New Track Rumours
Almost since the day after Harewood Acres near Jarvis, ON (SW of Hamilton) shut down in 1970, there have been rumours of a new motorsport facility of some sort in the area.
This week, newspapers from the Saudi Gazette to the National Post are reporting that the Kuwaiti Islamic investment bank Bayt Al Mal Investments ("Bayt Al Mal" loosely translates as "state treasury", and similar terms are used in many Muslim countries to describe the investment branch of the local government) plans to bring "a major motor-sport, entertainment and commercial complex" to a 623 acre (252 hectare) site near Fort Erie.
Of course, we’re looking primarily at a NASCAR-type facility catering to the upstate New York market, but the initial press release mentions "a 65,000 seat facility, expandable to 100,000, [which] will encompass a 1 mile oval track and 2.5 mile road course," so there may be some hope for motorcycle racers.
Douglas Martin, mayor of Fort Erie, said, "We have been working closely with Bayt Al Mal for the past 18 months. This agreement has generated great excitement and anticipation amongst my regional colleagues and my fellow mayors of Niagara Falls, St. Catherines, Welland, and Port Colborne."
New motorcycle racing series
And in other racing news from Southwestern Ontario, our old friend Ken McAdam has launched a new road race group he’s dubbed SOAR, for Southern Ontario Association of Racing.
He plans a five-event series at Toronto Motorsports Park (which is nowhere near Toronto; just outside of Cayuga southwest of Hamilton, actually). He’s posted details on the CMG Soapbox, here …
Ken’s new series at Cayuga, so close to major population centres, should give an outlet to all of the folks with sportbikes who are worried about being 203ed for making a lane change too quickly. I hope that it’s a big success.
No way, McGarvey. I’d never set a tire on track at Sears Point or Watkins Glen.
Hell no, I’d never set a tire on track at Sears Point, Daytona, or Watkins Glen.
Surely none of the CMG anti-NASCAR naysayers would lower themselves to riding on a track used by NASCAR.
Funny thing about this new NASCAR track, when TV11 talked to Nascar officials, they didn’t know anything about it & said they had no intention of racing in Ft. Erie, as their slate was already full.