Author: SMP

Shannonville, ON, May 15, 2020 – We were fortunate to receive some positive news regarding the reopening of our facility.  The Ontario government announced that our on-track activities could resume as early as Tuesday, May 19, 2020. 

This announcement follows a concerted effort made by many Ontario track promoters to get our story heard at the highest levels within the Ontario government. As our activities are distinct within the tourism industry, joining our voices helped considerably. We are grateful to be part of the Ontario Motor Sports Promoters alliance, comprised of 37 facilities, during this unique situation.

“In this initial step for reopening, we will be using guidelines presented in our Back to the Track initiative to safely host track days or practice events with limited competitors and minimal staff, and gradually progress into racing. There will certainly be a new normal when our doors open, and we will be asking everyone to be cautious and respectful. Most of our COVID-19 safety precautions are in place but there are some additional landscaping and paving items to be completed before we open the track,” confirmed John Bondar, President of Shannonville Motorsport Park.

All participants will be required to follow safety guidelines regarding social distancing and proper health measures to limit or eliminate exposure to possible respiratory illness.

We will be updating our website regularly and add all the pertinent information relating to our facility. We anticipate that we will be operational by the beginning of June.  Please watch for additional updates on our website and on our Facebook page.

John Bondar
President

Shannonville, Ontario, October 25, 2019 – As new ownership takes on the revitalization of Shannonville Motorsport Park (Shannonville), a new corporate structure is established. The existing Shannonville entity known as RACE Events Inc. will now see itself restructured as a racing management organization.

With the amalgamation of both Corner2 Inc. and RACE Events Inc. activities, the RACE Events organization now owns and operates all racing series previously and seperately owned by both. As such, CTCC presented by Pirelli, Super Series and F4 Cup are smoothly transitioning under the new banner. All upcomming series will be operated under the RACE Events division.

“As we move forward, we are implementing a structure and a vision that we believe in. It makes sense to build a racing management division that will provide growth for our company and for Canadian motorsport in general. The future looks very promising and I see this as an opportunity to develop new partnerships at a higher level ”, affirms Dominique Bondar, General Manager of RACE Events.

The normal operations of each series will not be affected. In time, overall processes will become unified for consistency. In addition, a Web portal will be created to gather together all racing brands, calendars and links to respective websites. The new portal will be located at www.raceevents.ca and should be live within a few weeks.

About RACE Events

RACE Event is Canada’s premier motorsports organization advancing sports car, single seater and motorcycle racing. It owns and manages the premier sports car series CTCC presented by Pirelli, the single seater F4 Cup, the motorcycle Super Series as well as other exciting series competing at Canada’s best circuits.

Shannonville, Ontario, October 11, 2019 – It is with great pleasure that we are announcing today that John Bondar and Steve Gidman have acquired the long-time privately-held Shannonville Motorsport Park (Shannonville). The new Bondar/Gidman team plans to revitalize what is widely known as the Birthplace of Champions! 

Shannonville is one of the few multi-purpose motorsport facilities in Canada. Sitting on 146 acres, it features a 4.03km multi-configurable racetrack, a go-kart track, a drag strip and a skid pad with three grandstands overlooking the main track. 

The new management team will provide a new vision and energy to build the facility into a multi-use event hub with an emphasis on corporate events while keeping a dedication to driving/racing/training programs. The facility is uniquely located approximately equidistant between Montreal and Toronto which allows it to attract customers from the two key markets in Eastern Canada.  Also, conveniently close to the international border, it provides access to the northeast United States, adding to its potential market another two million people within a three-hour drive of the facility. 

“There is a lot to be done and we will chip away at it. Our strategic plan will address the needs of our customers.  Shannonville will change the way people think about a motorsport park.  We believe in providing a stimulating and comprehensive experience that will inspire our future generations of Champions.  With a focus on excellence, our vision is to grow Canadian motorsport by creating a facility that will benefit the racing community. We have turned a historic page.  I am proud to be part of this transformation and I am grateful that Steve has joined me in this thrilling endeavour,” shared John Bondar, Managing Partner of Shannonville Motorsport Park.

“John and I share a great enthusiasm for motorsports and I look forward to working together to create a revitalized Shannonville Motorsport Park.  There’s plenty of work ahead and it will take time, but the result will be worth the wait,” explained Steve Gidman, Partner of Shannonville Motorsport Park.

Shannonville has a long and rich history in the Canadian racing industry. Here are a few historic milestones:

1974 – John Nelson builds the racetrack to organize motorcycle race events.

1979 – Jack Boxstrom buys the facility. Mr. Boxstrom operated car racing schools and motorcycle racing schools until he eventually sold the racing property.

1986 – Val David Motorsport Group (Raymond David) acquires Shannonville.  Mr. David made substantial improvements and invested significantly. From that moment, Shannonville Motorsport Park became very successful and an important player in the motorsport industry. It was the go-to place for many years, where future racing champions were trained to be the best.

1992 – While at its peak, Jean Gauthier saw a very profitable opportunity and purchased the racing facility.  

2019 – The Motorsport Group Inc. (John Bondar and Steve Gidman) acquires Shannonville Motorsport Park.

The new management team will take on their new role immediately. More details on renovation plans and overall improvements will be available soon.

About John Bondar

Driven from genuine passion, John has been involved in motorsport for over thirty years.  From early beginnings as a track marshal, he then raced at the amateur level with his father as the team mechanic. A few years later, he explored the administration of motorsport in Canada.  From 2003 to 2007, John was the President of CASC Ontario Region. While serving on the national advisory board, he became a trusted mentor to the other Regions across Canada and he has also been called upon by the Minister of Transportation Ontario to provide expertise in strategies to curb street racing activities.

 In 2007, John launched the Canadian Touring Car Championship (CTCC) and has grown it into the premiere Canadian sports car racing series that we know today.

About Steve Gidman

Steve was brought up in a family that modified everything with wheels to go faster and occasionally they still worked!  Steve began racing Formula Libre in the early ‘80s including numerous trips to Shannonville.  After taking a 30 year hiatus to raise a family and grow a technology business, Steve returned to racing in vintage sports cars.