EAGLE MOTORPLEX IS BACK IN BUSINESS

wEstErn cAnAdA
After cancelling their 2014 season, Eagle Motorplex (above) is backed and the track’s new management is raring to get the 2015 season started.
EaglE MotorplEx is back in businEss
ashcroft Drag racing facility to rEsuME in 2015
story and photos by Patrick Lambie
ocated 90 kilometres to the west of kamloops, in British columbia’s south cariboo region, Ashcroft is among the most
arid spots in the country and since 1987 it has played host to
drag racers at the Eagle Motorplex.
in April 2014, just weeks before the scheduled start of the
racing season, the owners of the drag strip announced that the
facility would not open for the 2014 season. Fast forward eight
months, and with new management staff in place, Eagle Motorplex is gearing up for a return to action in 2015.
Anxious to hear more about the plans for 2015, inside track
recently sat down with Eagle Motorplex’s track Manager,
susan Mckay.
L
InsIde Track: the decision not to open the track for the
2014 season came as a surprise to many in the racing community. what were the main factors that led to this decision?
58 • www.insidEtrAcknEws.coM
susan Mckay: the decision not to fully open the track in
2014 was a decision that the owners (the Ashcroft indian
Band) made. i don’t want to go into all the reasons for their decision. there has been enough gossip, rumour and innuendo
out there for everyone to view and hear. suffice to say we are
going forward with 2015, and not looking backwards.
IT: tell us about the improvements and renovations being undertaken at the track in preparation for the 2015 season.
sM: we are going to upgrade equipment where required,
add equipment we are presently lacking and generally do upgrades that are required to add to the appearance and safety
of Eagle Motorplex.
in the spring the plan is to scrape the entire pit area and
plant grass so that you will have fewer rocks to deal with and
more comfort in the hotter months of racing. this will also up-
wEstErn cAnAdA
grade the general appearance of the track.
the tower will be all new and we are going to try to upgrade the
sound system and lighting throughout the track at the same time. the
list is always endless when you have a facility and we will try and get
through as much of the list as possible before racing starts and hopefully continue through the months of racing on weekends that the track
is not being utilized.
IT: in addition to upgrading the drag strip facility, the owners have
undertaken some other developments near the track. can you provide
an idea of the new amenities that racers will have access to?
sM: the brand new Ashcroft travel centre opened up this year at
the end of the track. the owners invested a lot of time and money bringing the travel centre to fruition and they did a fantastic job.
it will not only give the public a fantastic place to get fuel but has a
Mr. sub and country style coffee for breakfasts and lunches, as well
as a fully stocked store. it will provide our racers with an easy stop to
fuel up either on their way into the track or leaving the track.
there is a back entrance and it will allow Eagle Motorplex racers to
drive their golf carts or pit bikes directly over to the travel centre to
take advantage of all that it has to offer. it’s a perfect complement to
the needs of the track and the general public.
IT: Part of the plan for 2015 involves working closely with the Mission raceway. How did this relationship evolve and how will it help make
the Ashcroft track successful?
sM: in 2014, during their shortened season, i asked Mission race
director wally duperon to teach myself and Mike Eaton, a long-time
supporter with a family who races the track, all the things involved in
running a track. He took me at my word and i worked the starting line,
upper end, and all the fun positions at the track.
He taught and showed me what to look for with regards to prepping
a track for weather, type of cars that would be going down the track,
when to scrape, things i hadn’t been that closely involved in at Eagle
during my previous tenure there. the entire starting, staging and upper
end crews shared their knowledge and expertise.
they are a fantastic group of individuals who were happy to ‘school’
me in the works involved in making a track successful. in the end most
of the Mission crew ‘volunteered’ to work in Ashcroft in 2015. they
want the track to succeed as much as anyone, and they are willing to
train any newcomers in those positions for the track for the future.
IT: what should racers planning to come to the Eagle Motorplex in
2015 expect to find when they arrive?
sM: racers coming to Eagle Motorplex for 2015 will still find a wellrun, friendly atmosphere and safe place to play. Even though most of
the crew will be new to the track, they certainly aren’t new to racing.
Bob Behnke who is the starter at Mission will be the starter at
Ashcroft. sheldon, who works with Bob on the starting line will be on
the start line at Eagle. wally duperon will do race director duties, while
training us how to become good race directors.
George, who brings you into the box at Mission, has also consented
to come up to Eagle and take those duties on. My son nick has agreed
to go back into the tower for the year and my daughter-in-law tina will
oversee the safety crew and equipment. Mike Eaton’s daughter dani
will be doing top of staging and Mike will be overseeing lower staging.
For anyone who is undecided as to what Eagle will be like in 2015,
all i can say is come and give it a try. You can’t determine whether it’s
a fit for you if you don’t come and race for a weekend.
the 2015 drag racing season at the Eagle Motorplex is scheduled
to start on May 2nd. complete details of the 2015 schedule are available online at www.wordpress.eaglemotorplex.com. •
new staff and upgrades to the facility and racing surface (above) are planned before
Eagle Motorplex officially opens its doors for the 2015 canadian drag racing season.
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