THUNDER BAY - Growing up, Robbie Powell remembers heading out onto the ice on Lake Superior with his dad, Bobby, to watch those with a taste for adventure and speed race around on the freshly plowed track.
“I remember coming to the track as a young boy, probably four or five, coming to watch the races,” Robbie said. “When I became old enough, I went on Larry and Diane’s bike and I fell into a passion right then and there and then got my own bike and stated racing myself.”
Bobby always had a keen eye for capturing the daring speedsters on film, and as Robbie prepared to head out on the ice with his motorcycle this weekend, he took pride knowing that his dad, who spent so much time preserving this winter sport, will always be a part of it.
Motorcycle ice racing on Wild Goose Bay near Lakeview Lodge has been taking place since the 1970s and on Sunday, it was officially named the Bobby Powell Memorial Motorcycle Ice Race.
“This is the first year that it will be called the Bobby Powell Memorial,” said Larry Lage, a long-time ice racer. “He owned the road on the way in. At one point he owned the lodge as well. He is the guy who allowed this to happen.”
Bobby Powell passed away on Christmas Eve last year and his friends and fellow race enthusiasts wanted his memory to be associated with the annual races that he loved so much.
“He has been here since the 70s, long before he even owned that land, he was out here filming this,” Lage said. “He has Super 8 footage and VHS. He filmed all the races.”
“This is a way we can never forget him. Every year it will be called the Bobby Powell Memorial.”
Bobby’s sons said it was an honour to have the race named after their dad and called it a great day to remember him by.
“It’s special to see all the people showing up and supporting this,” said Bobby’s eldest son, Nick Cameron. “It’s not even started yet and it’s already filled right up and we have quite a bit of donations, which means a lot to see everyone showing their support for us.”
On Sunday, family, friends, and spectators that came out to watch the races raised more than $3,000 in support of the Thunder Bay Regional Cancer Centre in Bobby’s name.
And there was no shortage of excitement to see for everyone who came out to support the newly named race, with riders taking on the oval track, and for the first time, a street course that involved left and right turns.
“When you go into the turn, you have to override your brain because your intelligence is going to tell you: man, I’m crashing if I turn this bike,” Lage said. “But you’re not. It sticks like glue.”
Bikes are fixed with studded tires and Robbie, who has been racing since he was 16-years-old on dirt and ice, said there are similarities and big differences between the two surfaces.
“You have a lot of the same riding techniques you do on the dirt,” he said. “But it is a lot different. And the bikes are a lot bigger, too. They’re really fast bikes.”
Riders have been clocked travelling as fast as 130 km/h and when you are travelling that fast on ice, it can get a little nerve-wracking.
“The speed into the corners and coming out of the corners - it’s pretty intense, especially when you hit the corner a little too fast and the bike starts hopping away,” Nick said.
But it’s all about the thrill, whether you’re firing up the bike and preparing to lean into a corner, or looking for that perfect shot through a camera lens like Bobby spent so many weekends with his family doing so they could relive the memories over and over again.
“He was always video taping,” Robbie said. “He always had the best shots and pictures. We would always watch after. It was something special me and him used to do together. We’re definitely going to miss him. I know he’s still right here with me.”