MISSION RACEWAY PARK
SEPTEMBER 4, 5, 1999
C.M.D.R.A. SEASON FINALE
The 99 CMDRA season came to a grinding halt at Mission Raceway on the September long weekend. After an outstanding day of qualifying on Saturday where Rick Dawson, Steve Hiedner and Ron Houniet all set new records, the rains came on Sunday and washed out what would have been perhaps the quickest and fastest event in our brief but spectacular history.
The Mission Raceway staff and especially George, had the racing surface groomed perfectly and all the racers had the tune ups set on kill as witnessed by 3 new records and records in all classes in jeopardy as the first leg of new records had been set in most classes as many of you know. In order to set a record a racer must eclipse the records and then have a “back up” pass within 1% all at one race.
With eliminations being washed out Sunday by torrents of rains and no available rain out date, we had no choice but to alot points by qualifying positions and call the season done. It seems hard to believe that September went on to become the sunniest on record, Murphy’s Law I guess.
Saturday afternoon, “American Iron” magazine ran a “Flash” race in conjunction with our event. Flash stands for Fastest Legal All Street Harley and has a plethora of strict rules to keep race bikes out of the program. These bikes must complete a 50-mile ride without refueling and are roped off in the pits to ensure there are no race parts added to the bikes.
After the dust settled Rick Baldwin of Bald-Butt Racing from Carver, Ore. Took home the gold on his 88 c.i. Shovelhead. Yep, beat up all them fancy blockheads and twin cammers on an old hemi, which brought a smile to your shovelhead riding race directors face.
Our “Class Glass” trophy series and “P.S.N.” Street series probably took the worst hit because they are “random paired” in the lanes on race day. The “Q & Q Dealer challenge which Tony Cording of Yamaha Canada has worked hard at is run on Sunday also got washed out.
We did run our “King of the Hill” Saturday evening, which is a Winner take all, for our E.T. bikes. They ran 5 rounds of eliminations on Saturday and got down to the finals between Gary Whalen and J. Glenn Miller on their 9 second Suzuki’s. We decided to run the final on Sunday because of the time and guess what? We got rained on so Gary and J. Glenn split the “prize”. A real good show by these 2 guys cutting killer lights and running with hundredths of their dial ins.
In Super Gas, our 10.20 index class, qualifying was led by Duane Lowrick with a 10.28. Next was Danny Whyte with a 10.29 and Mo Coen with a 10.33
Super Bike had 17 bikes entered and put on a “ race school” on how you qualify by reaction time. Jim Sibley qualified #1 with a .413 light, #2 was Imperial Motorcycles, Gord McMartin at .414, Scott Smith at .416 and Dave Wiebe at .423. Out of 17 bikes, 13 were qualified in the 4/10’s range. No napping on the starting line with these guys.
Modified qualifying in the “Coen Motor Co. Series” had two 8-second bikes with Oregon’s Rick Bailor with a solid 8.92 and Greg Coen second with an 8.92.
Pro-Stock was up next and what a weekend for Yorktown, Sask’s Baisley prepped 140 ci. Big-Twin, which I, your lowly race director, predicted. Rick beat up his own Pro-Stock E.T. record, which now stands at an outstanding 8.25. lee Urich on the Jarz/Glen's Contracting 140 ci. Sportster qualified #2 at 8.41 and John Bryce seemed to be getting a handle on his 160 ci. And ran an 8.71.
Our Pro-Mod bikes had 3 bikes capable of breaking the Pro-Mod record as Brian Hudson, Steve Tuggle and Gord Smith all ran quicker than our existing record. But never got a chance to back it up. Hudson qualified #1 at 7.49, Tuggle was #2 at 7.53, Smith #3 at 7.70 and Kevin Boyer out of Edmonton, rounded out the top ½ of the field at 7.95.
The carburated Nitro-Bikes in the “West Coast Fiberglass Pro-Drag Series” were up next and led by #1 qualifier on his Panic Racing/Future Cycle bike and the only Pro-Drag bike in the 7’s at 7.85. Next were Edmonton’s, George Welch and Seattle’s Steve Huff.
The injected, high gear Nitro Harleys took to the tarmac next and Liberty Racing’s Steve Hiedner put on a clinic on his Bradahl backed 117 ci. Bike. Steve ran as straight as an arrow on the rear wheel 6.99 to qualify #1 and become the first racer to run a 6 on Canadian soil on a Pro-Fuel bike. Scott Clarke qualified #2 on his 150 cubic incher and Kristine Becker, who with husband Arlie sponsor our “North Coast Thunderbikes Pro-Fuel Series” filled out the top half of the field.
If Steve Hiedner put on a clinic in Pro-Fuel, Ron Houniet performed a lobotomy on the rest of the field in the “Delkron” To Fuel series. Ron ran an out of the box 6.88 in the first round of qualifying at 200 mph. His next pass was a 6.74 at a Canadian best ever 205.33 mph and the first Top Fuel Harley to run a 6 second pass at over 200 mph on Canadian soil. So Ron’s FastLane/Delkron/Dixie Frames #1 plate holder was #1, Ken Kent’s Prairie Fire Team out of Edmonton had a good day qualifying #2 at 7.21, and Robin Gauthier was #3 at 7.41 followed by Dave O’Hara’s Hell Racing/Langley Metal Polishing 7.59.
It was a sad way to end the season but end it did. You can’t control the weather so there is no use whining about it. I’d like to thank the fine staff at the best drag strip in Canada for all the hard work on Sunday trying to dry the track.
Rick Bryant and Bill Dixon for again helping out, Lynn Fenton from AIM for the fine barbeque on Saturday night.
The CMDRA and racers would like to thank our sponsors for their valuable support, DELKRON, SCREAMIN EAGLE, PENNZOIL, POWER TWINS, S&S PERFORMANCE PARTS, HARLEY DAVIDSON CANADA, YAMAHA CANADA, HONDA CANADA, SUZUKI CANADA, POWER SPORTS NEWS, FASTLANE CUSTOM CYCLE, NEIGHBOUR HOOD CYCLE, JARZ PERFOMANCE PRODUCTS, DENCO CYCLE, TREV DEELEY MOTORCYCLES, ASSOCIATION FOR INJURED MOTORCYCLISTS, MAX MOTORS, BRITISH COLUMBIA COALITION OF MOTORCYCLISTS, WHALLEY PRINTERS AND STATIONERS LTD., ILLUSIONS AUDIO VIDEO AND MOTORSPORTS, MORTIMER ONLINE, VICIOUS COATINGS, MAZES CUSTOM DESIGNS, HI-WAY CHOPPERS, PRO PORTING, MCNENEY AND MCNENEY BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS, O’HARAS HARLEY DAVIDISON, TROLL FARMS, WESTCOAST FIBERGLASS, NORTHCOAST THUNDERBIKES, AND GREG COEN MOTOR CO.
WE’D FURTHER LIKE TO THANK THE TRACK AND STAFF IN MISSION, B. C.,
PRINCE GEORGE, B. C., EDMONTON, ALBERTA, AND ASHCROFT, B.C., AS WELL AS THE RACERS AND CREWS, THE VOLUNTEERS, THE DIRECTORS OF THE CMDRA, AND ESPECIALLY THE FANS.
And finally from myself to the greatest racers and the finest human beings on the planet bar none a big thank you for allowing me to be a part of your race program and in many cases a part of your lives.
Thank you,
Brian Healy
CMDRA Race Director
