It鈥檚 the end of another tough week in the Canadian oilpatch, and a handful of energy industry executives need to let off steam and get some rest and relaxation.听
If Peter Trzewik has his way they won鈥檛 just head for libations at Calgary鈥檚 Petroleum Club, or speed off in their Porsches to their favourite luxury hotel in Banff. Instead, they鈥檒l fly to Victoria or Nanaimo before making their way to the Cowichan Valley for a weekend they鈥檒l never forget at the Vancouver Island Motorsport Resort.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 get picked up or take a rental car from the airport, drive to your hotel, have a nice dinner, stay overnight and the next morning go to the track, where your car will be waiting for you in the clubhouse,鈥� said the German Auto Import Network (GAIN) Vancouver Island president, explaining a typical scenario awaiting members once his Victoria-based car dealer group鈥檚 dream project is up and running by the spring of 2016.
The 19-hectare automotive resort has until recently been kept under wraps.
It鈥檚 being designed by Germany鈥檚 Tilke Engineers and Architects, the world鈥檚 foremost authority in track design, test facilities and driving clubs. Construction of the first phase of the 2.3-kilometre track (expandable to 4.2 kilometres) at 4063 Cowichan Valley Hwy. near Mount Prevost is underway by Triple T Excavating and SupErb Construction, with Chris Erb at the helm.
The year-round resort surrounded by coastal wilderness and close to fine dining and a partner hotel is about more than the track where a Porsche GT3 could reach a top speed of 184 km/h.
The resort will also have a 15,000-square-foot, two-storey complex housing a clubhouse, presentation centre, observation deck and four pit garages with high-tech setup bays and staging areas.
Members would have options such as having their classic automobiles made track-ready by partners Rudi & Company and Coachwerks.
鈥淭rue luxury is time, and the one thing [prospective members] don鈥檛 have is time,鈥� says Trzewik. 鈥淭he idea is to make it tempting to people here and places like Calgary, Kelowna, Edmonton and Toronto, an attraction for Victoria and Nanaimo, with mountains, ocean and lakes. Everything鈥檚 waiting for you and the question is how do we fill your weekend with the best activities you could possibly want?鈥�
There would also be economic spinoffs when members go to a spa, for dinner, golfing, fly-fishing, hiking, mountain biking or other activities when not doing laps, he said.
鈥淭he opening of this track will not be a race,鈥� said Trzewik, emphasizing it is a private membership facility, with value-added options for GAIN customers, and can also be used for corporate events and charity functions.
Fees for the 300-member club are expected to be announced soon.
GAIN has dealerships representing nine high-performance and luxury brands, including Three Point Motors, BMW Victoria, Porsche Centre Victoria, Audi Autohaus and Nanaimo鈥檚 BMW, Mini and Subaru dealerships.
As well as giving motorsports enthusiasts the thrill of driving high-performance vehicles fast in a controlled environment, driving lessons to qualify for a race-car driver鈥檚 licence could be offered, Trzewik said.
Admitting 鈥渋t has to be a home run鈥� in terms of selling memberships to operate such clubs successfully, Trzewik said GAIN鈥檚 dealerships 鈥渨ill provide a lot of solidity to the track鈥� and eliminate the risk factor.
鈥淚 think what Peter and his group is doing right is to start with a footprint you can control and generate revenue out of,鈥� said Christian Epp, Tilke鈥檚 director of the Americas, during a visit with architect and engineer Peter Wahl, Tilke鈥檚 managing partner. 鈥淚 think what you have here is quite unique because you control it with these dealerships. It鈥檚 very difficult to do that in other regions.鈥�
A dealer meeting held at the Las Vegas Raceway, where auto buffs rented Mercedes-Benz SLS鈥檚, Lamborghinis and Ferraris to do laps, inspired the GAIN group to build their variation.
A motivating factor was having a venue that would give manufacturers鈥� clients and dealers a way to showcase the performance of new vehicles at product launches, Trzewik said.
Selecting the property near Victoria and Nanaimo, largely because of its expansion potential and topography that allows for 鈥渆xciting corners and elevation changes鈥� was the start of a long road trip with steep learning curves. After doing extensive research and visiting other clubs and tracks, Trzewik was repeatedly told having a great track designed by professionals was essential.
After visiting Wahl and his partner Hermann Tilke in Aachen, Germany, Trzewik鈥檚 team gave Tilke the go-ahead.
鈥淭his project has been very efficient in the way we are really working almost in symphony,鈥� said Epp, whose construction partners received special training for the unique grading of land and other aspects.
鈥淲e have certain specifications; we tell them about how we want the asphalt, the sub-base, how do we do the drainage, and the safety.鈥�
They first do 鈥渕ock-ups.鈥� If 1,000 metres of an element is required to build a curve, for example, crews would have to successfully build a smaller-scale version with two metres before doing larger applications.
Tilke engineers also took GAIN鈥檚 construction team to Mexico City for a firsthand look at the Formula One track 鈥� the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez 鈥� it was designing there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the easiest way to train people,鈥� Epp said. 鈥淚 know it sounds a bit crazy, but it鈥檚 like teaching you to write again, but differently.鈥�
Indeed, a lot more goes into the creation of a safe, challenging automotive track than meets the eye, said Wahl, whose company has designed and built as many as 65 tracks worldwide, 19 for Formula One.
They include the European Grand Priz Baku, Santiago鈥檚 Motorpark Chile, Austin鈥檚 Circuit of the Americas, the Sochi Autodrom, Moscow Raceway, Fuji International Speedway and the Atlanta Motorsports Park. Tilke, which designs grandstands and pit buildings for their projects, has also designed hotels, housing projects and shopping centres.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very, very complicated. Do we want a fast track? Do we have enough elevation?鈥� said Wahl. 鈥淥ur problem with racetracks always is water. We must always make sure the water goes away.鈥�
Epp, who first visited the site last October, said the journey from conceptualization to completion is like peeling an onion.
鈥淲e have different layers. The first part is creative. Then we start modelling it and look at the land. Then we take that layer away. You go deeper and deeper,鈥� he said.
鈥淚n every phase of the project you reach a different level of complexity.鈥�
A rough design is first sketched on paper, fed into a computer for complex calculations, rendered through 3-D modelling, and ingredients are determined based on factors such as climate and soil conditions, he said.
鈥淚t starts with the aggregates we put in because in some countries you get only limestone, and it鈥檚 impossible because it鈥檚 not adhesive with asphalt,鈥� said Wahl, comparing it to pouring oil on a hard floor.
鈥淭he oil runs down. We take three or four bags from different quarries, check them in our lab and say: 鈥極K, we鈥檒l go with this asphalt.鈥櫶��
He said he鈥檚 proud that carefully chosen asphalt used on a racetrack they designed in Malaysia 20 years ago hasn鈥檛 changed or required repair because of such precision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that easy to do good asphalt when it鈥檚 38 degrees,鈥� Wahl said. 鈥淚f you go to tropical countries, all the roads there are bumpy but our asphalt is OK.鈥�
Other factors to be considered, said Epp, are that a race car generates a lot of 鈥渓ateral forces鈥� and uses a track very differently than vehicles on a normal road.
鈥淭he tires can suck the stones right out of the asphalt sometimes,鈥� said Wahl.
While the track has a distinctive character allowing for maximum excitement, it allows beginners to improve their driving skills moderately, he said.
鈥淎s a designer, we can play with this topography. If you have a sharp corner, this makes racing a roller-coaster ride. This is what is fun and challenges people.鈥�
The multi-purpose facility also features an off-road track, and sub-sections comparable to a driving range on a golf course where drivers can learn special skills.
Run-off areas are also built in where your impact speed would be reduced as you drive from asphalt onto gravel before reaching tire barriers, Epp said.
鈥淭he last thing they want to do is crash up the Porsche, so what you offer as a track designer is sufficient area to turn safely and stop the car. Doing those calculations is all part of what we do.鈥�
Boredom is not an option, said Trzewik.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e been a member for three or four years, you鈥檒l still get excited because this is a phenomenal track.鈥�
Track facts at a glance
Maximum incline: 12.5 per cent between corner 14 and 15
Maximum slope: 11.5 per cent between corner 4 and 5
Track length: 2.3 / 4.2 kilometres
Track width: 10 metres
Nineteen turns: 7 left, 12 right
Top speed: 211 km/h (street-legal sports cars)
Number of short cuts: 4
Track layout combinations: 6
鈥� Hanging and banked corners in all sections
鈥� Run-off areas designed with the newest technology and standards preventing damage to cars and bikes, enabling drivers to correct and return safely onto the track.
