Hamilton

Circuit History

Plans for a downtown street race in Hamilton took shape in late 1977, when fledgling organiser Triess Promotions proposed a temporary city-centre circuit to host a round of the Formula Atlantic Series. The idea tapped into the glamour of Monaco and the rising appeal of urban motorsport festivals, with Hamilton seeking to boost its image through a marquee sporting event. While the concept had merit, execution would prove its downfall.

Formula Atlantic was in its first year of a sponsorship deal with Canadian brewing giants Labatt’s - a fact that proved an immediate headache for the series schedule, as two road courses (Mosport and St Jovite) were immediately ruled out because they had contracts with rival brewers Molson. Halifax presented a welcome opportunity, though the costs of staging a street race may ordinarily have outweighed the benefits, even with generous sponsorship from the series sponsor.

However, a new form of safety barrier was proposed by the race promoter, Triess Promotions, which, in theory, would be cheaper and quicker to set up than traditional Armco barriers. Comprised of box sections made of 3/16 inch steel, with X-shaped cross members, the new system was designed to be filled with sand to provide the necessary weight and volume to keep errant cars at bay. Supplier Formula Promotions described it as quicker to assemble than traditional barriers, meaning downtown streets would not need to be closed off for lengthy periods during circuit construction. The experimental designs were given a temporary approval for the Hamilton event by the Commission Sportive International of the FIA.

The race was conceived as a two-day event called the Labatt's Hamilton Championship, featuring practice and qualifying on Saturday 6 August followed by the main race on Sunday 7 August. The Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs (CASC), Canada's FIA-recognised governing body, sanctioned the event as part of the joint CASC-SCCA Formula Atlantic Championship.

The 1.3-mile (2.092 km) layout was designed to loop through the heart of Hamilton, utilising stretches of York Street, Bay Street, and Main Street, surrounded by the city’s commercial buildings.

A bold plan goes badly wrong

Issues emerged well before the first car turned a wheel. Chief among them was the City of Hamilton’s requirement for an unusually high $10 million liability insurance policy, a figure far beyond what was standard for Canadian events of the time. Though this reflected understandable caution on the city’s part, it introduced layers of scrutiny. The insurer, K & K Insurance, demanded stringent protocols, worried that its company's money would be at greater risk, especially with an untested safety system and a rookie promoter.

Adding to the problems, the city had also refused to allow the closure of the streets ahead of the race weekend for installation of the barriers and infrastructure, so by race weekend, only part of the circuit was completed.

The portable barrier system, while innovative on paper, proved disastrous in practice. According to contemporary reports, the barriers that arrived lacked the approved diagonal bracing and were of considerably thinner grade steel. Worse still, they lacked end coverings to keep the sand at bay. In an attempt to save time and money, Triess opted to experiment with water instead of sand to fill the barriers - something not approved by race officials or insurers. This misstep caused delays, first as water spilled onto the track surface, and then as the insurers rejected the setup, forcing a chaotic and exhausting overnight effort to refill the barriers with sand.

Much of the workforce was drawn from local volunteers—many teenagers—who lacked experience in race preparation. As the clock ticked down, drivers, team crews, marshals and officials all joined in the effort to ready the circuit. Shovels and brooms became tools of last resort as the motorsport community pitched in to salvage what remained of the weekend.

Other problems centred on the track’s very narrow pit lane - barely wide enough for an Atlantic car - and an inadequate public address system, with just four speakers covering the whole of the 1.3 mile circuit… Paying spectators were left bemused as to what was happening as delay after delay hit proceedings.

Racing against the light

Adding to the woes, crowd control collapsed spectacularly when an estimated 60,000 people descended on downtown Hamilton—double the expected attendance. Half the spectators watched for free after breaking down security barriers and climbing onto surrounding building rooftops. The massive unauthorized crowd created significant safety hazards with spectators positioned dangerously close to the racing line.

Practice was cut short, and the Sunday event itself was postponed to Monday amid the continuing concerns over safety. When the race finally got underway, more than five hours behind schedule, streetlights had already begun to flicker on. The circuit, flanked on both sides by steel barriers topped with eight-foot chain link fences, offered almost no escape routes and created a treacherous environment for both marshals and drivers.

Despite these conditions, the race featured a strong field including future F1 drivers Keke Rosberg, Bobby Rahal, and Danny Sullivan. Rosberg, driving a Sheik Chevron, seized an early opportunity with a dive up the inside on lap one and never relinquished the lead. Dirt on the circuit—residue from the barrier infill—meant a single racing line quickly developed. Overtaking was all but impossible. Rosberg, however, drove with clarity and purpose, absorbing pressure from Rahal and Price Cobb in the early stages before the race stabilised.

A crash between Brack and Rahal near the pits removed one contender and delayed another, promoting Cobb to second and Rahal to a lonely third. Kevin Cogan ran fourth until his Ralt succumbed to a broken subframe, caused by the circuit’s punishing surface. Danny Sullivan and Divina Galica filled out the top five, the latter turning in a calm and measured drive in only her second Formula Atlantic outing.

A premature halt and lasting infamy

Though Rosberg crossed the line unchallenged, the end of the race brought little celebration. The event was stopped after just 39 laps—well short of the planned 70. With the race distance under 60 per cent complete, only half points were awarded. Few spectators or participants left satisfied. Darkness had all but overtaken the track, and several corners were dangerously underlit by the time the chequered flag waved.

The fallout was swift and scathing. Motorsport press across Canada condemned the event as a debacle. Autosport Canada labelled it “one of the biggest fiascos in the history of Canadian motor racing” and criticised nearly every element of its execution—from amateur crowd control and missing PA systems to the city’s unwillingness to allow adequate set-up time . While praise was reserved for the drivers, workers and teams who soldiered through impossible conditions, the reputational damage was significant.

Triess Promotions, having bitten off far more than it could chew, folded soon after. Formula Promotions, too, received sharp criticism for its failure to deliver compliant safety hardware. Even the City of Hamilton was held responsible, with questions raised over its lack of logistical flexibility and seemingly inconsistent support for the event it had authorised.

A legacy of lessons

Despite the race taking place and no serious injuries being reported, the 1978 Hamilton Street Race effectively extinguished any future ambitions for street racing in the city. It became an example cited by organisers and promoters of what not to do—an emblem of how noble intentions and strong talent can be undone by poor planning and insufficient resources.

No further events were attempted, and unlike other street venues that found success with proper investment and planning -such as the Indycar races at Toronto and Vancouver - Hamilton’s brief foray into top-level motorsport ended not with a bang, but with a painful and instructive whimper. The story of the Hamilton race serves today as a touchstone for circuit designers and event managers worldwide: vision must be matched by execution.