Deep in the heart of Wolford lives a family with a need for speed. Mike and Vikki Ogilvie and their daughters Rachel, 16 and Ashley, 18 spend every weekend from May to October drag racing at the various tracks in Ontario, Quebec and Northern US.
Mike has always been interested in motor sports. He began tractor pulling when he was 11 years old with his dad and started showing cars at shows when he was 16. In 2007, he began going to the track with a friend of his who had a dragster. He was hooked. “When the girls were small, he would travel down to the US to Race,” Vikki remembers
To Mike’s delight, Ashley and Rachel started to take an interest in drag racing and he decided to stick to tracks that were closer to home so he could bring the family along. Pretty soon, both Rachel and Ashley were holding their own on the racetrack.
Since Ashley started racing in a junior dragster at 9 years old, she has won the championship at the Luskville, Ontario racetrack championship twice. This season was Rachel’s first year racing in the super-pro class, against her Dad and other more experienced racers. She won second place and $5,000 at one of the bigger races this year in Wawa, Ontario.
“I think racing has been the best thing for them and us because it brings us together every weekend” says Vikki, who also started racing this past season. “It also teaches them to be responsible, social and how to win and lose.”
Although it sounds dangerous, drag racing is actually a relatively safe and family friendly sport compared to a lot of other types of racing out there. There is no contact and only two cars go down the track at a time. Racers are outfitted with a full harness, special shoes, gloves and fire suits. Mike says he was more nervous than Vikki when the girls started racing because he knew more about what could go wrong. That being said, you are more likely to be injured playing hockey than during a drag race, he says.
Although there is a lot of friendly competition on the track, everyone is there to help each other and have fun. Mike is a mechanic and he is always helping people fix their cars and get them ready to race. “The track is everyone’s summer cottage,” Vikki says. “We have big potluck dinners and bonfires after the racing is over for the day.”
While Ogilvie’s Auto and Fleet Service, the family autobody shop, is their main sponsor, Mike and Vikki would also like to thank Napa Autopro, Stinsons and Tire Discounter for their continued support.
Mike loves the fact that his family has taken an interest in a sport that he is so passionate about and he is extremely proud of his daughters. “ I still sit back sometimes and think about how cool it is,” he says, beaming. “It’s a dream come true.”
