A recent work trip took me to Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Quebec. If you haven’t heard of ICAR, I am not surprised. I myself only discovered ICAR recently in relation to another project I am working on. The fact that an unrelated work trip took me to the circuit was a happy coincidence. Since motorsports development and relevance has become a big interest of mine, I thought I would take a minute to note here what I discovered while visiting this makeshift circuit on the outskirts of Montreal.
While many race track builders, choose and purchase lands with the intent of developing them from scratch into motorsport facilities, spending 10’s or even hundreds of millions of dollars developing by-laws, re-zoning land and engineering surrounding infrastructure, Circuit ICAR is a mildly renovated airport.
Upon inception in 1975, the Mirabel Airport was projected to be the largest airport in the entire world! The project area covered a completely insane 98,000 acres. At the time it was an area even greater than the city of Montreal covered itself. Today it would be roughly half the size of the entire city of Calgary, and nearly 200 times the size of the Badlands Motorsports Resort project. Leave to it French Canadian construction contractors to muscle such an insane project through municipal approvals.
The Mirabel airport was however, only 35km away from Pierre Elliot Trudeau International, and passenger air traffic much preferred the location of the existing airport. Mirabel failed horribly. Much of the project lands were re-absorbed by local municipalities, or acquired by other organizations. Bombardier for example, built an assembly plant which is now immediately adjacent to the Circuit ICAR entrance. A small part of the area continues to operate as an airport, albeit for commercial freight only. In 2007 Circuit ICAR opened, and it now dominates the area, although signs of the areas history are clear. An abandoned HOTEL and the skeleton of an air terminal suggest that the track is probably as much a convenient usage for acres and acres of concrete and asphalt, as much as it is a facility that is actually desired.
And yet, Circuit ICAR is a busy and exciting place. The usual expected activities for a motorsport circuit include recreational lapping days and road racing, but ICAR also offers space for drifting, rally-x and auto-x as well. Beyond that, ICAR offers some programs that extend to more than just dedicated enthusiasts. An “exotic car” experience gives passers-by the thrill of a couple laps in a mid-engined Italian car with a local shoe in the passenger seat. There’s also tweaked up Mustangs for those who want a less-sanitized experience. In the winter months, a 4WD Rally car is available. If driving a high dollar car is beyond your budget though there is always karts… or helicopter tours… or an aerodium. Typical thrill seeker stuff. My team arrived at the circuit on a Sunday morning and found the place pleasantly busy at all stations.
But in addition to driving enthusiasts and thrill seekers, ICAR caters to every day drivers with driving schools that apply to commuters. Their team of shoes are very well versed in instruction relevant to what some might call more mundane driving, but driving on public roads is certainly just as hazardous as driving on a track can be… especially in Montreal. I’m talking about skid-control and accident avoidance, as well as winter drivers training. These are activities that are offered at many quality circuits, but are often forgotten or quickly dismissed when weighing the value of a new motorsports circuit project in a community.
In Alberta it’s been more than fifteen years since RCMP hosted any similar programming. None of our circuits have ever been presentable as a destination for anyone other than hair-brained enthusiasts willing to overlook dirty unkept lots and shit stained bathrooms. With Badlands Motorsports Resort in the early stages of development in Alberta, I’m excited to see it take the activity driven destination resort model one step further than even ICAR, with parks, other sports facilities and food and shopping as well as driving programs.