“WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE PLEX”

By Bill Kraus, Track Manager
Jan. 28/2003

Greetings! We hope everyone enjoyed a nice Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Last year, Eagle Motorplex endured a lower car count, due to a variety of reasons, primarily poor weather and poor economy. The first three races showed exceptionally low car counts. Because of rising costs (race insurance and asset insurance) this lower car count was a trying time. After those first three races, the season turned out to be successful, due largely to the continued support by Track Sponsors. With the help of a lot of people the lighting project progressed very well. Jeff Buechler (Hi Volt) remained busy adding new lights and wiring to the new poles installed at the Work Bee. Kevin Moore, along with other High School instructors and students, started a major rebuild of the ET shack, and almost finished showers installation. The main ticket booth was revamped, insulated and is now air conditioned!

Additional signage was put up to accommodate more Track Sponsors and the A&W sign was finally completed. Landscaping in the Staging area was done to shore up sides of pavement to prevent erosion. The tower was painted; VIP Room was cleaned up and painted as well. Fencing was repaired and is always an ongoing concern. The concession stand also got a major decorating and reorganization. Mike Poirier and Jake Martens continue to supply much needed lumber. The proceeds from last year’s Cruisers Restaurant Benefit Dinner were used to purchase two more radios. Replacing an aging fleet of radios will be an ongoing project as it seems you can never have enough!

A fantastic offer to trade our old ambulance for a newer, more efficient retired B.C. Ambulance took place. It came with some exceptional equipment as a surprise. We will be updating this vehicle hopefully with a new paint job. At our last Test N Tune of the year, an unfortunate accident occurred and some of this new equipment was much appreciated. Thank you Bill Leverit and Cliff Bergum for your help.

As many of you know or heard, we had a major computer failure at last year’s Mopac Night of Fire in August. It was a humbling experience to ask drivers, at the Driver’s Meeting, to help us put on a show to keep the crowd in the stands. Mission Raceway immediately sent up their spare computer but we experienced a wiring problem with it and couldn’t use it. At the night race, we had two teams of computer “experts” rebuilding from as many as eight computers spread all over the tower. Finally at 2 am, success, and Wyatt McMurray and I tested the track and announced to a sleeping pits that we were back up and running! Mission sent their spare computer up again a week later to allow us to peek inside which allowed Rob Ranta to get a better handle on the program that we lost. We did finish the race on Sunday and on Monday morning negotiated the purchase of two new computers with the most up to date programs in Division 6. Actually, the second of these new computers is anticipated being on site for this year’s Work Bee/Test N Tune to start the season. We will be using Auto-Start right from the beginning as well as the split tree for Snow/Bike class.

Last year we started a Street Legal Program that continues to be a success. We’re pleased to announce all the Street Legal Sponsors are back this year to help with this program. We will need two or three more if you know of any one interested. This program is allowing street racers a safe environment to race their cars and be rewarded for it! This year at all designated Street Legal races, the fastest domestic, fastest import, and best reaction time will be rewarded with a free driver’s pass for the next event.

Ray and Jan Brobowski will be installing one more urinal in the Men’s washroom and will be helping with the shower project. Ray is also working on fixing our scales.

Now for this year, as you all have heard its Eagle Motorplex’s turn to host the 2003 Division 6 ET Finals. It’s predicted that our car count will steadily rise from start to finish of the season. Because of the change to two teams of 32 cars from each track now eligible to come, it is important to expand our pits. We are looking for donated equipment at this time to start this project. It would be nice to find a cat, as well as a backhoe, and at least four tandem dump trucks. We have a grader, loader and water truck lined up at this time. (A packer will be needed as well.) So if anyone can help with this, please phone me ASAP at 1-250-453-9310.

Five poles will be needed to finish off the lighting project. Jeff will be installing another dozen lights to this circuit coming up fence line on Trans Canada Highway. Approximately 1500’ of triplex wire will complete this. Two poles will be installed behind the spectator stands (tower side) to match the two we installed last year. The plan here is to create shade with ginseng material hung vertically between these poles thereby avoiding a huge cost and engineering something we may not need.

Construction of a garage is being planned; however, other carpentry projects must come first. The spectator side ticket booth will get a face lift this year. Moving the First Aid Room will need new walls built in the tower. Also T-Shirt area will get secure walls installed to allow us to leave product in secure environment. We will need a couple of heavy duty metal doors and frames as well as a set of patio doors that can be locked.

In the VIP Room, Leo Lepine did a fantastic job of painting; we’re looking for an artist to do a racing mural on the wall. We need some furniture, couches, etc. as well as four folding tables and 20 stacking chairs. The room was originally intended and will be used by sponsors of the track, to host customers, friends and even employees. Token Fibreglass will be fibre glassing shower areas at this year’s Work Bee.

We are working on a set of point rules to be posted this year as the two final races of last year were rained out and created unexpected problems. We invited racers to contribute input into this process and had two responses. Wyatt and I have put together a more improved schedule this year. A most welcome surprise is a major new sponsor this year: Zimmer Wheaton Pontiac GMC of Kamloops, B.C. Rob Zimmer has shown a huge interest in Eagle Motorplex and we welcome him aboard.

As this year will be busy, and we are losing some of our crew, a major problem will be to find more new volunteers to learn positions. At the ET Finals it will be a four day event with non-stop action requiring relief personnel at ALL POSITIONS. Please help us in finding anyone interested. We will be starting to train people at Work Bee/Test N Tune weekend. Huge thanks to Glenn Miller who does such a great job of providing Eagle Motorplex with a website and of course a huge thanks to racers and sponsors who continue to support this track. Always feel free to discuss your concerns with Racer Reps and/or myself.

Many thanks to Pete Saruga, Bill Daniels and Jim Crawford who attended the Seattle Div. 6 Tech Seminar in December. We will need more Tech people this year, if you are interested, please join in!
Special thanks to our own Joe Webber for helping with pictures for our poster this year.

Cruisers Restaurant is again hosting the annual Eagle Motorplex Benefit Dinner on Friday, February 21, 2003. This year’s party will be a blast and if you’ve never been to one before, why not come out? And as usual, I will include the one problem we never seem to address and that is crack filling on our entire pavement at the track.

Wyatt and I extend an invitation to all new racers to come and see the always improving “Friendliest Track in the Division”.

Come on out to the Work Bee, March 22/23 2003, as it is an annual event that is as much fun as work in getting the facility up and running.

Bill Kraus – Track Manager Wyatt McMurray – General Manager




2003 WORK BEE WISH LIST
MARCH 22-23, 2003

If you can help with any of these items, please call Bill Kraus at 1-250-453-9310

1. Metal doors and frames
2. Sliding & locking patio doors
3. Plywood
4. Nails – all sizes
5. Exterior white paint – paint, brushes, rollers
6. Triplex wire
7. Street light heads
8. Rags
9. Weed-eaters, gloves, earmuffs
10. 60 gal electric hot water tank
11. Couch and chair combo
12. Four folding tables
13. 20-24 stacking chairs
14. Legal size filing cabinet
15. P.A. Speakers
16. Floor paint – enamel
17. #8 or #10 tech cable – 40’ with connectors
18. Treated fence posts, any used chain link fencing
19. Rakes & tiger torchs (propane)
20. 36” brooms
21. Carpenters
22. Fire hose rack
23. Metal roofing
24. Insulation
25. Back hoe(s), tandem dump trucks
26. Curtains & rods, etc, for ticket booth
27. Window & frames
28. Exterior Door & Frames
29. Plastic water tank for solar heated water project
30. Crack filling material
31. Any old Venetian style blinds
32. Old garden hoses – “we can’t keep them at cool down area”
33. Gyproc
34. Lag bolts, all sizes

SATURDAY: * Bring warm, clothes, gloves, and as many rakes as you can. We provide lunch and refreshments.

SUNDAY: *Test N Tune will be $30.00 for Work Bee participants, $45.00 for non-participants.