We see a lot of rides during the course of any given year and most of them are stationary because our main focus is car shows.
Many of you already know we have many different sections on MyStarCollectorCar.com, including individual vehicle stories, op-ed pieces about the collector car hobby, old rides in traffic, old rides rusting in pieces-but no section about old rides on a race track.
We decided to pay a visit to a new race facility called Central Alberta Raceways located in Rimbey, Alberta Canada.
The facility will eventually evolve into a complete multi-purpose race facility with a dirt track oval, mud bog, moto cross and a ¼ mile drag strip.
Central Alberta Raceways runs as a non-profit business that relies heavily on volunteers and donors to build its future goal of a major multi-purpose race facility in the heartland of central Alberta. They will grow the facility as time and money allow them, so they approach the development with a common sense business plan.
Right now the drag strip is a 1/8 mile track and we attended a recent race at Central Alberta Raceways to watch some of the rides we have seen at car shows perform at the track. There is something so right about the sights, sounds and smells at a drag strip.
Free-breathing muscle unleashed through an efficient header system is a sound that is good for the soul and who does not love the smell of race fuel in the morning-or any time of the day-for that matter.
The icing on the cake is the combination of a smoke show created by seriously hot rubber before the rides launch down the track. The sound and the fury are unleashed in a matter of mere seconds on a drag strip.
Good drivers know how to work the lights and their right foot in perfect unison. A good driver knows how to launch with the right combination of momentum and brute force.
Everything happens at lightning speed on a drag strip and there is a fine line between reward and failure in a race. A visit to a drag gives spectators a bird’s-eye view of drag racing and allows a pretty clinical assessment of why one ride beats another ride in the race.
Successful drivers will understand torque curves and launch points for their cars. They control the beast under the hood and they emerge as winners in the blink of an eye.
The evolution of Central Alberta Raceways will be fun to watch because this is a race facility with a big future and it is located in the heartland of some very serious gearheads.
We were there to enjoy a warm afternoon of racing, but we discovered an interesting story in the bargain.
One of the competitors was a street legal 1966 Valiant that began life as a mild-mannered 225 Slant six car. Now it runs a monster big block under the hood while it murders rear tires and the competition on the track on a regular basis. Even better, it still has a vinyl roof.
We thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Central Alberta Raceways and look forward to another day at the races at their facility in the future.
Mainly because we love to see old rides moving that fast down the road.
Jim Sutherland
CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
