Sudbury Motorsports Association gearing up to buy Kingsway land

The Sudbury District Motorsports Association announced they are beginning the acquisition process to buy 100 acres of Crown land on the Kingsway, adjacent to developer Dario Zulich's proposed True North Strong Event Centre.

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In a statement released today, the SDMA said they have enlisted the help of True North Strong to develop a year-round, multi-purpose motorsport park.

"Together with our inaugural community partners we are excited to share our initiative to purchase land from the ministry," Tim Laderoute, SDMA president said.

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The SDMA now has to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to secure the Crown landbefore design and development of the park can begin.

"There are a lot of hoops to jump through," Zuilch said. "We're at the vision stage right now and we share the same vision, so where there's a will there's a way."

Don Lamontagne, a founding member and the current vice-president of the SDMA, said that the news is a dream come true.

"Today's announcement is like winning [the] lotto," Lamontange said. "We've been trying to get a property for such a long time."

Lamontange, who has been racing for almost 20 years, said the motorsports park will give young people the opportunity to enjoy racing in a safe environment.

"It means that young people...have a place to go and play without being dangerous and illegal."

The SDMA has also partnered with Collge Boral to offer the project as a teaching facility. Brian Vaillancourt, vice president of business development with the college, saidstudents will benefit from the hands-on learning experience.

"Our programs...can benefit from experiential learning opportunities during the design, development and operation of the proposed facilities," Vaillancourt said. "Applied research projects could stem from various initiatives in this highperformance area."

Vaillancourt said students in programs like heavy equipment operator, architectural technology and automobile technician could develop their skills and gain experience if the project gets to the construction stage.