From Toronto to AMP, a young driver’s racing journey is just getting started.
Fourteen hours is a long way to travel for a home track. But for Grant Bourne and his father, Brian, the drive from Toronto to Atlanta Motorsports Park is one they continue to make, and that says more about this place than anything else could.
The Bournes are not your typical motorsports family. Grant did not grow up dreaming of road courses. He started riding ATVs at age 4, was racing competitively by 9, and did not get behind the wheel of an actual car until he was 16. The fundamentals were already there, including instinct, mechanical feel, and a competitive edge, but they came from a very different world. Now 20 years old, Grant teaches high school robotics in Toronto and races on weekends. It is not the background most would expect from a road racing champion.
And yet, that is exactly what he became. In 2025, during his first full season of sprint racing in a Nissan 350Z, Grant captured the Pirelli GT4 Championship in the Ontario series. First full season. First try.
In 2026, he is stepping up to the Gridlife Rush SR Spec Series, where fields can reach 45 cars and the schedule stretches from Watkins Glen to Laguna Seca. His season is backed by FDF Motorsports, the Canadian East Coast dealer of the Rush SR, and his progression shows no signs of slowing down.
AMP entered the picture through Brian, who owns Scalar Performance and needed a place to develop their SCR1, an electric-converted Subaru BRZ race car that required real track time to refine. The Bournes became Corporate Members in fall 2022 and have continued building their presence here ever since, including a trackside condo. As Brian puts it, “Atlanta is a major flight hub, which makes getting to AMP incredibly convenient.” Beyond that, the track checks every box, including year-round access, a technical layout that challenges both car and driver, and an East Coast location that fits their schedule.
But practicality only goes so far. The drive is still 14 hours. People do not keep making that trip for logistics alone. They do it for the community, the facility, and what being here makes possible.
Grant Bourne is one member, but his story, the unlikely path, the rapid rise, and the family that found a home track 800 miles from home, reflects something bigger about what AMP is and who it attracts. We are proud to have Grant, Brian, and Scalar Performance as part of the AMP community, and we look forward to following Grant as he takes on 45-car fields from Watkins Glen to Laguna Seca in 2026.
We are incredibly proud of all that Grant has accomplished and excited to watch his racing journey continue to unfold. His rise through the sport, combined with the passion and commitment he and Brian have shown, makes their story a special one within the AMP community. We are grateful to have Grant and Brian as members of our track and proud to have families like the Bournes, whose enthusiasm for motorsports and connection to AMP continue to make this place so unique.
