51 replies to this topic

[Nathan]

Well JV finally has something to say that is of interest to me.

"1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has announced that his race circuit project Area 27 has been given the green light. The circuit is called Area 27, in tribute to his legendary father’s race number and will be a new complex built in the Canadian province of British Colombia.
 

There will be commercial buildings, driving schools, an ice kart track and a three mile circuit that was actually designed by Vill...eneuve Jr himself. The facility has been designed to accommodate the FIA regulations for future motorsport events and the group behind the project includes President Bill Drossos, Trevor Seibert and David King who all make up the management structure.

On Area 27’s official website Jacques said, “I have been lucky to race all over the globe on a diversity of tracks over the years. Some tracks were amazing for that single qually lap excitement of driving on the edge and pushing the limit. Other tracks provided for great races with incredible overtaking opportunities. With all these options for rushes of adrenalin, there were also the tracks that seemed to lack soul or excitement. I have always relished the challenge of designing an exciting track, taking into account the single lap excitement, combined with wheel-to-wheel racing opportunities, all while avoiding the pitfalls of the uninteresting tracks. The goal is to design a track I would be proud of getting pole position on, where the fans would also enjoy watching an exciting race.”
 

As to co-founder Drossos inspiration behind the new faciity: “When I was a kid I saw Gilles Villeneuve win the Canadian Grand Prix (1978), and from that moment on all I wanted to do was drive a race car on a road circuit. My first opportunity came right after high school, when I competed in the F2000 Championship for two seasons at the Richard Spenard Racing School. When I returned to British Columbia I formed my own professional racing team to enter the highly competitive GM Motorsport series. It was during those early days in motorsports where I met and established friendships with the co-founders of Area 27.”
 

“Two years ago when returning from skiing at Mt. Baldy, I saw the perfect piece of land for a motorsports country club. I met with Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band, and he personally gave me a tour of the land and showed me an even better site for the club. Then it was a matter of calling my old friends and convincing them that a Country Club track was a good idea.”

I'm too dumb to post pics here, here is a link to a rendition...




Info on Osoyoos...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osoyoos

[taran]

When has JV ever stayed the course in recent years? He starts a project and then abandons it.

I'd be amazed if the track ever opened for business with JV still involved.

[revmeister]

When has JV ever stayed the course in recent years? He starts a project and then abandons it.
I'd be amazed if the track ever opened for business with JV still involved.

What projects has he started and abandoned?
You doing something better?

[Lights]

Ironically Area 27 reminds me of Jerez.

[noikeee]

Upside is if they also want to use the facility to hold concerts they already have a singer.

[MikeV1987]

Looks flat, use some of that elevation plz.

[BlinkyMcSquinty]

This appears genuine. All the major players are avid racers and car nuts, and each has expertise in important areas. Jacques, the racer. Trevor Siebert a quality racer and now in heavy construction. http://www.lakeexcav...trevor-seibert/ David King real estate And Bill Drossos car clubs. They appear to have a sane financial plan, and lots of support from the local heavy-hitter car enthusiasts.

 

http://www.area27.ca/

[Jimisgod]

Reminds me a bit of Estoril or Bahrain meets Hungaroring.

Is that an airstrip nearby?

[jonpollak]

When has JV ever stayed the course in recent years?

How 'bout last years Indy 500...?
Do a little research before inserting that foot in your mouth.
 
 
 
Looks fast and flowing
BC needs a good facility
Good luck JV
 
 
 
Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 21 January 2015 - 15:03.

[Jovanotti]

This appears genuine. All the major players are avid racers and car nuts, and each has expertise in important areas. Jacques, the racer. Trevor Siebert a quality racer and now in heavy construction. http://www.lakeexcav...trevor-seibert/ David King real estate And Bill Drossos car clubs. They appear to have a sane financial plan, and lots of support from the local heavy-hitter car enthusiasts.

 

http://www.area27.ca/

Indeed, they even got the guitar man for the entertainment section.

[Muppetmad]

From the video, the circuit actually looks very cool; lots of subtle undulation changes at just the right moments. I'm cautiously impressed.

[balmybaldwin]

Looks rubbish, why build this when Canada already has a dam good F1 track?  just sort out some of the facilities there

[Disgrace]

Right - why shouldn't Britain demolish all circuits other than Silverstone? It "already has a damn good F1 track".

[Gilles4Ever]

Looks rubbish, why build this when Canada already has a dam good F1 track?  just sort out some of the facilities there

I very much doubt they intend hosting a F1 race.

[jonpollak]

Well, he IS balmy..

Jp

[Ben1445]

I think it looks like quite a good layout, if a touch long...other than that more appealing than some recent F1 tracks 

[WalterTrout]

Great idea but its in the middle of nowhere!

[FredrikB]

Great idea but its in the middle of nowhere!

 

That's where you have to build a racetrack these days, because of all the noise complaints... 

[WalterTrout]

That's where you have to build a racetrack these days, because of all the noise complaints... 

 

Sure, but if you understand the scale of Canada the middle of nowhere is different to the rest of the world. This facility is about 400km from Vancouver and on the existing roads its close to a 5hr drive.

[Clatter]

Sure, but if you understand the scale of Canada the middle of nowhere is different to the rest of the world. This facility is about 400km from Vancouver and on the existing roads its close to a 5hr drive.

This is what I thought when trying to see where it was. Will they really be able to attract people there?

[WalterTrout]

This is what I thought when trying to see where it was. Will they really be able to attract people there?

 

Well its a "club" so I suppose if you have enough money you can just use your chopper to get there.

[Clatter]

Are there enough people willing to do that to actually turn a profit? 

[rage2]

The project has been going for a while now. JV is a minor partner. The location is about 1.5h drive from Kelowna, where wealthy western Canadians stay in the summer, and where many of their exotics are stored. It's a haven for Ferrari and Lambos, and other track toys. So while it's in the middle of nowhere, it's close proximity to it's targeted clientele. Think of Kelowna as the Hamptons of Western Canada.

 

The track is a golf club membership style track, and restricted to members. It's not a business model designed to host large scale events.

Edited by rage2, 21 January 2015 - 17:11.

[917k]

I think it looks like quite a good layout, if a touch long...other than that more appealing than some recent F1 tracks 

 

If Tilke built this, there would be a 20 page thread on how **** the place was........

[Nathan]

Climate wise that's about the best spot you can find in Canada, very touristy, vineyards, and well within driving distance of wealthy cities like Vancouver and Calgary.

 

I wonder if it is being build on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve? Perhaps a typical for BC 99 year land lease?

[DinosaursRoarForHugs]

Which browser are you using to watch it? I'm on chrome and it just won't play

[FNG]

This is smack dab in the middle of Canada's major wine growing country. Lot's of people in the area with Kelowna, Penticton and Osoyoos. Many plane flights going in and out of the area. This could work. As a Vancouver boy I'm very excited about this.

[rage2]

If Tilke built this, there would be a 20 page thread on how **** the place was........

Tilke designed one of our 2 local track projects.

 

http://www.rockyview...m/track-design/

 

 

Who knows though how our projects are going to pan out, tons of NIMBY opposition, and oil prices tanking. Nobody's going to be able to afford a membership by next year lol.

[fastlegs]

For people who are not familiar with this part of the world, the Oliver / Osoyoos region has the only desert terrain in Canada.

 

It's a continuation of the Sonoran Desert that extends right up from Mexico to the Okanagan Region of British Columbia.

 

The town of Osoyoos in right on the USA border and Oliver is about 20 km north of the border.

 

I spend a lot of time up in that region and I can tell you it's one of the most beautiful parts of British Columbia.

[sabjit]

*Track designer wannabe cap on.

 

Usual complaints here. Corners are too long making overtaking on the outside impossible, big stops not followed by a quick left right combination to allow a further overtaking opportunity after them and also, corners are all the same speed by the looks of them except for the shallow ones which require no braking. No overtaking will be happening on that circuit, corners follow each other too quickly and the ones after lengthy straights (big stops) are too long meaning the car on the inside will always emerge in front. A corner like that is only acceptable if there is another corner shortly after and in the opposite direction like the Senna S at Brazil or the Brooklands and Luffield complex at Silverstone.

 

And before someone shows me Kimi's and Lewis' overtakes into turn one at Suzuka, (the perfect example of the type of corner I don't like) there is a reason why those overtakes are considered exceptional.

 

So nope, not for cars this circuit, let alone an F1 race. Motorbikes might be good for it.

[fastlegs]

As far as access to Oliver, there is a freeway from the Metro Vancouver area that goes right up to the Okanagan Valley. From downtown Vancouver it's about a 4-1/2 hour drive.

 

Just 42 km north of Oliver is the city of Penticton which has a population of 32,000 residents and it's airport has a 6000 ft runway that can easily handle 737 jets.

 

The largest city in the Okanagan Valley is Kelowna which is about 100 km north of Oliver and about a 1-1/2 hour drive.

 

Kelowna has a population of 142,000 residents and a international airport with direct flights to and from the rest of Canada and the USA.

[Ben1445]

If Tilke built this, there would be a 20 page thread on how **** the place was........

I think Tilke just has a certain style which is actually pretty much fine, it just seems to be that it's everywhere and that's what makes it so irritating. You need the variety in there...

[ehagar]

Sure, but if you understand the scale of Canada the middle of nowhere is different to the rest of the world. This facility is about 400km from Vancouver and on the existing roads its close to a 5hr drive.

 

The failed Active Mountain Raceway project in Merritt made more sense.  It had easy access being just of the Coquihalla, and it was only a 3 hour drive from Vancouver. 

 

I hope Badlands and/or Rockyview come to fruition, but there are many hurdles ahead.

[BlinkyMcSquinty]

Looks rubbish, why build this when Canada already has a dam good F1 track?  just sort out some of the facilities there

They have no pretense of making this appealing to Formula One. The first phase is similar to Okayama, primarily a private track for the wealthy. Vancouver has some heavy hitters on the west coast, car clubs and dedicated interest. If you check out their web site at http://www.area27.ca/ there are plans to accommodate the "wealthy elite". Drop by for the weekend at five star accommodations, private parking for your Ferrari or whatever, drive around the track during the day and sip Chianti and bang the trophy wife in the evening.

 

 

The following phases, "if you build it they will come" will attract local races, optimistically leading to national or even international level events. Although their intentions were released to the world press, they intend to start small and grow slowly, instead of some failed attempts to start big.

[Jimisgod]

Tilke designed one of our 2 local track projects.

http://www.rockyview...m/track-design/



Who knows though how our projects are going to pan out, tons of NIMBY opposition, and oil prices tanking. Nobody's going to be able to afford a membership by next year lol.

There's just something irritating about the final sector on that track. And the corner with 3 apexes.

Tilke's best was Istanbul and the rest since have been dull and bland.

[dbltop]

How can anybody complain about a new circuit being built anywhere? In the whole ****ing world? I'm sorry but that just pisses me off. Yes Canada has an F1 track already and it's only about 4600 kilometers away from this planned facility.  I hope that Villeneuve and his partners succeed in building Area 27. I don't believe there can be too many race tracks.

[V8 Fireworks]

Looks rubbish, why build this when Canada already has a dam good F1 track?  just sort out some of the facilities there

 

This is a permanent CLUB circuit.  You know for track day fans to bring their NSX, Mitsubishi etc and have some fun.

 

 

Not a temporary F1 track!!

[taran]

What projects has he started and abandoned?
You doing something better?

 

Yeez, fanboy much?

 

Name me one series he has actually seriously and professionally (e.g. go the distance) competed in since F1. He's done sportscars, nascar, V8, rallyX etc. but never more than a few races. It's as if he failes to get pole and a possible win in the first race and then gives up on the series....

 

This race track just seems his latest shiny bauble moment.

[Speedscenes]

Anything's better than Valencia 

[thiscocks]

How 'bout last years Indy 500...?
Do a little research before inserting that foot in your mouth.
 
 
 
Looks fast and flowing
BC needs a good facility
Good luck JV
 
 
 
Jp

Car needs its wheels balancing

[ANF]

How 'bout last years Indy 500...?
Do a little research before inserting that foot in your mouth.
 
 
 
Looks fast and flowing
BC needs a good facility
Good luck JV
 
 
 
Jp

It looks absolutely fabulous! Would love to watch it in an Indycar.

[revmeister]

Yeez, fanboy much?

Name me one series he has actually seriously and professionally (e.g. go the distance) competed in since F1. He's done sportscars, nascar, V8, rallyX etc. but never more than a few races. It's as if he failes to get pole and a possible win in the first race and then gives up on the series....

This race track just seems his latest shiny bauble moment.

You won't find too many F1 champions who made careers of lower series after they retire. However people who never miss a chance to slag another human being that they never even met seem to be plentiful. You still didn't mention what your other accomplishments are that set you above Jacques.

[chunder27]

Really?  You are actually trying to say you can't comment on a bloke becasue you haven't done the same things? That argument fell out of the water many yeras ago on forums fella, get real.

 

Try talking to Andy Scott who employed him last year for WRX, this retired businessman beat him every time they raced together and then happy baldy slagged off the car, the team and just about everything else without really admitting the fact that his desire to race anything if he was being paid was the real reason he was utter garbage! Not to mention getting batered by Carpentier in his 'home' (having lived most of his life in tax haven Monaco) round in Trois Riviers.

 

Very few folk have much time for him, he is a loud mouth, insincere and rather sad when you think what he achieved and how he got there.

[jonpollak]

Oh dear...Mention of JV on an internet bulletin board...and the perennial,benighted diss-fest which accompanies it.

Very few folk have much time for him, he is a loud mouth, insincere and rather sad when you think what he achieved and how he got there.

Very few folk know of what they speak, as made obvious by this statement above.

What is YOUR personal experience of the man?

Somehow I doubt you have any, but I can give you a catalog of people who have and think just the opposite.

 

Jp

[B Squared]

Oh dear...Mention of JV on an internet bulletin board...and the perennial,benighted diss-fest which accompanies it.

Very few folk know of what they speak, as made obvious by this statement above.

What is YOUR personal experience of the man?

Somehow I doubt you have any, but I can give you a catalog of people who have and think just the opposite.

 

 

Thank you Jon.

Edited by B Squared, 22 January 2015 - 13:22.

[chunder27]

It seems we have found a corner of Autosport that has a bit of a love in for Jacques then eh?

 

All I can go on is opinion from talking to friends, race fans and fellow racers.

 

If that means nothing then I bow to you clearly non biased fact ridden knowledge lol!

[B Squared]

It seems we have found a corner of Autosport that has a bit of a love in for Jacques then eh?

 

All I can go on is opinion from talking to friends, race fans and fellow racers.

 

If that means nothing then I bow to you clearly non biased fact ridden knowledge lol!

I met him when I worked for CART and he raced in their series. Our few times of interaction were friendly and respectful. I try to judge people on how they actually are in my dealings with them instead of listening to gossip, rumor and innuendo.

[fastlegs]

It seems we have found a corner of Autosport that has a bit of a love in for Jacques then eh?

 

All I can go on is opinion from talking to friends, race fans and fellow racers.

 

If that means nothing then I bow to you clearly non biased fact ridden knowledge lol!

 

I think it's time for you to slither back under your rock or look for another thread to troll. 

[loki]

Are there enough people willing to do that to actually turn a profit? 

Yes.  Most of the new tracks being build in North America are country club tracks.  They throw in some track rentals every now and again to car and race clubs as well as corporate events.  The growth here is in track days not so much wheel to wheel racing.

[ehagar]

How can anybody complain about a new circuit being built anywhere? In the whole ****ing world? I'm sorry but that just pisses me off. Yes Canada has an F1 track already and it's only about 4600 kilometers away from this planned facility.  I hope that Villeneuve and his partners succeed in building Area 27. I don't believe there can be too many race tracks.

 

Agreed. Western Canada in particular has very few options. Right now there is only Mission (BC), Castrol Raceway (Edmonton), or Gimli (Manitoba) when it comes to club level motorsport.

 

I wouldn't get too fussed about the layout. Any new track should keep in mind what it's expected participants are going to be and tailor the layout for their safety.

Edited by ehagar, 22 January 2015 - 19:44.