IHRA Grand Bend Preview

The Great Canadian Race: Grand Bend Motorplex hosts International Thrill Fest

Since the International Hot Rod Association truly became a multi-national sanctioning body with the running of the Canadian Nationals in 2000, Grand Bend Motorplex has been one of the premier venues on the Nitro Jam tour.

Located just outside the quaint village, and popular summer tourist destination, of Grand Bend, Ontario, on the shore of Lake Huron, Grand Bend Motorplex annually hosts large, enthusiastic, fun-loving crowds of race fans from Ontario, Michigan and beyond.

The 2009 version of the Great Canadian Race, the MOPAR Canadian Nationals, promises to be bigger, better, louder, more exciting, more thrilling and more over-the-top than ever before.

“We love to entertain, and that is exactly what we are going to do at Grand Bend,” said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. “Drag racing is an entertainment business. From the sights, sounds, and smells of the nitro-burning Top Fuel dragsters to our always-exciting door car classes, we love to keep our fans on the edge of their seats, not knowing what they are going to see next.”

The MOPAR Canadian Nationals, race six on the 10-event 2009 Nitro Jam schedule, will feature competition in the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock class, home of the quickest and fastest “factory hot rods” in drag racing today.

And if you can’t get enough “doorslammer” racing, hang on to your hats as one of the season’s largest fields of Pro Modified machines blister the GBM quarter-mile with five-second, 245-plus mph runs. Bolstering the ranks of the IHRA regulars will be members of the Ontario-based Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), which has added an additional race to its schedule just to allow its members to take part in the excitement that is the MOPAR Canadian Nationals.

Also on the agenda is the Alcohol Funny Car showdown between two of London, Ontario’s favorite sons, and drag racing’s top drivers. Three-time IHRA Alcohol Funny Car champion Rob Atchison will go head-to head against Paul Noakes in the unique “King of Canada” match race. These two guys are friends, but on the track it’s every man for himself.

In addition to all of this mind-blowing action, the night skies will be set ablaze when the nitro-burning Top Fuel Dragsters take to the track, joining Nitro Harleys, the Ballistic Eagle jet motorcycle, and the “Xtreme Machine” jet-powered Kenworth Classic truck.

This will be without a doubt the wildest, most pulse-pounding, thrill-a-minute entertainment spectacular in Ontario this summer. Everyone you know is going to be there, so don’t be the only one on your block to miss all the amazing action!

Purchase your tickets today by logging on to: www.ihra.com or www.grandbendmotorplex.com