Mosport Park is a beautiful and sweeping circuit that held the first international race in Canada when Stirling Moss won the 1961 Player's 200. It was always renowned as a driver’s circuit, although changeable weather marred many a race. By the late 1970s the circuit's lack of run-off areas made its safety questionable, and the Canadian Grand Prix moved to Montréal. The World Sportscar Championship also left after Manfred Winkelhock was killed in 1985. International racing returned with the American Le Mans Series after Don Panoz bought the circuit in 1998, and the track was widened and resurfaced five years later. Safety remained an issue and run-off areas were increased following the death of Mike Gagliardo in the 2001 Trans-Am race. Acquired by Canadian Motorsports Ventures in 2011, the naming rights were officially sold to the Canadian Tire Corporation a year later.
