Memories of Race City

[DeathBy240]

I know my experience at Race City pales in comparison to many of the members here, but I wanted to share a post I made on my memories of the track.

Blog is here:
http://traveldriverace.com/2014/memo...-city-calgary/

What are the best memories you have from Race City?

[Darell_n]

I used to enjoy watching the Big Rigs ram holes in the wall around the oval. I spent every weekend at the track for the first 4 or 5 years after moving to Calgary in '94, but only ever competed in Secret Street on Fridays.

[BananaFob]

One of the most memorable for me was one of my first times out where I almost stained my pants brown. Definitely learned the value of bleeding my brake fluid and cooling down every few laps or so. Probably was around 9-10 hot laps in my 944 turbo, barreling down the back straight and pressed down on the brake pedal....... and it went down to the floor. Definite oh shit moment. Just barely managed to save it and pumped the brakes hard (no abs) and missed the wall

[Dave P]

I really Miss Race city.

I swear I spent the summers there. Between Bike racing, supermoto, and claimer cars, we lived there.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I remember on the very last open lapping day barreling around the track for lap after lap in my LGT with 5 guys in the car until I ran out of brake pads.

[carson blocks]

I've raced cars and bikes there, run on the oval track, drag strip, and roadcourse and spent time there as a spectator, racer, and teacher. Here are my memorable moments:

- Building an enduro stock car at 18 years old, and building it right to the rule book like a total idiot. Rules said the motor that came with the car, and my car wasn't available with a 350, so I ran a boat anchor 305. I hadn't learned yet how to 'interpret' rule books. My muffler was the only non-compliant item, and was a similar-to-spec muffler that had come with the car, but wasn't the exact part. I remember a more experienced racer bitching at tech that my muffler wasn't the spec Midas SK124 and the tech stood up for me and IIRC told the guy that the rest of the car was more by-the-book than his and basically since it was a slow turd with a 305 and a new driver, until I started winning races he was turning a blind eye to the muffler. Awesome guy.

- Spending hours every week at the wrecker hunting down used tires in the specified size to run on my stock car until I had enough decent tires for a season. After the first practice their race director said she had some complaints about the tire size rule and changed the spec tire size to a larger, more common tire. With not much time before the first race and absolutely no money, I had to go to a used tire shop and managed to trade my whole seasons stockpile of tires for 6-8 used tires in the new size which I figured I could make last at least 1-2 races if I was careful. The week after that, she said she had enough complaints and changed it back to the old spec tire size..

- Wrecking my stock car hard on the inside of the oval as a racer spun out higher on the banking and rolled down in to me. To add insult to injury, the announcer had made it sound like my fault as I was a new racer, and the other racer went on to win the race with relatively minor damage while my car was genuinely wrecked. The newspaper ran an article on him winning despite being taken out by a new racer which pissed me off. Truthfully, I may not have know what the hell I was doing out there yet, but I really don't feel that one was my fault at all. No hard feelings against the other racer as it's racing and shit happens, but I just didn't like the way it was spun afterwards.

- Taking second place and getting some cash and a trophy in my first bracket racing event on a bone stock bike I'd just bought, as a dumb squid wearing jeans, cowboy boots, a Sears leather jacket and my old stock car racing helmet, which was all legal above 10.99 if I recall. I got really lucky and had a bunch of bye runs and some dumb luck, but it felt good to do well the first time out, and I'm sure I was judged a bit (rightfully so) by the other racers with their proper race bikes, full leathers, etc.

- Teaching the 'Too Cool' advanced school at Race City. I was never one of the truly fast guys around the track, but it was really rewarding to be able to take what I had learned over 7-8 years of studying riding and show some street riders how to navigate corners a bit better.

- Watching the big rig racing with my dad. My whole family is in to trucking and watching those trucks tear up the oval, throwing clouds of black smoke and chunks of asphalt in to the stands is one of my best childhood memories.

The track was far from perfect, as was the management, but it was sure nice having some motorsports outlet in town and I only realize now how much I miss it and took having a track of any sort for granted.

[DeleriousZ]

I missed the majority of it. Went to a couple secret street events to spectate and one VW meet. Managed to blast out a 19s run with my half broken golf lol.

[speedog]

Started going to races there back when it opened in 1985, started volunteering out there in 1988 and did so for about 5 years or so until kids came along and priorities changed.

Usually worked entrance or exit to/from the outside pits on the oval - saw some pretty wild shit. Remember one guy in a enduro stock car race who got black flagged to come into the pits because he was running with no fuel cap on one of those crazy derby races - he stopped and then tried to get back onto the oval with a rag stuffed in the hole. Speaking of enduro races, I remember one race where there were so many cars entered that it was a rolling start with cars three abreast all the way around the oval - 75 or so cars at that race.

Remember one oval race where some one crashed and had a front wheel completely separate from their car - the wheel got smacked by another racer going full speed and the distance that wheel traveled up and out of the oval was astounding. For sure if it had gone into the stands, someone would've been dead.

The semi races on the oval - just incredible. Such dirty, dirty events to work at though. Didn't work many road coarse events - kind of boring for the most part as a worker as you only got to see what was happening at the section of the track you were assigned to. Only worked clean-up crew on the wrecker once - yeah, while the clean-up crew got to watch a lot of racing but the clean-up part was a bitch when you were called into action. Working pit entrances/exits or in the pits put one in closer contact with the racers but you didn't really get to see the race. Never worked a drag event although I did watch a few and did go to a few of the early secret street events - something this city sorely needs with the closure of Race City.

And the food/facilities - they just were never all that good. Horrible place to be on those cold and gloomy days but on those beautiful summer evenings - it was a great way to spend en evening.

[Hallowed_point]

First time I went to secret street with my brother I thought that helmets were mandatory. So here we are renting helmets to run 20 second e/t's in my old mk4 auto non turbo jetta.

[BavarianBeast]

running a 13.2 in my supercharged cobalt in 2006.

[n1zm0]

Maybe it was a Solo II thing, or maybe it was the oval track autocross course, anyways my first S13, I learnt the value of having proper tires and SS brake lines that night.

[rage2]

Upside down.

[carson blocks]

Originally posted by rage2
Upside down.

How did you manage that?

[Graham_A_M]

Just remembering all the track days I did there on my Triumph, had a blast, so far to date my best lap time was 1:32 flat, not bad on a bone stock 675cc sportbike, but pathetic when the racers on their highly modded liter bikes were doing 1:16's

But... towards the end, I stopped doing them, as that track was just in horrific shape for even cars, forget on bikes, when the bike is just bucking like a bronco under you going over the very rough pavement. Not exactly confidence inspiring when you're hanging off your bike doing 150.
So my last track day was two years before they closed. Just not worth it paying that much for a track day, and shredding some expensive tires just to do laps on a track of that shape.

[94boosted]

Many memories from Race City a couple that stand out:

- First time joining the 100MPH club in my old Cobalt SS Turbo, boy was I happy, went in to the tower to claim my sticker with the biggest shit eating grin imaginable
- First time doing an open lapping day and having to avoid pot holes on course

[Aleks]

Originally posted by rage2
Upside down.

I was there when that happened.

I think at one point I went to secret street every friday for 2-3 years lol. I have well over 100 passes there and all the slips somewhere in the old file folder. Good times.

[rage2]

Originally posted by carson blocks
How did you manage that?

Let someone else with no skills drive the car.

[benyl]

Originally posted by Aleks


I was there when that happened.

So was I. That is my STi in the picture.

Totally forgot about that incident. That was like 10 years ago.

[ercchry]

so many events... but the sunday funday year enders were always the most fun


» Click image for larger version

[Darkane]

I think I've raced 4 different cars during secret street.

Turbo civic
Fg2 civic
Trans am
Integra

Good times. Went a lot in the mid 2000's.

Was always cheering on Aleks' integra!

Zfans 300 was a favourite for sure too.