Area 27’s Radical Cup Canada West puts Okanagan on the racing map

Known for its wineries, fruit orchards, pine forests and scenic lakes, the Okanagan region in British Columbia can now also boast about having one of the largest Radical Cup grids anywhere in the world. The picturesque valley is home to the luxury motorsports club Area 27.

A gearhead’s paradise, Area 27 features a 3-mile, 16-turn circuit designed by Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve with high-downforce cars in mind. And that’s where the Radical Cup Canada West comes in, allowing members to take full advantage of 357 ft of elevation change, long straight and a mixture of both high-speed and technical corners. Their recent season finale race saw a record 26 cars take to the track.

Area 27’s series – one of 20 Radical series around the globe – features the Radical SR3 model, a high-revving British race car with carbon fiber and aerodynamic lines that quickly up conjure memories of the iconic Ferrari 333SP. However, the Radical is an accessible racing car for the everyman, and a complete novice will find themselves equally at home as the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Sebastian Vettel – all whom have sampled the car over the years.

“Confidence inspiring” is the term that’s often used by the Area 27 club members who are living out their own dreams after typically owning a high-end GT road car, before realizing a purpose-built racing car like the Radical is both more fun and economical to operate.

So who is the average Radical racer at Area 27? The cars capture a wide customer base. Take Max Lytvyn, the founder of Grammarly, who is a self-made billionaire who has spent the last five years working on his race craft rather than his golf game, and is now at the pointy end of the field. Then there’s Ty Fisher (14) and his sister Autumn (16), both hoping to emulate Villeneuve to the upper echelons of the sport.

And where can drivers go when they conquer Area 27? Well, there’s the Radical Cup North America series, which ran alongside IndyCar three times in 2025. The Radical World Finals, which this year will be hosted at VIRginia International Raceway Nov.6-9, following years prior at Yas Marina, Portimao and Las Vegas.

And if you look at Radical’s alumni, it could take them all the way to Le Mans. CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz started his racing career later in Radicals in the local series at Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club in Nevada. He progressed to the national Radical Cup, before winning the LMP2 Pro-Am class at La Sarthe in 2023. Similarly, the 2024 LMP2 Le Mans winner Bijoy Garg is also a Radical Cup graduate.

But for now, drivers are already making preparations for next season having recently wrapped up the 2025 Area 27 championship.

Paul Buchmann was crowned series champion for the third year in a row. However it was youngster Ty Fisher, who took the first win of the final weekend, beating Buchmann by a convincing eight seconds, with Max Lytvyn third. In Race 2, Fisher again challenged the soon to be champ, but had to settle for second place, with Chris Beith finding the podium.

Championship runner-up Danny Chase made his way back to the podium in the final race of the season. Mitchell Cooper shone, finishing second, while Buchmann celebrated his title win from the top step of the podium. John Hughes took a win on his way to seal the Masters class championship, with Dan Viskari and Dave Saruk also taking class wins. Autumn Fisher finished out the year with a top six result, and wasn’t the only female competing, with fellow rookie driver Sydney Cassels equally impressing in the 26 car field.

Radical Canada West President John Hughes anticipates an even bigger grid in 2026. “The goal has always been to see 30 Radical SR3 1340 cars on track. That should easily happen next year given we’ve consistently broken record after record for the largest Radical grid in Canada.”

Area 27 President Bill Drossos, whose vision created the high-octane playground, shares the sentiment. “Not since the Formula Atlantic days at Westwood has there been such high-speed excitement in Western Canada. This series has become the club’s crown jewel, and we’re proud to be cultivating car culture alongside the vines and resort life here in the Okanagan”.