November 17/08

I got an email from jnitro the end of September. The title was “When Are You Going To Stop Whining And Go Racing Again.” It went on to say... “Hi Bob, I hope you and your family are well. Officially you haven’t been down the track for 13 or 14 years. But even with your senior moment you could probably still out drive most of the brain dead idiots that are driving today. What are your thoughts about going to play again? It could happen. All the best for all of you.” Well folks, I don’t know who jnitro is but they sure are opinionated and I thank them for the vote of confidence. It was great! It was also an excellent response to some of my ‘Bogus Notes’ but beyond that it was more prophetic then jnitro could have imagined. You see boys and girls, Gloria and I had decided a month earlier to go ahead and field a nitro team with or without a sponsor. The only negative comment came from Gloria who said we should have done it three years ago. We had already spent a significant amount of money just looking for a sponsor. It was time to ‘get off the pot’. Contacts were made and progress was good. We had both a crew chief and transportation sponsor in place. Jamie Wildgoose of Stoney Creek, Ontario had agreed to do the tuning and Darryl McMillen, owner of TTK Transportation Services in Goderich, Ontario had agreed to supply a ‘pimped-out’ Kenworth and the necessary permits to get the 18-wheeler down the road.

Just when Jory and Bruce were going to go into action with all of the media stuff, we heard a rumour that the sanctioning body that we were going to focus most of our efforts in, had been sold. I immediately put a gag order on everyone until there was some assurance that the International Hot Rod Association was going to continue and with its same program. My concern that there be some stability within the IHRA was not unfounded. My last effort with a nitro team was when John Rossitter and I put a deal together. We had a brand new Nitro Funny Car built and an excellent team put together. When we made this decision there were two Canadian national event venues. The National Hot Rod Association had a national event in St. Pie, Quebec and the IHRA had a national event in Cayuga, Ontario. The following year when our car was ready, the NHRA had pulled out of Canada when the Ministry of the Environment threatened to shut down all motorsports and the IHRA, in a cost cutting measure, dropped Nitro Funny Car from their schedule. John and I had some solid Canadian corporations ‘testing the waters’ but with the loss of these two races all offers were withdrawn. We took a big financial hit and even though we were competitive, the team folded after only four events.

Fast forward to 2008 and its déjà-vu time. Earlier this year the Ministry of the Environment again targeted drag racing for the use of leaded fuel. Their study showed that motorsports consumed 1.5% (that’s right, one point five percent) of the total lead based fuel imported into Canada. However, they found out that we were not a soft target and through some hard lobbying we got another exemption. And then four months later the IHRA pulled out of Canada’s largest market area when they cancelled the national event at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario. Incompetent ownership at this track has driven our sport backwards and don’t look for it to change anytime soon. And finally, it was confirmed that the IHRA was sold to a company who, amongst other holdings, owns the Barnum & Bailey Circus. I know there is a good punch line here but I’ll resist. And listen jnitro, I’m not whining. These are the facts as they have presented themselves.

Anyhow, in conversation with IHRA President Aaron Polburn I was assured that the sanctioning body was good to go but that it would be prudent to field a Top Fuel Dragster team and not a Funny Car. So there it was, the assurance that we were looking for but in the eight weeks we were on hold the economy tanked and the Canadian dollar went with it. Our start up costs increased by nearly $80,000 and quite frankly that eliminated most of our ‘wiggle room’ to run the car the way we wanted to. For the time being I have decided to discontinue any further formal attempts to put a professional drag racing team together. To jnitro and the many others who have wanted this to happen...I’m sorry. However, our money is still on the table in case a sponsor or partner comes along. I’m just not going to actively seek one. Gloria and I have been stingy with our money the last couple of years in order to be able to finance this deal. Instead of going to a hockey game or restaurant we elected to stay home and watch re-runs of Baywatch or Charlie’s Angels. Ok, that’s a bit chauvinistic but on the weekends I have conceded to watching NASCAR and Gloria’s obvious affection for the driver of the #48 Lowes car. We need our lives back! Jory and Bruce still have some ongoing talks. Who knows, maybe one of our previous meetings or contacts will yield some benefits. Most company officers that we have spoken to see the value and return on investment that our proposals offer, however, their current strategies have not included motorsports.

And finally this. The other day I got an email from Edie Mountjoy. Her husband Bob and I raced each other in Comp Eliminator 30 years ago. Edie said that she loved the website and that it would be great to see me run just once more. Thanks Edie. I agree, but right now I am going to tell my readers a little more about you and the special group that you have been associated with for over two decades. Ladies and Gentlemen, Edie and hundreds of dedicated women like her make up a group called DRAW (Drag Racing Association of Women). It got its start in the United States and over twenty years ago Edie and a small group brought it to Canada. I could name most of them but if I forgot one I’d feel bad so I won’t. DRAW’s mandate is to help racers and their families with overwhelming medical expenses. I personally know some folks whose lives were touched by the generosity of DRAW. ‘Fast Help for Fast Friends’ is their motto. Edie was on the Board of Trustees but has now retired. Back in the ‘Bogus Bob’ days I was honoured to be a guest auctioneer at a DRAW fundraiser. At the end of the event I threw my cowboy hat on the auction block and started the bidding. Fellow Cambridge resident and close friend Bob Schilling got caught up in the excitement and paid nearly one hundred bucks for the hat and then offered it back to me. I sure was proud. If you see these women canvassing at a drag strip please stop to say thanks and throw in a couple of bucks. They are a sincere example of what our sport is all about.

Take care of each other.

Bogus