If you have the need for speed and a hot set of wheels to go along with it, a brand new racetrack is getting set to open north of Calgary.
The Rocky Mountain Motorsports Race Circuit in Carstairs offers drivers 3.5 kilometres of freshly paved concrete as well as 16 turns and straightaways where you can open up your engine in a way that otherwise might land you in trouble.
Drivers will be required to wear a helmet and long sleeves, and their vehicles must be deemed mechanically sound before being able to use the track.
“We’ll do a check-out process to find out where you fit in terms of novice, intermediate, expert — whatever it might be,” says the track’s operations manager Shadi El Hage.
El Hage says having similarly skilled drivers together on the track will ensure everyone is safe.
The raceway has been in development for six years and is the passion project of Rocky Mountain Motorsports president Dominic Young.
“Our level of excitement probably couldn’t be higher,” says Young. “We’re even looking forward to doing some sound testing with some of our members this year if the weather holds up a little bit.”
Membership to the track won’t be cheap.
According to Young, there will be three tiers of membership, two in the 10s of thousands of dollars and the other at $250,000, but that does come with investment in the raceway.
El Hage says part of the track’s allure is to give people a safe place to bring their high-performance cars while also playing a positive role in reducing illegal street racing.
“One of the key points of the facility is to give people an opportunity who have their exotic vehicles that can far exceed the speed limits of the city or around the province,” he says.
The track has a few more regulations to meet before its expected opening date in spring 2022.