Robson Road are dealing with.
A resident who owns four acres of property on Robson Road has built a drift racetrack in that area.
Drift racing is a motor sport that was first developed in Japan and has become so popular it has reached the U.S. Drifting is a driving technique where the driver purposely oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner or a turn. The technique causes the rear of the car to slip while taking a turn.
And it makes noise. Screeching tires and revving engines type of noise that can be heard for blocks all around.
Residents in the neighborhood say the noise can be heard in the afternoon and into the evening.
Ron Akers, the Director of Municipal Services for Van Buren Township says the area where the track exists is zoned residential. The person who built the track was supposed to have gone through Van Buen township to get permission for the track. They did not.
Van Buren is trying to arrange a meeting with the track owners to start a dialogue about the issue.