Race Shop, GTi Tuning, Jasper Man

It was simply called the Race Shop. I know it existed in at least one other location before I joined but the first for me was the one near Markham Road and Steeles Avenue. That shop was huge, located in a large industrial park. There was room for a couple dozen racecars, a complete machine shop, TIG and gas welding rigs and storage area. There was also useful stuff like a tire changer and balancer, pressure washer and a monster air compressor and reservoir. Of course there was a fridge for refreshments.

The shop was moved to Midland Avenue near Finch in 1987. The photo above is what I call Race Shop 2B. When the land behind Race Shop 2A was sold, a third of our portion of the building was cut off and the overhead door was simply slapped back on the end. You can see a portion of the original pad in front of that door. The solution amused me so I took the photo.

The third and last Race Shop I was a part of was further east on Finch Avenue on Middlefield Road. That was the one next door to GTi Tuning, whose proprietor Jasper Man was also a racer. By then the Race Shop was a lot smaller but somehow more equipment fit in, including a second Mill and a Sandblasting rig.

The Race Shop might as well have been called the Agincourt Men’s Club. Aside from being a place where I could store and work on my racecar it was a place I could go at any time day or night, feel comfortable and be surrounded by people just like me. I belonged to this "club" during my entire time in Toronto.

The only requirement for membership in this exclusive club was that you raced Formula cars. Over the years it was home to everything from Formula Atlantic to Formula Vee and everything in between. Two Formula Ford marques, Pulsar and Tsunami were designed, built and raced out of the Race Shop.