Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a multi-track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, 40 miles east of Toronto. The facility features a, 10-turn road course; a 2.9 km advance driver and race driver training facility with a quarter-mile skid pad and a 1.5 km kart track. The name "Mosport" is a portmanteau of Motor Sport, came from the enterprise formed to build the track; it is pronounced as the two words actually sound, "Mo-Sport".
History
The circuit was the second purpose-built road race course in Canada after Westwood Motorsport Park in Coquitlam, British Columbia, succeeding Edenvale, Port Albert, Ontario's Green Acres, and Nanticoke, Ontario's Harewood Acres, all airport circuits, as Ontario racing venues.The track was designed and built in the late 1950s. The first race to be held on the track was a local event organized by the Oakville Light Car Club in June 1961. Shortly thereafter, on June 25, the venue held its first major race, the Player's 200, a sports car race bringing drivers from the world over to rural Ontario. Stirling Moss won the two-heat event in a Lotus 19. Second was Joakim Bonnier with Olivier Gendebien third. The proposed hairpin was expanded into two discrete corners, to be of greater challenge to the drivers and more interesting for the spectators, at his suggestion, and is named Moss Corner in his honour. This is a source of lingering confusion as many people call the track Mossport. Unlike many historic motorsport venues, Mosport's track layout has remained mostly unchanged from its original form.
For 2001, the entire circuit was repaved to meet FIA specifications, and is now 42 feet wide. Drivers were consulted to ensure the character of the "old" track was kept; almost all the "racing lines" have been maintained.
Mosport achieved acclaim through a series of international sports car races under the title "Canadian Grand Prix" normally reserved for Formula 1 races. Many events were wildly popular, breaking Canadian sports attendance records with each successive race. The success of these races led Mosport to be seen as a key component in the founding of the Can Am Series.
The CanAm first visited the track in its inaugural season in 1966, and Mosport hosted at least one event in every year of the series' history, except 1968. In 1967, Canada's centennial year, Mosport hosted Formula One, USAC, and a 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix. F1's Grand Prix of Canada remained at the track until 1977, until it was moved to Montreal. Mosport has hosted a wide variety of series throughout its history. The circuit has held Formula One, USAC, World Sportscar Championship, Can-Am, Formula 5000, and many other sports car, open-wheel, and motorcycle series.
Mosport has had several fatalities, both track crew, drivers, and riders, the most recognized being German Formula One driver Manfred Winkelhock who was killed in 1985 when his Porsche 962C crashed into a concrete wall. Another fatality at the track was in 2008 during the 29th annual Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada Racing Festival. Driver Dino Crescentini of Rochester Hills, MI – a ten-year veteran of vintage racing – lost control of his 1977 Wolf Dallara Can-Am car, which previously had been driven by Gilles Villeneuve. The most recent fatality was in 2018 when 61 year old former Pro Mazda driver Jeff Green speared off the racetrack at turn 8, and slammed into the barrier. He was attended to quickly but was unable to survive the crash.
The fastest ever recorded lap was taken by Rinaldo Capello, in an Audi R10 TDI, in qualifying for the 2008 Grand Prix of Mosport, with a time of 1:04.094. The lap record was set in the race for that meeting with Capello's Audi Sport North America teammate Marco Werner lapping in a time of 1:05.823.
Mosport has had a succession of owners since the original public company created to build the track. Two of those prior owners, Norm Namerow and Harvey Hudes, have both been inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame for their contribution to the sport in Canada. In 1998, Panoz Motorsports purchased the facility, and in 1999, the newly formed American Le Mans Series visited Mosport for the first time.
Canadian Motorsports Ventures Ltd. which includes Orlando Corp. Chairman Carlo Fidani and Canadian road racing driver Ron Fellows, purchased the facility in June 2011.
In February 2012, a partnership between Mosport and Canadian Tire was announced. The partnership includes a renaming of the track to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The partnership will help to upgrade the facility, and improve the experience for spectators, participants, race teams, and corporate sponsors.
Driver Development Area
In the spring of 2000, Mosport opened the Driver Development Centre, a second 1.7 km, 12 turn training circuit designed for driver development. The new course was designed by the owners and instructors of the Bridgestone Racing Academy and was designed specifically with fewer guard rails, walls and minimum blind corners to meet the needs of their driver and mechanic training program.Due to significant scheduling demands on the original grand prix circuit, the original academy course was reconstructed and lengthened to a full racing course in the fall of 2013. The new track features two configuration options; a 2.2 km intermediate course, a 2.9 km advanced course, as well as a skid pad, a pit lane, and a multi-storey event centre with classrooms and other facilities.
Mosport Speedway
Mosport Speedway was a one-half-mile oval speedway located on the northwest corner of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track featured 800-foot-long straightaways, 6-degree banked corners and two grandstands with seating for 8,500.The oval was constructed in 1989 as a dirt track originally called Mosport's Ascot North, named after the famous Ascot Park track in Gardena, California. The first event was scheduled in July 1989 and was to feature USAC Midgets and Sprint Cars and the World of Outlaws. The races were cancelled after the initial heat races caused deep ruts in the corners and dislodging stones hidden under the clay.
The track was paved that summer and renamed Mosport International Speedway. The track hosted a weekly Saturday night stock car racing program from May to September for 24 years. The stock car divisions included pure stock, sportsman and late models. The oval also featured regular touring series including the ACT Series, ISMA Supermodifieds, OSCAAR, Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup, CASCAR Super Series and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
The park announced the closing of the oval in July 2013 to accommodate the expansion of the Driver Development Centre.
Current series
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
It was announced in September 2013 that Canadian Tire Motorsports Park was chosen to host an annual round of the IMSA United SportsCar Championship beginning in 2014. The new series replaced the American Le Mans Series as the feature race during the tracks annual SportsCar Grand Prix, which is Canada's largest annual sportscar race.NASCAR Truck Series
The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series began racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in September 2013, marking the first time the series has raced in Canada. Chevrolet was announced as the title sponsor and the race is known as the Chevrolet Silverado 250.NASCAR Pinty's Series
The NASCAR Pinty's Series has visited the facility at least twice annually every year since its inaugural season in 2007. Currently the race is known as the Clarington 200 and takes place during the tracks Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend and its Chevrolet Silverado 250 weekend.Other series
- Blancpain GT World Challenge America
- Pirelli GT4 America
- IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
- IMSA Prototype Challenge
- IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada
- Canadian Superbike Championship
- Canadian Touring Car Championship
- Toyo Tires F1600 Championship
- VARAC Vintage Grand Prix
- Canadian Sport Compact Series
- Nissan Micra Cup
- Ontario Time Attack Series
Photo gallery
Grand prix circuit records
| 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 |
| 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 | 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 |
Former series and major race winners
FIA Formula One World Championship
| Year | Race | Driver | Constructor | Report |
| 1967 | Player's Canadian Grand Prix |  Jack Brabham | Brabham-Repco | Report |
| 1969 | Player's Canadian Grand Prix |  Jacky Ickx | Brabham-Ford | Report |
| 1971 | Player's Canadian Grand Prix |  Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell-Ford | Report |
| 1972 | Labatt's Canadian Grand Prix | Jackie Stewart | Tyrrell-Ford | Report |
| 1973 | Labatt's Canadian Grand Prix |  Peter Revson | McLaren-Ford | Report |
| 1974 | Labatt's Canadian Grand Prix |  Emerson Fittipaldi | McLaren-Ford | Report |
| 1976 | Labatt's Canadian Grand Prix | James Hunt | McLaren-Ford | Report |
| 1977 | Labatt's Canadian Grand Prix |  Jody Scheckter | Wolf-Ford | Report |
FIA World Sportscar Championship
| Year | Race | Drivers | Team | Car | Distance/Duration |
| 1976 | Player's 200 Weekend | Jackie Oliver | Shadow | Shadow DN4 Chevrolet | |
| 1977 | Molson Diamond Can-Am Trans-Am Weekend | Ludwig Heimrath Paul Miller | Heimrath Racing | Porsche 934/5 | 6 hours |
| 1980 | Molson Canadian 1000 | John Fitzpatrick Brian Redman | Dick Barbour Racing/Sachs USA | Porsche 935 K3/80 | 6 hours |
| 1981 | Molson 1000 | Harald Grohs Rolf Stommelen | Andial Meister Racing | Porsche 935 K3 | 6 hours |
| 1984 | Budweiser GT |  Jacky Ickx Jochen Mass | Rothmans Porsche | Porsche 956 | |
| 1985 | Budweiser GT | Hans-Joachim Stuck Derek Bell | Rothmans Porsche | Porsche 962C |
USAC Championship Car (IndyCar)
| Year | Race | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine |
| 1967 | Telegram Trophy 200 | Bobby Unser | Leader Cards Racing | Eagle | Ford |
| 1968 | Telegram Trophy 200 | Dan Gurney | Oscar Olson | Eagle | Weslake-Ford |
| 1977 | Molson Diamond Indy | A. J. Foyt | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Coyote | Foyt |
| 1978 | Molson Diamond Indy | Danny Ongais | Interscope Racing | Parnelli | Cosworth |
FIM Road Racing World Championship
FIM Formula 750 World Championship
| Year | Race | Winning Rider | Manufacturer |
| 1977 | Molson Diamond Motorcycle Grand Prix of Canada |  Gregg Hansford | Kawasaki |
| 1978 | Molson Diamond Motorcycle Grand Prix of Canada | Michael Baldwin | Yamaha |
| 1979 | Molson Diamond Motorcycle Grand Prix of Canada |  Patrick Pons | Yamaha |
FIM World Superbike Championship
FIM Motocross World Championship
| Year | Class | Driver | Manufacturer |
| 1976 | 500cc |  Gerrit Wolsink | Suzuki |
| 1977 | 125cc | André Massant | Yamaha |
| 1979 | 500cc | Gerrit Wolsink | Suzuki |
American Le Mans Series
IMSA GT Championship
SCCA Trans-Am Series
Canadian Sports Car Championship
| Year | Date | Race | Driver | Team | Car |
| 1961 | June 10 | BEMC Trophy |  Ludwig Heimrath Sr. | Eglinton Caledonia Motors | Porsche 718 RS 60 |
| 1961 | June 24 | Player's 200 | Stirling Moss | United Dominions Corp. | Lotus 19 Monte Carlo Climax |
| 1961 | Aug 5 | Grand Valley Car Club Trophy | Ludwig Heimrath Sr. | Eglinton Caledonia Motors | Porsche 718 RS 60 |
| 1961 | Sep 9 | BEMC Indian Summer Trophy | Harry Entwistle | Hamilton Racing Partnership | Lotus 15 Climax |
| 1961 | Sep 30 | Canadian Grand Prix | Peter Ryan | Comstock Racing Team | Lotus 19 Monte Carlo Climax |
| 1962 | June 9 | Player's 200 | Masten Gregory | United Dominions-Laystall | Lotus 19 Climax |
| 1962 | Sep 8 | BEMC Indian Summer Races | John Cannon | Dailu Bardahl Special | |
| 1962 | Sep 22 | Canadian Grand Prix | Masten Gregory | U.D.T./Laystall | Lotus 19 Climax |
| 1963 | 18 May | BEMC Spring Trophy Races | John Cannon | Dailu Mk II Ford | |
| 1963 | June 1 | Player's 200 | Chuck Daigh | Arciero Bros. Racing Team | Lotus 19 Climax |
| 1963 | June 16 | Grand National Races | Dennis Coad | Whiz Car Care Products | Lotus 19 Climax |
| 1963 | Sep 28 | Canadian Grand Prix |  Pedro Rodriguez | North American Racing Team | Ferrari 250 P |
| 1964 | June 6 | Player's 200 – Race No. 1 |  Bruce McLaren | Bruce McLaren Racing Ltd. | Zerex Special Oldsmobile Traco V8 |
| 1964 | June 6 | Player's 200 – Race No. 2 | Bruce McLaren | Bruce McLaren Racing Ltd. | Zerex Special Oldsmobile Traco V8 |
| 1964 | June 21 | Spring Trophy Races | Ludwig Heimrath Sr. | Canadian Comstock Ltd. | Cooper Monaco T61 Ford |
| 1964 | Sep 27 | Canadian Grand Prix | Pedro Rodriguez | North American Racing Team | Ferrari 330 P |
| 1965 | June 6 | Player's 200 | John Surtees | Team Surtees | Lola T70 Mk 2 Chevrolet V8 |
| 1965 | June 19 | Spring Trophy Race | Ludwig Heimrath Sr. | Heimrath Racing/Keating Ford | McLaren Elva Mark I Ford V8 |
| 1965 | Sep 4 | Indian Summer Trophy Races | Ludwig Heimrath Sr. | Heimrath Racing/Keating Ford | McLaren Elva Mark I Ford V8 |
| 1965 | Sep 25 | Canadian Grand Prix | Jim Hall | Chaparral Cars Inc. | Chaparral 2A Chevrolet |
| 1966 | June 5 | Player's 200 | Bruce McLaren | Bruce McLaren Racing Ltd. | McLaren Elva Mark IIB Ford |
| 1967 | June 3 | BEMC Spring Trophy Races | Ross de St.-Croix | Eustache Soucy | McLaren Elva Mark II Chevrolet |
| 1967 | Oct 9 | Wm. Cleland Memorial Trophy | John Cordts | McLaren Elva Mark III Chevrolet | |
| 1968 | 19 May | BARC Ontario Region Races | John Cordts | McLaren Elva Mark III Chevrolet | |
| 1968 | Sep 7 | BEMC Indian Summer Trophy Races | Roger McCaig | McCaig racing | McLaren M6B Chevrolet |
USAC Stock Car
| Year | Date | Race Title | Driver | Team | Car | |
| 1962 | June 23 | Peterborough International | Rodger Ward | 1962 Pontiac | ||
| 1962 | June 23 | Peterborough International | Paul Goldsmith | 1962 Pontiac Catalina | ||
| 1966 | July 30 | Coca-Cola/Kawartha 250 | Don White | Ray Nichels | 1966 Dodge Charger | |
| 1966 | July 30 | Coca-Cola/Kawartha 250 | Sam Tovella | Sal's Auto Sales | 1965 Plymouth | |
| 1967 | July 29 | Bardahl/Kawartha 250 | Mario Andretti | Holman Moody | 1967 Ford | |
| 1967 | July 29 | Bardahl/Kawartha 250 | Parnelli Jones | Holman Moody | 1967 Ford Fairlane | |
| 1968 | July 20 | CHUM/Mosport 250 | Roger McCluskey | Norm Nelson | 1967 Plymouth | |
| 1968 | July 20 | CHUM/Mosport 250 | Al Unser Sr. | R/A Hoerr Inc. | 1968 Dodge Charger | |
| 1978 | June 10 | Molson Diamond USAC Stock Cars | A. J. Foyt | A.J. Foyt | Chevrolet Camaro |
SCCA Can-Am Series
SCCA Formula 5000
| Year | Race | Driver | Chassis | Engine |
| 1968 | Mosport Continental | Lou Sell | Eagle Mk 5 | Chevrolet V8 |
| 1969 | Mac's Mosport Continental | John Cannon | Eagle Mk 5 | Chevrolet V8 |
| 1970 | Mac's Mosport Continental | Mark Donohue | Lola T192 | Chevrolet V8 |
| 1974 | Labatt's Blue 5000 Weekend | David Hobbs | Lola T332 | Chevrolet V8 |
| 1975 | Labatt's Blue 5000 Weekend | Mario Andretti | Lola T332 | Chevrolet V8 |
| 1976 | Labatt's Blue 5000 Weekend | Alan Jones | Lola T332 | Chevrolet V8 |
Atlantic Championship
| Year | Date | Driver | |
| 1974 | June 30 | Bill Brack | |
| 1975 | July 20 | Elliott Forbes-Robinson | |
| 1976 | Aug 22 | Bobby Rahal | |
| 1977 | 22 May | Price Cobb | |
| 1979 | Aug 19 | Kevin Cogan | |
| 1981 | June 13 | Jacques Villeneuve | |
| 1982 | June 5 | Whitney Ganz | |
| 1982 | Sep 12 | Whitney Ganz | |
| 1983 | Sep 11 | Roberto Moreno | |
| 1987 | June 7 | Calvin Fish | |
| 1988 | June 19 | Colin Trueman | |
| 1989 | June 25 | Jocko Cunningham | |
| 1992 | Sep 20 | David Empringham | |
| 1993 | June 20 | Claude Bourbonnais | |
| 1994 | 22 May | Greg Ray | |
| 2009 | Aug 30 | Jonathan Summerton |
Formula Super Vee Championship
| Year | Date | Driver | |
| 1974 | Sep 22 | Elliott Forbes-Robinson | |
| 1975 | Sep 21 | Eddie Miller | |
| 1976 | June 20 | Bill Henderson | |
| 1977 | Oct 9 | Bob Lazier | |
| 1979 | June 3 | Geoff Brabham | |
| 1982 | Sep 12 | Michael Andretti | |
| 1983 | June 5 | Price Cobb |
CASCAR Super Series
ASA National Tour
USAC National Sprint Car Series
| Year | Date | Race | Driver | |
| 1989 | Sep 17 | USAC Canadian Sprint Car Nationals | Gary Fedewa | |
| 1989 | Sep 17 | USAC Canadian Sprint Car Nationals | Wayne Hammond |
Music events
Mosport has also been the venue of a number of concerts and music festivals such as:- Strawberry Fields Festival, August 7–9, 1970
- Canada Jam, August 26, 1978
- Heatwave Festival, August 23, 1980
- Edenfest, July 12–14, 1996
- Boots and Hearts Music Festival, August 10–12, 2012, August 2–4, 2013, July 31 – August 3, 2014