On June 20 and 21 drag racing took over the Port McNeill airport for the Rumble on the Runway event. The two-day event, put on by the North Island Timing Association, featured 1/8 mile drag racing and about 80 cars entered.
Event volunteers sprayed down the hot tarmac amid fumes from the cars, and the volume of the machines was deafening. Firefighters kept watch in a tent near the start line. There were no accidents or injuries over the weekend, with the only hiccup a car that blew up their transmission, resulting in a near miss as oil ended up on their wheel. North Island Timing Association racing director Bill Leong says the events are very exciting for the drag racing community. “To the people that race in the community, they love it, it’s fantastic,” Leong says, adding that some contestants book their holiday time around the events, like a few who flew in from Fort McMurray, picked up their stored cars in Courtenay, and headed north. Leong adds that more and more women are entering their events. Two more drag racing events will take place July 18-19 and Aug 22-23. See results in next week’s Gazette.