Shannonville Motorsport Park

Historic Ontario Road Racing Circuit Receives Upgrades from New Owners

Story by J. Wally Nesbitt

There comes a time when even the grandest of old ladies needs a bit of a facelift, something to brighten the appearance and inspire the masses.

For Shannonville Motorsports Park, the ‘Birthplace of Champions Since 1974’, the decision to upgrade was made in 2019 when The Motorsport Group, fronted by John Bondar and Steve Gidman, completed the purchase of the 146-acre, Shannonville, Ontario-area facility.

“It was a long process to get this deal completed,” admitted Bondar. “We actually began talking with (then owner) Jean Gauthier in the summer of 2015. I have been involved in motorsports in many ways, but this was a completely new venture for me and I wanted to learn some of the ‘dos and don’ts’ from other people in the business. Doing our due diligence, I spoke with Steve Nelson (son of SMP founder, John), Jack Boxstrom (former owner) and Alan Labrosse, who was the manager here before he went on to St. Eustache. We put together a list of improvements that needed to be done, and it was a pretty long list, and then the negotiations began. And I have to say, Mr. Gauthier was a tough negotiator.”

Five years of back-and-forth discussions eventually saw Bondar and Gidman receive the keys to the property in the fall of 2019.

Originally created as a motorcycle racing and training facility in 1974 by John Nelson, the track passed into the hands of competitor and car builder Jack Boxstrom in 1979 before ownership was then sold to developer Raymond David in 1986. Under David’s ownership, Shannonville Motorsports Park became a must-attend facility, largely in part due to its Spenard-David Racing School. With the financial bottom line of SMP showing well, the track once again changed hands in 1992 when it was purchased by Montreal accountant and businessman, Jean Gauthier.

Over the years, Shannonville Motorsport Park has grown in length from its original 1.8-km track, named the Nelson track in honour of the park’s founder. By combining this original section with another expansive stretch of asphalt, the 10-turn, 2.23-km ‘Fabi Track’, the 4.03-km ‘Long Track’ was created. A shortcut between turns one (Nelson) and seven on the Long Track resulted in a fourth configuration, the 2.47-km ‘Pro Track’.

A quarter-mile drag strip increased the facility’s appeal by utilizing the long (north) backstraight of the Fabi circuit.

Determined to revitalize their newly acquired “diamond in the rough” venue into an attractive sporting destination, Bondar and Gidman drew up a list of priorities that began with upgrading the Branding and Marketing. Radio and print ads in local media re-invigorated awareness and enthusiasm of the venue while landscaping across the southern breadth of the property, plus new colourful signage at the entranceway, provided a professional welcome for both competitors and visitors.

Landscaping and grading work was also done around the boundaries of the racing surface, providing larger, smoother and safer runoff areas in many of the turns, while at the same time eliminating drainage issues that had previously resulted in flooded portions of the track.

Bringing in the paving equipment, the western half of the paddock received a layer of asphalt, teams no longer in danger of losing parts and pieces in the grass. Paving was then done to the pre-grid area and in the damaged ninth turn, as well as in other spot locations.

“We were right on schedule with our strategic improvements and looking forward to continuing our plans in 2020. And then COVID hit,” said Bondar.

He continued, “we are a landlord as well, we have tenants renting portions of the property so that meant we had to keep up with the maintenance. We were able to chip away at the small things until the restrictions began to be lifted.”

Benefiting from a relatively slow re-introduction to racing activity, Bondar and the SMP staff eased into their new programs.

“It was a soft launch in 2020, there were no large numbers of participants, no spectators. Ironically, it allowed us to get up to speed with the business aspect without being overwhelmed. We built up participation as the summer went on and soon our racing schedules were where we wanted them according to our original plan.”

As the on-track numbers increasing in the motorcycle and car road racing fraternity, as well as in lapping days, there was also a growing interest in the drag racing and drifting sectors.

By 2022, the Shannonville daily calendar was booked virtually solid, with five rounds slated for the in-house Super Series motorcycle grassroots racing club, two appearances for the Vintage (VRRA) bikes, three weekends reserved for automobile road racing and four events on the docket for the drag racers.

(Above) The Nelson event centre, new track signage at the entrance and

landscaping on the south end of the property. Photo by Greg MacPherson

The long running Super Series provides championship competition for a wide range of motorcycle categories with two-wheeled action for everything from superbikes to sidecars. For the novice motorcycle riders, the SMP venue is also home to the Learning Curves riding school, where people can receive their M2 rider’s licence. For the car racers, there are events for the track’s own SuperCar Pirelli Challenge, a date reserved for the Lucky Dog endurance racing tour plus visits from the CASC-OR regional racers and the VARAC vintage competitors. The drag racers were granted four dates, this year’s events run under the guidance of Chuck Fram and the Race Windsor organizing body.

Noted Bondar, “Chuck has a strong background in organizing and promoting drag racing. He reached out to me, and I was extremely pleased to get him involved with our track. He has done an amazing job in attracting sponsors and participants, the car counts are better than they’ve ever been, and it shows with the numbers of spectators that have come through the gates.”

With track rentals now helping to pay the bills, SMP executives turned their thoughts to refurbishing another on-site venue.

The Spenard David Garage had sat virtually empty for several years, and it did not take much imagination to see the possibilities arising from a massive makeover.

Working through the early part of 2021, a new 4,000 square-foot Nelson Event Centre now stands near the entrance to the facility. Up to150 people can enjoy a large lounge enhanced with a fireplace plus a general display area and group meeting amenities.

“Our goal was to attract motorcycle and automotive manufacturers and offer them

(Above) The ribbon cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the Nelson Event Centre, with members of John Nelson’s family in attendance. Nelson founded SMP. (Below) SMP’s John Bondar (middle) and business partner Steve Gidman (right). Photos by Greg MacPherson

a place to showcase their products, host product releases and handle training opportunities,” explained Bondar. “We have space for racing clubs to host their banquets, and we’ve already got two weddings booked for the centre.”

He continued, “There are many tourist attractions in this area, everything from wineries to artisan cheese producers and craft breweries. We are looking to build on the area’s attractions that are already in place and make this into an exciting travel destination.”

For 2022 Shannonville Motorsport Park has track bookings running until the end of October. Bondar is content with his calendar and is not currently looking to expand the racing roster any time soon.

“Sure I’d love a World Superbike race or an IMSA SportsCar event, but that’s not going to happen. Shannonville is known as the Birthplace of Champions for a very good reason, this is the place where racers get their start. The list of SMP graduates is long and very, very impressive. It’s a very inviting circuit and a safe one, with not a lot of concrete walls. With our varied track configurations, we probably have the best layout in the country for testing and developing skills on both two wheels and four. That’s the aspect that we are working to maintain and develop.”

Having seen the sport of racing from both the participant and executive sides, Bondar is in the unique position to see what is necessary and attractive from the business and the competitive side of sport.

With his wife Dominique handling the marketing and merchandizing aspect and partner Steve Gidman quietly providing business advice, Bondar is able to focus on creating a better and brighter Shannonville Motorsports Park.

“We’ve knocked off the low-hanging fruit, now it’s time to upgrade the spectator amenities, relocate and repair some facilities and work on track repairs and paving.”

“From the responses from our racers and visitors, we know we’re moving in the right direction. It’s an on-going process, but as long as we can keep the smiles on our customers’ faces, we’re assured that our future is looking bright.” IT InsideTrackNews.com 49