on the barrie examiner website there is one about Dave Lewis... it also gives a short rundown of the other divisions...
Ross ... I agree with you ... I am one of the converted. I was once a person who believed racing was throwing good money away. I wouldn't consider going to watch a race, instead following stick/ball sports. The beliefs you challenged are the beliefs that have to be overcome.
What changed this for us? I have a son who wasn't interested in the traditional stick/ball sports and who chose to watch speed tv over cartoons as a 4 year old. I didn't follow racing at the time, I didn't even know speed tv existed then. I had to ask around where kids could race. It would have been nice if there had been a "show N shine" type event at the local mall to connect me. Trying to find something for him to get interested in led us to Grand Bend Speedway when he was 8.
The look on his face as we walked around the pits, watched the races, attended the camp fires afterwards sealed it. We've been a racing family since. There a many 15+ kids who will hang around with parents ... just come hang out at the campfires after racing at GBS. We've been to Delware, Barrie, Sunset, Flamborough, Sauble, Oshweken, Varney and Grand Bend to watch races. We've been to Barrie, Sauble, Varnery, Sunset and Grand Bend to race. I know people who race at Flamborough and follow how they are doing there. You need to know people to become connected and that is what I was referring to. Ask my son to chose between getting to go watch a NASCAR race and miss a race he could drive in and its no contest: he'd miss NASCAR.
Regarding the expense/expertise of karting, everyone can get involved. We did. There is a learning curve, but there is in all sports. Check out Erbsville Kartway's Arrive and Drive as a great low cost way to get people involved with racing. Erbsville provides the karts, maintains the karts, provides the helmets, provides instruction. People just show up, pay the registration fees and can drive. If it can happen at Erbsville it can happen anywhere including the Barrie Kart Club.
The golds you referred to at the leafs games are a business expense: A way for business people to entertain and work out business deals. These seats are not affordable for the average fan or family. The race fan that goes to the track is already converted and goes to watch the show, but these days there are a lot of empty seats at the track. Some more converts to racing would help.
I agree that gimmicky bike races are not the answer any more than king of the hill events are. Its the week by week competition and the stories behind it that make racing so special. Families by themselves are not THE solution to what ails, but they can be part of the solution especially when the traditional stick/ball sporting events are so expensive to buy tickets for. We just need to find a way to connect fans to the drivers and the track. The drama that'll keep them coming back will take care of itself.
I'm Rose now? 😉
Thats a great story RacingMom. Its great to hear someone is doing something other than stick and ball. Its also interesting that you view the kids bike races the same as I do. I always thought they were a bit of an insult to families, such as youself. You can't be there to watch the racing, so we have to find another way to enterain you... WRONG.
I hope you'll take the time to maybe invite another family out with you to watch a race, or bring some of your son's friends out to the race also. Thats worth more than newspaper advertising...
sry ross... eyesight is going...lol
Watch the concentration on the face of a 7 or 8 year old driving their gas engine powered racing vehicle in a race... there is nothing like it. Watch the parents watching their kids race ... nothing like it either.
That's entertainment.
As far as I know the kids oval track racing started at a 1/8 mile dirt track just outside of London in 1996 called wonderland speedway near belmont. It was owned and run by the fisher family and cut into their farm field. We started there with my 9 year old son who to that point had driven a kart in the school parking lot down the road from our home a couple times. The cars were old hurricane/440 sprint cars with 6.5 hp engines on them. What a blast we had. The next level was when Mr. Novotny had the insight to start up the junior cascar league in 1997. Again we got involved in this venture and ran both for two years. As kids racing moved forward, the travelling series with the junior cascars came about thanks to Brad Clarke (the owner of grandbend now) who took the kids racing program to a another level. This was I think about 1999 but I stand open for correction. We learned so much from these racing series over the years as my son was growing up and working with me on the cars that it left him little time to get into the trouble that other pre-teens seem to get into. At 17 we moved up to a weekly delaware division but still follow the kids racing divisions to see who the next hot shoes will be. To Ross, I beg to differ with you. My son at 16 would spend time with me on the racecar before he would go out with his buddies. I can honestly say to this day (he is 22 now) we are the best of friends and he can tell me anything that is going on in his life. He is entering his 4th year of univ. out of town but we talk at least 2-3 times a week. Racing got into his blood and was the thread that has made the major bond between us.