Our History

In 2003 a group of enthusiasts decided there was a need to formally preserve and promote the rich motorsports heritage that exists in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island the Maritime Provinces of Canada. For the next several months these people canvassed aficionados from all genres of motorsports in all three provinces to help determine a direction for what would become a permanent museum and meeting place to both honour the past, and help promote the future.

In June 2005, with Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame member Ernie McLean and his wife Winona McLean at the helm of the organization, the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame was incorporated as a non-profit organization in New Brunswick. Using a vast network of motorsport trade, corporate, and government connections made in more than three decades as owner/operators of River Glade Speedway in New Brunswick, the McLean’s set out to raise the funding necessary to build a facility that would be home to the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame housing artefacts and displays and paying homage to its inductees and to their achievements.

With the help of funding through ACOA, the Province of New Brunswick, large donations, and the support of the Village of Petitcodiac along with fundraising efforts by many, many volunteers – a ground-breaking ceremony was held in July 2008 to mark the start of construction of an elaborate multi-purpose building that would house the MMHF museum and library, a local tourist information centre, as well as offer the motorsports and local community a full-service conference centre for meetings, special functions, and trade shows.

On October 16, 2009 the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame held the grand opening of its new 10,000 square foot facility complete with a motorsports museum, local tourism centre, office space, conference room for up to 140 people, a 15-person meeting room, a large parking lot that can easily accommodate large buses and recreational vehicles, and a full kitchen to allow in-house catering. The multi-purpose facility is conveniently located adjacent to Highway No. 1 at exit 233 in the Village of Petitcodiac, less than 50 kilometers from downtown Moncton – widely known as the hub city of the Maritimes.