From a press release issued by Brainerd International Raceway:

BIR teams with mines to advance use of taconite asphalt

Meeting at Keewatin Taconite brings together agencies, mines, others

KEEWATIN, Minn. ­ A month after Brainerd International Raceway officials impressed U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar by introducing him to their newly resurfaced drag strip that features special taconite tailings-based asphalt, it became clear that BIR could play a significant role in advancing the use of taconite tailings as a substrate in asphalt that’s used on public
roadways.

That was evidenced Monday during a meeting at Keewatin Taconite, where BIR was invited to join a discussion about taconite tailings with a variety of agencies and organizations. The meeting was organized by the Itasca Development Corp.

The focus of the meeting was primarily the efforts of the Tinklenberg Group and the Duluth-based Natural Resources Research Institute, which are working to prove to states and contractors that taconite tailings are a viable alternative as an asphalt substrate. They’ve been working to eliminate the barriers for using taconite tailings in asphalt, which would generate new
revenue streams for Minnesota’s taconite mines, create jobs on the Iron Range and reduce the need to repave public roads as often because taconite
tailings produce an asphalt that is significantly more durable than asphalt with rock aggregate as the substrate.

The Twin Cities-based Tinklenberg Group, headed by former Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg, has been working with a
number of states as far east as Pennsylvania and including Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, among others, to encourage the use of taconite tailings for paving projects. Many states, including Minnesota, are experiencing a shortage of rock aggregate for a number of reasons, one of which is that companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get permits
to open rock quarries. But the most important factor facing states, Tinklenberg said, is the emphasis they’re putting on developing long-lasting asphalt that doesn’t need to be replaced as often.

Taconite tailings, which is the course, jagged rock-like material left behind from the taconite mining process, is found in abundance on the Iron
Range in northeast Minnesota. The biggest obstacle to using taconite tailings is transportation. Because tailings are so dense and heavy, it’s very expensive to transport them. The answer, Tinklenberg said, seems to be in using rail and waterways. BIR, for example, bought its tailings from EVTAC in Eveleth, Minn., for $1 per ton but had to spend $7,000 to truck 700 tons from Eveleth to the track.

BIR has been in contact with a number of race tracks throughout the country that have heard of the success it’s had with its new track (one world record and a national record last summer), and are interested in gathering more
information. BIR is currently pursuing a federal grant to use taconite tailings-based asphalt to repave its three-mile road course and then allow
the Minnesota Department of Transportation and other agencies to use the track as a test facility. One of those agencies could be the state Department of Public Safety, which must use a road course to train its highway patrols annually. The track, of course, would continue to be used for world-class racing.

“We’d love to help out in any way possible to advance the use of this material,” Quick said of the taconite tailings. “We have the perfect
facility for testing and we welcome the opportunity to work with state agencies to move that forward. Our central location within the state and the fact that most of our racing events take place on weekends makes it an ideal
situation for the state.”

BIR’s parent company, Sports Resorts International Inc., its Board of Directors and BIR President Bill Singleterry support the gesture 100 percent and encourage the state to work with BIR on this issue.

Monday’s meeting also was attended by representatives of the Itasca County Board, CR Meyer (the contractor that built BIR’s track), the City of Hibbing, Keewatin Taconite and its sister mine, MnTAC, and Sen. Tom Saxhaug,
DFL-Grand Rapids.

BIR is a subsidiary of Michigan-based Sports Resorts International Inc., a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ exchange (SPRI). Now in its 34th season, BIR is one of North America’s largest racetracks, featuring 800 acres of rustic camping, 159 full-service RV sites and on-site condos. BIR is about 120 miles north of the Twin Cities, and it now has a new concrete drag strip that is one of the flattest and fastest in the country. Visit www.brainerdraceway.com.