Seeing the speedometer of a car winding to the right as you blast down the road is a beautiful sight indeed, but you know what’s even better than that? Being able to look up and see views of nature that are just as breath-taking through the windshield during your drive.
When the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit (VIMC) off the western coast of Canada opens in the middle of June, it should offer the ability to enjoy both of those memorable visual experiences. It has a 1.42-mile, 19-turn track situated in the middle of 50 acres of land that looks like this:
VIMC also has its own 15,000-square-foot conference space, garage, car storage, locker rooms, skid pad, and racing control center, in addition to other useful facilities. Eventually, the track will be extended and an off-road course will be added. For now, the track, designed by the same company who penned the lines of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas and numerous F1-quality courses, has a 1,500-foot front straight, well-sized runoff areas, and five configurations.
According to Autoweek, “The member’s price for a 25-year term is $36,920 plus annual dues of $3,696. That breaks down to just over $5,000 per year, which nets you 20 track days per month, with at least one weekend day per month, family access to the clubhouse, some guest driver passes and access to the Racelogic software as well as driving lessons from the house instructors.” Guests stay at a luxury resort 20 minutes away from the VIMC.
With that in mind, a few extra zeros in our bank statements would make for the most beautiful sight right now…
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
