Author: OPDA Administrator

The Okanagan Autocross 2021 season is now complete. After a late Covid start which resulted in cancelling five events in April and May, the Okanagan Precision Driving Association hosted a total of twenty-two autocross competition events from May through September. Thirteen events were held on Friday evenings at our Okanagan College facility in Kelowna while seven full-day events and a two-day Eliminator were held at our Kal Tire facility in Vernon.

Many thanks to all the hard working volunteers who help put together a great season of motorsport competition.

Here are our 2021 championship winners. Hotshot champions are permanently moved to the Topgun category for the next season.

Championship	Winner
Kelowna Topgun Champion	Richard Matte
Vernon Topgun Champion	Richard Matte
Kelowna Hotshot Champion	Doug Floer
Vernon Hotshot Champion	Matt Phillips
Vernon Eliminator Champion	Jordan Valgardson

For detailed information on the 2021 season’s results, visit the OPDA Forum.

Pre-registration Required for 2021 Okanagan Autocross Vernon Eliminator

The 2021 Okanagan Autocross Eliminator weekend will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 18 and 19 at Kal Tire Place in Vernon. The Eliminator is a 2-day event with three half-day qualifying sessions on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Your best times from the qualifying sessions will be used to determine your ranking for the Sunday afternoon Eliminator.
 
Note that no half-day participation is allowed for the 2021 Eliminator. You may participate on Saturday only (no Eliminator), Sunday only or both Saturday and Sunday. Attending both days will maximize your chances for ranking higher to start the Eliminator.
 
For 2021, all Eliminator attendees are required to pre-register at our 2021 OPDA Vernon Eliminator Registration site. No onsite registrations will be accepted. Registration closes at 5:00 PM on Friday, September 17. You must be an Okanagan Precision Driving Association member to attend. Anyone wishing to become a member in order to participate in either or both days of the Eliminator must apply for membership using our OPDA Membership Application form. No onsite membership applications will be accepted.
 
Onsite check-in begins at 7:30 AM on both days, course walk at 8:00 AM and competition at 9:00 AM. All competitors must complete the course walk in order to participate in the event.
 
On Sunday trophies will be awarded to our 2021 Okanagan Autocross championship winners, including our new Novice of the Year award.

And thanks to the generosity of PIHL Law Corporation and the OPDA, a pizza and a soft drink lunch is included in the cost of admission for all registered participants.

UPDATE May 29: the Vernon autocross facility has been secured and the first race will be help tomorrow morning, May 30. See you there.

UPDATE – May 28: Everything is now in place for Kelowna Autocross start tonight. Vernon start on Sunday is still tentative. Stay tuned.

With Tuesday’s announcement of a loosening of Covid-19 restrictions, the OPDA executive is working with the CACC and its venue partners to finalize preparations for commencement of the 2021 season with an autocross event this Friday, May 28 at Okanagan College. The event will be capped at 50 participants (spectators not allowed) in accordance to the Covid-19 guidelines. Work is underway to clear the final hurdles. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

The 2021 season is now here and the Okanagan Precision Driving Association has booked a full schedule of Okanagan Autocross for both our Kelowna and Vernon facilities. That’s the good news. The bad news is that events such as autocross are not allowed under the Covid-19 restrictions currently in place by the Provincial Health Officer in the province of BC. We are working with the Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs to appeal to the PHO to relax restrictions for outdoor motorsports. Stay tuned to this page for more information.

Okanagan Precision Drivers Association members Ethan Delichte and Steve Wensley have produced an excellent documentary on the sport of autocross. The duo’s company, Prime Light Media, produced the video for the VCMC Motorsport Club and used extensive footage from Okanagan Autocross events.

The short nine minute documentary does an excellent job of explaining the concept of autocross and reflecting the sheer enthusiasm and dedication of its supporters. The OPDA gives a shout-out and a vote of thanks to these two dedicated members for their wonderful work and this outstanding contribution to the sport of autocross.

The documentary can be viewed below and at this location.

The 2021 schedule for our Vernon facility has been released. Visit our Schedule page for more information and stand by for more news about our 2021 Kelowna schedule.

The Okanagan Precision Driving Association held its inaugural Annual General Meeting on Monday, November 16, where a new board of directors was elected. Many thanks to retiring President Bruce Stevenson for his years of work at Okanagan Autocross and especially his hard work over the last year in establishing the Okanagan Precision Driving Association. Under Bruce’s direction, the club is off on the right foot with a bright future ahead. Bruce will serve as Vice President under the direction of newly elected President Wade Schmidt.

The 2020 season is over. Thanks to all the hard working volunteers who help put this series together. Of particular note with a lot of work are Matt Schmidt, Will Dwyer, Wade Schmidt, Doug Floer, Ben Wegner and Bruce Stevenson.

Congratulations to Matt Schmidt for winning the Kelowna series and Will Dwyer for the Vernon series. Nick Gunner took top hotshot for Kelowna while brother Steve nailed the Vernon hotshot title. Both will be moved up to topgun rank. For the eliminator weekend, Steve Gunner was top hotshot and Wayne Terai won the big ugly trophy for topgun which he will proudly display in his dad’s garage.

Bruce Stevenson
President OPDA