Mayor Wilfried Vicktor went to the Agassiz Speedway and raced other mayors and councillors at Aug. 27's Timbro Contracting First Nations Night.
The race, named Mayor-Councillor Class, saw Agassiz’s Coun. Sylvia Pranger, Harrison’s Coun. John Buckley and Chilliwack’s Coun. Ken Popove race against Vicktor’s black Hyundai Tiburon.
Carrying Hope’s honour, Vicktor pedalled to the metal on the quarter-mile oval.
“It’s a small track, so you essentially put it in first, you accelerate, you get into second and you leave it in second because your top speed in that little oval is probably about 80 kilometres-per-hour,” said Vicktor. “You’re not driving 140-kilometres-per-hour.”
But a sudden loss of power put him behind Popove.
“I was getting quite excited about being in the lead but then unfortunately my car started bogging down for a few seconds,” said Vicktor. “Then Ken Popove ... passed me and I couldn’t get in front again, but I was right on his bumper, so it was a close race.
“I had lost power for a few seconds, and unfortunately that put me in second place, but it was a lot of fun.”
To balance the race, the organizers made sure vehicles were of comparable specifications, allowing normally aspirated, four cylinder vehicles.
“So you’re dealing with vehicles [of] similar size, similar power,” said Vicktor. “I think for the most part, in our case, we’re all regular day-to-day drivers, we’re not race car drivers, so skill levels were probably similar.”
Going forward, Vicktor said he might want to build his own car for next year.
Vicktor hopes that next year, he can secure the crown for Hope.
“This is the plan,” he laughed.