TOMAS TALES UNEARTHING GEMS

Aswe slide into 2023, our season-long celebration of our 30th Anniversary on the air in 2022 fades into our rear-view mirror. It was actually our daughter Katelyn who came up with the idea of taking the back end of the Race-Wrap News portion of each show last year for a selection of the best interviews from three decades as Canada’s National Radio Motorsport Authority and replay a portion of those interviews as 30 Years of Raceline Radio audio flashbacks.

As I mentioned in previous Tales, it meant finding and opening dusty boxes of cassette and CD recordings of Raceline Radio shows going back to May 7th of 1992.

I would say this almost 70-year-old memory of mine still fires decently, but I have to admit going back through our deep audio archive, we plugged back in some stuff I had just plain forgotten about.

A list of examples would be far too long for the boundaries of this article, but one interview that slipped my mind was a standout segment from June 21st, 2009 when a conversation with IndyCar’s Marco Andretti to pump the return of the Toronto Indy that year included a surprise second voice on the recording, Marco’s dad Michael, a seven-time winner in Toronto, who made the trip to Canada at the last minute.

Our first father and son interview was historic. And access to grand Andretti patriarch Mario on Raceline Radio would have to be the crowning achievement of the show so far.

Our 30-year-old-plus partnership with Subaru Canada was hinged on our road rally coverage, so it was extra special to hear multi-time rally champions Tom McGeer, Trish Sparrow-McGeer, Pat and Natalie Richard, Frank and Dan Sprongl and Antoine L’Estage again.

That rally sound replay had special meaning as we lost Subaru’s Brian Hyland just before Christmas. Brian put the original Raceline deal together, and we would simply not exist without Brian’s vision and friendship. So yes, it was also a sometimes-emotional trip back through 30 years of shows, hearing some of the voices that shaped our timeline.

The late John Massingberd, co-founder of Promark Motorsport, the parent company of Raceline Motorsport Television and eventually The Raceline Radio Network with still good friend and colleague Bruce Mehlenbacher was the original co-host of Raceline Radio.

Hearing John’s voice again on those recordings was surreal to say the least.

We called the season wrap-up shows in our early years our “Night of Champions.” broadcast from the old ‘Chariots’ auto racing themed restaurant in Stouffville, ON. The shows featured live interviews of all-star guests who had won titles.

Radio the old fashioned way in front of a live audience was a delight to hear again.

That all comes full circle as our friends and print partners at Inside Track Motorsport News stage their version of ‘Night of Champions’ at The Motorama Custom Car and Motorsports Expo in Toronto, ON Saturday, March 11th.

It’ll be sponsored by Fast Eddie Racewear. Full circle here too, as Fast Eddie’s Ed Hakonson was the proprietor of the aforementioned ‘Chariots’ restaurant. You see good ideas never die, they just evolve.

We received more than a few kind notes from listeners who enjoyed our 30 Years of Raceline Radio audio flashbacks. A few remembering their original airing, the younger listeners hearing them for the first time.

The next 30 years will have us adding many more notable names to our very long list of auto racing all-stars.

All set? Let’s go! ET