Members of the Ottawa SportsCar Club are blessed with many options to go racing, with a wide range of costs and requirements.

Calabogie Challenge

Calabogie Motorsports Park hosts the Calabogie Challenge Race Series. For sedans, there are 2 series – the CMP GT Challenge and the CMP Platinum Challenge. In addition, there is the CMP Libre Challenge series for Formula and open-wheel race cars and Sports Racers. None of the series requires a race licence. The events are in the evening, making it easy to race and get back home.

The CMP GT Challenge as the best entry-level racing series. GT Challenge is typically street cars with the lowest requirements. It uses a point-by passing which means that it builds the skills of awareness and reduces the chance of any contact (which is strictly forbidden). 

The CMP Platinum Challenge is more typically fully-prepared race cars that are brought to the track on a trailer (or are stored in garages at the track). This series does not require point-bys for passing, so you will see some fantastic wheel-to-wheel competition.

The CMP Libre Challenge has a wide variety of purpose-built, open-wheel race cars, including Formula-1600, Radicals, Formula-3000, Legends cars, and many more. The Libre Challenge does use a point-by system, and Formula cars are available to rent from local race teams.

If you are not sure about the CMP Challenge series, why not come out to an event to see what they are about and meet some of the competitors?

CASC-OR

The Ottawa SportsCar Club is affiliated with CASC Ontario Region (CASC-OR), the motorsports governing body for Ontario. CASC-OR provides an 8-race weekend championship for nearly any race car, from Vintage and modern sedans, Formula 1600, Formula 1200, Formula Libre, and Radical. It is really ‘The Place To Race’. Three tracks are used for CASC-OR events – Calabogie Motorsports Park, Shannonville Motorsport Park (near Belleville), and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (née Mosport) in Bowmanville.

The competition in the CASC-OR classes is fierce, but our members have risen to the challenge and been class champions. Crystel Charest was the 2018 champion for PIRELLI GT5 in her pink Mini and was the OSCC 2018 ‘Competitor of the Year’.

Racing in CASC-OR events will require a race licence, which can be obtained from one of the accepted 2-day race schools. You will learn the basics of high-performance track driving and race craft, as well as a good foundation in the rulebook.

 

Other Options

Aside from CASC-OR, there are two other options available for our members.

Auto Sport Québec (ASQ) is the Quebec governing body, and they have race series similar to CASC-OR. In fact, one of their series, the Super Production Challenge, has events at all three of the Ontario tracks.

Ottawa is only 45 minutes from the US border, and only 4 hours to Watkins Glen. A few of our members compete with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Lime Rock Park, Pocono Racewayand many other tracks are also within a reasonable driving distance from Ottawa.