Uh yeah, this is an April Fools joke … hope you guys had fun with us this year! —Ed.
Ontario riders, there are big changes coming in 2022: The legendary Friday the 13th Rally, hosted multiple times per year in Port Dover, has been sold to the Canadian Motorcycle Association (CMA).
The sale is effective today, April 1, so the first CMA-managed rally will be next month, on May 13. When that happens, expect things to look different. The CMA says it is going to bring bagger racing to the streets of Port Dover.
It’s all part of ongoing changes at the CMA. With a shift in leadership over the past year, it appears the organization is gearing up to promote roadracing in eastern Canada, starting with a bagger racing series, similar to what’s currently running in the MotoAmerica series.
CMA spokesperson Keane Emmexer said this made sense, combining CMA’s role in sanctioning racing with Port Dover’s historic association with cruiser culture.
“Rally visitors arrive on baggers, so why not see baggers racing,” asked Emmexer. “With no track available in the immediate area, we decided to bring the race to public streets, just like the Isle of Man. Running high-horsepower baggers on the roads will only add to this event’s appeal.”
Although this race was inspired by the American bagger series, it will have its own local flavour, the CMA says. For instance, instead of the usual brolly girls at the starting line, the CMA has contracted legendary local Thong Man to appear.
Emmexer said the move signals CMA’s desire to continue the spirit of the rally.
“In our years as Canada’s FIM affiliate, we’ve found no better way to meet the normal, everyday Canadian motorcyclist than Port Dover,” said Emmexer. “We see this as a chance to show the rallygoers everything we do at the CMA, and perhaps even expand the rally in new ways.”
Sounds exciting. Bringing bagger racing to the congested streets of Port Dover might be a fool’s task, but we look forward to seeing the results next month. May 13 is only six weeks away from April 1, though, so there’s lots of work to do before then.
