Get Involved

Want to go racing? Read on to find out how!

Going racing at Atlantic Motorsport Park is easy. Follow the steps below to be part of the action. If you have questions and need help, reach out to our Rookie Coordinator to get some help navigating the details.

Step 1: Join a club

TRAC is part of Atlantic Region Motor Sports, a collection of motorsport clubs that organize motorsport events all over Atlantic Canada. The first step to get involved is to get a membership to one of these clubs.

Here are a couple of clubs that are active with Road Racing – it’s best to join the one closest to you.

 

  • Atlantic Sports Car Club (ASCC) – Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Bluenose Autosport Club (BAC) – Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
  • Moncton Motorsport Club (MMSC) – Based in Moncton, New Brunswick
    • Cost: $20/year (new member or full time student), $25 (single membership), $40 (couple)
    • Join online here
  • New Brunswick Sports Car Club (NBSCC) – Based in Saint John, New Brunswick
  • Fredericton Motorsport Club (FMC) – Based in Fredericton, New Brunswick

Step 2: Take a race driving school

Unless you already have previous road racing experience, everyone starts their racing at AMP by attending a drivers school.

Basic requirements:

  • Hold a valid drivers licence (provincial or state)
  • Minimum age – 16
    • There is a Junior Race Licence available to those 15 years or older, if they hold a valid karting licence issued by an ARMS recognized karting club and two years of karting competition within their club.

2024 Race School Info:

The 2024 Race School is tentatively scheduled for May 25, 2024.

Cost: $600

Includes:

  • Race school
  • Novice race licence
  • Full race licence for the season
  • Race entry for the first race weekend (May 26, 2024)

If you miss this date, please contact us to make alternative arrangements to be licenced.

 

What gear do I need for the driving school?

  • Street car or a race car with a passenger’s seat
  • Approved helmet

You are responsible for providing your own safe street car as well as a helmet (SNELL M2015 or greater when in a street car without a cage) for the driving school.

The first part of the school will be done in your street car (with an instructor riding shotgun), then later in the day a race car can be used (please use SNELL SA2015 or FIA8860-2015 or greater helmet for caged vehiclessee gear requirements).

To do the final part of the school, the school race, you will need to have all of the required equipment to go racing, so read on to find out more!

If you don’t have the required equipment to complete the school race just yet, talk to the Race Director to find out about deferring your school race to another weekend. 

 

What if I’ve already done a road racing school or I’m an experienced racer from another series?

There are many accepted Road Racing schools throughout North America. If you have completed one, you will likely be able to get a race licence in Atlantic Canada, so please contact us.

If you are a racer in another series (like Oval Track racing), you can make a request to the Race Director to obtain a licence without having to take a school. This will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

 

What paperwork do I need to fill out for the school?

 

After the race school

Once you complete the school and school race, you will need to complete three race events (weekends) to graduate from your novice race license to your full race licence. While you have your novice licence, you’ll need to put a triangle sticker on the back of your race car (back window or rear facing bodywork) to indicate you’re a novice.

When you have completed the required events, the registrar will give you your full race licence and the triangle can come off!

Licences have photos on them, so if you’d like to submit your own photo, send it in JPEG format to Brent O’Connor, ARMS Licence Registrar – registrar@armsinc.ca.

 

Step 3: Get Safety Gear

Racing involves risk.

Acquiring, wearing, and maintaining personal safety equipment protects you and safeguards our insurance policy, which makes ARMS motorsport possible.

Consult the rulebook, talk to experienced competitors, and compare prices and quality at race suppliers.

The ARMS General Competition Rules, Section 5, deals with Driver Safety Equipment.

The basic items needed are:

  • Fire retardant racing suit
  • Fire retardant socks
  • Fire retardant gloves
  • Fire retardant balaclava
  • Fire retardant racing shoes
  • An approved helmet. Road racing helmets must be rated ‘SNELL SA’ (Special Application), and have dates (i.e. SA2015) to indicate the standard to which they’re built; consult the rulebook for more specific information before purchasing. For 2021, the minimum SA rating is SA2015. FIA 8860-2015 or greater helmets are also acceptable. You can generally find this rating either on a tag on the inside of the helmet or stamped somewhere on the helmet.
  • A head and neck restraint device, such as a HANS device, is also required.

 

Resources for buying safety equipment:

  • Sensory Motorsport (Halifax) – A TRAC sponsor, is able to source many top brands of safety equipment.
  • R&D Performancenter (Truro) – Many in-stock safety items for you to try on and buy.
  • Blue Buzzard Performance (Liverpool) – Many popular race equipment brands available.
  • Perry Performance (Online or by phone, based in Laval, QC) – A one-stop shop for racing equipment.
  • Race Image (Online or by phone) – A top dealer in high-quality pre-owned racing suits from professional teams.
  • Leaf Racewear – A large selection of racing suits, including custom options.

Step 4: Build or buy a race car (or rent one!)

Road-racing cars in the TRAC series need to meet certain minimum requirements to be allowed to race on track. Most of these are safety-related.

The ARMS Grand Touring Sedan Class Regulations (about general safety and competition items) cover all the rules you need to build and prepare a race car. 

Cars have an annual tech inspection before being allowed to compete. This is done at the track and mainly focuses on safety. There will also be a quick inspection prior to every race weekend event.

The basic requirements include:

  • An approved roll cage
  • An approved racing seat
  • Approved restraint system (harness/belts)
  • A fire extinguisher or fire suppression system
  • A master kill switch
  • Approved window net
  • Approved rain light (if racing in the rain) – Here’s one inexpensive option.

Once your car is finished, it will need to be inspected by the Tech Inspector before its first event and approved for competition with Atlantic Region Motor Sports. 

To Build or Buy

Building a new race car from scratch allows you to get exactly what you want, but you may find it to be a lot of time (and money) to do so. If you want to go down this path, there are many great builders in our region who can help you, including:

Some of our teams also offer support for specializations – like Elliott Racing (AN fittings & hoses, fabrication, composites, side-draft carb service and T5 transmissions).

Another option is to buy a car that is already built to a similar spec from another region (or from this one).

A few great resources for searching for cars for sale include:


Renting a race car

Another option is renting a race car, either by sharing with another driver, or renting an “arrive and drive” car. Many racers are looking for co-drivers to help split the costs of racing, so make sure to talk to people in the paddock, or post on the TRAC Series Discussion Group!

Another option is “arrive and drive”, where you pay a fee to a race team to bring a car to the track for you to race. Atlantic Racing Team, based in Halifax, offers many options for race rentals, including Formula BMW. Sensory Motorsport, based in Halifax, offers a GT1 rental.

Step 5: Go racing!

Now that you’ve got all your gear, and you’ve done the school, it’s time to go racing!

See our Schedule for the upcoming race events.

Forms:

Once you have your licence sorted out, there are only a couple of forms left to fill out.

Fees:

As a new racer, you will enjoy a special discounted fee for each race event for your first year.

  • New racer fee (per driver): $250
  • Regular entry fee (per car) – subject to change
    • Full Race Event – Includes Sensory Motorsport Sprint, WCN Motorsports Sprint,  + Vantage Motors 1 Hour Enduro – $500
    • Pick 1 -Choose one of Sensory Motorsport Sprint or WCN Motorsports Sprint, and also race the Pit Lane Sim Racing 1 Hour Enduro  – $350
    • $50 charge for second or third driver in Pit Lane Sim Racing 1 Hour Enduro who did not run in a series that day
    • $60 charge for cars that participate in Saturday practice

Have questions?

Get in touch with our Rookie Coordinators, Mike Reese and Nick Roussakov!

He’ll help you navigate what you need to do and know to go racing.

Volunteer!

Not ready to go racing just yet but want to be part of the action?

Marshalling is a great way to get involved at the track and get the best seat in the house. You will be trained with an experienced volunteer to flag in the corners and help racers. Marshals are the angels of motorsport.