Editor: After reading the letters published over the past month about Langley Speedway, I feel compelled to respond.
I grew up in the Lower Mainland. My father loved cars, so did his father. In fact, my grandfather was one of the first car mechanics in the city and he owned a shop on Kingsway and Joyce in Vancouver in the late 1920s.
I grew up attending car shows and when I was older, I would go to Seattle Raceway to watch drag racing. My first car was a 1968 Camaro. The first car I drove when I got my license was my father’s 1970 Lincoln Mark III.
The years went by and I moved to downtown Vancouver to make a name for myself in business. Sadly, while I always wanted to, I never attended a race at the Langley Speedway.
I got married seven years ago and we had a baby right away, followed shortly by another. Our choice was to find a place to raise our children where they could have a back yard to play in, neighbours to watch over us, a place where we could give our children a taste of nature and where we could buy our food from local farms and meat from butcher shops.
That place is Langley and we absolutely love it.
One of the other reasons we chose Langley as the area to raise our family is that it has one of the largest and strongest car cultures in North America. We had four of our classic cars in the Langley Cruise-In the past two years, and I think it’s worth mentioning that there were almost 2,000 cars in that one show alone last year.
We go to almost every show even if we are just going as spectators. They are the highlights of our year. I recall in 2010, we went to the Canada Day celebration at McLeod Park. Our kids had fun riding the ponies that were there. My in-laws came out to join us (from Vancouver) and my father-in-law was surprised that I wasn’t down at the car show at Langley Speedway. I had no idea there was one.
So, we made our way down in one of our classic cars. I didn’t think it even existed still, and when we were told we could drive down I can still remember how excited I was. As we walked around there were classic cars everywhere, music from the 1960s, food, kids running around having a blast — and something you don’t often see in today’s world — smiles everywhere.
I looked around, imagining what it must have been like to have raced there or to have been lucky enough to ever watch a race there.
That same summer I met a fellow who used to race there in the 1960s and he showed me some of his many photo albums of those days. He spoke of the fun, the sense of family and the exhilaration of it all. I thought to myself, from that moment, it would be incredible to once again see cars race at Langley Speedway.
I also learned that in the early 1970s, the Speedway even hosted NASCAR, which we have recently started following. NASCAR, by the way, is second only to the NFL for TV viewing in North America and has over 75 million fans and is broadcast in 150 countries.
My point to all of this is that the classic car culture is massive beyond belief, and is growing. It is something that allows people of all ages, abilities and income levels to participate. It brings people together like nothing else I can think of.
The idea of a seasonal schedule of racing and car-related events at the Langley Speedway is surely one of the best things that could happen in Langley. As was explained to me, there will also be car shows, perhaps a summer music series, as well as the excitement of the racing itself.
The notion that the equestrian community rejects this is simply ridiculous, and I have to use the word arrogant. I love the idea of our children being around animals and riding horses and of course there are a number of places we will go as our children get older so we can share that experience together.
My wife and I are both educated professionals and we strive to provide a great life for our children. However, we do not predict being financially anywhere close to actually having our own horses anytime soon, and we do better than most, I suppose.
An important observation I have made in all aspects of life is that while everyone has a voice, very few ever use it. I have been guilty of that myself.
In fact, had I not read the recent letters in the local newspapers, I may not have used mine. I would imagine for every person living in the handful of incredible estates surrounding the Speedway who don’t want any noise for a couple of hours a week for a handful of weeks in the year, there are likely a thousand or more hard-working people (like myself and my family) who would love the idea of experiencing yet another great facet of the car culture, and of Langley itself.
This matter should never be about any one group versus any other group. I love horses and I look forward to riding with my wife and kids. The Langley Speedway exists and has done so for over 40 years.
Revitalizing it is simply a fantastic idea for the local economy and will create another very much needed positive family-based activity for many to take part in. Revitalizing the Langley Speedway should not be just an option, it should be an obligation.
Dan Leece,
Langley