The track is situated on the Terrain de l'Exposition, the city's fairground complex. Its most distinctive physical feature is the passage through Porte Duplessis at Turn 3 — the narrow concrete gateway of the fairgrounds — a constraint that no configuration change has ever removed. This architectural chokepoint, unique among active street circuits, has defined the character of the layout since the event's founding and gives the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières an identity impossible to replicate at any other venue.
The current circuit measures 2.448 kilometres (1.521 miles) with 11 turns. The layout has evolved across several configurations since 1967. The 1971 to 1972 version ran to 2.092 km; a 1974 to 1977 version measured 2.414 km; the circuit was extended to 3.380 km between 1978 and 1985 to accommodate longer-distance racing; and the present 2.448 km arrangement has been in use since 1986.
Trois-Rivières lies on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, giving the event strong regional access and a position within the broader Quebec motorsport culture that has sustained it through decades of series changes.
Formula Atlantic was a recurring headline category at Trois-Rivières across multiple periods from 1974 onward, continuing through 1985 and from 1989 to 2003. The series attracted internationally significant open-wheel talent. Gilles Villeneuve won at Trois-Rivières before his career progressed to Formula One. Michael Andretti was among the Formula Atlantic champions at the circuit. Later Atlantic-era winners included Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier, both of whom became significant figures in North American open-wheel racing.
Indy Lights competed at the circuit in 1996, 1997, 1998, and again in 2011 and 2012. The 2012 lap record of 0:58.2962, set by Tristan Vautier in a Dallara IPS, stands as the benchmark for that series at the circuit. Earlier Indy Lights winners at the venue included Hélio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Cristiano da Matta, all of whom subsequently competed at the highest levels of American open-wheel racing.
The Can-Am Series raced at Trois-Rivières from 1977 to 1984. Winners across that period included Patrick Tambay, Elliot Forbes-Robinson, Al Holbert, and Jacques Villeneuve Sr. The American Le Mans Series visited in 2002 and 2003, and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series also appeared at the circuit, giving it exposure to prototype sports car racing at international standard. The Trans-Am Series first appeared in 1976 and returned across subsequent decades, with winners including George Follmer, Tommy Kendall, Scott Sharp, and Ron Fellows.
From 2007 the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières adopted the NASCAR Canada Series as its premier headline class, a shift that marked a new chapter for the event. The series has remained the headline attraction in every season since, excluding 2020. Andrew Ranger won multiple NASCAR Canada events at the circuit; Alex Tagliani and Marc-Antoine Camirand have also featured among modern winners.
Between 2014 and 2019 the GP3R expanded to a two-weekend format when the FIA World Rallycross Championship's World RX of Canada joined the calendar, making Trois-Rivières a venue for two distinct world-level events in the same season.
The circuit's active calendar continues to be built around the NASCAR Canada Series as its premier class. Supporting categories include the Super Production Challenge, F1600 Canada, and the Radical Cup Canada, providing a full programme of competitive racing across the GP3R weekend.
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