Henry,
Excellent - thank you very much and will let my friend know. He is going up
for the BMW Club Racing at Mosport this coming weekend. He supports four
customers, as well as himself and will have a trailer loaded with 4-5 cars and
equipment. First trip for him and his customers to CTMP or Canada for that
matter.
Regards,
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: yellow04 [mailto:yellow04@tr4racer.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2025 4:12 PM
To: Mark Cook
Cc: Friends of Triumph Group Email
Subject: Entering/exiting Canada w a trailer etc
It just so happens that I was asked this year by the event chair of the
VARAC Vintage Grand Prix to provide a writeup from an American�s
perspective to the border crossing, and what follows is the text I
prepared for her that was sent to all US based racers. As everyone
should know by now, the 2026 Kastner Cup will be at Mosport, (currently
known as Canadian Tire Motorsports Park) and folks from the States will
obviously need to cross the US/Canadian border with their fully loaded
race rigs. The subject of the border crossing comes up every time I talk
to a fellow racer about experiencing Mosport, everyone is concerned that
something bad will happen at the border. In the almost 20 times I have
done it, I have never had a problem.
~~~
An American racer�s perspective to the border crossing
I have been asked to provide an American�s perspective to the biggest
obstacle we have to race in Canada, the border crossing. We have been
enjoying the VARAC Vintage Festival at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
(Mosport) for about 20 years. The border crossing question is the one I
hear all the time when trying to convince my American friends they need
to check out my favorite race weekend of the season.
My rig has always been an RV pulling an enclosed trailer. First a small
Class C, now a medium size Class A. Our point of entry is Thousand
Islands, and friends who use the Lewiston Bridge (Niagara Falls)
crossing report the same experience.
The basics:
� Passports are required for everyone in the rig. Have all the passports
in your hand as you drive up to the border agent and hand them over as
you exchange pleasantries.
� Do not hand the border crossing guard anything other than your
passport(s). If they need anything else, they will ask for it. Anything
you give to the border agent, they will take the time to read and
understand, and you will complicate matters and lose time. The only
additional information I have ever been asked to provide entering Canada
is the license number of the RV because my trailer blocks their camera
view.
� Be prepared with documentation should you need it. Current
registration and insurance information on your tow rig and trailer. Log
book for the race car. (I have a couple results sheets that show my name
next to the car make and model) I always have this information at arm�s
reach but have never been asked to produce it.
� Keep in mind your interaction with any border guard will go much
smoother and faster if you remain pleasant and answer all questions
succinctly without interjecting any humor. Remember �Dragnet�? Just the
facts, ma�am. That�s your mantra when talking to any border agent!
� Do not attempt to bring any firearms of any kind, or any prohibited
substances to Canada. Educate yourself on what your limits for alcohol
and tobacco are, and what is prohibited.
One of the items folks talk about is the requirement of a list of the
contents of your trailer. Preparing this list seems like a daunting
task, but here are two pieces of good news. First, an acceptable list
does not need to identify every item in a tote or toolbox, just the
number of totes or toolboxes. If I were to do a list for my rig, it
would include the race car, bicycle, 1 large tote of tools, three medium
sized totes with tools and spare race car parts for my personal use, one
tall toolbox, one short toolbox, two trailer spares, 4 race car wheels
and tires, two fuel jugs, 1 pair Race Ramps and a canopy. Done.
The other piece of good news, it seems very few veterans of the border
crossing even bother with a list anymore. In all the years I have been
racing in Canada, I have been asked for my list once, and it was not
from the border agent. It was from a person walking the line of vehicles
waiting to enter the US. When I told her I didn�t have one, she was
slightly annoyed and instructed me to prepare the list for next time and
kept walking.
I didn�t find any guidance on the US Customs and Border Protection
website about this list of personal property you intend to take with you
to and from Canada. If it is there, it is buried deep! I haven�t
prepared a list in years.
Some thoughts on each crossing:
Entering Canada:
Keep in mind the Canadians are concerned about where we are going and
what we are doing in their country. Naturally, their job is stopping any
prohibited items from entering Canada, and to make sure people bringing
goods for resale in Canada pay whatever duty or tariff they might owe.
Since we are going to bring all our stuff home with us, this does not
apply to us, racers do not have pay any duty. So be prepared for
questions about what you are bringing into Canada. I always say we are
participating in a race weekend at Mosport in Bowmanville, Ontario and
my race car is in the trailer. Our experience with the Canadian Border
guards has always been very easy, and it is for most people. In these
days of Big Brother, when your passport gets scanned by the border
agent, they see all kinds of data pop up, and their questions will
reflect what they see. I believe if you have a permit to carry
concealed firearms, that pops up and expect more questions about guns.
That kind of thing. One question I get occasionally is �When was the
last time you were in Canada?� Now I think about that one in advance so
I have the correct answer ready. Assuming you have lived a clean life
without running afoul of the authorities, the border guard should
process you in a couple minutes and send you on your way.
Returning to the US:
Keep in mind the US agents are most concerned about stopping illegal
immigration and the importation of illegal substances. It seems a racer
returning to the States on a Sunday or Monday does not seem to be a big
risk. We typically get a couple of softball questions and are sent on
our way. When world affairs warranted it, I had my RV boarded by guards
looking for undeclared people. I have been asked by the agent for the
keys to my enclosed trailer for an inspection that consisted of opening
the back door and peering in with a flashlight. Neither of these have
happened in several years. If anything like these things happen, just
let the border folks do their job, and you will be on your way in short
order.
After you get a couple of border crossings under your belt, you realize
it is no big deal. Then your biggest concern shifts to how long the line
is to get processed!
~~~
The Triumphs returning to Mosport will be a pretty big deal. The
Canadians are excited to have us. The event is by far the best race
weekend I attend every year. The track is legendary, the racing is
extraordinary. More details once we get past Lime Rock over Labor Day
weekend!
Henry Frye
KCup chair, 2025 and 2026
860.508.3118 (m)
-------------------------------------
On 2025-06-22 13:47, Mark Cook wrote:
> All,
>
> Nice update!
>
> So, I have a friend who is going up, hauling 4 BMWs to CTMP this week.
> Any
> words of wisdom for entering/exiting Canada with a trailer full of cars
> and
> equipment? Anything specific he needs to know regarding the paperwork?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mark Cook
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