Old Time Racers Association
by Lois Pollard-Grant

In the past few years, there has been considerable interest in restoring and racing vintage cars. These cars are early model stock cars which are coupes and sedans of the 1930's.

The idea of reviving these vintage cars came about in 1975 by racing enthusiasts, Ross Rocket, Dave Ireland and Norm Wilcox, and which at the time were not intended for racing but rather for parades, car shows and promotional appearances.

Rockett recalls when he and Ireland were scrambling through the bushes, abandoned fields and junk yards finding remainders of rusty relics, some of which were buried for 15 years or longer.

The first car found which was in Mill Bay, was a 1932 Chrysler coupe which was virtually intact except for the front end. It had sat outside for many years.

In 1977, Rockett discovered there were two other revived race cars in the Victoria area. They were a 1932 Chev Coupe which had raced at Western Speedway in 1963 and a 1932 Ford Coupe which had competed in 1959. The car that Dave Cooper drove to four championships was found in a garbage dump.

When Western Speedway marked its 25th anniversary in 1978, it was decided to hold an "Old Timers" night to honor all the past drivers, crews, officials for an evening of fun and Nostalgia.

Five cars were on hand for this exhibition race that night, and after seeing the amount of enthusiasm which was created from their first showing, it was decided to form a group to provide fans with a program of nostalgic racing with old cars. It then became known in 1978 as the Old Time Racers Association (OTRA).

Many of the restored cars we see racing today are in better condition than when originally raced in the 1950's. Although all of these cars are not original, they must conform to stringent club rules.

Rockett headed the organization for seventeen years and says he never thought the "Old Timers" would have become so successful.

Rockett attended his first race in 1958 as a spectator at Western Speedway. Although he never raced cars himself, he worked on pit crews, officiated and was car owner. Because of Rockett's interest in the history of auto racing, he now retains invaluable literature and records of auto racing since Western Speedway began.

Many drivers who have competed in this class over the years are Ross Surgenor, Tony Johnson, Rob Scott, Phil Goldie, Ken Alexander, Dick Zeinstra some of whom still run today.

In more recent years, the Old Timers have attracted such drivers as George Jensen, Tracy, Terry and Dan Cessford, Bob Exton, Dan Morneau, Dave Gill, Dwayne Zeinstra and Joe Dardengo.

The Old Time Racers Association now has Bob Exton as President.

As well as Western Speedway, the Old Time Racers travel to Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. They also have two non-sanctioned events on the dirt track at Cassidy Speedway.

Today the association boasts 100 members and 40 race cars that are associated with the club says Harold Corbett, vice president and flag man of OTRA.

OTRA participates in various fund raisers in which the proceeds go to local charities.

Corbett says it is relatively easy to get involved in the Old Timers as they like to keep the cost down as much as they can to keep it affordable.

The Old Time Racers do not run on a points system like other classes do at Western Speedway, but they do run for trophies and for the sheer fun of it. Everyone receives the same amount of money.

OTRA has twelve scheduled events in the 1998 season with seven to be held at Western Speedway.

These beautifully prepared machines are in a class by themselves and provide the ultimate in entertainment. It's not unusual to see these guys going door handle to door handle and driving three to four abreast.

One of their biggest events for the coming season is the "Hall of Fame" night in June when the Old Time Racers will be the featured class. "We are hoping for up to 30 cars for the event" says Corbett.

It will be like stepping back in time with $3 admission prices for adults and $2 for students and what better way to spend an evening than with the Old Time Racers....

-as printed in the Goldstream News Gazette - 1998