The Wine Country Racing (WCRA) finished off the 2012 season with warm weather, smoking tires, screaming engines and excited fans.
The Okanagan Car Club Challenge brought in many some-time racers, as well as the die-hard drag cars that show at every event. 65 cars lined up in pairs to treat the fans to 231 individual races. Winners of the various brackets follow:
Sportsman Bracket winner Brandon Warren, of Newport, Washington, drove his beautiful burgandy 1966 GTO defeating Osoyoos’ Glenn Taylor in his black, 1951 Mercury pick-up.
In the Pro Bracket our winner was another racer all the way from Newport, Washington. Dean Holder raced away with the win in his 1980 Buick Regal. He defeated Doug Blatchford, of Oliver, racing his 1969 Chevelle called the Red Sonja.
The Pro Bracket Fast division victor was Pete Tovani, of Vernon, driving his blue, Spitzer Dragster. Tovani beat Penticton’s Dean Book in his white, 1980 Monte Carlo.
The Bike Sled final was won, once again, by Oliver’s Warren Brown on his green Kawasaki motorcycle. Brown raced for his fourth winner’s trophy this season against David Lee Madson, of Summerland, on his black 2003 Arctic Cat snowmobile.
The bragging rights for this third annual Okanagan Car Club Challenge go to Ian Haryett of Red Deer, Alberta. Haryett and his black 1955 Buick convertible are members of the Kelowna Kustoms car club. The second place trophy went to Oliver’s Cliff Meeds, driving his wine coloured 1949 Ford pick-up, on behalf of the Coachmasters Car Club.
The fastest reaction time of the day was awarded to Glenn Taylor of Osoyoos. Taylor nailed an absolutely perfect .500 start light for himself.
The 2012 Ron Tasker Memorial Sportsmanship trophy was awarded to Dean Book of Penticton.
Now the time has come to store race cars away for the winter and give the volunteers some much deserved time off. Keep a look out in May for the date for the first 2013 race. In the mean time you can keep looking at the pictures from past events on www.winecountryracing.ca.