The Hot Rod class was all the talk at the Sechelt Airport this past Sunday. Will McLennan of Gibsons, Lorne Mackie from Roberts Creek and close to 70 other racers treated 1,000 spectators to an impressive show of drag racing.
In the morning, the conversation in the pits centred around the slippery conditions on the track caused by the moisture in the air and the lack of sun. As Will McLennan reported, “It’s real bad out there,” with everyone having problems getting good traction. McLennan had a 6.2 at 114 mph pass and was looking to run the 1/8 mile in under six seconds.
During the break, race organizers were surprised to get a visit from two members of the Sunshine Coast RCMP. With a bit of drag racing 101, the two pursuit cruisers were staged and ready to rip the strip. They raced down the track with lights flashing and sirens on. This really impressed founding Sunshine Coast Drag Racing Association (SCDRA) member Wayne Taylor. He mentioned this was a first in the 18-year history of the SCDRA.
After a few more runs in the afternoon, the racers were ready for eliminations. In Hot Rod, McLennan was cruising through the rounds with times that included a 5.991 and 5.928. Mackie also had impressive runs of 6.044 and 6.243.
One of the semi-finals in Hot Rod had to be rerun as Brian McLennan of Roberts Creek was penalized for a red light in a race with Mackie. A close review of the video indicated McLennan hadn’t moved. Both cars were staged for the rerun and all eyes were on McLennan’s front wheels and the tree. Both racers launched on the green light and once again there was a red light in the tower lane.
Clearly, McLennan had the early jump and Mackie advanced with a time of 6.0 at 113.69 mph.
Robert Unger from Surrey had a great day and had a personal best of 6.74 at 102.99 mph. Unger went deep into the Hot Rod eliminations but was knocked out in the semi-finals by McLennan.
Mackie and Will McLennan had been lifting the front wheels all day. The stage was set for the Hot Rod final. Smoke billowed over the burn box volunteers as both racers warmed their tires.
Mackie had a dial-in of 6.135 and McLennan a 5.90. Both had clean starts and roared down the track, side by side. Mackie crossed the line with a time of 6.135 at 111.82 mph and McLennan at 5.902 at 111.60. The win went to McLennan by a margin of .041. Unger received third place and Brian Hinanda finished fourth.
Laurie Peterson from West Vancouver brought his impressive 351-powered 1972 Maverick Grabber to the Coast for the weekend. In the Street Rod final, Peterson beat John Elson from Gibsons by .003. Cory Mottishaw finished in third place.
In Super Street Mike Vander-linden and his 1969 Mustang Mach 1 lined up against Donald Scholtens from Powell River in a Gremlin. Vanderlinden ran an 8.891 at 73.79 mph leaving Scholtens to settle for second and Roberts Creek resident Grant Gunn was third.
Colin Stracker of Roberts Creek won the street machine final in his late model GMC pickup. He defeated Pamela Messner of Sechelt.
In the first-ever Motorcycle Class final, Halfmoon Bay’s Jeff Morris had his Ninja 900 up against the 2003 Banshee of Bob Hillcoff from Calgary. Morris dialed in a 7.360 and Hillcoff a 9.70. Morris got the jump early and red lighted. Hillcoff crossed the line at 9.704 at 68.11 mph for first place.
During the awards presentations, the Vic Dubois Memorial Award was presented to a member of the SCDRA who volunteers and demonstrates continued dedication to the club and community. The 2016 award went to Brenda Masich. Brenda first introduced drag racing to School District No. 46 in 2005 and created a team at Chatelech Secondary this year. She plans to continue as a teacher sponsor in the fall and volunteers prior to, during and after SCDRA events.
