UPDATE: Ron Farmer passing on September 1st

We received some shocking, and sad news today of the recent passing of one of the true icons of drag racing in British Columbia, and indeed, in all of Canada. Ron Farmer was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the British Columbia Custom Car Association in 1951, and managed the original Mission Racewayfrom it's opening in 1965 until it's closing. If it wasn't for his passion for the sport, and his determination to not let the closing of the original track in 1978 be the end of drag racing in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Mission Raceway Park would not exist.

When the original track closed to make way for a business park, there was a deal made on an alternate, and much larger, site further from the city of Mission. With an agreement that the Provincial government would fund the necessary earthworks to make the new site suitable for a dragstrip and associated activities, the BCCCA felt that racing would resume within two years.

Two years turned into 26 years and if not for the herculean efforts headed by Ron Farmer, the new track would have never been built. After a Provincial Ombudsman's report, and a Supreme Court case, amends were made to the club, and construction of the new facility was completed in early 1992. Now, more than thirty years later, MRP is still a first-class facility with one of the smoothest, fastest drag strips in the world, and atmospheric conditions that are rarely matched elsewhere.

All drag racers, fans, and anyone who knows anyone connected to the sport should be thankful that people like Ron Farmer were among us. May his spirit and memory live on in all of us. RIP, Ron.

A photo of Ron Farmer, with the kind permission of Larry "Horsepower Heaven" Pfister taken from the roof of the timing tower as the new Mission Raceway was under construction (March 11, 1990)