NEAR OLIVER — The South Okanagan may soon be home to Canada’s first motorsport country club. South Okanangan Motorsports Corporation (SOMC) has recently received approval from the Osoyoos Indian Band to build a racetrack facility on reserve land near Oliver.
“This was a major milestone to achieve this designation. Now it is up to us to get everything in order and get on with construction,” says SOMC founder Bill Drossos.
The facility is called Area 27. It will allow motorsport enthusiasts to speed with impunity.
The circuit’s designer is none other than Canadian racing legend Jacques Villeneuve.
“Since I was five or six, I was always playing with little cars and making racetracks — that’s always been a interest of mine,” says Villeneuve in a 2013 interview with Global News.
Chief Clarence Louie says Area 27 will provide many economic spin-offs for both the Osoyoos band and surrounding communities.
“When you have car shows, you see the amount of cars, people and money it brings to the Okanagan,” explains Chief Louie.
Oliver mayor Ron Hovanes congratulates the Chief on helping to diversify the economy.
“We are very blessed to have the Osoyoos Indian Band as our neighbours and partners in many things, but this is another economic initiative that the Osoyoos Indian Band is doing,” says Hovanes.
The proposed site has been used to grow corn and hay for more than 30 years, now Chief Louie hopes it will be used to grow the local economy.
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