Thunderbird Rally 2002 - Closing Words

This year, the 31^st Thunderbird Rally proved to be one of the most successful events in WCRA history.  While we all may have wished for more snow, you have to admit that the icy conditions made for challenging driving.  I am happy to report that the event was run without any major hitches and everyone was very well behaved during all the regularities and transits.  Also this year we saw a record number of entries and a return to the Merritt start location.  You should all know that both Merritt and Kamloops have praised our event and would welcome us back again with great enthusiasm.

In the end, our success this year was made possible by the following individuals and organisations.  We all owe them our sincere thanks and appreciation:

First, I would like to thank all the competitors who attended the event - especially those of you who came all the way from Europe and across the border.  Without you guys (and gals), Thunderbird would never have the rich diversity of competitors we encounter year after year.  Furthermore, we should all recognise each other for the great consideration exercised towards local traffic - we have not received any complaints at all this year.

Second, I extend a hearty "thanks" to all the volunteers that came out to help at the event - checkpoint crews, technical inspection, registration workers, and our sweep crews.  Staging an event of this magnitude requires commitment and time from a lot of people.  Thanks to you for taking the time to volunteer at this event.

Third, I think we should all recognise the efforts of our hospitality supporters and thank them for letting us take over their facilities:  Best Western - Nicola Inn, Esso - Salish Road, Comfort Inn - Kamloops and ABC Country Restaurant - Kamloops.

Fourth, I would like to thank all of the 2002 sponsors of the WCRA for supporting our association and our events.  Thanks to their continued support, we are able to provide prizes, decals, trophies and other perks.  Please join me in recognising: Specialty Subaru - North Vancouver, Polaris Water Company, Driver's Edge - OMP, Western Driver Publications, Wilkinson's' Automobilia, Certigard Riverside - North Vancouver and rallyequipment.com.

Fifth, a big "thank you" to  Rally Team Arson for sharing door prize gifts from Clarksdale Motors Audi - Vancouver and Arson Team Wear.

And, lastly (but most importantly) - thank you to Paul Westwick for planning and executing another successful Thunderbird Rally this year!  Paul's commitment and tireless dedication to both rallysport and this event have helped make Thunderbird the most challenging and successful navigational rally in Canada.

As any event of this scale does not go completely without hiccups - I should thank everyone for their ongoing patience and understanding.  In our effort to continually improve and bring you a world-class experience on BC's finest back roads, we recognise that there are always a few things needing improvement.

First of all, Finish Location and Awards Banquet procedures will be reviewed to ensure that ALL participants feel welcome to attend, whether choosing to dine or not.  Secondly, when faced with a tie in final points and late-breaking changes to some competitors' pre-registered classes, we were caught off guard when distributing the Overall and Class awards and trophies.  In the end we were left with insufficient awards to distribute, resulting in a bit of an embarrassing moment and perhaps a lack of recognition to those who placed well in their respective classes.

One other person I would like to thank is Patrick Richard from the Subaru Canada Rally Team, who drove three hours from his home in Whistler, BC, to attend the awards ceremony as our guest of honour.  Thank you Patrick for the generous gifts and prizes.

In closing - I trust everyone enjoyed this year's Thunderbird Rally and we hope to see you at another WCRA Rally event soon.

Sincerely,
Ken Kwong
31^st Thunderbird Rally Steward
WCRA - President
ken@rallybc.com