LAC LA BICHE - The races are cancelled.
Winter Festival of Speed organizer Ken Staples is used to flying by the seat of his pants, swerving obstacles and racing to the finish line — but the long-time racecar driver and founder of the annual winter ice race event in Lac La Biche County says COVID beat him to the checkered-flag this year. The win for the virus means a big loss for racing fans, outdoor enthusiasts, winter tourism and charity organizations that received funds for volunteering at the weekend event.
"Last year, was a good year and we raised about $24,000 for local groups," said Staples on Friday morning, just a few hours after exhausting all options to host the 38th running of the event that was supposed to take over a section of the frozen Lac La Biche lake on the Feb. 26 weekend.
"We were still attempting to do it right up until yesterday," he said, explaining that this year's organizing committee, with the assistance of the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce, had submitted an exemption request to Alberta Health for a COVID-friendly race weekend that would have seen spectators restricted to in-vehicle viewing of the high-speed car and snowmobile races, as well as an on-ice airstrip for an aircraft show-and shine event. "We requested the exemption and had all our guidelines in place, but we were denied it."
A social event
Without the exemption, officials with the associations that govern the car races and snowmobile drags were forced to opt out. Provincial pandemic measures would also mean restrictions to the planned aircraft fly-in, keeping pilots inside their aircraft. Staples said the lack of social interaction with other pilots and community members — one of the big reasons pilots have enjoyed the winter fly-in for the last decade — forced the local flying club to hold off this year as well.
The races, which draw hundreds of spectators from across the region and racers from across Western Canada, are typically held as the season-ending championship weekend for the Northern Alberta Sports Car Club's winter series and a stop on the Straightline Snowmobile Racing Association's event circuit. Both organizations have seen reduced activity over the winter months due to pandemic measures.
For Staples and the organizers, the cancellation of the big event is frustrating, but like any good racer, they're learning from the tough loss this year, shaking it off and preparing to come back stronger next year.
"We're ready for next year. Bigger and better."
Any funds collected for this years event from corporate sponsors are expected to be held for next year's return to the ice.
