By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
If the mayor’s enthusiasm is any indication, the Osoyoos airstrip will likely be home to an extra day of drag racing next June, when a convoy of street legal dragsters and muscle cars rumbles into town.
Dianne Boutilier, representing the BC DragiT Challenge, told a council committee of the whole meeting this week that her organization has targeted Osoyoos as one of four stops on next year’s week-long race-and-stay tour.
Mayor Sue McKortoff told Boutilier that her group needs to send the town a proper application for the event but, “I don’t see that there would be a problem … (I’m) sure we would be in favour of that.”
According to Boutilier, the event would take place over five days in four different BC communities. Drivers would take part in each race, then pack up their belongings and travel to the next city and do it again, until all five races are completed.
A central notion of the competition is that drivers must use the same car to race and to travel between sites. So, the cars must be street legal.
Mark Boulilier, who was also on the Zoom call into the meeting, said the sport has grown rapidly in recent years. He estimated there were 11 competitions in 2022, 33 last year and “probably 50 throughout the world” this year.
Dianne Boutilier said the current plan would see the 2025 event run between June 19 and 23. She did not specify where Osoyoos would fit in. The first two years of the event took place further north in BC, she said, including Cache Creek, Prince George, Lillooet and 100 Mile House.
She said the group has decided to spread out to include other areas of the province. “We want to go to Kelowna and Peachland and places like that to show more of BC.”
She said DragiT has been in contact with the Wine Country Racing Association (WCRA), which has for several years run a five-weekend drag racing series at the airstrip.
WCRA director David Sabyan told the Times Chronicle he has been in contact with Boutilier. And while there are many details to be worked out, he said, “We’re 100-per-cent in favour of what they are proposing. … It’s good to see multi-use of the (airstrip). “We’re excited to see what they are proposing and to work together.”
The DragiT Challenge website bcdragit.ca offers some insight into the event and its organizational underpinnings:
“Drag & Drive is a creation of Drag racing & cruising into an adventure all its own.
“You will experience the thrill of drag racing your street legal car and the challenge of cruising the same race car for many miles on the open roads of BC.
The concept was created in ’05 and has taken off in many countries including Canada. …“The concept is simple, multiple race locations with many miles of driving thrown into the event. … Racers must pack all the belongs they think they will want and or need during the 5-day event into their race vehicle.
“You and your co-pilot are allowed to take with you: tools, spare parts, spare tires, fuel and all your personal effects. You can use a small single axle trailer up to 4’ x8’. You CANNOT have a ‘support’ vehicle follow along. You CANNOT have a ‘support’ vehicle supply you with anything. Your ‘race vehicle’ doesn’t have to be fast. It has to be reliable.”
Boutilier told council a wide variety of cars take part in the DragiT events, from new Cameros to vintage Super Bees. The website includes photos of older hot rods, mid-50s Chevies, chopped pick-ups and more.
