MOSPORT readied for another great racing season

BOWMANVILLE, ON (April 19, 2007) ­ With less than thirty days left before a busy new racing season begins, ground crews at Mosport International Raceway are hard at work preparing the tracks for a summer schedule that will include the only Canadian round in the prestigious American Le Mans Series for exotic prototype and GT sports cars and two races from the new NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (formerly CASCAR Super Series). Tickets for all events are now on sale.

"We're excited about the upcoming schedule and the variety of racing that we've been able to put together. We have the best road racing lineup in Canada this season," said Myles Brandt, president and general manager of Mosport International Raceway. "The mix of both new and returning events will provide plenty of exciting entertainment for our fans, on and off the track this season."

The season kicks-off with a long-time Mosport tradition, the Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend (May 18-20). Racing includes the thundering muscle cars of the American GT Series and the Sundown Grand Prix endurance race for Touring and GT cars. Joining them will be the United States Endurance Racing Association (USERA) Spec Racer Challenge, along with rounds in the F1200 and Cup Lite Series. As the unofficial start to summer, the Victoria Day holiday is a big weekend for camping, music and fireworks, and all are important parts of Mosport’s SpeedFest.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, makes its Mosport debut on Father’s Day weekend (June 15-17) for The Clarington 200 presented by Canadian Shield Anticrime Response Corporation on the road course. Joining the stock cars in the second half of the twin-bill will be the U.S. based Grand-Am KONI Challenge featuring domestic and imported high performance sedans competing in separate races for the GS and ST races.

Mosport takes a step back in time and celebrates the past with the 28th Annual International Vintage Racing Festival (June 22-24). Organized by the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada (VARAC), this is Canada’s premier historic racing event and includes cars from Mosport’s storied past. A special highlight of this year’s Festival is an F1 reunion that will mark the 40th anniversary of the first Canadian Grand Prix, which was held at Mosport.

Motorcycles take centre-stage, July 13-15, for the Canadian Superbike Doubleheader Weekend, as the country’s top riders and teams from the Parts Canada Superbike Championship compete in their only Toronto-area stop of the season. In addition to factory-supported Superbikes from the likes of Suzuki and Yamaha, Canada’s biggest motorcycle race of the year includes the Pro 600 Sport Bikes and the fast-growing Canadian Thunder Series for Buell, BMW and Ducati production-based sport bikes.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series returns for an August 11 date on Canada’s fastest ½ mile oval in the Full Throttle Energy Drink 200 presented by Canadian Shield Anticrime Response Corporation.

The summer racing season wraps-up with Mobil 1 presents The Grand Prix of Mosport (Aug.23-26), Canada's biggest sports car race of the year. Last year more than 70,000 enjoyed three exciting days of sports car and open wheel racing at a circuit that’s recognized by drivers as one of the finest and most challenging road courses in the world.

In this year's featured American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race, two Canadian drivers headline a highly competitive field. In what may be his final ALMS appearance at Mosport, Mississauga's Ron Fellows returns to his home track to drive for the Corvette Racing factory team in the GT1 class. One of the most decorated, respected and well-liked drivers in motorsports, Fellows is one of the greatest drivers Canada has ever produced. Among his many accomplishments in ALMS are three GT1 championships and 56 podium finishes (the most in series history).

Toronto native and series veteran Scott Maxwell also makes his return to Mosport and will once again drive for the Panoz factory team in the GT2 class. Now in his ninth season with ALMS, Maxwell is one of the few drivers who has won his class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours. He has also won in two different classes.

In additional to the Le Mans Series race, the line-up includes the SPEED World Challenge GT and Touring Series, the IMSA GT3 Cup for Porsches, IMSA Lites and two North American open-wheel classes, the Star Mazda Series and Formula BMW.

Specially priced advance weekend SuperTickets and camping passes can be purchased online at mosport.com and ticketmaster.ca or by calling the Mosport Ticket Hotline (1-800-866-1072).

Since 1961, Mosport International Raceway has been Canada’s Home of Motorsports. Located less than an hour east of Toronto, this 750-acre, multi-purpose facility boasts a 4-kilometre road course, a 2.4 kilometre driver development centre with skid pad, a 1.4 km kart circuit and a half-mile paved oval.

Click here to see Mosport's 2007 major event schedule

For Further Information: Lee Bailie 1-800-866-1072 (ext.306) // Jerry Priddle 1-800-866-1072 (ext.305)