August 23rd, 24th and 25th, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will host the VRRA Vintage Festival. One visit to this weekend of classic racing will have you hooked.
The Vintage Road Racing Association puts on an incredible racing extravaganza. The club has an incredible array of machines, some of which were built before Mosport’s first event back in 1961.
The Vintage Festival has become one of the biggest gatherings of rare motorcycles. With race classes like Pre-1950, Pre-1965, Sidecar and Vintage GP, fans can expect fantastic race bikes navigating one of the most challenging tracks in the world. At 3.957 kms, Mosport is the longest track of the four VRRA rounds.
The 750 acre, multi-track facility will also see hundreds of “I rode mine” vintage bikes on display near the restaurant. You owe it to yourself to come out and see some of the most beautifully prepared bikes in North America.
One of the racers in the five-way tie for the number one plate this year, Paul Brubaker, has been winning races this season, on the ‘McHardy Norton Domiracer’. This 1961 model, built by team owner Roger McHardy, has a built-from-scratch billet crank and a frame he bent and welded himself. McHardy’s passion is immeasurable and Brubaker’s wins are a testament to his work.
A key name in the Canadian motorcycle industry, Tim Stover, spent the winter making over his 1975 Honda CB500 twin. This beautiful race bike will have you dreaming of your own café racer build. And if Honda race replicas grab your attention, Scott Martin has museum quality builds that can be seen pushed to the limit in three different race classes. His 1970 CR750, 1979 RCB1000 or RC31 are all very rare.
And where else can you see sidecar racing? Get yourself to one of Mosport’s many great corners and watch in awe as these racers, just inches from the ground, drift past you doing battle. The track has over 50 years of racing history and the VRRA encompasses over 50 years of different makes and models of race bikes and sidecars.
Racing on his Kawasaki, Rick Yates took a rather beat up enduro F7 and built it into a magnificent single-cylinder, two-stroke work of art. Racing against other late ‘60s models in the Period 1-200 class, the bike even sounds great through the stingers (two stoke racing mufflers) which he made himself.
$30 gets you in for the entire weekend and includes camping, all the facilities and live music on Saturday night by Tyler Wilson. Or you can come for the day and let the VRRA pull you into the world of vintage racing.
60-plus years of bikes, in a club more than 30 years old, on a track with over 50 years of racing history. Seems like the place to be…
Catch the vintage fever this 23rd, 24th and 25th of August at Canada’s premier race track. It’s a weekend festival not to be missed.
— By Brian Lourenco, for the VRRA
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