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]
| 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 |
| 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 miles) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Drag Strip | |
| Length | 0.4 km (.25 miles) |
| Karting Track | |
| Length | 1.0 km (0.62 miles) |
| Turns | 13 |
| Race lap record | 35.501 (John Buzza, , 2015, DD2) |
| Motocross Track | |
| Length | 2 km (1.24 miles) |
History
editOn 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 midflight and emergency-landed on the former runway, then operating as the race track during a Formula Ford race. There were no serious injuries reported, and the plane suffered minimal damage.[3]
From 1990 to 1996, Gimli Motorsports Park was the host of the Sunfest rock festival, which was attended by tens of thousands of people every August.
Interlake Dragway
editInterlake 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 and major race winners
editCASC Atlantic Championship
editGimli 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 |  Richard Craig Hill
|
Lotus 69B | [5] |
| 1973 | August 5 | Ric Forest
|
Brabham BT-35 | [6] |
| 1974 | June 23 |  Tom Klausler
|
Lola T-360 | [7] |
| 1975 | June 22 | Gilles Villeneuve
|
March 75B | [8] |
| 1976 | June 13 | Gilles Villeneuve
|
March 76B | [9] |
| 1977 | June 26 | Bobby Rahal
|
March 77B | [10] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Motorsports central". riderswestmag.com. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "Gimli Motorsports Park". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "Gimli Motorsports Park". Wikimapia. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "Gimli Dragway". North American Motorsports Pages. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "1972 CASC Formula B Player's Championship Series". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "1973 CASC Formula B Player's Championship Series". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "1974 CASC Player's Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ^ "1975 CASC Player's Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ^ "1976 CASC Player's Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ^ "1977 CASC Labatt Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-04-24.