Great feedback from Flat Track Race

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

Early reviews on the inaugural National Championship Flat Track racing series tour stop in Strathmore was that the event was a successful one.
“Overall, we thought it went pretty good. This was our first time at this location and the turnout was OK. It’s definitely something we can build on in the coming years,” said Flat Track Canada president Aaron Hesmer.
The motorbike racing series is the top tour in Canada and carries a much larger following in Ontario and Quebec. The tour’s stop in Strathmore and elsewhere in Western Canada marked the first time in over 30 years the tour entered the Mountain Time Zone.
“Strathmore has a really great facility. We love the track and we love the fact that it is similar to the one at the Calgary Stampede,” said Hesmer. “Our goal is to build up enough of a following with smaller facilities, making the sport popular enough again to use the track at the Stampede.”
Flat Track last used the GMC Rangeland Derby track in 1975. Olds used to hold a national championship, but that shut down in 1985. Since then, races predominantly take place in Ontario and Quebec.
“Alberta had a great flat track scene in the ’80s. We lost the facilities we used back then, but we are trying to rebuild the program, attract large numbers and hopefully see an increase in the sport,” said veteran rider Darrell McCrae.
The stop in Strathmore was stop No. 8 in the 12-leg tour. The western swing will also stop in Drumheller before returning to Ontario for the final three legs of the tour.
“What we want is to eventually build it up to the point where the top riders are racing each weekend. One big problem is that Canada is so vast and it will be tough to work around that. But we had nearly 50 riders here in Strathmore from basically every province, so it was a good start,” said Hesmer.
Racers from all over geared up for the near $8,000 purse at stake, with each division and age group getting paid out in a different amount. The racers also collected valuable points in the national standings.
More than 100 people came out to see the revved-up engines reach speeds of 97 miles per hour, making their way around the 5/8-mile-long track in under 30 seconds. Both guys and girls raced, and ages ranged from 13-years-old up to 65.
“The smoke wasn’t that bad on race day, but I know it was bad a few days beforehand. CBC covered the smoke a lot in their news, which probably led to a few less people showing up,” said McCrae.
There are no Albertans ranked in any of the top standings, but Dave Poulliot of Quebec entered the weekend in the top spot in the open expert division with 85 points.
“There’s no doubt that this sport is more popular out east — that’s where the bigger population is. We will have to keep improving to draw out more fans and more interest, so it’s going to be a process. But we think this can be big out here again; it’s just a matter of time.
“We plan on being back here next year to build off of this weekend,” said McCrae.