It was certainly a Spring Burnout last weekend at the Sechelt Airport as the Sunshine Coast Drag Racing Association (SCDRA) began celebrating 20 years of drag racing on the Coast.
Club member Mike Vanderlinden suggested the best way to mark the milestone was with a good old-fashioned burnout competition.
It didn’t take long to find willing participants for some Sunday shenanigans. Mike Vanderlinden (1969 Mustang), Kevin Pye (84 Chevy S-10), Nick Chabot (1979 Chevy C-10), Michael Mcconnachie (1985 Buick Regal) and Levi Stanley-Clarke (1989 Camaro) were up for the challenge.
Each competitor put on smoke shows never seen before at this strip. With no wind for the first three cars the plumes of stifling smoke filled the west end of the strip for some time. The fourth and fifth cars were more fortunate as the breeze carried the smoke in the direction of Chapman Creek.
Most of the 600 attendees gathered along the viewing area cheered and waved their appreciation.
Burn box superintendent Ron Berg was the judge and tasked with the difficult decision of determining a winner. After reviewing his notes and judging criteria, Berg announced Chabot in his 1979 C-10 would claim the hardware.
On Saturday, 30 cars waited most of the day for the puddle-filled track to dry in preparation for the members test ‘n’ tune and to finish off the incomplete August 2018 race. Their patience was rewarded later in the afternoon as the track was dry and ready.
Winners in the delayed race were: Steve Hoops in Street Machine, George Ferreira taking Super Street, Shawn Boyd defeating Yancey Bromely for the Street Rod title.
Sunday’s racing was excellent as 55 cars and motorcycles got track time just after 10 a.m. Race starter Lorne Mackie kept rolling the racers through the practice rounds.
Ray Dierolf of Roberts Creek had a great Sunday and for the first time made it to the Street Machine final against Halfmoon Bay’s Tim Rieck. Rieck had a reaction time of .736 compared to a great .566 for Dierolf in his 1972 Buick GS. This proved to be the difference as Dierolf won by a margin of 0.223.
Another Creeker, James Florance, and his 2009 Holden Commodore met Powell River’s Ken Jenkins with a nice 1967 Beaumont in the Super Street final. Florance dialed in 8.540 and Jenkins 8.700. The start was clean and the race was too close to call. Jenkins ran 8.699 and broke out. So close!
Street Rod had Stanley-Clarke from the Clarke Farm up against the Chatelech Secondary School drag car driven by Jordan Engler. Engler had been at Mission on Friday for the high school drags and had some extra practice in the Ranger. He dialed in 8.550 and Stanley-Clarke went for 8.350. Engler had a better reaction time and finished with 8.601 for the win.
East Vancouver’s Brian Hinada had a bye to the Hot Rod final and he lined up against Bob Baxter of Powell River. Hinada dialed his blown Mustang for a 7.123 run while Baxter and his 1955 Chevy pick-up went for a 6.835 pass. The race was over at the start line when Hinada’s .765 reaction time couldn’t match Baxter’s .558. Baxter easily won the race. Roberts Creek resident Al Crane took third in his 1965 Ford Fairlane.
The motorcycle final was the most interesting and possibly lopsided. With a record five motorcycles in the class along with a go kart, the final had Thomas Archibald riding his 2012 Yamaha FZ08 and Paul Morris driving the 2004 CRG Cart. Morris dialed in 11.90 and Archibald 7.2 on his bike. Archibald waited 4.7 seconds at the tree before he could start the race. That’s tough. Archibald left the start line and quickly reeled in Morris for the win by 0.342.
During the awards presentations, the Ted Meldrum Memorial Award was presented to a Sunshine Coast high school student who demonstrates a mechanical aptitude, dedication to motorsport, volunteers in the community and is supportive of school programs. The deserving winners for 2019 were Jordan Engler at Chatelech Secondary and Ben Millar-Volmar from Elphinstone Secondary.
For more information on the upcoming race and other SCDRA events, contact Richard 604-230-5067, email [email protected] or see scdraonline.ca/
– By Richard Austin
