drag boats

Lots to say about drag boats. So I'll say little and post these two clippings.

Langley Speedway, Saturday, July 8, 1967

Back at it. BCTRA back for their Saturday night races.

early-late dash:
Ron Morrison

super stock dash:
Jim McMillan

B modified dash:
Reinhart Unruh

A modified dash:
Larry Sproule

1st early-late heat:
1 -- Rick Adsit
2 -- John Bettles
3 -- Roy English

2nd early-late/super stock heat:
1 -- George Cook (super stock)
1 -- Brian Thompson (early-late)

1st B modified heat:
1 -- Reinhart Unruh

2nd B modified heat:
1 -- Ron Lamont

A modified heat:
1 -- Cal Arnold

early-late main (16 start, 7 finish)
1 -- Jack Meslaw
2 -- Ric Atchison
3 -- Ric Adsit

super stock main
1 -- called off as only four cars were left after early wrecks

A & B modified combined main (15 cars, 25-laps)
1 -- Larry Sproule (A)
1 -- Jack Cross (B)
(Reinhart Unruh spun lap 8 putting Ron Lamont into the fence. Lap 15 Garry Powers blew a tire and spun. Barry Morgan went over Powers and flipped 3 times in the air and rolled 2 times on the ground.)

Westwood Wednesday, 1980

Back to the weekly "grind". 1980 this Wednesday.

a Jerry Ruth photo I don't think I've used yet

Been going through files moving "used" photos to the used file. I don't think this photo, by Vancouver Island photographer John Dutton, has been used yet.

traveling power boat racers

Got this clipping off the web noting a couple BC power racers, Bill Allan and Mike Bates.

Here's a link to some Bill Allan info. He was inducted as a Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneer in 2006, shortly after he passed away.

(And another link for Spokane racer Earl Wham.)

Oh yeah, the GVMPS has a website.

so what do the Westwood racers do the next weekend?

Why they head south and race in Seattle.

Ralph Ormsbee, Jim Rattenbury, George Keck, Pete Lovely, Tom Meehan and others were at the SeaFair races at Shelton, WA.

And after that they travelled to Deer Park, near Spokane, WA.

a thank you to Westwood and the Westwood 50 organizers

It's been a week but I've been thinking, and wishing, that I should have gone up to the microphone when it was offered to attendees of the banquet to say something.

So here goes anyway:

The Vancouver Sun of Monday, July 27, 1959 said over 18,000 people watched the opening day races at Westwood. So did the Vancouver Province. Canada Track & Traffic said it was an "estimated 10,000".

Split the difference. A lot of people went up and down the narrow lane to Westwood that Sunday, July 26, 1959.

And over the years many more thousands did the same. They might have only gone once or maybe a handful of times. or maybe they made every sports car races for a season or two or more. And maybe even the motorcycle races as well.

It would be a marvel to find someone who went to all the races from 1959 to 1990. For anyone too have done that would have been a major commitment not unlike a marriage. And lord knows spouses can disappoint and forget to do something in the extreme.

At the Westwood 50 ceremony last Saturday those who had raced in various classes were asked to acknowledge themselves. The Ladies' Auxiliary probably got the biggest group.

But one group was left out -- the spectators.

So on behalf of the hundreds of thousands I want to thank those who raced, crewed, marshalled the corners, officiated and did all the myriad of jobs it takes to put on the races at Westwood.

You people were our heroes.

So I thank you.

drag racing

Need to refocus. Get a little straight line stuff happening.

Sunday funnies, Westwood style

This is the Westwood 50 weekend! Cool!

Westwood 50 Saturday

Heading out shortly. A portion of the last historics at Westwood, motorcycle version. This part includes an interview with Dave Wildman. Great guy.

Mission's Westwood50 Friday

Got there. Took these.


Al Ores telling a story or two.


Famous Villeneuve Atlantic car now owned and driven by Dan Marvin.

Westwood week, 1979

Late in the decade. Trouble finding a good report for some reason in 1979. The Columbian newspaper had lost its motorsport editor in Martin Lewis.

Westwood week, 1978

Westwood, from 1978. The 7 hour Enduro.

Westwood week, 1977

A Westwood week Wednesday offering. I'll be getting back to the once a week look, attempting to get something from every year the track operated. This time, 1977.

Westwood week, 1976

Tuesday of Westwood week. This time something from 1976.

Westwood week, 1975

We'll spend the week on Westwood, as this weekend is the Westwood 50 celebrations at Mission Raceway Park, part of the Historics.

Sunday funnies, Westwood style (I'm late, terribly late!)

Really losing it these days. Sorry.

And I know the date on the photos is wrong as well. Just some slipshod work on my part.

Langley Speedway, Sunday, July 2, 1967

Second big CAMRA race at Langley for the season. Norm Ellefson made up for the misstep losing the eature back in May.

super stock dash:
1 -- John Rothwell

B dash:
1 -- Gerry McLees

A dash:
1 -- Eldon Rasmussen

1st super stock heat:
1 -- Ken Sayers
2 -- Harry Ashbrook
3 -- Tom Felling

2nd super stock heat:
1 -- Jim McMillan
2 -- George Cook
3 -- John Rothwell

1st B heat:
1 -- Paul Zellner
2 -- Cal Hough
3 -- Barry Chamberlain

2nd B heat:
1 -- Warren Culver
2 -- Gerry McLees
3 -- Glen Parsons

1st A heat:
1 -- Cal Arnold
2 -- George Robertson
3 -- Bob Gregg

2nd A heat:
1 -- Ralph Monhay
2 -- Eldon Rasmussen
3 -- Norm Ellefson

super stock main:
1 -- Gordie Hemrich
2 -- John Rothwell
3 -- Ken Sayers

B main:
1 -- John (Paul?) Zellner (Oregon)
2 -- Garry Destobel
3 -- Warren Culver (Idaho)

A main:
1 -- Norm Ellefson
2 -- Bob Gregg
3 -- Al Smith

Westwood Wednesday, 1974

Datsun 510s charging around the track, taking on all comers, back in 1974.

Langley Speedway, Saturday, July 1, 1967

BCTRA show preceeding the CAMRA show on Sunday. The A modified main was for the Billy Foster Memorial Trophy. Victoria's Foster had lost his life in a NASCAR practice crash at Riverside, CA, earlier in the year.

early late dash:
1 -- Earl Jergins

super stock dash:
1 -- Bob Keam

B modified dash:
1 -- Doug Bowell

A modified dash:
1 -- Garry Destobel

early late heat:
1 -- Ken McCaley

early late and super stock combined heat:
1 -- early late -- Brian Thompson
1 -- super stock -- George Cook

1st B modified heat:
1 -- Cal Hough

2nd B modified heat:
1 -- Fred Hewitt

A modified heat:
1 -- Larry Sproule

early late and super stock combined main (15 started, 6 finished):
1 -- Brian Thompson
2 -- Ken Horner
3 -- John Bettles
(Jack Meslow rolled, and no super stocks finished)

B modified main (Ken Koester Memorial race?):
1 -- Harold Sjostrom
2 -- Cal Hough
3 -- Fred Hewitt

A modified main (Billy Foster Memorial trophy):
1 -- Larry Sproule
2 -- Cal Arnold
3 -- Glen Parsons

Westwood Wednesday, 1973

Same Ian Wood who has the Rawlson these days and is part of the Mission Historics organizing committee? In the sand trap in the photo.