Kim Gregory #97 - Division One

My Job - Computer Programming

I got my start at Mohawk College (Hamilton, Ontario) in 1971 programming in Fortran using punch cards on a mainframe computer. It had less memory than today pocket organizers! The next computer I got to program was in the late '70's and was hooked to a metal lathe. Running the CNC, or Computer Numeric Controlled, lathe and doing maintenance mechanical work filled seven years at Fagersta Ltd. (a Swedish manufacturer of rock drilling equipment). Then I took a year off and built a thirty-one foot fiberglass sailboat and sailed with my wife to the Bahamas (a whole story on it's own!). The next programming I did was at OptiCoating, a German optical lab. I did inventory control, and lens curve calculation programs, with some C language night courses, during five years as the Lab Manager. I was an Intermediate C++ Programmer with InContext / EveryWare Development Inc. for eight years, ending in a large layoff in April '98. I wrote the logical editor on the left side of InContext, and InContext Spider, and most of the user interface for EveryWare's Bolero 2.0 web analysis tool.

My views on speedway in Canada

Canadian Speedway riders are making a big jump into international racing. Gary Densford's indoor I.C.E. Racing, is providing a showcase for Canadian talent. Gary Hesmer and Jeff Orosz, 1998 USA ICE National Champion, and others did well in the '98 World Cup ICE Series. The Champion Speedway in New York has seen the victory of the Canadian Team over the East USA Team in '97. Promoter Jason Bonsignore is proud to have this talent to show at his track. Chris Slabon has done very well in the World Under 21 Championships, and will be riding in a professional team in Poland in the '98 season.

Niagara Speedway took an aggressive step forward in '96, putting $8000 into advertising, producing a top level twenty page program for the spectators, and signing some great deals with big corporations like Labbats Beer. In 1997, Wesley Pierce is back in control of the track again, and may pull some big tricks out of his years of experience, to keep the Welland track the premiere of the circuit.

Anyone who wants to lend a hand or provide us with backing in promotions, please contact us! Sponsors of this sport will be posted on this web site (see the - sponsors page). Have you got any ideas to help speedway? Here are some that have been suggested:

• Low cost season passes to encourage our fans to attend regularly
• Free season passes and tickets to be given away by radio stations
• Promotions combined with other businesses like California tracks do (ex. pizza night)

We charge $8 to $10 per person for admission, less than the price of a music CD or a little more than the price to see a movie, with parking and kids free. 16 to 20 heats are run a night, taking about three hours to complete.

Take a look at last season on the 1996 Race Results, and the 1997-1998 schedule.

Canadian & USA Speedway
1460 Applewood Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
CANADA L5E 2M1