Road racing fans and drivers will now be able to continue their passion during the traditional off-season with the new PCR Winter Series set to take place starting January 9-10, 2027 at Shannonville Motorsport Park, east of Belleville, ON.
The PCR Winter Series will feature three classes in action – front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. Each race day will have heat races for all three classes, likely with a grid of no more than 15 cars per heat, and eliminations until the final race.
The first weekend includes a test and tech day on January 9, with the first race day on January 10. The events continue every other Sunday until early March, with a two-day show on March 6-7 that culminates with a unique schedule.
The March 7 finale will feature a three-hour endurance race that brings together all classes in the morning, with mandatory 10-minute breaks on the hour to allow for pit stops and potential driver changes. The afternoon will then feature a pair of entertainment-focused events.
A two-lap race will see cars reversing around the road course to see who’s best going backwards. Meanwhile, a three-lap Pit Maneuver 2000, on a special oval layout, will require the winner to complete at least one pit maneuver – a move used by law enforcement to spin a car around during a pursuit.
What started as a few impromptu lapping days last winter, with strong turnout, is now attracting interest from across the racing community.
“Throughout the summer, I kept thinking that maybe we should expand this idea a little bit more to have some more lapping, then more conversation and thought came of it,” said series promoter Pat Cyr. “Why don’t we design some kind of a small race series, a super-super inexpensive race series, for people to come and have fun…everyone was pretty excited about the idea, so we put that into motion and, next thing you know, we got interest from pretty much every race discipline.”
To make it more affordable for anyone looking to try their hands at racing, and to avoid damaging pricier cars, any vehicle in the series must be worth no more than $1,500. The vehicle must also run snow tires and meet the typical safety criteria of a lapping event, including no loose items inside and the vehicle being mechanically sound, such as no visible leaks and a solid exhaust.
The series will race in almost any weather condition, whether there’s snow or above-seasonal temperatures.
“We’re playing with Mother Nature and that’s how we’re selling it as well,” said Cyr. “Regardless of what the weather is, we’re going to run. Preferably snow because, if anything, when people get to drive on snow, it definitely assists with experience in car control and slower in treacherous conditions. That’s the hope of it. If we have warmer days, we’ll just play it how it is.”
Spectators can attend free-of-charge all season. A mix of experienced and first-time racers are expected and prizes from sponsors will be handed out each weekend. Cyr hopes for the primary focus of the series to be enjoying time at the race track.
“The most important thing I want to see is people having fun, laughing and enjoying themselves, playing around on the track,” said Cyr. “From the interest that I’ve gotten from all the competitors from different sanctions, I think it’s going to turn into something that’s going to be a lot of fun…there’s no big money championships, it’s just bragging rights and some fun.”
While Canada’s climate means a longer off-season for traditional racing, the PCR Winter Series will provide an opportunity for people who normally only see each other during the summer, at a race track, to meet up again.
“Being from up here, the winter blues really hit us hard,” said Cyr. “The camaraderie of hanging out at a race track and racing with each other, helping each other out; it’s a big social event with some cars playing around…There’s a lot to be learned about car control and driving on the track, but it’s more than just that; it’s the friendships that continue year-around and getting to hang out with each other in the dead of winter, when a lot of us are dreaming about different places.”
The PCR Winter Series gets underway in January 2027, with all events taking place at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
PCR Winter Series 2027 Schedule
January 9-10 (test day on January 9)
January 24
February 7
February 21
March 6-7 (endurance and fun races on March 7)
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