By Robert Mangelsdorf

Black Press

It's been more than 20 years since the din of revving engines was heard atop Coquitlam's Westwood Plateau. It was there, at the Westwood Mostorsport Park, that some the greatest racing legends to ever put tire to asphalt helped introduce the Lower Mainland to elite road racing.

Built in 1959, the track was Canada's first permanent, purpose-built road racing facility, hosting Formula 1 racers like Gilles Villeneuve and Keke Rosberg, Indy CART stars like Bobby Rahal and Mario Andretti, as well as Canadian motorcycling legends Steve Dick and Maple Ridge's own Steve Crevier.

The track itself closed for good in 1990, falling victim to the suburban sprawl creeping up the slopes of Eagle Ridge. But The Westwood Motorcycle Racing Club has managed to stay in operation ever since, keeping the Westwood racing tradition alive.

This weekend the club will be celebrating it's 50th anniversary at the Mission Raceway with two days of events and races.

Maple Ridge's Ken Lalonde is the club's vice president, and said it's been the love of motorcycles, and of each other, that's kept the club together for these years.

"After the track shut down, the club maintained a social membership of riders with nowhere to ride," he said. "It's a great community of people, and I think that's why [the club] was able to stay together."

The club eventually found a home at the Mission Raceway Park in 2001, and now hosts a variety of races on the facility's 2.56 km road track. The club has more than 120 registered racers, many of them from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and Lalonde hopes their ranks will swell as more motorcyclists discover the joy of racing.

"We're a non-profit organization, and we want to promote a positive message about racing: Keep it on the track and not the street."

Among the events planned for this Saturday and Sunday are a vintage bike show, barbecue, special appearances by Westwood alumni, and of course, plenty of racing.

• For more information about the Westwood Motorcycle Racing Club and their 50th anniversary, visit www.wmrc.ca