"Get 'em off the street" is cycle club's motto

There's this really cool place just northeast of town that's kind of like a Field of Dreams for go-karters. It's also proving a boon for local motorcycle racers, too.

It's called Stratotech Park and, having just opened last year, it’s still something of a best-little-secret-in-town. The Edmonton Motorcycle Road Race Association clearly likes the place.

After holding a couple of races there last year the club has five races scheduled for this year. essentially one a month. with the first weekend scheduled for May 24 and 25.

But the weekend before that May18 and 19 (Sunday and Monday), the club is offering a road race school.

Much like the Street Legal program at Budweiser Park. the goal is to "get people off the streets and on the track," says Dale Burak, a racer and instructor.

This is a place where crotch rockets can go and let it loose. Where they should be letting it loose. Without pedestrians, four wheel foes and telephone poles in the way.

For details you can call Dale at 987-3985 or club president James McCarthy at 499-2708. Or web up at www.edmontonroadracing.com

Switching identities: Obviously I'm not the only one who has wanted to see this.

On June 11 at Indianapolis my boy J. Jeffy Gordon is going to switch cars with my F1 boy J. Pablo Montoya.

Both are to take a spin in each other's cars on the 2.6-mile infield road course they've used for the U.S. Grand Prix the last couple of sears -J.P. in Gordo's No. 24 Monte Carlo and J.G. in Montoya’s Williams/BMW rocket.

"It's something I've dreamed of," says Jeffy. "I don't plan on going F1 racing, but I would love to just have that experience."

As for Juan Pablo: “Driving a big, heavy NASCAR car will certainly be different. I don't think Jeff should be concerned that I will take his job away.”

STOP SMOKIN' THOSE TIRES: Brilliant forethought on the part of the Williams Fl team. With tobacco sponsorship being butted out, even the biggest race teams in the world are scrambling for sponsorship.

So Sir Frankie has inked up a deal with a stop-smoking product!

"This deal conflrms that there is a future for Formula One after tobacco sponsorship," said the crafty old race-master.

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "laying a patch."

OLD FLAKE: Raise your hand if you too thought that Terry Labonte was done like a bowl of cereal left on the counter overnight. He was written off once before wasn't he? Between his championships in 1984 and 1996. Bobby's older bro could be this year's sentimental old fart among the wave of NASCAR Young Guns. Ironically, in '84 Terry was the Young Gun himself at just under 28 years old, one of the youngest-ever Cup champions.

JUNIOR JUSTICE: Many are still burnin' about the call at Talladega - is there a yellow line and yellow line for Dale Junior?

I don't think it's so much a case of bending the rules for Junior. I think it's more of a case of NASCAR flippin' and floppin' on the rules. Flexibility is great if you can make it work. But it's always dangerous to dance on that fine line between clever and stupid.

- dave.cameron@edm.sunpub.com