The Richard Cosgrave Memorial Badlands Dinosaur Derby scheduled for this weekend has been officially postponed and so far, no future date has been set.
“We have to look at all of the factors, as much as we hate to postpone a race we cannot in good conscience race in unsafe conditions,” explains WPCA President, Pat Powell. “We hope to return to Drumheller later in the season, they are a great supporter of us and we want to put on a world class show for their fans and sponsors.”
According to Kelly Carson, operations manager for the WPCA, the heavy rain made the track unusable, and the parking on the site was very slippery. WPCA track inspectors Kelly Sutherland and Layne MacGillivray were on site Wednesday to assess the track and facility. They deemed the conditions unsafe for competition. They pulled the plug on the event at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Carson acknowledges the hard work put into the track by the Drumheller Stampede and Ag Society, but unfortunately there is not much they can do about the rain.
According to a statement from the WPCA, “This decision is not made lightly by either group, but as with everything the WPCA and the Drumheller Stampede & Ag Society put the safety of the horses, drivers, and outrider first. A favourite stop on the WPCA Dodge Pro Tour, the drivers and WPCA personnel hope to return later in the season.”
Carson said the event is officially postponed, although at this time the race has not been rescheduled. He adds there may be room in the schedule for a new date.
Mike Hansen vice president of the Drumheller Stampede and Ag Society said the WPCA made the decision. He felt they might have been able to salvage the event.
“We had gravel lined up for the road through Gallagher trucking so we could get them in,” said Hansen. “Coming out of the infield is where we have that big hole, and all we needed was a hoe so I could scoop it out and put dry fill in and put a cap on it so would be good.”
Hansen adds that April Wine will still be performing at the Stampede Barn this Saturday night.
