SH Karting at St-Hilaire, Quebec

A bit of history...

Founded in 1975, SH Karting is one of the largest karting centers in Canada, offering arrive and drive activities as well as sales, maintenance and manufacturing services. We are located in the province of Quebec, near Mont Saint-Hilaire, only 20 minutes away from Montreal (Highway 20 East, exit 115).

SH Karting is also the exclusive Canadian importer of the reputed Tony Kart and Kosmic kart chassis, as well as Vortex and ROK engines. In addition, we offer a selection of the best specialised products for recreational and competitive karting such as Rotax, Sparco, Bridgestone, Alfano and Tillett.

Our permanent facilities include two tracks totaling 1.4 kilometers in length, used for both rental and competitive karting. We offer both recreational driving and driver training, as well as storage facilities.

Since 1975, thousands of people have discovered the world of karting on our tracks.We are proud to have had promising young drivers such as Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Andrew Ranger drive their first laps here, and to later go on to exciting careers in international motorsports. SH Karting also hosts four events of the Montreal Cup karting championship, with eight different classes competing, averaging over 135 drivers per event

The SH Karting website is designed to introduce you to the wide range of products, services and expertise that we offer. We hope you will find all the product information and advice you need.

For additional information, don't hesitate to contact us. Our qualified personnel will be happy to assist you and we would be very pleased to welcome you to our facilities in Mont St-Hilaire.
Sincerely,

Clément Duriez
Président,SH Karting

Souvenirs

We asked Mr. Clement Duriez, president and founder of SH Karting and karting aficionado for decades, to share his memories with you. We hope you'll enjoy these pictures and visit this page again sometime, as new pictures will continuously be posted.

SH Karting was in its first years. Clem Duriez, on the right, had gotten the help Gordon Elliott (in the white shirt) and Keith Preddy to install a hydraulic lift. At the time, the only building at SH Karting was this semi-circular warehouse made of rippled sheet metal, bereft of any insulation. It was used for all of of the company's activities; an oven in the summer and an igloo in the winter. One had to be tough in those days...

The kart in this picture was one of the first of its kind to be imported in North America. The Barlotti chassis was manufactured in England and had 4 brake discs; the engine was a Sachs 125cc, air cooled, combined with a 6-speed gear box. This bombshell at the time was meant to race on long, fast tracks, and driving one to its full capability was quite a challenge.

Sold shortly after to a local buyer, SH Karting is looking for this kart. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any information concerning its whereabouts.

In those days, kart chassis weren't very sophisticated, often homemade and of relative efficiency. The science of ergonomics was virtually unknown at the time; the driving position of these machines was rudimentary at best. Karting was associated with tinkering about, and each driver was also the team mechanic. Enthusiastic Clem could dip his hands in dirty oil all he liked (which gave his steering wheel an interesting texture), the driving style remained nothing less than flamboyant! Note the position of the left foot: the brake pedal wasn't very popular...

You've no doubt recognized this young man, who used to practice at SH Karting. Then 15 years old, with perseverence and determination he exploited a certain talent in order to become none other than the Formula One World Champion in 1997. (Photo Charles Gauthier)

Rubens Barichello, pictured here with Clem Duriez, visited SH Karting during the Canadian Grand Prix of 1993. Barichello, born in 1972, had quite a career in competitive karting before climbing the autosport ladder. From 1981 to 1988, he won no less than 5 national karting championships in Brasil, and he still practices the sport today!

Opening hours

For recreational karting

Parts & service department

Racers and kart owners

Groups, individuals and families.

Open from April to October,
7 days a week
from 10:30 a.m. until dusk (from 1 p.m. on Saturdays).

April and October:

10:30 a.m. until dusk

May and September:

10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

June, July and August:

10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Summer Season:

Monday to Friday
9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday
until 8:00 p.m.

Saturday
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Winter season:

Monday to Friday
9:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday by appointment
from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The track is operational as early as April and is available for open practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., as well as Saturday** mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A daily track pass or season pass is required.

**Except Saturdays with Coupe de Montréal events scheduled (See calendar)

Our installations feature:

- State of the art timing system with transponders
(same technology used in formula 1)

-Alfano magnet strip at 3 locations to allow sector timing.

-Picnic tables and outdoor terrace

-Grandstands and balcony with panoramic view

-Both tracks have light for afterdark activities

-Large parking lot

-Snack bar

-And much more!