More than 100 longboarders with a need for speed are set to converge on the Sea to Sky Corridor for the 2011 Britannia Beach Classic on May 29.
Daredevils from all across the globe will reach speeds of 100 kilometres an hour as they rip down a 3.5-kilometre stretch of Britannia Beach Road. According to race organizer Lee Cation, the course is becoming renowned for its speed and unique flavour.
"It's really the steepest, most technical track this side of the Rockies," he said. "It's truly one of a kind and really unique just with how steep it is and the extreme hairpin turns."
It's the third time that Cation has brought the race to Britannia and he hopes a name change to the event will be a better fit. The previous two years it was known as the Gold Rush Challenge, a name that Cation realized wasn't the perfect fit for the event.
"Now that we've got this event established, I wanted to get Britannia into the name," he said. "They're kind of the little outcast compared to 麻豆社国产and there never was any gold in town anyways. I think the community is going to undergo some major changes in the next few years as far as development goes and I think it's good to get the name Britannia out there a little more."
Cation added that the response from Britannia Beach residents to the name change has been positive, with the mine museum coming on board as a supporter of the event.
"Once I learned more about the town's history and the more involved I got, I just kind of realized it was almost dishonouring their history and kind of an inappropriate name," he said.
Riders will hit the course on May 27, getting a chance to get a feel for the course with several practice runs. Qualifying races will take place on May 28, with spectators encouraged to come to the competition finals on May 29. There are four separate divisions with juniors, women's, men's over 30 and the men's open division all battling for more than $4,000 in prize money.
"We've added a day of practice for all the racers to get a little more familiar with the course before the big race," he said. "It's almost like a free lift ticket for them. They want to get in as many runs as possible."
Cation added that the event will go on rain or shine and that the event would not be able to go down without the support of the Britannia community and Vancouver board builders Rayne and Landyachtz.
Races kick off at 9 a.m. on May 29 but Cation pointed out that the more skilled racers will hit the track later in the afternoon. For more information on the event, visit www.unkle.ca or www.britanniaclassic.com.
