Canadian Tire Motorsport Park facts for kids
| "Canada's Home of Motorsport" | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 3233 Concession Road 10 Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada |
| Time zone | UTC -5 (UTC-4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 44°03′00″N 78°40′40″W / 44.05000°N 78.67778°W |
| Capacity | open seating without capacity limitation |
| FIA Grade | 2 |
| Owner | Canadian Motorsports Ventures Ltd. |
| Operator | Canadian Motorsports Ventures Ltd. |
| Broke ground | 1960 |
| Opened | 1961 |
| Construction cost | $500,000 |
| Architect | Alan Bunting |
| Former names | Mosport Park (1961–1996) Mosport International Raceway (1997–2011) |
| Major events | Former: Formula One FIM Road Racing World Championship Can-Am USAC Indy Car FIM World Superbike Championship Current: NASCAR Pinty's Series NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (1990–1997, 1999–2012, 2014–present) |
| Clockwise Grand Prix Circuit | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.957 km (2.459 mi) |
| Turns | 10 |
| Race lap record | 1:04.094 (Rinaldo Capello, Audi Sport North America R10 TDI, 2008, ALMS LMP1) |
| Driver Development Centre Advanced Course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.88 km (1.8 mi) |
| Turns | 20 |
| Driver Development Centre Intermediate Course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.2 km (1.37 mi) |
| Kart Complex | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.4 km (0.87 mi) |
| Turns | 12 |
| Speedway Oval (1989–2013) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.805 km (0.500 mi) |
| Banking | 6° |
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, also known as "Canada's Home of Motorsport," is a famous place for racing located near Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. It's about 64 kilometers (40 miles) east of Toronto. This exciting venue has several different tracks for various types of racing.
The main track is a challenging road course that is 3.957 kilometers (2.459 miles) long and has 10 turns. There's also a special Driver Development Centre for training new drivers, which includes a skid pad and a kart track. The name "Mosport" comes from "Motor Sport," which was the original idea behind building this amazing place.
Contents
History of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was one of the first tracks in Canada built just for road racing. Before it, races often happened on old airport runways! The track was designed and built in the late 1950s.
First Races and Famous Corners
The very first race at Mosport was a local event in June 1961. Soon after, on June 25, 1961, the track hosted its first big race, the Player's 200. This race brought famous drivers from all over the world to rural Ontario. A legendary driver named Stirling Moss won this event. He even suggested changing a part of the track to make it more exciting for drivers and fans. This part is now called Moss Corner in his honor.
What's cool is that unlike many old race tracks, Mosport's main layout hasn't changed much since it was first built. This means it still has its original exciting feel!
Upgrades and Big Events
In 2001, the entire track was repaved to meet modern racing standards. The designers made sure to keep the original "racing lines" that drivers loved, so the track's character stayed the same.
Mosport became very famous for hosting international sports car races, sometimes even called the "Canadian Grand Prix." These events were super popular and broke attendance records in Canada. Their success helped start the Can-Am Series, a major racing championship.
Formula One and Other Championships
The Can-Am series first raced here in 1966. Mosport hosted at least one Can-Am event almost every year. In 1967, Canada's 100th birthday, Mosport was super busy! It hosted Formula One races, USAC races, and a big motorcycle Grand Prix. The Formula One Canadian Grand Prix stayed at Mosport until 1977, when it moved to Montreal.
Over the years, Mosport has hosted many different types of racing, including Formula One, USAC, World Sportscar Championship, Can-Am, and various car and motorcycle series.
Changes in Ownership
Mosport has had several owners since it first opened. In 1998, Panoz Motorsports bought the track. Then, in 2011, a new group called Canadian Motorsports Ventures Ltd., which includes famous Canadian race car driver Ron Fellows, purchased the facility.
In 2012, Mosport partnered with Canadian Tire, a big Canadian company. This partnership led to the track being renamed Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This partnership has helped upgrade the track and make it even better for fans, racers, and sponsors.
Fastest Lap Record
The fastest lap ever recorded at the track was by Rinaldo Capello in an Audi R10 TDI. He set a time of 1 minute, 4.094 seconds during a qualifying session in 2008. This shows just how fast cars can go on this track!
Mosport Speedway
Mosport Speedway was a half-mile (0.805 km) oval race track located at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It had long straight sections and corners that were banked at 6 degrees. It could seat 8,500 people!
History of the Oval Track
The oval track was built in 1989. It was first a dirt track called "Mosport's Ascot North." The first races there were canceled because the dirt track got too rough. So, that summer, the track was paved and renamed Mosport International Speedway.
For 24 years, the Speedway hosted weekly stock car races from May to September. It also welcomed bigger touring series like the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. However, in July 2013, the oval track was closed to make space for expanding the Driver Development Centre.
Current Racing Series
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is still a very active and important racing venue. Here are some of the exciting series that race there today:
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Since 2014, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has hosted an annual race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This is Canada's biggest annual sports car race and is a huge event for fans!
NASCAR Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series started racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in September 2013. This was the first time this popular NASCAR series raced in Canada, making it a special event for Canadian fans.
NASCAR Pinty's Series
The NASCAR Pinty's Series, which is Canada's own NASCAR series, has raced at the park at least twice every year since it started in 2007. These races are often part of big weekend events like the Victoria Day SpeedFest.
Other Exciting Races
Many other racing series also visit Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. These include:
- Blancpain GT World Challenge America
- Pirelli GT4 America
- IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
- Canadian Superbike Championship
- Canadian Touring Car Championship
The track also hosts fun vintage car races, more motorcycle events, and amateur racing days where people can drive their own cars on the track!
Grand Prix Circuit Records
This table shows some of the fastest lap times ever recorded on the main Grand Prix circuit at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. These records are set by amazing drivers in incredibly fast cars!
| Class | Driver | Car | Date | Speed km/h | Speed mph | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outright – American Le Mans Series – LMP | Qualifying |  Rinaldo Capello |
Audi R10 TDI | August 23, 2008 | 222.254 km/h | 138.116 mph | 1:04.094 |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship – Prototype | Qualifying |  Colin Braun |
Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | July 7, 2018 | 214.831 km/h | 133.490 mph | 1:06.315 |
| World Sportscar Championship – Group C | Qualifying |  Hans-Joachim Stuck |
Porsche 962 C | August 10, 1985 | 204.159 km/h | 126.871 mph | 1:09.775 |
| Can-Am (1977–1986) | Qualifying |  Jacques Villeneuve Sr |
Frissbee GR3-Chevrolet | June 5, 1983 | 201.471 km/h | 125.188 mph | 1:10.713 |
| Formula One | Qualifying | Mario Andretti |
Lotus 78-Ford | October 8, 1977 | 199.554 km/h | 124.009 mph | 1:11.385 |
| IndyCar | Qualifying | Danny Ongais |
Parnelli VPJ6-Cosworth | June 10, 1978 | 196.296 km/h | 121.984 mph | 1:12.570 |
| Formula 5000 | Qualifying | Mario Andretti |
Lola T332-Chevrolet | June 14, 1975 | 194.322 km/h | 120.758 mph | 1:13.307 |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTLM | Qualifying |  Nick Tandy |
Porsche 911 RSR 4.0 L Flat-6 | July 7, 2018 | 193.784 km/h | 120.412 mph | 1:13.517 |
| Can-Am (1966–1974) | Qualifying | Mark Donohue |
Porsche 917-30 | June 9, 1973 | 192.243 km/h | 119.465 mph | 1:14.100 |
| World Challenge – GT | Qualifying | Johnny O'Connell |
Cadillac ATS-VR GT3 | May 15, 2015 | 189.207 km/h | 117.568 mph | 1:15.296 |
| Trans-Am | Qualifying | Simon Gregg |
Chevrolet Corvette | May 18, 2013 | 188.394 km/h | 117.073 mph | 1:15.614 |
| NASCAR Truck Series | Qualifying | Austin Cindric |
Ford | September 2, 2017 | 177.895 km/h | 110.539 mph | 1:18.602 |
| Canadian Superbike | Qualifying | Brett McCormick |
BMW S1000RR | August 19, 2011 | 176.123 km/h | 109.438 mph | 1:20.882 |
| NASCAR Pinty's Series | Qualifying | Andrew Ranger |
Dodge Challenger | May 18, 2014 | 171.736 km/h | 106.712 mph | 1:22.956 |
Past Major Race Winners
Over the years, many famous drivers and teams have won races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Here are some of the highlights from different championships:
Formula One Winners
Mosport hosted the Canadian Grand Prix for Formula One several times. Famous winners include Jack Brabham, Jacky Ickx, and Jackie Stewart. The last Formula One race here was in 1977, won by Jody Scheckter.
World Sportscar Championship Winners
This track also saw exciting World Sportscar Championship races. Drivers like Jackie Oliver, John Fitzpatrick, and Derek Bell took home victories in powerful sports cars.
USAC Championship Car (IndyCar) Winners
Before IndyCar became what it is today, USAC Championship Cars raced here. Legends like Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney, and A. J. Foyt were among the winners.
Motorcycle Grand Prix Winners
Motorcycle racing has a long history at Mosport too. In 1967, the Canadian motorcycle Grand Prix was held here, with Mike Hailwood winning both the 250cc and 500cc races. The FIM World Superbike Championship also raced here, with winners like Fred Merkel and Raymond Roche.
Other Notable Winners
Many other series have raced and crowned champions at Mosport, including:
- Can-Am Series: A popular sports car series that saw many exciting races.
- Formula 5000: A powerful open-wheel racing series.
- Atlantic Championship: A stepping stone for many future racing stars.
- Canadian Sports Car Championship: Local heroes and international stars competed here.
Music Events
Besides racing, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has also been a popular spot for big music concerts and festivals! Some of the major music events held here include:
- Strawberry Fields Festival (1970)
- Canada Jam (1978)
- Heatwave Festival (1980)
- Edenfest (1996)
- Boots and Hearts Music Festival (multiple years, starting in 2012)
Images for kids
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A line of Formula Ford cars climb the hill through turn 5(c)
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Turn 8 heading into The Esses
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Entry into Clayton Corner - Turn 2
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Outside of Turn 3
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Event Centre
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Track infield set up for a concert - Boots and Hearts Music Festival
See also
In Spanish: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park para niños
