Drag Boat Racing in Canada
The foundation of organized drag boat racing started in BC on Hatzic Lake with a variety of hot lake boats prowling the waters looking to pair up and see who was fastest. The seeds for the FVDBA were sown on those waters. A concern for safety and a consistent form of racing saw founding members Wayne Booth, Wayne Dersch, Bob Gosling, Greg Lardeur, Herb McIntyre, Wayne MacLean, and Kyle Montgomery start the club and hold the first event at Squawkum Park in 1980. That year saw 26 racing members join up and 6 local races were held. In 1981, the FVDBA became an incorporated society and moved to the Fraser River site at Mission Raceways. Ray O'Hara won the points championship that first year and set the club elapsed time record at 6.98 on the liquid quarter mile.
The History
From 1980 to 2002, the FVDBA staged races all over British Columbia and Washington State and FVDBA racers competed at major events all over the West Coast. Race sites in BC over the years included Kelowna, Kamloops, Castlegar, Lac Le Hache, Lake Cowichan, Mara Lake, Salmon Arm, Penticton, and even the waters of English Bay for Vancouver Sea Festival a couple of times. In Washington State, events included Black Lake, Moses Lake, and Spokane's Long Lake. The FVDBA also held shared points events with the CDBA out of Oregon for many years.
The club shut down after 2002 and most of the equipment ended up with Alberni Valley Regatta Association on Vancouver Island. A resurgence of interest in 2018 saw the FVDBA re-formed and back in the business of drag boat racing with an event on the Harrison River and there's more to come in 2024.