By Emmet Paradis
Jan 21, 2025
Figure 1 The MTC Logo by Arthur Fortin-Brunet
A new motorsport club is challenging Ottawa’s street racing stereotype through organized, safety-first mountain runs.
The Midnight Touge Club, founded by Arthur Fortin-Brunet, aims to give a controlled environment for car enthusiasts while emphasizing camaraderie and safety.
“Touge is a Japanese word that basically means mountain pass,” Fortin-Brunet said. “People in Japan would go in the mountains and race in a way that is respectful of the road and other people.”
This philosophy forms the core of the club’s approach. With 13 strict rules, including a ban on passing during runs, the club prioritizes safety above all else.
Figure 2 Three members of the MTC and an Ottawa Police Constable parked on the side of a mountain road. Photo Credit: Arthur Fortin-Brunet
“Push yourself to 80 per cent, you leave 20 per cent as a buffer,” said Fortin-Brunet. “Make sure you can recover when something goes wrong.”
The club organizes runs on rural roads with good asphalt quality and minimal housing. Each run covers about 250 kilometres.
“I’ve learned all the roads pretty much by heart,” he said. “I know where the cars are going to be parked ahead of time, where the bumps are, the holes, the cracks.”
The club’s popularity has increased since the start, Fortin-Brunet attributing this to a gap in Ottawa’s motorsport scene.
“There’s no more organized street racing in Ottawa. None whatsoever. All there is is disorganized racing,” he says.
Figure 3 Five members of the MTC in a mountain-side parking lot waiting for midnight to begin their run. Photo Credits: Emmet Paradis
Fortin-Brunet grew up in the street racing scene, with his dad having created Midnight Runs, a similar club that doesn’t run as frequently anymore.
MTC’s future looks promising, with plans to expand across the country and introduce new events like drag racing, drifting, and highway pulls.
“MTC for me is also a way of pushing motorsports out of the hands of the rich and into the hands of the people,” he says.
While the MTC aims to give a safer alternative to street racing, law enforcement remains concerned about high-speed incidents on public roads.
Const. Jeff Shields of the Ottawa Police Service, with 26 years of experience, acknowledges the ongoing challenges of street racing. “The highest speed I recorded was a vehicle going 224 km/h on the 174,” he says.
While recognizing the appeal of speeding, Shields advocates for sanctioned venues. “Go somewhere where it’s sanctioned and they have the facilities to deal with you if something goes wrong,” he says.
As the MTC grows, it faces the challenge of balancing passion with legality. While Fortin-Brunet emphasizes keeping activities away from populated areas, the line between organized events and street racing remains thin.
For now, the club represents a new direction in Ottawa’s car culture, one that prioritizes safety and community over careless speed.
Figure 4 Three MTC members pulled over to let cars pass on a mountain road. Photo Credits: Arthur Fortin-Brunet
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