Canadian fans sold out the grandstands at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve turning the only NASCAR Canadian race into one of the most successful and major motorsport event both for Canada and NASCAR Nationwide series. Many believe that the NASCAR event at Montreal's circuit Gilles Villeneuve event is even more popular than the historical Grand Prix du Canada F1 race which in the recent years has been found under the lack of a sponsor able to support the extremely high grand prix fees defined by Bernie Ecclestone and the competition caused by the construction of Asian F1 circuits. The above circumstances has made easily to persuade any Canadian motor fan that a Cup Series event added north of the US border would be even more welcome to the Canadian fans and profitable both for the NASCAR organization and NASCAR sponsors.
Undoubtedly, the 2.7-mile Gilles Villeneuve circuit is one of the world’s best road courses. Its setting, in a park that once hosted a World’s Fair, is ideal for racing events as it is so close to a big city downtown without the need of a provisional track. Its fans are devoted, turning out in strong numbers – 65,000 or so – every year to see stock cars race on a track that wasn’t built for them. And then there is Montreal, a grand international city with great food, striking architecture, a rich music scene and a welcoming riverine landscape has also become the Canadian "Mekka of motorsport" like Monaco in Europe.
No question, the Nationwide Canadian race success has been completely guaranteed by its design -- a cosmopolitan, big-city backdrop, a permanent racetrack venue, a scheduling slot on a Sprint Cup off week, a road race that gives more Canadian drivers opportunities behind the wheel. Pieces were very carefully set in place and when Nationwide Series team members stepped onto the grounds of the circuit in 2007, this comment – or variations on the theme – could be heard throughout the garage area: “Wow, this place needs a Cup race."
Moreover, there are huge speculated scenarios in which a road-course race could well fit into the 10-race Cup Chase, making circuit Gilles Villeneuve a major candidate to host that race in the near future. Road America in Elkhart Lake, a newcomer circuit to the Nationwide Series and perhaps the best road course in the United States without a Cup race, also could put in a claim for that spot.
But the potential of the Canadian motorsport market is even more attractive and includes NASCAR's Canadian Tire feeder series that draws strong crowds to places like Saskatoon or Vernon, although the great popularity of hockey games in Canada.
Greg MacPherson, co-owner of the Canadian Motorsports Expo and publisher of a Canadian racing magazine called Inside Track Motorsport News commented:
"It's kind of funny. I think in the cities where the big agencies are, it's still very much hockey-centric. But you leave the cities, and you see the guys with their pickup trucks with the 88s and 24s on them. [NASCAR drivers] are huge stars, and they draw. People up here know who they are. It's just funny that the marketing people are a little slower to catch on to that. It's like this rural secret that Toronto hasn't caught onto yet."
There seems to be an palpable sense among Canadian race fans that they've proven themselves, both at U.S. tracks and in the successful Montreal Nationwide event, and are prepared to graduate to a Cup race of their own. And in fact, Michigan International Speedway has leaned heavily on visitors from Canada to offset the loss of those from recession-plagued Detroit, reason enough to have "O Canada" sung before every event in Brooklyn. McPherson is already trying to line up NASCAR drivers for next year's Canadian Motorsports Expo, can feel it.
"I think so. On one hand you have a lot of tracks along the top of the United States that people can go to. Michigan is very close, [Watkins] Glen, New Hampshire, Pocono. But I think so. They're laying the groundwork for something like that. Canadian Tire, the sponsor up here, they're involved in motorsports in a big way, from karting right up to supporting Ron Fellows in the Nationwide race. I think you're starting to get a bit of awareness from the companies to where it's maybe catching up to where the people are, but I know that would be well-supported. The only issue is the facility."
Apart from Montreal's Cup race flirt, the desire for a Canadian NASCAR Sprint Cup race has been also the groundbreaking for the construction of a future 1-mile oval Canadian Motor Speedway. Track plans has been already ready by circuit architect Paxton Waters with input from Jeff Gordon, who is serving as an advisor on the project. The proposed site is situated across the US-Canada border from Buffalo and about 90 minutes from Toronto at Fort Erie area. The project has also the backing of the nearby communities of Fort Erie and Niagara Falls although there's some local opposition to the project known as CARS (Citizens Against Racing Speedway) warning that the proposal will not be an economic windfall for the town, rather it will be its "worst nightmare."
However, the Mayor of City Of Niagara Falls, R.T. Salci supports the project:
I am very pleased to offer my full support of the exciting speedway project in Fort Erie, Ontario. The speedway will not only be an excellent attractor for visitors to our area, but it will also serve as a catalyst for future development in Niagara."
The facility, which would seat 65,000 and be expandable to 100,000, could open in spring or late summer of 2012, with some racing planned for that year. Although designs are not yet final, in theory the speedway sounds like a motorsports marvel. Waters envisions a garage area that can be viewed up close without pit passes, a 2.7-mile road course that weaves in and out of the oval so fans can watch from permanent grandstands, convertible hospitality areas, and a hockey rink in the infield. The complex would include a hotel, campgrounds, parking lots, retail and recreational amenities even a a ski jump facility transforming the place into a multifunctional athletic venue while about a quarter of the land would still remain a greenspace.
Waters commented:
"We've got this facility. Let's see what we can do with it. Sure we're going to do a great race track. Jeff would kill me if I didn't. That much is a given. It's, 'How do you make this a destination place all the time?' One of our advantages is, we're close to Niagara Falls, so that attitude is already there. People are already on vacation."
Project is expected to cost $200-million and the main backer seems to be a Kuwait-based investment bank named Bayt Al Mal Investment Co (BMI). Shams Faiz, a senior partner at BMI Investments, and chairman of Emirates Consulting, a BMI subsidiary in Canada commented:
"We are going to globalize the highly successful American motorsport entertainment model, an opportunity that represents a phenomenal investment potential. Canada represents a market where we will have a rolling start,because of the strong motorsport fan base, which is so under-served. Canada also gives us an investment-friendly environment; access to excellent talent and an R&D pool; the presence of a robust automobile industry and strong government support – all essential for the success of this initiative"
Yet, there is a lot of reasons the Canadian Cup race dream hasn't been realised yet either in a future Speedway or at Gilles Villeneuve circuit.
Sprint Cup schedule has been already maxed out and there are already tracks lined up to try to squeeze a racing date between Valentine's and Thanksgiving Days that determines NASCAR racing period. The other aspect that should be considerated as well is the fact that the area across the "Lakes" has been overpopulated with NASCAR events. Its the same way of competition as countries all over the world are pushing for a Formula 1 Grand Prix investing millions for the construction of a F1 specification circuit.
Yet, even if the track materializes, there is another ultimate but more major concern that arises as there is a question whether NASCAR Cup races will indeed follow. Although Waters insists that the Canadian Motor Speedway group keeps NASCAR appraised of developments, he knows you don't ask for an event in advance. Of course, there were no guarantees at Iowa Speedway either, another speedway designed by Waters, but the track is already to host a Camping World Truck event and two Nationwide races to go along with an IndyCar stop for 2011. The main problem about gaining a Cup race date lies on the fact that track's ownership consortium will exist outside of the ISC/Speedway Motorsports Inc. power structure, and could very well face the same frustrations former Kentucky Speedway owner Jerry Carroll suffered in trying to bring a Cup event to the Bluegrass State. That didn't happen until he sold to SMI chairman Bruton Smith, who shifted a long-awaited date from one of his other tracks. In any case both Montreal's circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the Fort Erie project promise to be large Cup events situated near large Canadian urban centers making success almost certain after the increased popularity of NASCAR in Canada mostly caused by the popularity of Canadian NASCAR competitors.
