Vortex Racing’s facilities in the Montreal suburb of Dorval are the only ones of their kind in North America. Launched on January 1, 2012, the centrepiece of the sprawling, high-tech, user-friendly complex – which still has that “new car” smell – is the racing simulator room, which features eight professional-level driving simulators. These are divided into six single-seaters and two three-seaters (ideal when you’re in the mood for sharing the terror), and at an estimated $400,000 apiece, Vortex hasn’t skimped on the equipment.

“The simulators are for both entertainment purposes and professional purposes,” explains Vortex Racing Marketing Director Kevin Major. “These things are really top-notch racing machines. We’re the first centre in North America, and there’s another one in Lyon, France, but that’s it. They’re Cruden Hexatech simulators, the same sims that are used by the F1 teams to practice.”

It’s not hard to understand why. You can feel the tires grab for traction off the starting grid, and there’s no escaping the up to 2.5 Gs of force going into corners. It feels real. And the cold finger of fear that touches the base of your spine when you put your wheels on the grass or come into a chicane too fast is about as real as it gets, as is the fatigue – both mental and physical – when you climb out of the “car.” Adding to the feeling of realism are the authentic racing suits, boots, gloves and helmets that participants are invited to wear.

Vortex Racing is selling an experience, and believes that in race-crazy Montreal (the annual Grand Prix du Canada is one of the largest events on the city’s cultural calendar) they’ve found the broadest possible target audience. “It’s for everyone: from people who drive to people who don’t drive; from the 50-year-old woman who just wants to drive fast to the F1 racer,” says Major. “It’s for people who want to have fun driving at high speed with no risk and without all the costs and overhead that a racing team would have. It’s also for the professional racer who wants to practice and improve.”

A typical session lasts for about an hour and twenty minutes, which includes a training course, qualification and race time on the simulator, a telemetry report and a review of the race with an instructor. And if F1 racing isn’t your cup of high-octane tea, Vortex offers several other styles of race cars and courses. “In addition to F1 we have a bunch of other Formula cars: F3, GP2, GP3 and obviously F1,” says Major. “We also have exotic cars, three kinds of them, sedans and coupes as well as rally cars, and drifting cars and drag racers.”

Vortex’s state-of-the-art facilities include two large conference rooms for corporate events, full bar service, and a full kitchen to accommodate catering. There are, however, a few practical limitations: sessions are restricted to those 18 and over, and folks with heart or blood pressure issues, pregnant women, and those susceptible to motion sickness should exercise caution before taking on a simulator. All others should prepare themselves for the ride of a lifetime…

“Actually,” Major laughs, “I don’t think you can be prepared for this. What you can be prepared for is the experience of what it would feel like to drive in a real race. Though it’s really just about having fun here. What we sell is being a race car driver for a day, at a real low price. Yes, they are simulations, but they are exactly the same thing that drivers practice on to get better.”

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THE DETAILS

Vortex Racing, 2300 46th Avenue, Lachine, 1 (855) 867-8395

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The event will span two days at the notoriously tricky track at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Parc Jean Drapeau- a highly coveted road course. Several races will take place over the two days, notably the GRAND AM Rolex Sports Car Series scheduled for August 18.

Additionally, the Canadian Touring Car Championship, borne out of the growing number of amateur touring car races in Canada, will feature vehicles that have had minor modifications and the Super Class will see dramatically altered cars with more sophisticated aerodynamics. Cars that you’re likely to see out on the tracks include Acuras, Audis, BMWs, Chevrolets, Hondas and even a couple MINIs. The best part is that all three grades will race on the same track.

On August 18, look out for the Canadian Tire Series, spawned from the love child of the CASCAR Super Series established in 1981 when NASCAR bought CASCAR (the top racing series at the time). It’s going to be a highly combustible race, with tempers and engine blocks flaring.

This year there are some exciting developments as two hometown drivers will duke it out on the track. 2012 marks the return of the revered driver Patrick Carpentier who’s coming out of retirement for one last kick at the can, aiming to win on his home turf and donate his winnings to charity. Of course so does Alex Tagliani, high on the fumes from a season best. Tagliani will be driving the No. 30 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports in Montreal and Kyle Busch (driver and team owner) will travel from Michigan to race. Busch holds the record for most wins in a season (with 24). Stakes are high for one of the most explosive sports of all time.

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THE DETAILS

NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series, August 17-18, 2012

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(world wide film) The 35th Montreal World Film Festival is upon us this week and next (August 18–28), with hundreds of feature films from over 70 countries. Among its many offerings, this year’s fest pays tribute both to French cinema, with a focus on actress Catherine Deneuve and talks by filmmakers Claude Lelouch and Bertrand Tavernier, and to Bollywood, with free outdoor screenings of classic and contemporary musicals from India, showing at Place des Festivals right next to the Musee d’art Contemporain. Other films to take note of at the quite affordable festival: Quebec filmmaker André Forcier’s funny and poignant Coteau Rouge, Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist, the Fuica brothers’ La Run, and Zhao Tianyu’s romantic drama The Law of Attraction.

(relax with reggae) Spend the weekend in the sun, swaying to the many beats of the 8th annual Montreal International Reggae Festival, with live shows featuring everything from classic reggae to hip hop and dubstep – like Gyptian, Montreal reggae star Jah Cutta, Exco Levi, Jahvinci, Wayne Wonder and the U.K.’s Third World. Head down to the Quays of the Old Port for music, food, activities for the kids, and more, August 20–21.

(start your engines) This weekend’s Napa Auto Parts 200 puts the meaning of going for a Sunday drive in perspective… Leave the leisurely pace at home and head to Jean Drapeau Park this Friday and Saturday (August 19–20) for NASCAR machines doing what they do best: lookin’ hot and going fast. On top of the race, Jacques Villeneuve, driver of the #22 Penske Dodge, and some of his family members will meet and greet NASCAR fans on Saturday.

(set your sails) Ahoy, boat lovers and sea captains! And everyone who loves the pleasant lap of waves upon the hull (not a euphemism)! The Montreal Classic Boat Festival docks at Montreal’s Old Port this weekend (August 19–21). See all kinds of classic boats, stroll through the nautical market area for all things boat-related, sit a spell and watch a film or ten, learn more about boating lore, and tap your toes to sea shanties – who knew a boat festival would be such a cultural experience! Impressive.

(green city) Montreal hosts the Ecocity World Summit, August 22–26, at the Palais des Congrès, bringing together over 1000 people from around the world who are involved in making the world’s cities more sustainable and environmentally sound. With plenty of free activities open to the public, the conference itself acts as a model for a more environmentally aware world – the whole event is zero-waste and carbon-neutral. Also check out the Carrot City exhibition at Les Galeries du Palais, an interactive inquiry into the place of food in the city that looks at the relationship between urban design and our food systems, present, past and future.

(of kings and queens) Whether or not the British royals are relevant to our daily lives remains questionable, but if this summer’s highly publicized royal wedding and subsequent royal tour is anything to go by, it would seem the free world is still fascinated by the aristocracy. They make for good theatrics anyway: Repercussion Theatre’s outdoor performances of Macbeth end their summer run this weekend in Westmount Park with performance on August 20 and 21 at 8 p.m., free of charge even! And the reign of Disney’s movie-to-stage musical The Lion King continues at Place des Arts to September 4.

(good art neighbours) Mosey over to the neighbourhood of Notre-Dame de Grace for NDG Arts Week, August 19–28, just a few blocks west of Westmount’s fashionable shopping-and-dining district. Saturday’s barbeque and street party, starting at 6 p.m., raises money for the NDG Food Depot, and features music from hip-hop band Groundsoul and rock band Resojets. On Sunday all day, Coop la Maison Verte (5785 Sherbrooke W.) hosts a craft fair showcasing local art, jewellery, clothing and more.

(music to our ears) Dance in the sunshine on Sunday, August 21, at summer electronic-dance-music staple Piknic Electronik, featuring DJs Black Tiger Sex Machine, Kraddy and more. Or take it slow at the Montreal Midsummer Slowdance – yes, all slow tunes all night, with plenty of partners to choose from and an honest-to-goodness dancecard to fill, at Royal Phoenix Bar (5788 St-Laurent) in the Mile End neighbourhood, 8 p.m. ‘til late. On Tuesday, August 23, see The War on Drugs, with Caveman and Porcelain Raft at Casa Del Popolo and on Wednesday, August 24, sing along with Irreverend James and the Critical Mass Choir at Divan Orange, for free! And on Thursday, August 25, head down to the Darling Foundry art space for an outdoor block party, 5–10 p.m., with great local DJs and a barbeque, record sale, art exhibitions and more.

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He was born in the Montreal suburb of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu in 1971, the son of the legendary F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve, who was tragically killed in a crash in ‘82 and after whom the beautiful and scenic F1 and Nascar track in Montreal is named. Villeneuve is a renaissance man of the racing world: Since 2007, when he left F1 racing, he has driven in the Le Mans 25-hour series, Speedcar, TRV6 and NASCAR. Montreal race fans will be happy to know that he’ll be behind the wheel at the Montreal Nascar race on August 19-20.

He also launched and owned Newtown, the happening Montreal resto/nightclub, until recently. He has a record, Private Paradise, and is a race commentator for F1. Now, he’s trying his hand (or rather his voice) in movies, too: In the recent sequel to the Pixar classic Cars, he’ll be voicing a race commentator (named after himself) in the French version of the movie, Les Bagnoles 2, coming out this Friday. Villeneuve sat down with us to talk about the recent, rainy F1 and his homebase of Montreal.

Photograph by: Shaun Best, REUTERS

Montreal Buzz: So that crazy watered-down F1 two weeks ago: Is that a race you’d like to have driven?

Jacques Villeneuve: I always enjoy difficult conditions, and that was definitely the case there. I just think they spent way more time fiddling around than they needed to. When it was a swimming pool it made sense [to shut it down], but there were other times that it was dry enough for the cars to get around, and they just weren’t there. I think it was a little bit embarrassing that they waited so long to get racing again. As soon as it started to dry out, they should have been out there. There were some guys took the restart, they were on normal tires, they weren’t even on full-wet tires.

MB: Did you stick around for any of the parties, at Newtown or elsewhere?

JV: Not really. It’s not my restaurant anymore, for one thing. This year I wasn’t too involved with the proceedings, what I’ve always done was the driving, not the parties. I’ve got kids now, too.

MB: Do you love the first Cars movie? Is that why you wanted to be in this one?

JV: I love the Cars franchise! And I have two little boys and they love the first one. I watched the first one because of them, and I couldn’t help but love it. But that’s what’s great about Pixar; kids love them but there’s a lot in there for grownups, too. Everyone can get something out of them. When I got a call to see if I was interested in doing the voice, I didn’t think twice.

MB: How was the experience of doing movie voicework? Studio voicing can be tricky, it’s an art in itself.

JV: It was exciting! This is first time I do something like that, it’s risky–you can find of burn yourself doing new things like that in public…but it was fun! It’s fun doing something like this because I know my kids will be proud of me. And honestly, we are all still kids when we watch movies. I forget I’m a grownup when you’re watching cartoons, and that’s great! Besides, Cars 2 os well written not baby talk, doing voice so even though the dialogue is somewhat realistic, it’s still not stuff that would happen in real life, it’s not realistic.

MB: In the movie, the race genres are all mixed up- there’s cars from NASCAR and F1 all hanging out. That would never happen in a real-life scenario—but it’s sort of fitting since you’re a multi-sport driver too.

JV: Yeah, in the movie, the cars race in Italy, France, Tokyo, and it’s a bunch of different type of cars racing together, which of course wouldn’t happen in real life, but they’re mixing all kinds of influences—Europe, Asia, America, so it’s quite fun for kids. Anyway, the racing is an excuse for all the storylines, and for the characters to have their own lives—it’s not 100% related to racing, it’s a cartoon!

MB: So now you live full-time in Montreal. What are some of your favourite things to do here? Any favourite things to do with your kids?

JV: So far, my kids have been too young to do much with besides take them to the park near our house, you know? I like summer in the city, we go a lot of parks, so it still feels like a village, you know? They are just getting to the age now where this summer, we’ll be starting to do some fun stuff. It’s more the adventurous side of me that comes out with them, we’ll do all the same stuff I did growing up in Quebec—karting, going to the countryside and riding motocross. I’ll let other people take the kids to museums. It’s more the outdoor stuff, skiing and stuff that I like to do with my kids.

MB: What about grown-up stuff?

JV: I like going to restaurants. I’ll go out for a special meal in the Plateau or Old Montreal somewhere. Club Chasse et Peche, that’s my favourite. And also DNA is fun

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THE DETAILS

Montreal NASCAR, August 19-20, 2011

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