Doorwarz 11 powered by Titanium Autogroup is one Mission Raceway racers, and spectators will never forget. Eleven classes of cars and bikes were on the property. Plus, fans witnessed the return of the Bahrain1 Pro Mod team of Justin Bond and Khalid Al Balooshi, who joined the ranks of the quickest group of Pro Mods in western Canada, the West Coast Pro Modifieds.
Bond brought his big gun up to Canada, the ’68 Camaro with a screw-blown Hemi, the same car he raced in the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod event earlier this year. With 16 Pro Mods on the property, competition was tight, right down to the final round, where JR Lazic of Gen3 cut a .099 to Bond’s .014 and just couldn’t come up with the number to Bond’s 3.73 at 202.89 MPH. Bond’s best run of the weekend was a 3.684 at 205.20 MPH, which reset both Mission Raceway Pro Mod track records until JR Lazic pulled off a 3.79 at 208.82 MPH.
Photo by Bill Hawke
Another huge success of this 11th annual race was the Paradise Homes-sponsored Canada West Doorslammers. This group is comprised of doorcars, all running faster than 8.70 to qualify. An impressive 42 out of 44 cars made the field, with John De Jonge making it out on top with his blown 598 Camaro, who was also the number one qualifier this weekend.
Fifteen Outlaw MDA Fabrication 275 cars made it for the weekend, this class being one of the fastest growing on the west coast. Jordan Brandon from Sherwood Park Alberta took the win for the second year in a row, this time over Jason “Angle Plug” Gagnon in a close matchup. Brandon cut a .041 to Gagnon’s .042 and ran a 4.42-second pass to Jason’s 4.47-second lap.
Newly sponsored Gulf and Fraser Limited Street saw Vanessa Richards in the Winner’s Circle for a second year in a row as well. With a pair of 5.19s, it was down to Vanessa’s reaction time, .039, that won the race.
Some of the other new classes introduced for this year included West Coast Outlaw Street, Inline Sales Pro Street, and Gerry’s OK Tire Real Street, with Real Street coming down to a father vs. son matchup between Rob Munro Sr. and Jr., taking place late on Saturday night. Sr.’s Model A went wheels up with a .050 light to chase down Jr.’s .018, Jr running his dial with a six and pops breaking out by eight hundredths. All family and friends were a flurry on the starting line. Other classes included a $2500 Rad Torque Systems Electronics and National Tire Non-Electronics pot for the bracket racers.
Top Fuel Harley was another class that brought everyone to the edge of their seats, with Nate Gagnon bringing out the best number for the class of the weekend, 6.54.
In addition to some really great racing, fans were treated to stunt shows by Hard Knox Stunts during track prep and a ride along by donation to Variety – A Children’s Charity. Plus, a kid zone complete with a bouncy castle and mini golf was put together by the Mision JR Street crew, who were giving away swag and goodies all weekend.
Photo by Larry Pfister
The stellar weekend wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Derek Scherk and his team at Titanium Autogroup, who were not only the title sponsor but also sponsor the strip year-round.
Jessica Armstrong, Mission Raceway Park’s Marketing and Promotion Coordinator, shared her thoughts on Doorwarz 11 powered by Titanium Autogroup.
“After being in marketing with this facility for over two years now, we are starting to see people making a comeback to drag racing again,” Armstrong said. “We are starting to see cars that were hidden away for a number of years. We recognize the direction we need to go, and everything will fall into place. This was a hugely successful event for us.
“The winners from this weekend are all great people who work extremely hard to be where they are at.”
Photo by Bill Hawke
This story was originally published on July 5, 2023. 
