Old Mosport speeds into future
New Event Centre, viewing improvements showcase race circuit
There were several reasons why Torontoarea motorsport writers and broadcasters were summoned to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this past Monday.
First, the snazzy new Corporate Event Centre on a hill overlooking the circuit’s Turn 10 was shown off for the first time. Since the track, originally named Mosport Park, was opened in 1961, corporate events have been held in tents.
A race control tower and media centre was opened in 1962 and, until last October, track management, event organizers and reporters/photographers and TV camera operators were all crammed into the aging structure that also included a medical trauma room.
That cramped old tower now gone — bulldozed into the ground last fall — the new Event Centre is big enough to hold wedding receptions — if a happy young couple should want to rent the place for such a special occasion.
Bottom line: it is large enough for sponsors and car owners to entertain hundreds of their guests and corporate clients during races and there is plenty of room on another floor for writers and broadcasters to do their work without sticking their elbows into the faces of the people sitting next to them.
In short, Old Mosport has been brought into the 21st Century and combined with improvements made to spectator and camping areas as well as to the circuit itself, the time has arrived to really start showin’ off the place.
The second reason was to announce that the much-anticipated NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Labour Day Weekend will be sponsored by General Motors of Canada and titled the Chevrolet Silverado 250.
“GM Canada is really proud to be a part of this,” said GM spokesman George Saratlic, in making the announcement. “Really, it was a no-brainer for us, it being in our own backyard (CTMP is a short distance from GM’s Canadian headquarters in Oshawa). What better place to show- case our product?”
Said circuit co-owner, and champion racer in his own right, Ron Fellows: “This is great for the facility and I couldn’t be more proud to have Chevy and GM Canada involved in our first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Thanks to NASCAR for its assistance, which is ongoing, and to Chevy, which is the winningest brand in the . . . series.”
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