By Lara Fominoff @fomsy1 on Twitter

Lethbridge Firefighter/EMT Rally Racers hoping to capture Invermere title

Mar 28, 2017 | 2:57 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A rough start during their first race of 2017 in Quebec, has now turned into a battle for some of the top spots in Rally Racing for Lethbridge Firefighter/EMT’s Nick Spencer and John Kesslar.
 
In early February, the pair went to Maniwaki, Quebec to take part in their first ever Canadian Rally Championship “Rallye Perce-Neige.”
 
Spencer says they had a number of obstacles to overcome. Namely that the temperature hovered around -40 degrees celcius during the race, which took a toll on their car.
 
“It wasn’t what we were really hoping for… but we were battling for 2nd all day in our class before we got a flat tire and then went into a snow bank for 32 minutes because of an unfortunate event with another competitor.”
 
Still, out of 60 racers, the team finished 5th in their class and 15th overall.
 
Spencer says they came back, fixed up the car, and just a couple of weeks ago, competed in the Cochrane Winter Rally, finishing 1st in their class, and 4th overall.
 
“There are 16 stages with 24 competitors,” explains Spencer. “It was the first rally in the western Canadian Rally Championship (WCRC). We were poled in 7th position and by the end of the first stage we were 4th, and we stayed there.”
 
Spencer says he and his racing partner are now getting ready for the Invermere B.C. event, which is a part of the Canadian Championships on May 27th and 28th and will be televised.
 
“It’s a big event. Probably the second biggest one in western Canada. It has all of the big names in the Canadian rally world coming to it.”
 
He says they’re still looking for sponsors for that event.
 
“I won Production Class (in Invermere) last year. We tend to do really good…. It’s great roads, they really suit my driving style and they’re a lot of fun.”
 
The event also needs volunteers like course marshalls, timing and score keeping. For more information go to http://www.rockymountainrally.com/
 
To contact the team, there is a FB page at http://://www.facebook.com/groups/fattailracing/.