By: Ashley McCubbin

TORONTO, Ontario — The 3.957 km (2.459 mi), 10-turn road course in Bowmanville, Ontario is under new management as Peter Thomson, Chris Pfaff, and Alek Krstajic are now the owners of Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

For Pfaff, becoming involved with the track was an easy decision as it’s been “the one constant in my life since I was a little kid.”

“I’ve been going there since I was a kid and I keep going there,” he told News From The Pits. “So I have so many memories there. My dad used to in the 70s take the F1 drivers and he used to drive them around in that parade. Being there as a kid and hanging out for the weekend was great…..”

“I’ve been around CTMP my whole life,” Chris Pfaff told News From The Pits. “I know the facility, I know a little bit about motorsports business and I just sense an opportunity. I did it with great Partners that I really like and respect and we have to fit together to make something like this work which I’m excited about what the potential could be.”

These three individuals taking over the speedway is a welcome sight in knowing the track is remaining in Canadian hands, and with people whom have a passion for motorsports.

“It’s a passion project in some sense but they’re also still looking at it as making it a strong business as well and that’s really the combination I think we need,” James Hinchcliffe commented. “It’s got so much potential. There’s so many great ideas being floated and you’ve got you know 3 gentlemen there that know how to how to make a business strong and they’ve got the passion to make it want to make it work. So yeah it’s going to be a long-term project, and there’s going to be a lot of things that have to be done over the next sort of 12 and 24 months, but I couldn’t be happier with the group that took it over.”

The ownership is looking to expand and bring other great series to the track, including possibly bringing one of the top-three NASCAR divisions back. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visited the road course from 2013 to 2019. Pfaff told NFTP they had a meeting with NASCAR a couple weeks back, and they are very interested.

“So now we’re trying to make something fit,” he added. “2027 might be tough because they’re already locking in their schedule but we got to be real shot at 2028 and so we’re going to continue discussions. We love to have them, and I’d love to have Cup. To me, it would be phenomenal.”

The expansion at the track also includes the possibility of permanent grandstands, live TV screens throughout, making it easier to travel from one part of the facility to another, and taking advantage of the four seasons in Canada, unlike the current situation where the property sits unused from October to April. It is why there are already early discussions of the return of outdoor concerts and outdoor skiing on the facility.

Beyond the entertainment factor, the ownership group is interested in using the facility to make better drivers on the everyday streets.

“I’ve always said I really believe that kids need to get into a car and learn what it feels like when it’s spinning out which they can’t obviously do on the street and teaching them car control is so important,” Pfaff explained. “I know I have young kids when they start driving they’re going right to the track to experience the skid pad and learn how to do that. I think we have a real opportunity at the track. Obviously we do driver training for the track, but we want to do driver training on the road and make better and safer drivers and have a really comprehensive program that will make parents feel good, will make insurance companies feel good and I’m very passionate about that.”

Growing the track was not only discussed, as the ownership group as well as the Ontario government have expressed in building the township of Clarington. This will include adding a visitor center and hotel commendations, as well as working with public transit to make the facility more accessible.

“People can’t just go to this thing and then be left without a transit option a transportation option and accommodation option what that results in if it’s not there is people maybe visiting once and not coming back and that’s not the idea of what we want to build here,” Hon. Stan Cho of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming explained. “A true destination has a story that’s continuous and makes sense that families people don’t have to think about that includes accommodation food options and of course transportation and transit options and what we’ve seen through the MINISTRY OF TOURISM culture support as well as the ministry of gaming and all these things that tie in together is that well. Sports tourism and attractions like this are big drivers of a $34 billion economy in Ontario that employs 300000 people.

“We see what the Jays did for example – I didn’t think I was ready talked about baseball yet – but what they did for our city and for our country with increased Go line and routes, as well as the addition of buses to places like the Canadian Open. We know that metro links has added a new bus route a commuter line that would actually be able to take you from the Go line to the venue itself. We’re willing to have those exact same types of discussions here at CTMP to make sure that people go into Bowmanville and have an option to actually get to the track and we’re willing to have those conversations immediately.”