On Thanksgiving weekend in 1976, Nelson International Raceway (now Shannonville Motorsport Park) held its first motorcycle race. To honour this milestone, the Shannonville-based RACEMoto series is hosting the Nelson International Raceway 50th Anniversary Celebration, a mix of on-track competition and historical festivities, on the weekend of September 25-27.
The original seven-turn track, owned by former racer and Toronto dealership owner John Nelson, was completed just days before the inaugural event on October 10, 1976. Over the coming years and decades, through name and ownership changes, the circuit served a central role in the development of motorcycle competition and talent in Canada.
Primary sponsorship for the event will come from Economy Lube + Tire, including a $10,000 purse for Sunday’s Superbike feature race.
“John Nelson and the track he built were central to the incredible progress of motorcycle sport in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s,” explains Economy Lube + Tire principal, team owner and former racer Stephen Moxey. “this seems like the right time to celebrate that legacy 50 years later.”
The weekend features a full slate of RACEMoto qualifying and racing, highlighted by the big-money Superbike race on Sunday, plus activities focused on the original Nelson track and its late owner-operator John Nelson, who passed away in 2005.
Saturday’s program includes the FIM MiniGP Canada championship series finale, in which youth racers are competing to determine who will represent Canada at the World Championship in Valencia, Spain in November.
A special invite-only reception will be held after the races at the on-site Nelson Event Centre, hosted by legendary host Pat Gonsalves. Gonsalves, who announced that very first race in 1976, will interview former racers and personalities about their experiences racing at the track and their time with John Nelson. The event will be live-streamed.
The winner of the first race at Nelson International Raceway, former Canadian National Champ Jim Allen, will serve as grand marshal for the event. Riding for Toronto Yamaha dealer Ernie White, Allen took the feature class win fifty years ago on a unique Egli-framed TZ 750cc two-stroke machine.
Sunday will feature a full slate of RACEMoto sprint races in all professional and amateur categories. The feature Pro Superbike race will take place mid-afternoon, and be recorded for later broadcast on TSN.
In addition to the large payout, another notable feature of the race will be the “open tire” format. The prize fund, supplied by Economy Lube, includes $2,500 for the winner down to $250 for tenth overall in Sunday afternoon’s Feature race.
Unlike most national events, where a spec tire is mandated, competitors may choose whichever brand of tire they wish.
Veteran racer Eli Daccache of Newcastle, ON seeks to earn his 10th straight No. 1 plate at Shannonville aboard his Pirelli-shod Milwaukee Yamaha YZF-R1.
For more info on the event, visit https://racemoto.ca/50th-anniversary-of-motorcycle-racing-at-shannonville/
Economy Lube + Tire is an Ontario-based maintenance chain and a major player in North American motosports.
Shannonville Motorsport Park, the “Birthplace of Champions,” is a multi-faceted racing facility located in Shannonville, ON featuring a road course with multiple configurations, drag strip and skid pad.
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