Blaze destroys drag racing tower
Building was not insured
An overnight fire destroyed an important piece of drag racing infrastructure earlier this week.
The Monday morning blaze gutted the portable racing tower at the new home of the Cape Breton Drag Racing Association at the former Victoria Junction wash plant site as members were preparing to host the site’s first racing event.
“This is a setback but at the same time we are going to battle our way through it because that is what we do,” said association member Gerard Bryden.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined but it is thought to have started between 9:30 p.m. Sunday when association members left the track and 5 a.m. Monday when a worker came across the fire.
“He put in a 911 call and Grand Lake Road Fire Department responded.
There wasn’t much they could do at that stage. It was pretty much underway when the call came in.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Cape Breton Regional Police Service had not received a file on the fire. Bryden believes it is suspicious based on beer cans, broken glass and all-terrain vehicle tracks found at the site the morning of the fire.
The association must now replace the building that housed electronic equipment and served as a timing tower at an expected cost of $10,000. The tower was not insured. The time it will take to build the building is a concern as the association prepares to host a scheduled Aug. 26 race.
Bryden said the association is confident it can host that race to highlight their 17th season of drag racing.
Previously, the association had held its previous 16 races at the J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport. Bryden said the purchase of the wash plant site is the result of years of effort that ended when with the acquisition of their new home from the CBRM in June, not long after the municipality had acquired it from the federal government.
A gofundme campaign has been started to try to raise funds to replace the building.
Go online to www.gofundme.com/cbdragtower for more details.