New racetrack being planned in Osoyoos

[sonick]

Repost from Beyond.ca post

I am excited to invite you to a Press Launch & “enthusiasts Q&A session” with Jacques Villeneuve and founders of the new motorsports park & racetrack coming to the Southern Okanagan.

The name of the proposed motorsports park is Area 27.

Jacques Villeneuve, the Canadian of F1 racing fame, is coming to the Okanagan to tour the site of the track, for a meet and greet and press launch of Area 27.

Details are still under wraps (so the following is my understanding of it all), but Area 27 will be a full road course, motorsports park and members club. The location will be on First Nations land in the Osoyoos area.

The Porsche Club of America (BC Interior Region, BCIR PCA) has been invited to the exclusive “enthusiasts Q&A” session during the press launch Sep 1 (Sun), at Spirit Ridge Resort and Spa, Osoyoos, BC ( Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa - Osoyoos, British Columbia).

The Sep 1 invitation is also open to any sports cars enthusiasts who are interested in motorsports, supporting racing in BC, and potentially being a member of Area 27.

Area 27 Launch Schedule Spirit Ridge Sunday September 1, 2013

CBC radio link: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local...ID/2403451277/

Global News link: Race track proposal | Watch GlobalNews Videos

[Altoids94]

Best news I've heard in awhile so stoked!

[!SG]

whatever happened to the plans in Merritt?

[TjAlmeida]

Personally I think this is the last thing Osoyoos needs.
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[BBMme]

Gotta check it out once it's complete
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[snails]

unfortunately it will probably cost more for any locals to use than they could afford... anyone ever check out what a track day cost at mission? its pretty crazy..

[twitchyzero]

For residents of Metro Vancouver/Fraser Valley Osoyoos is too far...not to mention it's on 1st nation grounds which I am curious to see if it'll actually happen.

I mean for a 4-5 hour drive you can already be lapping @ Pacific Raceways or The Ridge

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

I mean for a 4-5 hour drive you can already be lapping @ Pacific Raceways or The Ridge

I agree.
A few more hours and you have have PIR and ORP.

Of course this one you don't have to both with crossing the border.

[RRxtar]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

For residents of Metro Vancouver/Fraser Valley Osoyoos is too far...not to mention it's on 1st nation grounds which I am curious to see if it'll actually happen.

I mean for a 4-5 hour drive you can already be lapping @ Pacific Raceways or The Ridge

the thing about first nations is in the okanagan, most bands are seriously business minded. west kelowna is one of the fastest growing areas of the country and the majority of it, including nearly all of its commercial area, is on native land, and they are opening canada's (i think) first private hospital. and the band in oliver won the contract on a massive prison that a dozen cities were bidding on.


i agree that 4 hours from vancouver isn't a great spot for people in vancouver when you have the ridge, pacific raceways, and portland within that time frame, but some people dont want to go over the border. and race city in calgary is supposed to be closing, and the nearest track to anywhere east of vancouver is spokane which is nothing more than some asphalt poured in a junk yard/gravel pit and seattle is 6+ hours. a track in osoyoos would be the only track within a 4 hour drive for like 500,000 people in the interior and kootenays

[MG1]

Nobody goes to Ashcroft?

[Traum]

Osoyoos is 4 hr 40 min away from Vancouver according to Google Map, and there are no borders to cross. Compare that with Pacific Raceway, which is 3 hrs away, and Ridge, which is 4 hrs away with border cross, I'd say distance-wise, Osoyoos is on par with the Ridge. I know you can't tell how the track is gonna drive from just looking at the track map, but from the looks of it, the layout that was shown in the video seems like it'll be loads of fun. It also seems like it'll be a bigger and longer track.

From the looks of it, here are my few concerns:

- What is the elevation gonna be like? From the video, it seems like it'll the track will sit on a mostly level field with only some slight elevation changes. Some elevation changes make for a extremely fun track. This is why PR and Ridge are so much fun to drive.

- How big is the track gonna be? If the track is smaller than Mission, it'll be no fun. If it is closer to COTA size, event fees could get expensive.

- With the track in Osoyoos, winter use will almost be completely out of the question. So it can't do the same winter track days that PR and Ridge holds, and I sure hope the winter loss of use won't make the usage fees for spring-summer-fall use more expensive.

- Ridge took a good 6 years to transform from merely a concept to an actual drivable track. I sure hope this Osoyoos track won't take as long.

[radioman]

Two DRS zones.

[Harvey Specter]

Robbie Dickson and Reiko from housewives of Vancouver fame are supposedly looking to invest in the track...

Cars from the meet and greet in YT:

[StylinRed]

villeneuve seems to have reaaaaaaally let himself go


as for the track i think its too far away! imo it should be across from Barnet but i think that's all parkland :/ the space is there for it and its beautiful scenery and close enough to vancouver

would make a perfect F1 track

[dark0821]

Just watched the video.... the native chief and I quote

"people with 500,000 dollar cars are not poor, as a business venture, this is the kind of people you want around"

so I am guessing, maybe this is, at least for the first few years, you are probably not going to see many civics on the track, a membership will probably cost more than most of our cars. totally serious


I would love to have a bigger/challenging track than mission, at 4 hours, its not close, but its not that far either. As for cost goes, its just Canada or just motorsport in general. You do go thru $800/track day, if you add up all the cost, gas, brakes, tires and actual cost of the track day....even $300/auto-x. Its not going to get any cheaper, pay to play I guess...

lastly I want to point out, too early to get excited about, we will be lucky to be able to drive on it in 5 years if we can afford it =P

[jing]

$300 AutoX events? Wat
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[godwin]

I find trailering cars down the I5 a lot less stressful (on nerves and truck) than trailering the interior highway. But from the looks at it, this provides racers with their own private garages and they just jet in. Most grass roots racers would rather go to the States, the only one that would go that far, would be people who can't go... but in the end, I don't see LeMon's happening there.

Motor racing is not cheap.. consumables will always be cheaper in the States (re&re brakes and tires before you head home? yes please).. I just don't see BC and Ab have enough racers to sustain operations. With the weak US economy, I don't see people from down South coming up either..

Other private race tracks like Monitcello, Ascari etc are always on the financial knives edge. Monitcello had to build a casino to sustain operations (which I suppose will be the case here).

As long as the gov doesn't have to bail them out, it is fine with me it is good to have choices... Personally, I still prefer down south.

[Phil@rise]

I doubt they are targeting actual racers but instead the wealthy and semi wealthy with leased supercars that want somewhere legal to drive them as designed not far from their house boat or "cottage". Then cruise up to the winery to top off the days festivities.

[Traum]

Canada, and Vancouver in particular, is a much smaller market compared to the US. If the developers make this into a (mostly?) private track, are they going to have enough business and revenue to support the operations at all?

Mind you, if the developer knows how to market themselves to the Mainland Chinese market in the Lower Mainland, then they'd be all set.

[snails]

i wish there could be "off hour" use of mission road course... still have some safety officials there but for the time the tracks not being rented for sanctioned races have it open kinda like Mission street legals...

sure it might not be as profitable but any amount of money coming in is still a good thing! i would easily pay 50-100$ for a local track day and i know many who would.. it would get peoples foot in the door so eventually they could take it more serious and provide future clients.

i have had my car on the road course and it was a blast, but with the price, it is discouraging... every time you go home you find something to upgrade.. i dont wanna spend 400$ on a track day just so i can find out my brakes arnt good enough for 5 serious laps then waste the rest of the day

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by Traum

Mind you, if the developer knows how to market themselves to the Mainland Chinese market in the Lower Mainland, then they'd be all set.

N'ah too far away, much easier to race from Richmond to White Rock.
Also, the guys running the track would have to hire Mandarin speaking course workers and put garbage cans everywhere.

[godwin]

Damn Straight! because an idiot family with members Hai Xia Sun, Frank Zhao, Li Sha Chang say so.. RESPECT. hahaha oh apparently it is part of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

The chances of this course running for a few years, are just as good as that family winning a court case.

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

N'ah too far away, much easier to race from Richmond to White Rock.
Also, the guys running the track would have to hire Mandarin speaking course workers and put garbage cans everywhere.

[saucywoman]

Originally Posted by MG1

Nobody goes to Ashcroft?

Ashcroft is 1/4 mile.
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[twitchyzero]

project's been greenlit..construction to start this spring.
looks like $35K+ to be a member...members can have 15 guests a month
FAQ < Area 27: Discover Your Life On Track

[Traum]

Can car clubs rent the track for a day?

No, the track is exclusively for the enjoyment and use of the members and their guests.