thunder in the valley

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1 www.albernidragracing.com THUNDER 2014 VALLEY IN THE WWW.ALBERNIDRAGRACING.COM Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association Presents 1/4 MILE DRAG RACE Sponsored by Vol. 14 AUGUST 9 TH /10 TH , 2014 PORT ALBERNI REGIONAL AIRPORT SHOW & SHINE AUGUST 8 th , 2014 4pm HARBOUR QUAY Photo by Dyan Lover

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Thunder in the Valley. Port Alberni's annual 1/4 Mile Drag Racing Event.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Thunder in the Valley

1www.albernidragracing.com

THUNDER 2014VALLEYIN THE

WWW.ALBERNIDRAGRACING.COM

Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association Presents

1/4 MILE DRAG RACE

Sponsored by

Vol. 14

AUGUST 9TH/10TH, 2014 PORT ALBERNI REGIONAL AIRPORT

SHOW & SHINEAUGUST 8th, 2014 4pmHARBOUR QUAY

Photo by Dyan Lover

Page 2: Thunder in the Valley

Keep your eyes

open for our

Decal Draws!

Johnston Rd 250-724-0008

Beaver Creek250-723-2831

Page 3: Thunder in the Valley

3www.albernidragracing.com

Auto & Heavy Duty Towing & RecoveryAuto & Heavy Duty Towing & Recovery

TOWING

www.albernitowing.com

Ph: 250 724 4050

new Mobile Friendly

Website

Page 4: Thunder in the Valley

4 www.albernidragracing.com

2940 Ed Nixon Terr. Victoria, BC

250-475-1345 SteveDraneHarley.com

The Island’s Only Authorized Retailer

“Tradition & Trust for Over 36 Years”

Brent Murray is a long time THUNDER IN THE VALLEY supporter and is the owner/driver of the Damn Yankee Funny Car featured on the cover. Brent lives in Parksville, B.C. but travels all over the Pacific North West with his Blown Alcohol Nostalgia “Flopper.” The engine is a 540 cubic inch TFX Alan Johnston, topped with a 1471 supercharger, backed by a T&J transmission, a Hayes clutch all housed on a 125” chassis. Brent’s fastest Thunder time to date is a 6.74 @ 209mph. Brent recently ripped off a killer 6.43 @ 216mph at Mission Raceway and is the only Canadian racer who tours the coast with the North West BB Funny Car Association. At Mission Raceway in 2010 Brent nailed his fastest personal best run, a stellar 5.43 @ 263 mph in Hugh Ridley’s Top Alcohol dragster! Brent caught the racing bug by following his Father Doug into drag boat racing in 1988. Brent also races the Thriller IV dragster which is owned by his father Doug and wife Donna. Brent loves to confuse the audience by changing the body style from the red, white and blue Damn Yankee Mustang to the wicked looking Black Untamed Racing Fiat Topilino body.

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5www.albernidragracing.com

Photo: Dean MurdochBrent’s Dad Doug Murray is the crew Chief and others crew members are Karen Allen and Scott Wiggs. Brent is sponsored by Sea Span, Extreme Fiberglass Solutions, Chop Salon and Day Spa and Mid Island Towing all of Nanaimo and Terminal Auto Body of Parksville.   

HARBOUR-VIEWCOLLISION

3120 2nd Ave. • 250-724-5221

Your Local Body Shop

Proud to support

Thunder in the Valley

Don’t let the size fool you. Kerry Young’s Chevy S-10 truck runs with the Pro’s and his best E.T to date is a 10.59 @125 mph! Kerry is sponsored by Young’s Mechanical and Lordco and the engine is a 448 horse 406 cubic inch Small block Chevy under the hood. The trany is a turbo 400, with a trans brake and a 5500 rpm stall. The truck weighs 2600 lbs and has a 4:56 gear in the rear. In 2012 Kerry went all the way to the semi finals in his first year racing at Thunder in the Valley and is often seen racing with the hitters at Mission Raceway Park.

KERRY YOUNG

Page 6: Thunder in the Valley

6 www.albernidragracing.com

Dyan Lover and Ron York enjoy racing in front of the home town crowds and truly appreciate all of the hard work of the volunteers and the AVDRA. The couple have matching black 1969 Z-28 Camaros except Dyan’s Cama-ro has white Z-28 stripes and Ron’s has yellow. These are not the only differences. Dyan’s engine is a 900 horse-power 598 cubic inch Merlin big block, with a Turbo 400 transmission, Mark Williams/Fab 9 rear diff and a 4 link. Ron’s engine is a 468 cubic inch BBC, with a glide and a 9” rear diff with ladder bars. Dyan runs a smaller 31-10.5” tire while Ron runs a 33x10.5”. Both run in the PRO class and are naturally aspirated but Ron’s car runs on C-12 race fuel while Dyan’s car still runs Chevron ‘pump gas’ and is street legal! Yes, it’s an 9 second street car weigh-ing over 3100 lbs where Ron’s car is much lighter race car. Ron and Dyan are long time drag racing fanatics and have both always owned first Generation Camaro Street

cars. Dyan first started racing in 2008 and Ron followed shortly after. Both drivers have enjoyed a successful drag racing career to date with Ron going to the final at the Langley Loafers Old Time Drags in Mission in 2012. In 2013 Dyan did the same thing and also went to the final (against 74 cars) in Door Warz, again at Mission Raceway Park. Dyan also went to the semi finals in the NHRA Na-tional Open and has gotten 3 perfect lights to date, two in the same weekend! The couple are Mission Raceway Park regulars racing there almost every weekend during the summer but are both Port Alberni born and raised. Dyan is a also a Drag Racing Photographer and a School Bus Driver for SD#70. Ron is a Heavy Duty Mechanic for the City of Port Alberni. Both volunteer to help make the event a success and would like to wish their fellow racers good luck in the lanes!

DYAN LOVER RON YORK

SPONSORING THUNDER IN THE VALLEY FOR OVER 14 YEARS

Voted Best Burgers on Vancouver Island

Thanks for the MemoriesBrent - Never Lift!

DRIVE - INJ L&

4422 Gertrude St. 250-723-6331

TRACK SAFETY • Race Cars are hot and

need to return to the pits quicklyPLEASE GIVE THEM THE

RIGHT OF WAY

• Dogs are not permitted at the Race Track at

anytime

VEHICLES WITH PETS INSIDE WILL BE

REPORTED TO THE SPCA

Page 7: Thunder in the Valley

7www.albernidragracing.com

Direct

Doug Lalonde first raced at Thunder in the Valley in 2008 but has been a familiar face at our annual event since it’s inception. Doug’s wife Laura is a member of Wan-gler Racing Family and both have supported both her brother Shane and this event for decades. Doug’s truck is a 1968 Chevrolet powered by a 555 cubic inch BBC with 885 horse power! The truck weighs 2900lbs, runs a 4:56 gear, 14x32 inch tires and has a TH400 transmission to help get all of that power to the rear diff. Doug will be running in the Pro class this year and is not sure what kind of number he will run since it is a new combination. Doug would like to thank the Wangler family for all of their support and help with his project.

There’s nothing more fine than a sixty nine and Gerald Levasseur’s wicked looking Z-28 is no exception! The 700 horsepower 540 cubic inch Merlin engine is pushing 700 horsepower and is Street legal. The engine is natu-rally aspirated but is also plumbed with Nitrous for some added fun! The car is back halved, weighs 3600 lbs, runs a TH400 transmission and a 4:56 gear. Gerald is sponsored by and works as a Body Shop Service Adviser at Pacific Chevrolet. Gerald is also sponsored by Alberni Towing and Ker-Pow Designs. Gerald is well known in the lanes for his former black 68 Camaro race car “The General” and has aptly named this new car “The General 2” Gerald would like to thank his beautiful girls for always support-ing his need for speed!

DOUG LALONDEGERALD LEVASSEUR

Photo: Dyan Lover

Page 8: Thunder in the Valley

8 www.albernidragracing.com

John Lover has been racing at Thunder in the Valley since 2005. John’s son Jay has never raced but will be in the lanes with his Dad this year in his Black 1970 Nova. Both will be racing in the Modified class. Both John’s 1967 Pontiac Acadian and Jay’s Nova are powered by a 355 cubic inch small block. John’s car has a Turbo 350, 4:88 gears and weighs 3200lbs with driver. Jay’s car is very similar but has a 4:10 gear and a little more weight. This will be a close one and it will be interesting to see who comes home with the bragging rights, Father or Son?

Photo: Russ Widdess

JOHN LOVER

Port Alberni’s Curt Broekman has been supporting Thun-der for a few years now and has also been travelling to both Mission Raceway and Port McNeil to race his 1981 El Camino in the Pro class. The engine is a 406 cubic inch , 600 horsepower small block chevy backed by a turbo 400, 4:11 gears weighing 3200 lbs. Curt runs a 28x10.5 tire and last year he nailed a 11.12 @ 122mph but after some recent changes hopes to improve on that. Curt is sponsored by LORDCO, Island Spring and Weatherwise in Parksville. Curt would like to thank his parents, friends and fellow racers for all of their support.

CURT BROEKMANCLASS DESCRIPTIONS

PRO CLASS:• Capable of running 11.49 to 9.00 sec • Mandatory Current - NHRA license and chassis tag

if running 9.99 or quicker• Minimum 5 point roll bar and all current NHRA SFI

Safety Gear.• Drag Radials or Drag Slicks only • No Street tires OR Electronics • Sportsman Tree

SUPER PRO CLASS:• All cars with electronics (Delay Box/Throttle Stops

etc.)• Capable of running 11.49 to 7.50 sec• Drag Radials or Drag Slicks only - No Street tires• Mandatory Current - NHRA license and chassis tag

if running 9.99 or quicker• Minimum 5 point roll bar and all current NHRA SFI

safety Gear.• Sportsman Tree

MODIFIED CLASS:• Cars capable of running 13.00 to 11.50 sec• Drag radials, Slicks ,or Street tires• Open or closed exhaust• No Electronics • Sportsman Tree

SPORTSMAN CLASS: (Formally Street)• Vehicles running 13.01 or slower• 64 car limit- fast time break enforced• No Crew or support vehicle• Parking in the Sportsman pits• Sportsman Tree

DOOR SLAMMERS:• Vehicles capable of reaching the ¼ mile in under

8.70 seconds.• Car must have two operating doors and left hand

steering• Must have front and rear suspension and a roof• No traction or throttle control devices• Data recorders and Air shifters are permitted• Oil retention device is mandatory.• Current Chassis certification and NHRA drivers

license. •Pro Tree

DRAG BIKES:All motorcycles with race experienced riders only.PRO Tree.

Page 9: Thunder in the Valley

9www.albernidragracing.com

Letter from the President

AVDRA EXECUTIVEI’d like to personally welcome everyone to the 14TH Annual “Thunder in the Alberni Valley” event. It’s an exciting time for Alberni Valley Drag Race Association as we continue to grow and adapt, remaining always motivated and responsive to the association members and ideas.

I hope everyone has fun and produces some great runs, and that everyone gets a chance to see the sites and enjoy what the Alberni Valley has to offer.This year brings us with heavy hearts as we run with-out one of our Top Exhibition racers Brent Harris, who passed away all too soon. Brent supported the AVDRA for many years and was very important to our organi-zation. He will be sadly missed.

Before I close, I’d like to take this time to thank all of the supporters, advertisers and the numerous volun-teers that help to make an event like this happen. We should all be very proud of where we are today and excited about where we are headed. Have Fun - Enjoy the Weekend and Thanks for coming!!

Bill SurryPresidentAlberni Valley Drag Race Association

Bill SurryPresident

Anita SpencerSecretary

Rocky Filipchuk Vice President

Richard Spencer Race Preparation

Rod AndersonTrack Safety

Ralph BernsteinTreasurer

Sean is proud to call Vancouver Island home and serves clients in many communities here. After joining Sun Life Financial in 1999, he has dedicated his time to providing the best possible service by advancing his education and keeping up with the latest trends in the � nancial services industry. Since forming Parker Financial Services Inc., he has com-mitted himself to listening to each client’s unique situation and building lasting solutions to help them achieve lifetime � nancial security.Sean Parker*

Advisor/Owner

Sharlyn joined our team in 2008 and is integral in keeping our o� ce running with maximum e� ciency. She helps with our daily operations and is always ready to greet clients with a smile. When it’s time to relax, Sharlyn enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Sharlyn HuysmansO� ce Administrator

Danielle was raised in Qualicum Beach and began her career in 2002 as a Certi� ed General Accoun-tant with accounting � rms around Vancouver Island. Her accounting expertise is a major bene� t to clients when developing tax strategies to help them keep more of what they earn. She keeps our business running smoothly while also supporting marketing and sales. An active mother of two, Danielle spends her time enjoying the outdoors with her family.Danielle Parker

CGA, Client Service Assistant

MYTH OR TRUTH?Myth: Financial planning is all about numbers.Truth: No, it’s about setting goals and enjoying your life, but knowing the numbers can help make it happen.

*Mutual funds o� ered by Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies. © Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2013.

PARKER FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.4650 Margaret Street • 250.723.7723www.sunlife.ca/sean.parker

As part of the team, Damien serves clients who have specialized needs for estate and � nancial planning. After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University in 2002, Damien has spent the past decade in the banking and � nancial services industry. He helps clients build a sound � nancial plan by providing expertise on investment strat-egies, wealth management and estate planning.

Damien Burleigh

CFP®, CLU®Director, Estate and Financial Planning Services

Creating Financial Solutions That Fit Your Life

Your Partners in Planning

LOCAL SERVICE ■ GLOBAL THINKING

Keeping Pace With Your Changing Needs■ Changing your marital status.■ Adding to your family, including grandchildren.■ Buying home.■ Changing jobs.■ Starting your own business.■ Selling your business.■ Approaching retirement.

■ Protecting what’s important - Your familyYour health care options. Your business.

■ Protecting your mortgage.■ Building and protecting your savings.■ Maximize your retirement income.■ Minimize your taxes.■ Protect your estate from taxes and fees

■ Protecting yourself and your family against the potential coasts of long term care.

■ Surviving � nancially while recovering from a critical illness.

■ Protecting your children’s dreams for the future.■ Using business tax laws to your � nancial bene� t.■ Business succession planning.

LOCAL SERVICE GLOBAL THINKING

BUILD your savings.PROTECT your family.

ENJOY your life.INSURANCE Life • Disability• Critical Illness • Personal Health

RRSP’s • RRIF’s ■ Mutual Funds • RESP’s ■ Savings Plans ■ GIC’s • TFSA’SGroup Benefi ts, Employee Benefi ts • Annuities • Pension Plans

Work with local professionals.Receive full support and strengthof a respected global � nancialservices company!

Sean is proud to call Vancouver Island home and serves clients in many communities here. After joining Sun Life Financial in 1999, he has dedicated his time to providing the best possible service by advancing his education and keeping up with the latest trends in the � nancial services industry. Since forming Parker Financial Services Inc., he has com-mitted himself to listening to each client’s unique situation and building lasting solutions to help them achieve lifetime � nancial security.Sean Parker*

Advisor/Owner

Sharlyn joined our team in 2008 and is integral in keeping our o� ce running with maximum e� ciency. She helps with our daily operations and is always ready to greet clients with a smile. When it’s time to relax, Sharlyn enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Sharlyn HuysmansO� ce Administrator

Danielle was raised in Qualicum Beach and began her career in 2002 as a Certi� ed General Accoun-tant with accounting � rms around Vancouver Island. Her accounting expertise is a major bene� t to clients when developing tax strategies to help them keep more of what they earn. She keeps our business running smoothly while also supporting marketing and sales. An active mother of two, Danielle spends her time enjoying the outdoors with her family.Danielle Parker

CGA, Client Service Assistant

MYTH OR TRUTH?Myth: Financial planning is all about numbers.Truth: No, it’s about setting goals and enjoying your life, but knowing the numbers can help make it happen.

*Mutual funds o� ered by Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies. © Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2013.

PARKER FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.4650 Margaret Street • 250.723.7723www.sunlife.ca/sean.parker

As part of the team, Damien serves clients who have specialized needs for estate and � nancial planning. After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University in 2002, Damien has spent the past decade in the banking and � nancial services industry. He helps clients build a sound � nancial plan by providing expertise on investment strat-egies, wealth management and estate planning.

Damien Burleigh

CFP®, CLU®Director, Estate and Financial Planning Services

Creating Financial Solutions That Fit Your Life

Your Partners in Planning

LOCAL SERVICE ■ GLOBAL THINKING

Keeping Pace With Your Changing Needs■ Changing your marital status.■ Adding to your family, including grandchildren.■ Buying home.■ Changing jobs.■ Starting your own business.■ Selling your business.■ Approaching retirement.

■ Protecting what’s important - Your familyYour health care options. Your business.

■ Protecting your mortgage.■ Building and protecting your savings.■ Maximize your retirement income.■ Minimize your taxes.■ Protect your estate from taxes and fees

■ Protecting yourself and your family against the potential coasts of long term care.

■ Surviving � nancially while recovering from a critical illness.

■ Protecting your children’s dreams for the future.■ Using business tax laws to your � nancial bene� t.■ Business succession planning.

LOCAL SERVICE GLOBAL THINKING

BUILD your savings.PROTECT your family.

ENJOY your life.INSURANCE Life • Disability• Critical Illness • Personal Health

RRSP’s • RRIF’s ■ Mutual Funds • RESP’s ■ Savings Plans ■ GIC’s • TFSA’SGroup Benefi ts, Employee Benefi ts • Annuities • Pension Plans

Work with local professionals.Receive full support and strengthof a respected global � nancialservices company!

PARKER FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. 4650 Margaret Street, Port • 250.723.7723www.sunlife.ca/sean.parker

* Mutual funds offered by Sun Life Financial Investment Services(Canada) Inc. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is a member of the Sun Life Financial group of companies © Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, 2013.

We are experienced professionals with a strong history of successful client service. Local service - Global thinking

P A R K E R F I N A N C I A LS E R V I C E S I N C . C R E A T I V E . K N O W L E D G E A B L E A D V I C E

Page 10: Thunder in the Valley

10 www.albernidragracing.com

PRE-STAGE INDICATOR LIGHTS

STAGE INDICATOR LIGHTS

THREE-AMBER STARTING SYSTEM

GREEN LIGHT

RED LIGHT

Page 11: Thunder in the Valley

11www.albernidragracing.com

2 CONVENIENT PORT ALBERNI LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU

4706 Johnston Rd.

250 723 43433753 - 10th Ave. Suite 9B

250 723 8119

WELCOME TO OUR NEW LOCATIONON JOHNSTON RD.

Dave Hean’s wicked looking 1968 Camaro has a Dart 598 cubic inch engine under the hood backed by a Deden-bear 2 speed Powerglide. Dave’s best E.T to date is a stel-lar 7.94 @174 mph! The engine is pushing 1050 horse on a 33x17 inch tire with 4:30 gears in a nine inch rear end. Paul DeBree’s Straight Line Race Car’s out of Shawnigan Lake, B.C. built the car and Dave Lawler’s Unlimited Au-tomotive in Port Alberni built the engine. The Chassis is tagged 6.0 and Dave has run with The West Coast Door Slammmers for the past 5 years. Dave is from Cobble Hill and has raced at Thunder for approximately 8 years. Dave would like to thank his family, friends and sponsors Unlimited Automotive and Straight Line Race Cars for all of their support.

Photo: Russ Widdess

DAVE HEANSGordie Brooks is a well known local and who recently got into Drag racing along with his son Justin who to-gether have formed B/S Racing. Gordie’s 1969 C-10 Chey pick up is sponsored by his employer the Alberni District Co-op, D&M Automotive, Woodfin Log Transport, B&A Transmissions, Heatherington Industries and Brooks Farms. The truck has a 550 horsepower 383 Stoker un-der the hood, a Turbo 400 transmission, 3:73 gears and weighs 3800 lbs. Gordie’s son Justin will be racing at Thunder for the first time with his 1967 Camaro pow-ered by a 355 cubic inch SBC and is sponsored by Urgels Autobody and The Coulson Group of Companies. They would both like to thank Lisa Brooks for supporting their horsepower addiction.

GORDIE BROOKS

Photo: Dyan Lover

Page 12: Thunder in the Valley

12 www.albernidragracing.com

Port Alberni’s Dan Pletti is the Master of the Pletti Mopar dynasty and is well known for his wicked Mopar collection. Dan will be piloting his wheel standing 1970 Dodge Chal-lenger in the Pro class along side his sons Evan and Blair. The beautiful black beast is powered by a 528 cubic inch Mopar engine producing 850 horsepower. It is backed by a 727 transmission, with a 4:56 rear gear. The 3600 lb car is on a 32x15 tire. Dan is a Mission Raceway regular and his best E.T to date is a consistant 9.27 @ 145 miles per hour.

Photo:

DAN PLETTI

Blair Pletti is the owner of BPC, Blair Pletti Contracting and races at Thunder in the Valley every chance he gets. Blair is usually seen racing his Dad’s red and black 440 Super Bee but has recently stepped up to this ten second 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger. The 3200lb car has a 408 stroker engine, a 727 trans-mission and always runs in the high tens on pump gas! Blair’s brother Evan raced the Dart at Mission

BLAIR PLETTI

Evan Pletti is a track favorite at Mission Raceway with his Silver 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger. Evan runs a narrow 10.5W tire and runs race fuel. The 500 cubic inch Mopar is pushing 650 horse and is backed by a 727 trany. The car weighs 3200 lbs, has 4:56 gears and the best E.T. to date is an impressive 10.22 @ 135 mph. Evan has a wicked trigger finger, is quick on the tree and has won many races at MRP and is known as ‘E-Dog’ in the pits. Evan can’t thank his Dad Dan enough for giving him the opportunity to live his passion.

EVAN PLETTI

Photo: Dyan Lover

Photo: Dyan Lover

Photo: Dyan Lover

Julie, Shannon and their father Dan Pletti

Page 13: Thunder in the Valley

13www.albernidragracing.com

Lee McNabb thrashed the 1981 4 eye Mustang together last year finishing it on the Friday just in time to get it through tech. The “Red Dragon” made it through the weekend much to his surprise! This year he built a 363 cubic inch stroker for it with AFR 220 heads, nitrous cam, victor jr intake and a quickfuel 750cfm race carb. The transmission is a C4 with a 4000 rpm stall and it has 3.73 gears. Lee first raced at Thunder last year where he ran a 12.30 but he’s made a lot of changes and with his new combination who knows what kind of pass he will laid down this year.

LEE MCNABB

Photo:

9:00 AM Saturday: Qualifying 1st round:SportsmanModProSuper ProMotorcycleDoor SlammerExhibition Q2SportsmanModProSuper ProMotorcycleDoor SlammerExhibition

Q3SportsmanModProSuper ProMotorcycleDoor Slammer 9:00 AM SundayQualifying- 4th round:SportsmanModProSuper ProMotorcycleDoor SlammerExhibition Round 1 Eliminations begin

GATES OPEN @ 8:00 AM Saturday and Sunday

There will be a drivers meeting called Saturday AM Run Order is subject to change

Page 14: Thunder in the Valley

14 www.albernidragracing.com

Lordco has been a major sponsor of Thunder in the Valley for the past five years. The Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association truly appreciates all that Lordco and it’s founder Ed W. Coates has done not only for our drag racing event but for many others thoughout British Columbia.

Sadley the Lordco founder passed away at the age of 65 on Monday, February 17th, 2014 after a short, “courageous” battle with cancer.

Coates was co-founder of Lordco Auto Parts, which maintains its head office in Maple Ridge. He was also a husband, father, grandfather, a loyal friend and a” highly respected” business leader, according to information on the Lordco website.

The company was incorporated in August 1974, by its two founding members, Roy Lord and Ed Coates. A combination of their surnames gave the company its name. Coates bought out his partner in the early 1980’s. The company currently employs approximately 1500 people. Ed Coates was the recipient of the prestigious AIA Distinguished Service Award in 2011. Brad Morris, AIA Past Chairman presented the award and noted Coates’ leadership and innovative business

thinking. “Ed Coates has been a supporter of many industry and community projects over the years,” said Morris. “his personal support for a number of causes, both in the industry and in his community, reflects the corporate values that Lordco has become well-known for.”

The Coates family, in a press release said he “passed away peacefully, with his family at his side.” They added Coates was a “true pioneer in his industry, a visionary and a born leader.” Coates guided all four of his children, Samantha, Sarah, Ian, and Candace, as they started with Lordco, and progressed through to key roles in the company. Coates was born on June 23, 1948, in New Westminster, the second son of five children. In the early 1970s, he and Marlyn owned and operated the Derby Drive-In in Fort Langley, where Ed would flip burgers at night, while selling parts during the day for Walker’s, “all the while working towards his dream of establishing his own company.”

Now the company Coates co-founded has 97 locations throughout B.C. “The automotive industry has lost a true original who built a unique business model that will be emulated for years to come,” said the release.

The AVDRA executive and it’s members were saddened to here of Ed’s passing and note he was known as a “hands on” employer who was well know for his generous nature and spirit of community and giving. We all continue to appreciate Lordco’s generous support of our local event and send our condolences to the Coates family and the many Lordco employees.

A TRIBUTE TO

ED W. COATES Lordco Founder

Page 15: Thunder in the Valley

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2596 Timberlane Road (across from Alberni Chrysler)

SHERWOODS AUTO PARTS LTD.

Phone 250 723-7222 or 250 724-1021

RADIATOR REPAIR SERVICE

CASH FOR CLUNKERSWe will tow it for

FREE and PAY YOU CASH!

Sherwoods BIN RENTALS

250-723-7222

BINS

BINS

R

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M

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CLEANING UP?

we have various bin sizes available

2596 Timberlane Road (across from Alberni Chrysler)

SHERWOODS AUTO PARTS LTD.

Phone 250 723-7222 or 250 724-1021

RADIATOR REPAIR SERVICE

CASH FOR CLUNKERSWe will tow it for

FREE and PAY YOU CASH!

Sherwoods BIN RENTALS

250-723-7222

BINS

BINS

R

E

N

T

M

E

R

E

N

T

M

E

CLEANING UP?

we have various bin sizes available

2596 Timberlane Road (across from Alberni Chrysler)

SHERWOODS AUTO PARTS LTD.

Phone 250 723-7222 or 250 724-1021

RADIATOR REPAIR SERVICE

CASH FOR CLUNKERSWe will tow it for

FREE and PAY YOU CASH!

Sherwoods BIN RENTALS

250-723-7222

BINS

BINS

R

E

N

T

M

E

R

E

N

T

M

E

CLEANING UP?

we have various bin sizes available

2596 Timberlane Road (across from Alberni Chrysler)

SHERWOODS AUTO PARTS LTD.

Phone 250 723-7222 or 250 724-1021

RADIATOR REPAIR SERVICE

CASH FOR CLUNKERSWe will tow it for

FREE and PAY YOU CASH!

Sherwoods BIN RENTALS

250-723-7222

BINS

BINS

R

E

N

T

M

E

R

E

N

T

M

E

CLEANING UP?

we have various bin sizes available

Port Alberni’s Rick Hebert races his 1967 Chevelle at Thun-der in the Valley, Port McNeil and even Mission Raceway Park and is always supported by his number one fan, his wife Terry. Rick’s Chevelle is running a new combination this year so it will be exciting to see what kind of number Rick lays down. The car is powered by a 385 cubic inch BBC making 530 horse. The car weighs 3450, runs a 29x10x15 ties with a 12 bolt Chevy with 4:56 gears. The most unique asspect of Ricks car is that it is backed by an M22 4 SPEED Transmission, very rare these days!

Darrell Parker has owned his ‘Heavy Chevy’ for 27 years. The 1972 Chevelle is a Thunder in the Valley regular and Darrel has supported the race for 12 years. The car has a 468 cubic inch Big Block Chevy, a Turbo 400 and weighs a wopping 3800 pounds. The engine makes ap-proximately 540 horse and runs a 29x14 inch tire and a 3:73 gear in the rear end. Darrell would like to thank his friends and family, especially the kids, for supporting him and his drag racing passion.

RICK HEBERT DARRELL PARKER

Photo: Phil Anker

Good Luck to all Participants!

www.albernivalleynews.com

Good Luck to all Good Luck to all Participants!Participants!Participants!Participants!Participants!

www.albernivalleynews.comwww.albernivalleynews.com

Proud to print Thunder In The Valley Magazine

4656 Margaret St. Port Alberni, B.C. 250-723-6399

www.albernivalleynews.comwww.albernivalleynews.comwww.albernivalleynews.comwww.albernivalleynews.comwww.albernivalleynews.com

Delivered FREE to over 9,500

homes &businesses

www.albernivalleynews.comwww.albernivalleynews.comEvery home � Every Friday � Every day online

Page 16: Thunder in the Valley

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The Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association has lost one of it’s biggest supporters. Brent Harris passed away April 26 after a short battle with Cancer. Brent has been a Thunder in the Valley fan favorite for over a decade and his bright yellow 1933 Willies was one of the most exciting rides at our event. Brent and his friend Duane Grosart always raced each other and often displayed their cars at the J&L the Friday night before the race always drawing big crowds. For many years the J&L Drive In sponsored both cars and Brent, Duane and crews were always treated like the ‘Rock Stars’ they were while in Port. Brent raced his car all over Canada and the U.S but he often said Thunder was one of his favorite events. Perhaps because it was here that he started dating Sharon Lover who he married two years later on the anniversary of our race. Sharon was born and raised in Port and comes from a family of Racers.

Brent not only supported the event by racing his car here for many years Brent also donated the important VHT track compound worth thousands of dollars. Brent was well known in the drag racing community and loved by everyone who knew him. Brent had a couple of favorite sayings. Known for his incredible driving skills Brent had a reputation of never giving up. Even if the run was done, the car sideways and the tires smokin’ Brent would peddle it, get back on the wide open throttle and finish the race usually on three wheels! Brent’s most favorite saying was “Never Lift” and he never did!

Brent’s other favorite saying was “It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.” Brent was a very important person in his work, his racing and to those who loved him the most...but more importantly Brent was nice. Brent treated everyone he met with kindness and respect. He had an infectious laugh, huge smile and always welcoming wide open arms for a hug or a hand shake. Brent took the time to acknowledge everyone whether you were the race director or on the burnout box broom Brent knew you were important to the event,appreciated your hard work and said so.

Our race will not be the same without Brent’s presence or support but we will honor him with this decal made in his honor by Brent’s friend Dean Murdoch of Speedzone Online Magazine. Decal’s can be purchased on line through the decal link on Speedzone’s homepage @ www.speedzonemagazine.com. $1.25 of each decal sold will be donated to Stollery’s Children’s Hospital where Brent used to display his car and support the Children annually.

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Open: Mon.-Fri: 7:30 am 5 pm Sat: 8:00 am 4 pm

4906 Bute Street, Port Alberni, BC

Tel 250-724-6591Fax 250-724-5799

[email protected]

We buy back scrap batteries and recycle them

We also collect oil from your oil change

We recycle...

Victoria’s Rod LeClaire races in the Door Slammer class in his wicked looking 1967 Nitrous Camaro. The 638 cu-bic inch engine has one stage of nitrous making 1600 hp. It has a 2 speed power glide and a Mark Williams 9” with 4:11 gears. It also has a tube chassis with a 6.0 cer-tification. The car was built by Elite Motorsports out of Texas and Rod has raced the car all over including Ba-kersfield and Salt Lake City. Rod’s best E.T. to date is a

Photo: Phil Anker

ROD LECLAIRE6.97 @ 198 mph but he has no doubt he will be ripping off a 6.70 @ 204 in his near future! Rod is sponsored by Paradise Homes, Gordon and Gordon Interiors, Lordco, Lee & Sharpe Chartered Accountants, SHC Graphics, Richmond Engines and Slegg Lumber. Rod would like to thank his awesome crew Trevor, Andy, Doug and Ken for all of their help and support.

• Log Marketing• Timber Evaluation & Financing• Log Purchasing

Office Phone: 250.720.007520-3504 Victoria Quay, Port Alberni BCwww.probynlog.com

PROUD SUPPORTER OF

THUNDER IN THE VALLEY

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5155 Argyle StreetPort Alberni, BC

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The Canada West Doorslammers are one of the oldest racing associations in the North West and have been competing at NW tracks since the early 90’s. Mission Raceway is the home track, but they also are regulars at the Eagle Motorplex in Ashcroft and of course here on the Island. Past seasons have seen the association travel to Edmonton and Seattle as well. The Doorslammer class was started by the owners of Spirit Engineering (race car builders) as an alternative to racing in the bracket classes, and was designed for racers with faster door cars without using electronics. The basic platform has not changed except the series now allows electronics as most cars have a variety of electronic devices installed. Member-ship ranges from 35-40 members per year, with the largest car count at one race being 36! Drivers earn points at every race with the Fortin’s Engines Series Champion crowned with a trophy and the entire top ten in the points receiving a substantial season ending payday and an armload of Jet Tools . CWDS President Marcy Copley has looked after the series for the last decade and Dean Murdoch looks after media and the website. The class has progressed to the point where very few cars run slower than 8.50 but the minimum ET is still set at 8.70. Most of the cars and trucks in the association

run in the low to mid sevens, but a few six second cars also compete. Driver Terry Spargo holds the CWDS ET record. He went an incredible 6.53 at over 210 mph, and that was done with a car with no power added, just a big 707 cu.in. Sonny’s Hemi. Even through tougher economics times the association continues to thrive with the generous support of the title sponsor ‘Fortin’s Engines’ and numerous other sponsors, supporters and new competitors. Even long time members challenge themselves and bring out new cars with more horsepower to keep their adrenaline pumping. Watch for a variety of body styles including 41 Willys, 63 Corvettes, “shoebox” Chevys, early and late model Mustangs and Cama-ros, a ‘VW and almost everything in between. Many different engine combos make this an exciting class with Big Blocks and Hemis, Turbocharged combinations as well as Blown and Turbocharged power plants. The Canada West Doorslammers have been competing at “Thunder in the Valley” since the beginning and welcome the invitation to return each year in the future.www.canadawestdoorslammers.comfacebook.com/canadawestdoorslammers

DL#31178 www.nexcarsales.com

SEE YOU AT THE TRACK!

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CUSTOM SCREENPRINTING & EMBROIDERY

FULL COLOUR DECALS • BUSINESS CARDS

TEAM UNIFORMS • AUTO & MARINE GRAPHICSCORPORATE APPAREL • COMPLETE SIGN SHOP

4280 6th Ave. Port Alberni BC V9Y 4M9 Ph: 250-723-5731 Fax: 250-723-0202Email: [email protected]

OFFICIAL SOUVENIR SUPPLIER

PHOTOGRAPHERSDyan Lover has been shooting photos at Thunder in the Valley since it's inception and has never missed a race. She started taking drag racing photos in 1975 and continues to do so. Her photos have appeared in the past 5 issues of one of the top Drag Racing magazines in North America, Drag Illustrated. Dyan has shot races are far away as New Jersey and last November was an NHRA cre-dentialed photographer shooting trackside at the largest drag race in the world, The World Finals in Pomona, California. Following that race she went onto Las Vegas to shoot the Street Car Super Nationals for her sixth year. Dyan's photos have also appeared on SpeedZone, in the New Zealand NZV8 magazine and for the past 2 years Dyan has also written monthly articles for Alberta's Quick-Times magazine. She can be contacted via email at [email protected]

Russ Widdess was a drag racing fanatic long before he was a photographer and he even raced in the late 1960’s. Yes, Russ has been a horserpower addict like the rest of us for at least 50 years now. Russ and his wife Brenda are great photographers and can been seen around the Valley shooting many events and even nature when they can. The couple will shoot anything, any where any time they can so yes you could say they are passionate about what they do. To con-tact Russ for his prints please email him at [email protected] or give him a call at 250-723-8606. Russ can be seen trackside in his bright high vis vest wandering the pits or trackside during the event.

Phil Anker started shooting the Thunder in the Valley drag race the first year it began. After a couple of years Phil took some time off and returned in 2006. Thankfully he has been here ever since. Many of his awesome poster size photos can be seen at M&D Auto and he can be reached via his webiste at www.philanker.ca. Phil can also be contaced via email at [email protected]. Phil also shoots the Island Off Road Races, The Port Alberni Toy Run, Funtastic Music Festival, various slow pitch tournaments and many other Valley events if he is available.

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up to $499

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- Trevor Walton - West Island Lube Ltd.- Jim Graves- Eric Quissy- Ted Shannon- Jiffy Lube- Buy-Low Foods- Nick Parson- Trevor Walton- Dessert Heaven- Bill LaVoie- JAL Design

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$500 to $999 $2000+$100 to $1999

- Blair Pletti Excavating- Dario Corlazzoli- Peter Wilson- Dyan Lover- Tim Walton- JW Berry Trucking Ltd.- Nagaards Sawmill Ltd.- Beaver Creek Home Centre- Ralli’s Laser Arts

- Van Vliet Excavating- Trevor Hyggen- Rodney & Tracy Anderson- Island Pacific Logging- M&D Auto- Harbour View Collision- J&L Drive-In- Berry & Vale Contracting Ltd.- Alberni District Co-op Association

- Catalyst Paper- Holtzman Construction- Bowerman Excavating Ltd.- Alberni-Clayoquot Regional

District- Alberni Valley Drag Racing

Association

SILVER GOLD PLATINUM

Last year a 10 ft wide strip of concrete stretching 1,200 ft in length was poured at the Alberni Valley Regional Airport. After years of exploring options, a tremendous group of donors helped us realize a dream. Our return road is complete.

Over $15,000 in donations of cash, materials and services made it happen. The final section, which permanently links the end of our 4,000 ft racing surface with the North Taxiway, provides smooth access back to the pits for all racers. It was poured by Holtzman Construction in Phase 2 of a project that has taken us two seasons to complete.

The new road includes four culverts that will help mitigate water incursion during the wet season and keep the foundation for the new road more stable.

It took the generosity of the following individuals, families and businesses to make this happen. The Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association (AVDRA) would like to offer a hearty THANK YOU to all of you. Your support is most truly appreciated.

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In addition to the generous donations that made the new road possible, it still takes volunteers to make things a reality for the AVDRA. The donation of time and labour helped secure all the funding needed and stretched every dollar donated, letting us provide a first class infrastructure upgrade that will improve Thunder In the Valley. Rodney Anderson started the ball rolling by asking a couple people whether they would be interested in making a contribution if we would build a new return road. When the answer was an unexpected “YES” he felt obliged to keep going and make it happen. With planning, site preparation, concrete pouring and finishing work done by the dedicated group of people listed below, a long standing topic of discussion amongst racers, AVDRA members and directors can be put to rest. The only thing left to discuss is how great the road turned out. It is fantastic! “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!” for all your hard work.

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VOLUNTEERS

- Rodney Anderson- Ivan Blais- Rocky Filipchuk- Gerry Gagnon- Doug Lalonde- Dyan Lover

- Dave McCreight- Dave Mickelson- Lyle Pitts- Neil Ruel- Richard Spencer- Bill Surry

- Brent VanVliet- Jake VanVliet- Gary Wangler- Cliff West- Dave “Satch” Willis- Ron York

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Victoria’s Phil Ruskowski took a chance on our drag race and attended the very first Thunder in the Valley back in 2000 and has never looked back! Phil has been attending Thunder in the Valley for many years now and never fails to crank up the crowds while going for a wild ride in his wicked nitro burning Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragster. The ‘Xhibitionist’ is powered by a 400 cubic inch small block Chev with a billit aluminum block and a retro 671 supercharger making between 32 and 35 hundred horse power!

The transmission is a direct drive with a slider clutch....yes, there is no neutral. The slider clutch was developed for top fuel and has high gear only. The rear diff is a nine inch and the dragster runs a 12x32 tire.

Phil best E.T. To date was his run last year at Thunder where he ripped off an incredible 6.50 @ 213 mph. Phil has been racing since 1984 and in 1991 he got together with Dave Day of Seattle, Washington to build the Dragster. Bob McLellen is the owner of Champion Speed Shop in San Jose California who owns the record for the fastest small block Chevy in the world! Phil was fortunate to get many parts from the record setting engine including the Rick Santos developed Brodix heads and intake and a host of other funky old history making parts which now help power the nitromethane burning engine. Phil has raced at both the All Fuel and Gas Championships in Sonoma, California, the Bakersfield, California Hot Rod Reunion and the Hot Rod Nationals in Woodburn, Oregon just to name a few. When Phil isn’t piloting his own wild ride he often crews for NHRA Nitro Funny Car hitter Jeff “The Surfer” Diehl where he works his magic on either the right side head or the bottom end of the nitro power plant.

The Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association appreciates seeing Phil in the lanes and the spectators never know just what kind of show the short wheel base power house is going to give them. Phil would like to thank his sponsors Trotac Marine and J&L Moving both of Victoria. Phil couldn’t run this hand full without the help of his awesome crew Cam, Scott, ‘Big’ Steve, Gary, ‘Little’ Steve and a host of other volunteers who always help out when needed.

Phil would also like to thank the many volunteers and the AVDRA for providing a safe full 1/4 mile drag racing venue on Vancouver Island.

PHIL RUKOWSKI

Photo: Russ Widdess Photo: Russ Widdess

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Drive A Little…Save A Lotwww.alberniautoworks.com250 736 2018 888 703 1530

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Thunder in the Valley3101 Bird Avenue Port Alberni, B.C. V9Y 4B8PH: (250) 723-0111 Fax: (250) 723-0999

Drivers & SpectatorsBe Safe & Enjoy

Thunder in the Valley

Canadian Alberni Engineering3101 Bird St.

Port Alberni, British ColumbiaV9Y 4B8

Comox Valley resident Mike Hutmacher has missed only one Thunder Race in it’s 13 year history. His bright yellow 1968 Pontiac Acadian has a stout 565 BBC under the hood pushing approximately 800 horsepower. It has Dart Pro 1 heads, a power glide, nine inch rear diff and 4:30 gears on a 32x14.5 inch tire. Mike is the North Island Timing Asso-ciation’s Super Pro champion and is a two time Island Drag Racing Association overall points Champion and five time Pro points Champion. Mike is sponsored by Lordco and his employer Wades Auto Works in Courtenay, B.C. Mike would like to thanks his friends for “ always being there when he needs them!” Watch for this Island hitter in car #6391!

Victoria’s Peter Wilson is formally from Port Alberni and has been supporting Thunder in the Valley since it’s inception. Peter’s Black 1968 Plymouth GTX is a familar ride at Thun-der year after year but Peter has raced many of his other hot rods here as well. The GTX is sponsored by Blair Pletti Contracting of Port Alberni and has a 540 Mopar with 820 horsepower. The car weighs 3650 pounds but still manages to laid down an awesome 9.74 @ 138 miles per hour in the quarter mile! The car runs a 10.5 tire and has 3:73 gears in the rear. Peter would like to thank the AVDRA and it’s many volunteers for making the race possible.

MIKE HUTMACHERPETER WILSON

Photo: Phil Anker

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Vancouver Island Drag Racing- Then & Now by Dyan Lover

Thunder in the Valley is now into its fourteenth year and many of us wonder what we ever did without it. Since the muscle car era of the sixties there have always been many very fast cars in Port Alberni. Not all of us have been fortunate to grow up with an organized drag racing facility on Vancouver Island like many of our predecessors.

During the late fifties and into the early seventies there were two Vancouver Island drag strips both at Cobble Hill and later Mill Bay. Both were run by the Quarter Milers Car Club of Victo-ria, BC. San Cobble Drag Ways track was actually the Ocean Ce-ment Road which was very narrow and the Island’s only drag race track at the time.

Van Isle Raceway opened later in Mill Bay and ran until 1972. Port Alberni local Hubert Sester was the points champion for that, the final year. Other local drag racers included Wayne Walker, Cliff, West, Lyle Kidd, Howard Hillborn and Jim Atte-bury. Van Isle Raceway was a dream of Drag Racing enthusiast Mike Stogrin. It was a great facility and many big names were brought in which drew huge crowds, many of whom were from Port Alberni, Courtenay and Campbell River. The track was famous for its huge hill at the end of it. The big hill was necessary for a safe shut down area for the very fast Funny Cars and AA Fuelers which were brought in to rev up the huge crowds.

During the sixties and early seventies the big three were pumping out huge horsepower muscle cars like there was no tomorrow. Port Alberni youths quit work in the high paying paper and lumber mills and spent their large disposable in-come on the big power street cars.

During the mid seventies there was nowhere to race and show off what was under the hood of the high horse powered mus-cle cars so street racing was the only option. I attended my first semi organized drag races in 1975 at both Taylor Flats and ‘Second Bridge.’ Second Bridge was simply a straight stretch of road at the second bridge on Highway 4 on route to the West Coast. There were usually at least 200 of us spectators with look outs with police scanners on the town side. Inevitably the RCMP would show up after the effected Highway 4 driv-ers finally reached a pay phone to report us. This usually gave us a good hour of race time. The police would arrive, write a few tickets, headers would get capped up, slicks changed over to street tires and we would wait with excited anticipation for the next weekend to do it all over again! Eventually the police figured us out. They would be waiting for the crowds to gather so that ended our weekend of fun and our temporary 'drag strip.' It was then that many of us decided to make the journey to the new ‘track’, a narrow paved road near Courtenay on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The so called 'track' was actually a decommissioned logging road which was located on private Crown Zellerbach land not

far off the main highway. The road was discovered and the race developed and promoted by Quality Speed owners Hu-bert Sester and Bill Leong. Die hard racers and fans flocked to the venue on weekends and the police left us alone. In 1980 Phil Guild and the late Pete Maurice even brought their front engine dragster out to a race there which thankfully, I record-ed on my old Super 8 movie camera. What a blast we had! This ‘track’ even had bleachers and a Christmas tree and the amped up crowds loved it! Again, there were a couple of hun-

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Vancouver Island Drag Racing- Then & Now by Dyan Lover

dred spectators, some very cool rides and a venue to feed our horsepower addiction! Two of my favorite racers were Port Alberni’s Ralph Bernstein with his red, white and blue Chevy II and Ucluelet’s Serge Noel with his awesome purple 1963 split window Corvette. What a thrilling day that was! Like they say, all good things must come to an end. That too eventually got shut down and we were back to square one with nowhere to drag race. In spring of 1976 my friends invited me to Mission Raceway. Mission Raceway was THE place to be and Port Alberni sup-plied a few very good racers with fast cars that we cheered on in the lanes. Hubert Sester raced his 426 Hemi 1968 Super Bee ‘Divine Vanity’, Jim Isherwood raced his Plymouth, Max Wedge and Rudy Verish his stock 1969 Chevelle SS 396 car. All were local drag racing superstars and the envy of every car guy (or girl) in the car crazed city.

My Funny Car addiction began at Mission Raceway and quickly carried over to Seattle International Raceway in Kent,

Washington. All the big names raced there at the National event every summer and I rarely missed a race. My favorite was the annual 64 Funny Car event but it was far form street racing and such a long way to go for a drag racing fix. Spec-tating was fun but it never satisfied my need for speed. I needed to get into the game so in 1979 I purchased my first street 69 Camaro. Like everyone else in the city with a fast car I still needed somewhere to race. Where was I going to race? You guessed it, I started street racing at ‘second bridge’, Taylor Flats and anywhere in my Beaver Creek neighborhood where a long but always narrow piece of asphalt road could be had. This was a lot of fun but rushing home to hide the car before the police came knocking on my door was always stressful and never something I looked forward to, especially when my Mom found out!

Port Alberni loves it’s Hot Rods! The local car club always hosted a large show and during one such weekend in the city the local RCMP generously permitted a small race car demonstration on the streets of Port Alberni. An area on the tenth avenue in front of Safeway was cordoned off to provide an area for some pretty large burnouts. Many locals took ad-vantage of the offer and showed their stuff in front of large crowds. Buss Peck of Vancouver, Washington and his Summer Whine race crew were there with their Blown Altered which they fired up for the happy crowds. Phil Guild and his Island Thunder crew also displayed his Blown Altered. Later they were towed down Tenth Avenue to the car show venue at the Glenwood Center where both cars were displayed for all to enjoy. The car show was great but the street racing display only fueled our desire to find a safe place to race.

In the Spring of 1990 a large contingency of us Port Alberni gear heads ventured out to cheer on our local street heroes at Black Creek’s Saratoga Raceway where they raced on the approximate 350 foot straight stretch on the oval. John West, John Frechette and Brent Van Vliet were there in their black Chevelle’s along with Bob Maurice in Phil Guild’s nostalgia front engine dragster just to name a few. That was a day to remember but again too far to travel, too short of a racing surface and not very well organized so once again, back to the street racing it was.

For years after that race I longed to purchase a drag race car but there was still nowhere on the Island to race so I stuck with my daily driver, a 1969 Black RS/Z-28 and continued to street race. I discovered that Western Speedway now had drag racing. I inquired but decided it was too far to go for 384 feet of straight stretch with not a lot of shut down area. The thought brought back memories of the Saratoga oval and I longed for a full quarter mile track on the Island but never thought it would come to fruition....I was wrong.

In 2000 I heard about Thunder in the Valley. Of course I at-tended with the curiosity of the horsepower starved 'wanna be' drag racer that I was. Gary Brett and crew had organized

Continued on pg.30

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ALBERNIUPHOLSTERY

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the race and I was surprised to see my Chiropractor Brent Manson, Gary’s son in law, collecting admission at the over-flowing gate. The spectators were lined up as far as the eye could see. I was so impressed with the dedication of the Brett family, the facility, the organization and all the volunteers that by the end of the weekend I was proudly wearing my bright orange high visibility vest while pushing the broom in the heat of the burnout box. I remained there for seven years with the best seat in the house! Near the end of my tenure on the end of the broom I decided to practice what I preach. “Life is not a spectator sport” is one of my most favorite say-ings so I purchased my first race car and finally got into the game. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the AVDRA and their many volunteers Vancouver Island finally has a full quarter mile drag racing venue.

Fast Forward fourteen years later and Thunder in the Valley is still the only full quarter mile drag racing option on Van-couver Island. Drag racing has been taken off the streets with two other organizations on Vancouver Island as well. The North Island Timing Association hosts three eight mile races per year at the Port McNeil Airport. For more information check out their website at www.northislandtimingassocia-tion.com . The event is aptly called ‘Rumble on the Runway’ and I have heard nothing but favorable remarks about the race, track and organization. The South Island Straight Liners

Racing Association also have drag races at Victoria’s Western Speedway Oval many times during the race season and can be found at www.sislra.ca for more information. I still wonder how we managed without an Island drag race track and wish it were utilized more often but I ,like so many others, appreciate the fact that I can race in front of my home-town crowd in the shadow of my beloved Beaufort Range where I grew up. It warms my hear to still see many muscle cars on the streets and second generation gear heads now racing both at Thunder and in the lanes beside me at Mission Raceway Park. I have no doubt that either would have hap-pened without the dedication and support of Port Alberni’s valuable volunteers, the AVDRA members and dedicated Ex-ecutive. After all of these years we now have somewhere safe to race… and it’s not on the street. Now Ladies and Gentle-men, get ready to start your engines! It’s time to make some Thunder in the Valley! - Dyan Lover

continued

The Ground UpLandscaping and Irrigation

4911 Gordon Ave Port Alberni, Port Alberni BC , Canada

Twitter: @thegroundup1(250) 720-5435

Richard CameronOwner/[email protected]

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Friday, August 9, 9pm

Great Music!

Jet Car to Appear!Drink Specials!Door Prizes!

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hot night for cool cars!drag race weekend

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Nanaimo’s Joe Mayzes races HIS 1967 Chevrolet Chev-elle SS in the Door Slammer class. Then engine is an all aluminum 598 cubic inch making approximately 1100 HP which ran a 8.42 @ 167 miles per hour at last years Thunder in the Valley. The car weighs 2700 lbs, has a TH400 and a nine inch rear differential. This will be Joes 4th year at Thunder and he would like to thank his awe-some crew Ross, Jack and Will for their years of support and for always being there when he needs them. Joe is sponsored by Mayzes Excavating and Trucking, IWC Ex-cavation, Extreme Fiberglass and IWC developements. Joe would alo like to thank the AVDRA and it’s many vol-unteers for hosting Thunder in the Valley.

JOE MAYZES

Photo: Dyan Lover

Port Alberni local Greg Dolling is a Mission Raceway reg-ular racing with The Canada West DoorSlammer Associa-tion in his wheel pulling 1993 Chevy Beretta. 2013 was Greg’s first season with the popular group and he placed ninth in overall annual points making him Alberni’s most successful Door Slammer ever! Greg is a gifted racer who went to the Pro class final at Thunder in 2012 and is cur-rently featured in the Lordco 2014 calendar. The car is powered by a 565 cubic inch big block Chevy backed by a power glide and a 4:30 rear gear. It weighs only 2290 lbs. and is pushing approximately 835 horsepower.Greg is hoping to improve on his 8.06 @ 168 mph best E.T. this year and is sponsored by both GD Auto and Lordco. Greg would like to thank his family and friends for their continued encouragement and support.

GREG DOLLING

Photo: Fredyk

continued

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