Brockville - AUTOMOTION ( Aug. 5,
2007 )
By: Wayne Ellwood
AUTOMOTION, Brockville’s annual car show, has been a staple on the Eastern Ontario car scene for 22 years. And each year it gets better. I first covered this event was in the year 2002. At that time the show attracted over 450 cars, with between 8 and 9,000 spectators. This year there were over 500 cars entered. Organizers lost track of the number of spectators but it was easily higher than prior years. AUTOMOTION 2007 ranks as one of Canada’s premier events.
I spoke with Steve O’Connor, who is a member of the hosting club…the Thousand Island Street Machine Assocation (tismainfo@tisma.ca)... to find out what’s hot this year.
First, of course, we need to do the advertising. In all motorsports, it’s the support of local sponsors and mainline suppliers that contributes to the success of any event. This year’s core sponsors included Home Hardware (Brockville), 3M Canada, Shell Canada (Brockville), Brockville Motors, Boston Pizza, Comfort Inn, Superior Cellular and Sound, Willy Dog, Our Canteen, Buds on the Bay, and most of the major merchants in the area come on-board as major sponsors. Bob FM, out of Ottawa, also provides advertising and on-site sound. Proceeds from the show entry fee go to the United Way. Other charities, including ALS, benefited from a series of 0-50 draws and other raffles.
Clowns and Kids Brockville Shriners are also on-site to entertain the kids and raise money for the Children’s Orthopedic Care facility which they sponsor.
Another factor contributing to the show’s success is the number of volunteers who come out to help the TISMA group. While there are only about 15 members in TISMA, they are assisted professional judges who are independent of the event and a huge number of other local organizations. There are 26 different classes, each with trophies provided by the primary and secondary sponsors. Classes include Street Rods, Pro-Street, Mild Custom, Full Custom, Trucks and Production Classes.
Finally, the location for AUTOMOTION, in Blockhouse Park, guarantees a scenic backdrop for almost every car. Located in the middle of a very picturesque downtown Brockville, and located on the shore of the St. Lawrence River, a cool prevailing breeze takes the heat off the hottest summer day. Passing ships and really huge powerboats add to the visual attraction.
Overview of dragsters
OK, so now that we’ve covered the essential “thank-you’s”, lets look at the show. The Buick Grand National display wasn’t pre-advertised as a major theme for fear of being truly swamped. Instead, word was spread through the local network and a more controlled number (about 15) of Grand Nationals were invited. This event was hosted by the Brockville Motors group and, of course, the GN’s were given a prime display location…right on the grounds of City Hall and on top of the very first railway bridge in (Upper) Canada.
Buick Grand National Display
I pressed Steve for his thoughts on which cars would draw the most attention. He didn’t hold back. One of the prime draws for the show were four specially-invited vehicles on display in the main event circle. These included one rear-engined rail which consistently runs in the sevens, Don Darling’s “Children’s Wish Foundation” dragster (a front-engine Mustang), a Harley Davidson with a $5,000 paint job and an “altered fuelie” owned by local racers Brock Gillis and Norm Timmerman.
I took a few moments to talk to the Gillis/Timmerman team. In addition to a lot of technical detail, Brock told me that their car is a 2001 Sptizer Bantam chassis. The team had recently installed a new engine. It’s a 588 cu.in. Ford engine which runs on methanol. At the time we were talking, the team was running-up the engine not only for the entertainment value but also for some tuning information. The team runs their car with full telemetry and a computer-based data logger. After each run on the car, the team can update the car to get the very best performance. The car runs in bracket racing, so although they can be happy that the car is running mid-sevens, they are still in search of consistency. The computer has given the essential clues and a new set of double adjustable shocks is in the works. Hopefully this will put the team “on top” at their next event at San Air (QC).
The Gillis/Timmerman dragster was fired-up periodically during the day, much to the delight of the crowd.
Paint job on this custom Harley is estimated at over $ 5,000.
Another thing you couldn’t help but notice at AUTOMOTION was the truly amazing number of Mustangs, both new and old. With the long hiatus in Camaro/Firebird production, the Mustang has become a car of choice for many hot rodders. This year the number of Mustangs suggests that, from the event perspective, something must be done for next year. Steve wouldn’t venture a guess but, from my perspective, it seems fairly obvious that there is going to be a whole sub-set of the show dedicated to that brand.
Mustangs (new and old) comprised at least one-quarter of the stock and mild-custom classes
Street rods, customs and mild customs will always be a major part of a show like AUTOMOTION. Each year, cars come from as far away as New York and Quebec to participate in the show. It may be a Canadian event, but the quality of cars on-site is easily on a par with the major US shows. Awards won here carry the same bragging rights as any Good Guys event.
