The Vintage Road Racing Association and Flat Track Canada race series hosted their year-end awards banquets recently. Inside Motorcycles attended both celebrations and, while the similarities were many, the differences showed the uniqueness of each of these flourishing organizations on the Canadian race landscape.
View our VRRA banquet photo gallery on Facebook by CLICKING HERE
View our Flat Track Canada banquet photo gallery on Facebook by CLICKING HERE
The VRRA event was held at the Sheraton Laval Hotel and included the club’s annual general meeting, held on the afternoon before the banquet. Here the VRRA board meets to discuss everything from the successes of the closing season to next year’s schedule, new class opportunities, rule changes, finances and more. A short break led into cocktail hour as approximately 150 members and their significant others funneled into one of the hotel’s biggest banquet rooms.
The theme of the night was Sixties Surf, and everyone was encouraged to dress accordingly. Many played the part, and a lucky male and female (Dave Mascioli and Tammy Larivee) went away with prize packs for Best Dressed. A fantastically diverse buffet dinner was followed by award presentations and then live music by The Surf Aces, a local band that played traditional surf rock to keep the crowd entertained and the dance floor busy. Most patrons chose to stay in their seats and enjoy the music, but the right songs had the floor busy more than once. Door prizes, silent auctions and the VRRA’s wildly popular mystery treasure chests made the night a smash hit.
Spirits were high, the vibe was informal, and smiles were abundant. The Quebec contingent played a major role in organizing the 2014 AGM and banquet, and should be commended on a job well done.
View our VRRA banquet photo gallery on Facebook by CLICKING HERE
One week later, Flat Track Canada held a much more subdued but no less important awards banquet at the Mohawk Inn & Conference Centre outside of Milton, ON. The gathered crowd of about 50-60 people was made up of many families—no surprise considering the high volume of youth racers that the FTC series hosts.
After some mixing, mingling and eating some of the fine food from the Mohawk Chop House, the group assembled in a tight conference room for the awards presentations. FTC President Aaron Hesmer and his right hand gal, wife Katalin Hesmer, presented plaques to the top three finishers in all classes as well as some additional awards. Aaron made sure to make the youth racers feel important and reaffirmed the importance of the kids to the series and the growth of the sport in Canada. Several door prizes were given away and there was a raffle for many other prizes too.
The folks from Outlaw Productions put together a fantastic banquet video (see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsiJlZhRHbw) that the crowd got to watch near the end of the presentation ceremony. Hesmer thanked all of the 2014 sponsors with plaques of their own and the night ended with casual mingling while the parents toasted the end of the season over beverages and the kids ran rambunctiously throughout the bar/restaurant after all drinking too many Dad’s Root Beers and Shirley Temples.
View our Flat Track Canada banquet photo gallery on Facebook by CLICKING HERE
Inside Motorcycles would like to congratulate the VRRA and Flat Track Canada on successful seasons in 2014 and wishes nothing but the best for next season!
{fcomment}
<
Discussion about this post