Lower Island Track Racing Association
by Lois Pollard-Grant

When a new concept of racing was introduced to Western Speedway in the early 1980's, no one realized that the Hit-to-pass demo racing would grow to the extent that it did and that it would become the speedway's most consistent drawing card for many years.

In 1983, the Vancouver Island Stunt and Demo Driver's Association (VISDDA) was formed by Jamie Peakman and Gregg Saddler. The pair worked out a unique set of rules that called for contact to be made whenever a vehicle goes to pass and intentional passing without hitting would lead to a loss of position at he finish or even disqualification.

Under Saddler as President in 1983, VISDA became the sanctioning body of this class.

For a few years VISSDA ran their shows about four times a year, running hit-to-pass cars and total destruction's. Some of the earliest competitors were Peakman, Keith Cahill, Don Knight, Wayne Makowski, Tom Saxby and Rick Horner.

A second class of vehicle, demo trucks, were introduced in 1986 and the fans liked what they saw so much, that by 1987 the number of trucks had grown into sufficient numbers to allow demo trucks to have a full race program.

The hit-to-pass demo trucks were created by Peakman and the then VISDDA president, Gary Madden. The first truck champion was Kerry Steen.

In 1988, the Lower Island Track Racing Association (LITRA) took over the name of VISDDA and in the same year the popular $299 claimers class was created. The claimers provided an alternative form of racing to the more expensive classes, and became popular to people who wanted to try their hand at auto racing at an affordable level.

Mike Greer was the first LITRA claimer champion in 1988, repeating as champion again in 1989.

The mini figure eight class came into being in 1995. Created by Cahill and Peakman, the new class ran on a designated figure 8 course on the front stretch and was an immediate hit with the fans. The class has since consistently fielded upwards of 25 cars on a race night.

Three figure-eight champions have been crowned to date - Cahill in 1995, Gord Creed in 1996 and Dave Isles in 1997.

Several times a year the total destruction class is on hand to finish off an evening of crunching hit-to-pass entertainment with even more destruction.

The champion in 1997 was Marty Makowski, wife of Wayne Makowski and mother of Randy Makowski, who all compete in this class.

Currently LITRA has a membership of over 200 guided by Roy Haywood who is going into his second year as president.

The hit-to-pass cars return with such perennial personalities as "Smokin Joe" Liberatore, The Hansen brothers Keith and Marty, Gary "Hydro Pole" Williams, and defending champion Kirk Peacy.

The trucks are back after taking the past year off and five time champion Ed Breuker will be defending his title. Breuker is the first driver in the history of LITRA's hit-to-pass racing, to ever win four consecutive class championships.

There have been several LITRA drivers who have taken their abilities further afield than their home turf.

Jan "The Wild Thing" Hansen, who drove demo cars for a few years, was track record holder in this class for two years. She turned her attention to rollover competition and in 1996 she was crowned Rollover Champion at the Tacoma Dome.

Jamie Peakman, two-time demo car champion, now competes in total destruction events throughout the Northwest. He also drives in the "Worlds Largest Pick Up Truck Destruction Derby" in California once a year, finishing third in 1997.

Keith Cahill has a list of successes over the past two decades that are innumerable. He was class champion in both demo cars, total destructions and more recently in figure eights. Competing and winning throughout the Pacific Northwest, Cahill took the Canadian Pacific Three Car Team Championship three times during the 1980's. One of his many big wins was the forth of July event at Evergreen Speedway.

Gary "Mad Dog" Madden has been a driving force in the success of Lower Island Track Racing Association (LITRA) during its fifteen year history.

Madden, a successful racer himself, has served an unprecedented seven years as club president between 1985 and 1996.

He played a big part in starting the demo truck class in 1986 and was instrumental in creating the $299 claimers in 1988, as well as giving many drivers their start in racing.

-as printed in the Goldstream News Gazette - 1999