A recent article in the Hamilton Spectator shined a light on local connections to this year’s inductees into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. Demaras Racing also feels a special connection to one of the honoree, Uli Bieri, famed sportscar endurance racer, and owner of Toronto Motorsports Park – Cayuga. Uli’s great facility gave Daniel Demaras his first opportunity to try driving an open-wheel car, which set the wheels in motion for Daniel to compete in the 2022 Canadian Formula 1200 Championship.
By Tim Miller Special to The Spectator
Of the 13 racing personalities the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame recently announced as its newest inductees, three of these have strong ties to the Hamilton area…including track owner Uli Bieri.
Leaving his native Switzerland for Canada when he was 21, Uli Bieri developed a passion for road racing as he developed a large auto dealership and service facility for foreign cars in Toronto in the early 1980s. From this time — and for the next decade — Bieri competed in road racing in North America, Europe and South America, mostly in endurance events.
With this solid background in circuit racing, he switched gears and bought the Kohler Road drag-strip outside of Cayuga and, starting in the mid-1990s, built and maintained a three-kilometre road course, as well as presenting weekly and special events on the formerly named Cayuga Dragway, now part of Toronto Motorsports Park.
Since he took over the facility, Bieri has constantly upgraded and improved TMP. The strip is the oldest continuously operated track in Canada with organized drag racing since 1954. Part of this success is due to Bieri’s continual improvements and renovations — such as a three-story tower with suites, the resurfacing of both the tracks and pit areas, and staying in tune to provide a safe and accessible racing environment for both straight-line and circuit competitors.
