About a decade ago we saw the closure of Race City, Edmonton Indy, and of course Stratotech Park. In terms of road courses, we essentially went from having some options to pretty much nothing in the blink of an eye. Fast forward to 2022 however, and us Albertans are starting to become a little spoiled for choice; Rad Torque Raceway (previously known as Castrol Raceway), Strawberry Creek, Badlands Motorsport Resort, Stratotech Park was somehow back, and even Area27 if you feel like venturing over to BC. Not a bad selection at all, and with it, a new wave of HPDE organizers have emerged. The most recent name to join the list of track days recently is StratoCross, organized by Dan’s Motorsport Timing.

As the name suggests, StratoCross features an autocross style course laid out over Stratotech Park. With multiple classes split into two run groups, there is plenty of seat time for everyone, and at only $85 (at time of writing), it is a great way for newcomers to get into motorsports and start developing their skills behind the wheel. Intrigued by this new venture, I was out along with the RA Motorsports team who were competing in the TS1 Class. With Matt piloting his trusty AE86, Cale saving extra weight in the Cappuccino by not eating, and Eric doing some grip driving in his S13 instead of drifting, the team ended up finishing the day with a 1-2-3 sweep respectively. Not a bad way to kick things off.

With talk of new course layouts for each round, drivers can look forward to new and exciting challenges each time out. I’m looking forward to future events!

-brandon.