Vintage Racers

I met an interesting fellow while at the annual Runway Romp this past Saturday. He had just recently taken up the sport of Vintage Road Racing and it was his first trip to the North Bay event. Watching the race warm-ups, he said how he had worked and lived in many places – England, Europe, the States and now in Canada. There was no place like Canada for this Scot who was distressed at the prices back home in Edinburgh where he visited his parents a month ago.

Despite just getting a notice that his job as a machinist was ending in a few months because Cadbury was moving all their equipment to Mexico, he was upbeat about his prospects. In fact, he wondered if there were any opportunities here in North Bay for a machinist. I did my Mayor Vic thing and assured him that we had several excellent machine shops in the area, that indeed the roads did get plowed in the winter (he lives in Toronto and this was a concern), and yes life was great here in the north.

I thought anyone who could keep and old Honda 350 running in race condition must know a few things about machine shop work. The prospect of owning a small place in the country within ten or fifteen minutes drive to work certainly appealed to him. That there was a vintage motorcycle community in the area was a bonus.

As I watched the activity of the old motorcycles bouncing around the track (he said it was a lot rougher than Mossport) the Air Cadets were doing their glider thing and the site-seeing helicopter buzzing overhead, my thoughts turned to the upcoming election. There seemed to be a few parallels to the day’s events and the election race.

It was easy to compare the lone helicopter hovering over us all with our Mayor. Up above the milieu, circling, watching, checking things out, selling the city to visitors. Had it only been painted yellow instead of blue, the comparison would have been more than obvious.

The mechanic’s alley where the bikes were readied for the race was not unlike the campaign offices of the council candidates. Some had their branding banners up, flapping in the gentle breeze. Others were gathered in small groups, talking strategy. Some were carefully measuring fuel so they would not run out before the end of the race. Some were tinkering with carburetors and adjusting the chain tension. A couple of the serious contenders actually had electrical tire warmers covering their racing slicks. There was a lot of noise and hot exhaust, much like we can expect as the campaign gets serious in the next few weeks.

Those who thought there was an ‘Italian’ connection in the last election would have noted all the old Ducatis parked at the ready. Of course, the Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki brands all end in vowels too, so that analogy hardly works. Although, there were a few Norton’s from Great Britain, even a couple of Triumphs present, so maybe it was an eclectic field, after all.

The sidecars are always interesting as it takes a dedicated team to be successful in those races. Often it is the rider, or ‘monkey’ in VRRA terminology, who will determine the outcome. Shifting positions all around the bike to keep it in balance both on the straightaway and in the corners is most important. It is not unlike the ability of a candidate to adjust quickly to the verbiage of competitors during the election race.

In the background were the silent gliders, which may have represented the younger set who are usually very quiet during municipal elections. Maybe they know already that they will likely have to leave the city to find a career, so they are content to float above it all, riding on the hot air generated by the racetrack below. In the meantime, they hook onto the little yellow tow plane and try to master the skills they need to stay aloft. I was hoping that that tow plane did not represent the Board of Education candidates, for as usual, they are conspicuous by their absence.

The Rumble and Roar ride through downtown as well as the Shine and Show event were only a sign of the things to come as the municipal election gears up. Will it be a race of the Vintage set or will we have some new faces? No matter. Like the Runway Romp, it will be fun to watch.