Non-profit on track for new speedway in the Capital Region

New race track on the way Island race fans may be getting a boost of octane for Christmas. Plans for a new race track are in the works.

Langford, B.C. — Island race fans may be getting a boost of octane next year in the form of a brand new race track, if a suitable location can be found.

The non-profit group Vancouver Island Safe Speed Association (VISSA) is aiming to fill the void that will be left when Westshore Speedway (formerly known as Western Speedway) closes next season.

The group says it is looking for about 33 hectares of land to build an oval track for stock car racing, with the flexibility to also be used as a road circuit.

Plans also call for a drag strip, a grandstand for thousands of fans, ample parking and an RV campground.

It all hinges on finding that perfect spot to lay some rubber.

“Is it something big? Yes. Is it something that’s going to take awhile? Yes. Is it something Vancouver Island needs? Yes,” says Steve Copp, president of Vancouver Island Safe Speed Association.

“We are coming off of some 50 or 60 years of racing in Langford at Western Speedway and that’s what we’re trying to do, we’re trying to keep it going and keep it moving.”

The City of Langford has $2.5 million set aside for any non-profit organization that is willing and able to build and operate a track.

VISSA says the goal is to have a location nailed down by next fall, with the new track open in time for the 2023 season.

Copp says the cost of the new speedway, when fully built out, could be as much as $20 million to $25 million, but he argues it would be a huge economic boost to the local economy.

“It’s not just racing,” the VISSA President said. “It’s all that comes along with racing. It’s a huge, huge, huge thing and it’s well needed in this community.”

The current Westshore Speedway is closing after next season for a redevelopment project that will include homes and businesses.

The developers, Strand Properties Corp. and Bastion Development Corp, have provided the $2.5 million in funding towards the relocation of the popular race track.

VISSA is made up of local business owners, racing enthusiasts and those with a desire to see the tradition of racing continue in the region.

If you want to help the Vancouver Island Safe Speed Association, it’s taking donations on its website.