CALGARY – The sometimes fiery debate over the fate of motorsports in Calgary will rev its engines again with one councillor organizing a task force of enthusiasts to sort out the future of the sport in Calgary.
While the task force isn’t being created to deal specifically with Race City, the fate of the oval, drag-strip and go-kart track in the city’s southeast is clearly a looming question given its lease will expire near the end of this year.
"A city the size of Calgary that does not have a motorsports facility is lacking," Councillor Shane Keating said Tuesday.
That future of Race City has placed a group of dedicated motorsport enthusiasts who want to keep using the track at odds with city administration who say the property is desperately needed for other functions.
Keating said Race City, which lies in his ward, may not be in the best location, but it is too early to discuss whether the city should spend any money to help build a new facility elsewhere.
The city’s director of waste and recycling services said the land where Race City sits is needed to expand the storm water management system of the adjacent Shepard landfill.
If that’s not done, Dave Griffiths said it could put the landfill in violation of its operating permits as the dump gets bigger. He said there is no way to compromise and keep Race City in place.
"They’ve tried to define their needs. We really had to define our needs and we really do need this back for it’s intended use as serving the broader municipality," he said in an interview.
The north part of the property is also slated to be used for a connector to Stoney Trail when the roadway is completed in that area, Griffiths added.
But closing Race City and replacing it with nothing would be a huge blow to motorsport enthusiasts in Alberta. It is reportedly one of the busiest tracks in the country.
Aristotle Tipouikidis is one of those motorbike racers. The 36-year-old, who began going to Race City years ago after too many speeding tickets, said the facility is getting into disrepair and suggests the ideal solution is to build a new one somewhere else.
"That track is aged, it hasn’t been maintained. I think they’re better off redoing a new one," Tipouikidis said, adding he believes having a track is important as it reduces the number of people racing on city streets.
But constructing a new facility is likely too expensive, according to Tim Johnson, the president of the Calgary Motorcycle Roadracing Association.
He is urging that some alternative be found to keep the oval in place, saying Race City is self-sufficient and benefits road safety, recreation, and the economy.
"The average citizen wouldn’t dream of shutting down all the hockey arenas or the swimming pools or other types of recreation facilities, even if they’re not a hockey player or a swimmer, because they realize the value in those types of facilities," he said.
Building a new track would cost anywhere between $20 million and $40 million, according to Art MacKenzie, the president of Race City, who wants everything to stay put. Race City, he said, attracts more than 2,000 buffs to its "Secret Street" program drag-racing nights.
He said just $500,000 in improvements to the oval track and drag strip would make them some of the best in the country. An investment of less than $10 million would bring it to a standard to host Indy car races, he said.
But for several years the future of Race City has been up in the air, and that’s meant little investment into upgrading the facility.
MacKenzie adds Race City has never received a cent from the city and pays $39,000 a year for the lease.
Last year, council extended Race City’s lease to December 2011. MacKenzie said the goal was to get beyond October’s municipal election.
"It does require a political solutions for motorsport to stay in Calgary," he said in an interview.
Keating wants to pull together motorsport enthusiasts in Calgary for a task force meeting on Jan. 27.
Calgary Herald
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