BONNYVILLE - The Bonnyville Gear Grabbers packed the stands again during their race weekend, where drivers got the chance to drag race on the Bonnyville airport runway.
The event took place from July 4 - 6 and featured a variety of vehicles racing, demonstrations from dragsters and funny cars, vendors, a car show, and the new addition of the Wrench Warriors competition where contestants competed in several challenges to win apprenticeship positions and loaded tool cabinets.
Greg Sawchuk, president of the Gear Grabbers, said they had a great turn out of contestants, with over 100 vehicles registered for the drag racing.
The Race Weekend is a volunteer run event, and Sawchuk spoke about the time and effort they put into hosting these events. When asked why they do it, Sawchuk said they knew there were a lot of car enthusiasts in the Bonnyville area, and Edmonton is a long way for people to go to see this type of event.
“We wanted to put on something that was not only for the racers, but for people who were maybe even just thinking about trying out their cars. We try to make it very friendly for the new race car drivers - we have had retirees come and race for their first time, and tons of women are racing here today. In fact, it's a woman driving the funny car,” said Sawchuk.
Sawchuk said the difference between an airport race versus an actual racetrack is that the surface is a little bit more slippery.
“It's a bit of an equalizer. We've seen it today, you'll see cars that have 500-700 horsepower actually be able to outrun somebody that has twice the horsepower,” said Sawchuk.
Sawchuk spoke about the generosity of the MD of Bonnyville that allowed them to use the airport.
“We have a very good relationship with the MD of Bonville, and their staff do a remarkable job. They're great at making this place look like a golf course,” said Sawchuk.
Sawchuk spoke about how expensive the event is to host, and how they couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of their sponsors, and the enduring support of volunteers that work hard to tackle the intense set-up the event requires.
Sawchuk said the crowd “keeps showing up” for these events, and that it is a testament to the desire the community has to have the races.
Attendee and car enthusiast Robert Baschet travelled from Edmonton to enjoy Bonnyville’s race weekend, and said he really enjoyed getting to chat with some drivers and see what people have done with their vehicles.
Ryan Chuckrey, 1st time driver in Bonnyville’s race weekend, was all smiles as he waited in the que for his next race and said the experience has been “so much fun”. It was a bit of a last-minute decision for him to register, but he got his ‘03 Ram truck ready, and with a quick tweaking between races, he was headed back to the runway for another go.
Lakeland motorcycle Ride for Dad (LMRD) had a booth set up at the race weekend event, to promote their non-profit organization that hosts motorcycle rides all over Canada to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer.
“Since their inception, the Ride for Dad now has rides coast to coast, and they’ve raised over $43 million in the 25 years they’ve been running...The rides are poker runs, and we’ve had one in Cold Lake for 10 years. We had three gentlemen this year that together raised over $10,000 in pledges,” said Jan Stewart, co-chair of the LMRD.
The LMRD is expanding into ATV’S, snowmobiles, and boats, and Stewart explained that the events can offer a sense of community to those affected by prostate cancer.
“Ride for Dad could not have the success that it does without the tremendous support of sponsors, volunteers, riders, and people who donate pledges. We just have tremendous support from the community,” said Stewart
Wrench Warriors
Lee Von Grad, VP of support services with Brown’s Industrial, explained that the Wrench Warriors competition offered young people the opportunity to compete for a chance at apprenticeships with Overdrive Heavy Duty Services and Browns Industrial.
“First place gets a one-year apprenticeship with Overdrive and second gets an apprenticeship with Browns.... With the apprenticeships they get their schooling paid for and their dorms. For us [at Brown’s], we’ve got what we wanted out of it – the young people that have come through the competition have been talented, they’re excited, and they’re families have been showing so much gratitude...It’s a great opportunity for everyone,” said Von Grad.
The competition had several stations including a mock brake system to work on.
First Place winner Scott Ross was beaming and could hardly wait to start his apprenticeship with Overdrive, saying it was going to be “a long two weeks” until he starts.
“When I heard about this from a co-worker of mine, I instantly said ‘oh yah, sign me up’... I felt great during the competition, and the mechanics at the different stations were helpful and always there to answer any questions I had,” said Ross.
Second place winner Drew Hamilton graduated this year, and knew he wanted to get into mechanics. Knowing the competition did not require a certain amount of experience, he knew he could have a shot at it.
“It wasn’t what I expected, but it wasn’t too tough, and everyone was helpful at the stations...I’m looking forward to starting [the apprenticeship],” said Hamilton.
Mark Brown, the owner of Brown’s Industrial, spoke about how unique this opportunity is, how happy he is with this first pilot group, and how he hopes the competition will grow and attract more competitors over the years.
“When Overdrive approached us about it, we jumped at the opportunity. We were excited to be involved,” said Brown.
