Racing couple not idle in retirement

Times Photo Submitted. RACING AROUND: Brian, Catherine and Dennis Smith ran the car at the invitational in Merritt in mid-May.

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Three years after retirement, a Taber couple is doing anything but taking it slow. They’re racing around, quite literally, with a stock car.

 Brian and Catherine Morrison moved from Vernon to Taber after Brian retired from a career in the air. He started flying commercially at 21 and over the next 50 years, flew in Canada from coast to coast to coast, including offshore drilling, as well as extensive fire fighting both domestically and internationally in the United States and Australia. He also had experience flying for NORAD’s early warning system and his career resulted in over 20,000 hours of flight time.

 On the ground, Brian’s love of cars and racing dates back to his youth, but that hobby fell somewhat by the wayside during his family and career years. Now it’s revving up again.

 “I’m retired, but we’re in the racing business,” he said in his spacious garage as he showed off his stock car and sprint car. “We started building a car here to compete in British Columbia and Alberta, and we had a lot of local businesses help us out.”

 Upon meeting them on May 23, Brian’s stock car was undergoing maintenance after a race in Merritt the previous weekend.

 “We just ran our first invitational weekend in Merritt, which is the fastest dirt track in BC, and we ran second,” the couple explained. “We really want to put out a thanks to all the local businesses and acknowledge them. They really helped out.”

Brian explained more, saying, “It’s stock car racing, but it’s on the dirt, or clay. It’s pretty big in the U.S. and in Canada. B.C. and Alberta have a lot of tracks. It’s something new for Taber, to be able to support a car in these racing series is a big deal, actually.”

 In Merritt, drivers came from all over: B.C., Alberta, and the U.S. Though Brian likes to drive his own car, the couple handed the keys over to Dennis Smith, who took the wheel because he knows how to drive on dirt and has raced that track for 40 years.

 “We put him in the car,” Catherine said, “and then Brian could see what needed to be done.”

 The pair explained that it’s beneficial to observe as a spectator because it’s easier to see how the car reacts and performs on the track. If the car goes into a corner pushing up on it, adjustments need to be made. Ditto for if it’s loose in the back end coming off the corner.

 The Morrison stock car has a chassis built in Michigan but purchased from High River owners who restored old vehicles for a feature show on the Discovery Channel. The car’s tires came from Hoosier in Edmonton and the fibreglass body from Five Star Racing Bodies in Ohio.

 Compared to a standard family vehicle, the Morrison stock car looks bare bones, both under the hood and in the driver’s compartment. Looking down at the motor, the garage floor was clearly visible through the uncluttered mechanical structures around the engine block, and inside of it the driver’s seat was the only place to sit.

 The wheels roll on tires that are wide and soft. Pointing to the rear, Brian said, “These tires are 11 inches wide, as you can see. On the back, on dirt, you’re looking at maybe 12 pounds (psi). It’s not like you would think, like a car, right? A car’s got like 30 -32, pounds. These are like 12 – 15. Tire pressure is critical on these, because that’s where you get the traction from them.”

 After their weekend in Merritt, the car was back in their Taber garage, up on a jack where the couple could “get the bugs out.” However, the racing season is now in full swing and the car wasn’t going to sit idle for long. Across B.C. and Alberta, there are places to race every weekend until well into the fall.

 The Morrisons’ two cars are classified as a Super Street Stock, which currently runs on a dirt track, but can transition to paved, and a Sprint Car that can run under the Washington West Coast Sprint Car Association. The Sprint Car’s first race will be June 7 in Penticton.

 The Morrisons extended thanks to their community supporters: for Morrison Machine Ltd., Jay Duell built the race motor; at Off Road Auto Wrecker/ C&L Repair, Corny tested and tuned the car; Kirk’s Tire mounted and balanced the race tires; at East End Iron, George helped with nuts, bolts and hardware; Traction Express supplied the exhaust parts (also referred to by the locals as Geeraert Mechanical); Karrie’s Sign Design and Autographics did lettering and number decals.