Westwood Motorsport Park

Westwood Motorsport Park at a glance

Location

Coquitlam, British Columbia

Type

historic circuit (defunct)

Length

2.897 km (1.8 mi)

Turns

8

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1959

Owner

Sports Car Club of British Columbia (closed 1990)

Track map and layout

Westwood was Canada's first purpose-built permanent road course, a 2.897 km (1.8 mi), 8-turn circuit built into the southern slopes of Eagle Mountain (Eagle Ridge) in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Its layout followed the natural contours of the hillside rather than flat ground, giving it elevation changes and blind crests that made it a demanding, well-regarded driver's circuit through its three decades of operation. Nothing of the original layout is drivable today; the site was demolished and redeveloped as the Westwood Plateau residential community and golf course, though several neighbourhood streets, including Deer's Leap Place and Carousel Court, are named after the track's toughest sections as a nod to its history.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

No events have been held at Westwood since its closure in 1990; the site is now entirely residential. In its active decades it hosted the Formula Atlantic Championship continuously from 1971 to 1990, the Trans-Am Series from 1977 to 1980, the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1973-1974, and the Player's GM Challenge Series through its final seasons from 1987 to 1990.

Getting there and parking

The former circuit site is now the Westwood Plateau neighbourhood in Coquitlam, roughly 30-40 minutes east of downtown Vancouver by car; the residential streets follow the old track's footprint, and several are named for its corners. There is nothing left to visit in a motorsport sense, though enthusiasts sometimes walk or drive the neighbourhood to spot the street names that reference the old circuit.

• Vancouver International Airport (YVR) · about 45 min drive

Street names like Deer's Leap Place and Carousel Court in the Westwood Plateau neighbourhood mark where the circuit's toughest corners once ran.

Hotels and camping near Westwood Motorsport Park

There is no reason to plan accommodation specifically around the former Westwood site, since it is now purely residential; Vancouver, 30-40 minutes away, has the region's full range of hotels for anyone visiting the area for other reasons.

Where to look

Vancouver (30-40 minutes west) for the region's hotel options; the former track site is residential with no visitor accommodation.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

There is no track access of any kind at the former Westwood site; it closed permanently after its final race, a seven-hour endurance event, on October 8, 1990, and was subsequently demolished for the Westwood Plateau housing and golf development.

Lap records

Spectator guide

There is no spectator event to plan for at the former Westwood site; it is a residential neighbourhood today with no public motorsport activity or memorial event held there.

History of Westwood Motorsport Park

Canada's first purpose-built road course

Construction of Westwood began in 1957 on the southern slopes of Eagle Mountain in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and the circuit opened with its first race on July 26, 1959. Built and operated by the Sports Car Club of British Columbia, it was Canada's first purpose-built permanent road racing circuit, a 2.897 km (1.8 mi), 8-turn layout that used the hillside's natural elevation changes to create a genuinely challenging driver's track rather than a flat, artificial design.

Three decades of top-level racing

Over its 31 years of operation, Westwood became one of western Canada's premier motorsport venues, hosting the Formula Atlantic Championship every season from 1971 through 1990, the Trans-Am Series from 1977 to 1980, and the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1973 and 1974. The track's reputation drew an extraordinary list of talent through the paddock, including future Formula One world champion Keke Rosberg, Indianapolis 500 winners Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan, and Canadian legend Gilles Villeneuve, as well as Michael Andretti. The Player's GM Challenge Series carried the circuit through its final seasons in the late 1980s.

Closure and the Westwood Plateau

By the late 1980s it was clear that the Province of British Columbia, which owned the underlying land, did not intend to renew the Sports Car Club's lease and planned to sell the roughly 1,400-acre parcel for development. Westwood ran its last event, a seven-hour endurance race, on October 8, 1990, closing out three decades of racing. The land was subsequently developed into the Westwood Plateau residential community and golf course, and today several streets in the neighbourhood, including Deer's Leap Place and Carousel Court, carry the names of the circuit's most demanding corners, the only physical trace of Canada's pioneering road course.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Pacific Raceways · 225 km · road course
• The Ridge Motorsports Park · 230 km · road course
• Area 27 Motorsports Park · 237 km · road course
• Portland International Raceway · 413 km · road course