By Gary Bennett

TWO Vancouver Island racing organizations couldn’t stand in more marked contrast with each other. One is dead, while the other is very much alive. One is a lost gamble, while the other is so much more than a sure bet.  

As I write this article, I can’t help but reflect on the irony of a Times Colonist headline I read recently: “Sandown Park closing after nearly 50 years of horse-racing in North Saanich.”  

The mayor of North Saanich, Alice Finall, was quoted in that article as saying she didn’t think the closing of the raceway would affect the area “because there has been so little happening there.”

No one could ever say  there is little happening in the Victoria Youth For Christ Fast Times Car Club. They revved up their engines May 28 – 30, for their annual Challenge Cup Weekend at Camp Imadene.

This is the 23rd year of Fast Times Car Club activity. Starting in February each year, young people in clubs throughout the city transform nondescript blocks of kiln-dried pine into works of art – ranging from gleaming Ferraris to funny cars.  

These cars are not built from kits, and there are no blueprints. Sheer youthful enthusiasm drives the engines of creativity.

Young people in grades 6 – 12 meet weekly with adult leaders over several months, to shape the wood, apply the bondo and filler, sand and paint – all the while experiencing a great sense of accomplishment.  

The experience also provides these young people with an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus and see it modelled in the lives of their leaders.  

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Some of these leaders have been involved with Fast Times for more than 18 years. And there are several people working in the clubs today, who were first involved in Fast Times as youthful participants. Other Fast Times alumni are now sending their kids to the clubs.

The culmination of each year’s Fast Times Car Club season is the Challenge Cup Weekend.

This time, Race Day was held May 30. Two divisions of competitors raced against each other down a gravity track equipped with a light-signal system that times the cars to 1/1,000th of a second.

But the Challenge Cup Weekend was so much more than a race.  

It was a time for club members to spend the weekend at Camp Imadene – enjoying drama, music, skits, water sports, night games with flashlights, quiet times, and inspiring challenges from dynamic speakers.  

Young people who had the gospel presented to them over the previous 15 weeks were given an opportunity to respond to Christ’s love during the weekend.

Started in 1988 by well-known Victoria artist Steve Milroy, Fast Times Car Clubs have been located in many areas throughout Victoria and adjacent communities – as well as in Duncan, Chemainus, Nanaimo and Salt Spring Island.  

YFC staff member Mary Morrison coordinates activities and administration details with 15 dedicated leaders.

The Fast Times Car Club racing organization is so much more than a sure bet. There is no gamble in this investment. The results are seen in lives that are changed – and treasure which is laid up in heaven.  

Contact: 250.383.3182 or yfcvictoria.com

June 2010