Gimli Motorsports Park

Gimli Motorsports Park
Location Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
Time zone UTC-6 (UTC-5 DST)
Coordinates 50°37′35″N 97°3′5″W / 50.62639°N 97.05139°W / 50.62639; -97.05139Coordinates: 50°37′35″N 97°3′5″W / 50.62639°N 97.05139°W / 50.62639; -97.05139
Broke ground 1972
Opened 1973
Major events Atlantic Championship
Player's Manitoba
(1972-1977)
Canadian Superbike Championship
(1985-1988)
Road Course
Length 2.09 km (1.3 mi)
Turns 8
Drag Strip
Length 0.4 km (.25 mi)
Karting Track
Length 1.0 km (0.62 mi)
Turns 13
Lap record 35.501 (John Buzza, , 2015, DD2)
Motocross Track
Length 2 km (1.24 mi)

Gimli Motorsports Park is a multi-track motorsports facility located in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. The 95-hectare facility features a 1/4-mile dragstrip, a 1.3-mile road racing course, a one-kilometre karting track and a two-kilometre motocross track. The park hosts events for motorsports groups including the Winnipeg Sports Car Club, Drag Racing Association of Manitoba, Manitoba Roadracing Association (Superbikes), and the Manitoba Karting Association.[1]

History

On August 6, 1972 the Winnipeg Sports Car Club organized the first road racing event on one of the original decommissioned parallel runways of RCAF Station Gimli which had closed the previous year in September 1971. Racing switched to the current dedicated 2.09 km (1.30 mi) course in 1973. Gimli Industrial Park Airport continues to operate on the second runway of the World War II airfield.[2]

Gimli Motorsport Park was the site of the infamous Gimli Glider incident in 1983, an aviation accident in which Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767 ran out of fuel, landed on the former runway, then operating as the race track during a Formula Ford race. There were no injuries reported, and the plane suffered minimal damage.[3]

Interlake Dragway

Interlake Dragway is a 1/4 mile IHRA sanctioned drag strip located inside the road course. Drag racing started at the facility in 1978, and has previously operated under the names Dragways International, Viking Dragway and Gimli Dragway.[4]

Former Series & Major Race Winners

CASC Atlantic Championship

Gimli Motorsport Park hosted the CASC Player's Challenge Series (Formula B / Atlantic Championship) from 1972 to 1977 including Gilles Villeneuve's first victory in Formula Atlantic on June 22, 1975.

Year Date Driver Car
1972 August 6 Canada Richard Craig Hill Lotus 69B [5]
1973 August 5 Canada Ric Forest Brabham BT-35 [6]
1974 June 23 United States Tom Klausler Lola T-360 [7]
1975 June 22 Canada Gilles Villeneuve March 75B [8]
1976 June 13 Canada Gilles Villeneuve March 76B [9]
1977 June 26 United States Bobby Rahal March 77B [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Motorsports central". riderswestmag.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  2. ↑ "Gimli Motorsports Park". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  3. ↑ "Gimli Motorsports Park". Wikimapia. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  4. ↑ "Gimli Dragway". North American Motorsports Pages. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  5. ↑ "1972 CASC Formula B Player's Championship Series". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  6. ↑ "1973 CASC Formula B Player's Championship Series". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  7. ↑ "1974 CASC Player's Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  8. ↑ "1975 CASC Player's Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  9. ↑ "1976 CASC Player's Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  10. ↑ "1977 CASC Labatt Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.

External links

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