NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
Pro mod class driver Matt Mackay-Smith tears down the strip in the Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Associaition’s stop in Medicine Hat on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019 in Medicine Hat.
It was a near-perfect weekend for Riley Toth at the Medicine Hat Drag Strip.
With the Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association’s series in town, the hometown driver posted a national super bike series win Saturday, then followed it up with a repeat victory Sunday.
Toth edged out his younger brother Zach in Saturday’s final, gunning his Kawasaki ZX-11 down the quarter-mile in 8.681 seconds. Though slower than Zach’s 8.665, Zach had dialed in for 8.67 while Riley’s dial-in was an 8.65, so he won by virtue of not going too quick.
Sunday was a similar story, though a different competitor. Riley posted an 8.697-second time on an 8.69 dial-in, while Roger Bouchard of Merritt, B.C. broke out a 9.081 on a 9.30-second dial-in.
Riley already led the CMDRA super bike standings entering the weekend, though he trailed Zach in the local standings.
As for the rest of the winners, there was one more family connection. The Toth brothers’ dad Dave won Sunday’s crazy 888 division final over Calgary’s Clayton Potter. Potter had won the division Saturday.
Five other drivers made division finals both days. The XL 883 for Harley Davidson bikes had Liz Belanger beating Jeff Pitre both days in a battle of Yellowknife competitors. Medicine Hat’s Cody Minor took his Harley V-Rod into the hot twin finals, losing to Rocky Mountain House’s Jared Rose Saturday but earning the win Sunday over Fort St. John’s Bruce Romark. Red Deer’s Garrett Price was the runner-up both days in super gas, beat Saturday by Pitre and Sunday by Sherwood Park’s Carl Mills. And Calgary’s Adam Hettler won street on Saturday, then was beat Sunday by Medicine Hat’s Dennis Cotton.
Mills also won V-pro on Sunday, which also saw three pro divisions racing. Merritt’s Matt Mackay-Smith won pro mod, Fort Saskatchewan’s Doug Casson took pro dragster and Calgary’s Ethan Barkley won pro street.
In non-bike divisions, Tye Jones won the junior gamblers division Saturday while fellow Hatter Randy Stowe won the quick 16. Sunday races included Clara Layfield of Humboldt winning junior gamblers, and Travis Van Maarion of Medicine Hat the quick 16.
The last weekend of the local drag racing season begins this Friday with Friday Night Street Legals, and the Street Car Shootout on tap as well.
