THUNDER BAY - There was a lot of noise and a lot of burnt rubber as car enthusiasts got to experience some high-performance demonstrations and a trip down memory lane.
The Thunder at the Bay Motorsports Extravaganza wrapped up on Sunday. The weekend long event include demonstrations, a swap meet, and the popular engine blowout and burnout competitions.
Kevin Merkley, chairman of the planning committee for the Thunder at the Bay Motorsports Extravaganza, said the annual show now in it’s third year continues to grow.
“We had 265 vehicles come through this year,” he said. “It’s the biggest show that we ever had. There seemed to be a lot more excitement about the show from very early on. We had people registered in January and February just to be here.”
Merkley added that the swap meet, which was included for the first time this year, as well as special guests help bring in a lot of new people.
But what continues to be the biggest draw is the sense of nostalgia that comes with seeing all the classic cars on display.
“A lot of it is nostalgia,” Merkley said. “People want to see the old cars. There are a lot of memories and flashbacks when people see the old vehicles. We also have work in progress vehicles that are not done and that is for showing the public what it takes to make a shiny car. There is a lot of work that goes into an old car.”
Moving forward, organizers hope to see the annual event expand with more participants, more demonstrations, and making everything bigger.
“We want to expand the demonstrations, bring in special guests again, get the swap meet bigger,” Merkley said. “This is the first year of the swap meet and so next year people will know what to expect in the future.”
