THUNDER BAY, ONT. — It’s a green light for the Superior Classics Car Club Terrace Bay Dragfest that will take place at the former Terrace Bay airstrip this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
With COVID-19 restrictions shelved for now, spectators will be welcomed back after the two-year hiatus along with food vendors and overnight spectator camping.
The drag racing community is feeling the crunch of high fuel costs and supply chain shortages that are causing drag racers to make some hard choices when it comes to participating in this year’s race events. Many tracks have found themselves without the critical PJ1 or IC-7 prep glue that is vital for traction on the race track for the treadless tires that are used on drag racing vehicles.
Many tracks, including the Brainerd International Raceway, have had to make alterations to their events by cutting down the track distance to one-eighth of a mile from a quarter-mile to save on glue.
“But not us,” says Dan Riley, a car club member and volunteer with the Terrace Bay Dragfest.
“We managed to buy two 45-gallon drums of glue from a Renegade fuel supplier out of Toronto. We used one on the Test and Tune event in June and we will probably use up the rest of our supply for this dragfest. Then it’s up in the air. What are we going to do next year?”
Riley says they have used different brands of glue in the past but basically it’s all the same stuff. Acquiring it is the tough part. During the pandemic, shipments weren’t coming across the border and now there is a global shortage of glue.
This year, racers are required to register and complete a mandatory waiver online to participate in the event. Tbaytel has installed a “rocket hub” system to equip the airstrip with WiFi and internet to make registration possible at the gate.
Racers are urged to sign up prior to the event but some make it to the event at the last minute.
“A lot of the racers don’t decide until the night before if they are entering,” Riley said. “They’re waiting for parts to arrive and if they get what they need in parts they show up right at the gate.”
Prior to the pandemic, many racers from the U.S., Manitoba and Eastern Ontario would flock to Terrace Bay to race in the annual event. The stands were filled with more than 10,000 spectators who shopped in Terrace Bay, purchased fuel, supported on-site vendors and made a significant economic impact on the community.
Money raised from the event by the Superior Classics Car Club is distributed among several charitable organizations from Terrace Bay through to Thunder Bay. Some funds are saved for administrative purposes and purchasing track necessities like the glue.
“Over the last two years, the spectators haven’t been able to come because of the COVID pandemic and now they can come back,” Riley said. “We’ve had tons of racers come from the States, and the U.S. Midwest Wild Bunch would come up and delight spectators with their fast and loud racing machines.”
In 2021, the car club hosted four Test and Tune events to adapt to the COVID-19 restrictions. This year, Riley says things are mostly back to normal with one Test and Tune and one dragfest race weekend.
“(Four events in one year) is too much for us because there are simply not enough volunteers,” Riley said.
Visit dragfest.ca for more information and to register for racing. For vendor information or registration, call 807-823-1444.
The Chronicle Journal
