Blaise Kurucz recalls street racing in his youth.
The Toronto Police Services officer said street racing has changed, with more of it occurring on main roads as opposed to the “middle of nowhere.”
s'Regardless, such racing has always been dangerous, he said. At age 16, he said he crashed his parents' car in a street race.
“You can do something silly with any (vehicle), and the cars are 4,000, 5,000 pounds rolling down the road in a high speed,” he said. “The big thing is the unexpected. When that light turns red, when that person rides in front of you on a bicycle, or some(one) steps off a sidewalk … that’s the thing you will never take out of the street.”
Those experiences are what has motivated Kurucz, fellow officer Jeff Dowding and others to start Right Track Racing, a non-profit that tries to encourage youth to race on the tracks instead of the streets. The organization will be hosting a first-ever car show fundraiser in Newmarket Aug. 13 at Tannery Mall on 465 Davis Dr.
The initiative started in a Toronto Police community response unit, where Kurucuz and Dowding worked to address street racing as two people passionate about race cars. The program saw the officers teach older high school classes about street racing, as well as field trips and racing development events. When the two were eventually moved out of the unit, they wanted to keep the initiative going with their expertise and started a non-profit to make that happen.
“Our main motto for right track racing is if you attempt to street race, take it to the track,” Kurucz said. “There’s places to go and places you can do that instead of risking your life.”
The lessons to high school students also involve some harrowing case studies, Kurucz said. He recounted being the first officer on the scene in 2019 of a racing accident where a driver was killed after losing control and crashing going 126 km/h.
Many of the teachers they visit can also recount losing students to street racing, Kurucz said.
“I can’t tell you how many teachers walk up to me and tell me the stories of how many students they’ve lost over the years,” he said.
The car show is open to all kinds of vehicles, with a $10 entry fee for a vehicle and free entry for spectators. It will feature kids’ activities, prizes, food, vendors and more.
Although the non-profit is focused on Toronto, Kurucz said they hope to expand into Durham Region and York Region over time. The organization is coming to Newmarket for the event thanks to the Tannery Mall donating the space, he said.
The event will run Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can find more information at righttrackracing.ca.
“It’s going to be fun,” Kuruczsaid. “We’re going to have a lot of people there from the racing world.”
