AlkyIROC

Looks like Western Canada and some of the northern states plus Alaska are finally getting they're own division. IHRA has just announced a new Division 6. 4 US tracks and 6 Canadian tracks. One of the Canadian tracks is only 1/8 mile though.

http://www.ihra.com/article/7024.html

That only leaves 3 tracks in western Canada still running under NHRA. Mission BC, Medicine Hat AB and Saskatoon SK. These tracks have been with the NHRA for a long time and unless they feel the time is right to switch over to IHRA, I highly doubt they ever will.

According to the article, it looks like Calgary will once again become a sanctioned IHRA track although we haven't heard anything about it locally yet. The next closest track for me to travel to is Edmonton and that's about a 2-1/2 hour drive. After that the minimal drive to the next IHRA track is 8 hours. The Manitoba track is about a 13 hour drive which is straight across the prairies and I don't even want to calculate the trip to Alaska.

Still, it's better than how NHRA Div 6 is spread out. The majority of those tracks are along the pacific NW meaning each of those trips for me means I need to travel over the Rockies. Not an easy pull. My last trip was to Yakima and that was a 13 hour, non stop drive back in 2001.

I guess that means I should finally get an IHRA membership and license for 2011.
I wonder if I can get IHRA number 6Z28 to use as my car number since I currently use 1Z28. The 6 indicates the division.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

That's good news I guess. Such a long haul though

AlkyIROC

The joys of living in a sparsely populated country.

Regardless of the sanction, from Calgary the next 2 closest tracks are roughly a 3 hour drive. Next closest tracks after that is 8 hours away. I'd love to have 3-5 tracks within a 3 hour drive but we just don't have the population to support something like that.

There were 2 different tracks trying to start up about 1-1/2 hour drive away but both have fallen due to lack of funding because of the recession. It's unlikely if either will ever be completed.

This new division six does cover a wide expanse. Alaska gets moved into this division but is still a long haul. At least 1 racer from Anchorage came to the national raace in Edmonton this year. That's around a 3000 mile round trip and there's no interstate type highways through northern Alberta and BC.

To the west is Ashcroft BC. To the east is Gimli Manitoba. South is just outside Salt Lake City. All are long trips and I'm roughly in the center. If you were on the outside edge, it's an even longer haul to the other side. At least most of the tracks including the 1/8 mile ones in MT and SD are all across the prairies. Long straight pulls with no mountains to cross.

We'll see what happens in 2011. As much as I'd like to travel, I still didn't travel in 2010. If we now get a local sanction, I'd have a reason to travel to at least Edmonton. I just don't like those day long trips.

skinny z

Sounds like Calgary has been spared.
Last I heard it was in it's final season of operation.

AlkyIROC

I keep hearing rumors that they got another 10 year lease but haven't seen anything official. As far as we know, this is the final year for the lease on the land. A 10 year extension would be nice but a 25 year would be much better. The track needs that long term goal. If the track is going to die, let it die from lack of use, not some bureaucrat with a pen.

The old mayor is out. He was 100% against resigning the lease. I don't know what the new mayor and council are deciding.

If the track closes after this season, it just means I have to make road trips to race but I still get to race.