Chatelech students are into drag and it’s showing. The drag racing team is currently ranked first with the British Columbia Secondary School Motorsport Association, and if they take the provincial title in Mission on June 27, they will be headed to Boise, Idaho for the nationals.
“When we found out we were in first place, I had chills all day,” said Brenda Masich, the team’s coach, who has also founded high school racing teams in Powell River and Elphinstone. So far this is Chatelech’s best season. Currently, the team sits at 137 points, with two teams tied for second with 136 points.
June 27 is Chatelech graduation, but main driver Tyler Muryn – the only team member with a driver’s licence – has committed to making it to Mission to race. “He always shows up, he always helps,” Masich said.
For Muryn, who works at South Coast Ford in Sechelt and plans to attend Vancouver Island University and study automotive mechanics, drag racing is an extension of his passion for cars.
“Last year I started racing with my learner’s permit, so somebody was in the vehicle with me,” he said. “I loved it. It was really fun. And this year I got really competitive.”
The team of five Chatelech students race two vehicles, donated by Bill and Kadie Dornan. They are also working on what coach Masich calls a “project car.” To raise funds, the team holds two 50-50 draws at the local races in May and August, as well as through live repairs through the school’s automotive program, though according to Masich, “because we’re going to Mission so often, we’re spending it as fast as we make it.”
The team also competed at the Spring Drag Races at the Sechelt Airport on May 27, placing second in the Super Street Division. Team member Teagon Glowacki won the “Ted Meldrum Award,” for the high school student with the most commitment to the school and automotive racing academy.
Their next local appearance is slated for Aug. 12 when they compete at the Summer Race Sunday drag racing event. For Masich, what matters most is that drivers have “dedication and consistency, and that they have fun. That’s the most important thing. I really don’t care if we win or lose.”
