With gas prices constantly reaching new record highs these days, drag racers and stock car racers alike are feeling the pinch.
DARREN STEINKE
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
A rainout at the Medicine Hat Drag Strip saved the racers a few bucks.
While members of the Medicine Hat Drag Racing Association were disappointed their opening weekend couldn’t go ahead as scheduled, they saved money at the pumps.
With gas prices constantly reaching new record highs these days, drag racers are feeling the pinch.
“Lots of people run under a very strict budget,” said MHDRA president Mike Williams, who won the local super pro points title last year. “I don’t think it will die.
“People will adjust their agendas accordingly to which races they are going to attend and which ones they are not going to.”
Williams, who drives a 1970 Camero, speculates that participation in the MHDRA will drop between 10 to 15 per cent this season due to the price of fuel. He expects his fuel costs to increase by 20 per cent.
Veteran driver Greg Koch, who was seventh in the super pro standings last year, expects those who attend events outside Medicine Hat will feel more of an effect due to costs of transporting their cars with truck and trailer. Racing his 1965 Pontiac Acadian, Koch only expects to spend about $20 to $30 more each weekend on gas.
“Myself, I don’t travel that much out of town,” said Koch, who uses the one per cent leaded racing fuel. “I make it once or twice a year. That is about it.
“The guys that travel out of town it will probably hurt them quite a bit. They will probably cut down a couple of trips a year.”
The drag racers are not the only ones worrying about the increased price of fuel. Stock car drivers from the neighbouring Medicine Hat Speedway are concerned.
Rob Mogck, the president of the Medicine Hat Auto Racing Association, said he only spent about $60 a night on gas for his 1985 Chev Monte Carlo last year. This year, he plans to race a more full-time schedule in a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am, but he expects his gas bill to increase to around $120 a night.
The veteran racer fears increased fuel costs might scare newcomers away.
“We try to promote safe driving and keeping racing off the street,” said Mogck. “It is hard to get the young kids into it, when they look at the cost of fuel. It eats up a big part of your budget.”
While drivers are getting hurt at the pumps, they are able to make up some of the cost in the parts department.
Due to the fact the Canadian dollar is around equal terms with the U.S. dollar, replacement parts drivers need to buy during the season are cheaper. Mogck said that offsets the fuel increase a little bit.
Despite the increased expenses, Williams, Koch and Mogck all say they do not plan on giving up their hobby. Williams said he knows a few other drivers that feel the same way.
“The diehards are still going to do it no matter what the cost is,” said Williams, who admitted he had a friend drive into the Hat last weekend from Seattle, Washington for the rained out races.
“Whoever is diehard enough to race is going to show up.” |
|
Users' Comments  |
|
Average user rating
|
|
|
