Sixty years ago, the place we know today as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was a farm. At that time, who could have foreseen that the best drivers and the fastest cars in the world would come to this pastoral place and race on one of the world’s most challenging tracks, providing the best excitement and entertainment that motor racing has to offer.
But the best drivers and cars did come: racing legends like Stirling Moss, Gilles Villeneuve, Bruce McLaren, and even stock car king Richard Petty. No fewer than 16 Formula One World Champions have raced here, including Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti and Niki Lauda. Some 10 Indianapolis 500 winners also have raced at CTMP, including Rodger Ward, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock.
For anyone standing on that hill in the late 1950s, what the future held in store would have been hard to believe. Fortunately, some people did believe; they had a dream, and the resources and expertise to make it a reality.