The biggest drag race in Canada held at Mission Raceway Park has been postponed until September due to delays in track surface repairs.
The National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) Division 6 Lordco BC Nationals was scheduled for June 6-8, but according to information on the raceway’s website, all races up to June 1 have been cancelled outright. The Lordco race will now happen Sept. 5-7.
Race track repairs began at the end of February, and a number of issues arose during the work that has added weeks of delays, said B.C. Custom Car Association president Brian Nawyn. The association operates the raceway.
The right lane was poured first, in late March, and problems immediately manifested, he said. The concrete mix was off and there were inconsistencies with the surface, with level variations between one-eighth and one-quarter of an inch. The surface was ground smooth, and then shot blasted – a process which uses mechanically propelled steel shot to texture the lane. This rougher surface gives the traction compound something to which to adhere, said Nawyn.
Due to these problems, work on the left lane was halted for a few weeks. The mix was altered, and once it was poured, the lane came out smooth, he said. Unfortunately, air bubbles got under the surface during paving which caused blistering. Crews are now removing the affected sections, and will then grind it smooth and follow that with more shot blasting.
Nawyn estimated another three to four weeks before the weather-dependent work is finished, which brought it too close to the Lordco race date.
“The deadline looked so tight. We didn’t want to cancel the race,” he said.
