Highlights of my photography at the 2025 Alberni Valley Drag Racing Association's "Thunder In The Valley 2025". This special Vancouver Island Drag Racing event was held from August 8 - 10 on the south side at Tyee Landing and the old Somass Mill site, near the Harbour Quay and the E&N Train Station. The spectacle began with the traditional car show at Tyee Landing on August 8, hosted by the Valley Street Rods car club. When the car show finished the first ever Burnout Competition began on the Somass Lands, adjacent to Tyee Landing. It was a fun and busy day for myself shooting these two events. I actually arrived more than two hours prior to the start of the car show and shot a series of experimental images of the Alberni Pacific Railway's No 11 diesel locomotive, which was doing train rides back and forth the harbour road area. 

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Saturday and Sunday (August 9-10) was the main event - drag racing; affectionately known as "Thunder in the Valley". The event got underway with opening ceremonies with welcome messages from AVDRA president Roger Haggerty, Tseshaht First Nation elected chief Ken Watts, and Councellor Tom Verbrugge on behalf of the City of Port Alberni. The drag racing association this year hosted their first ever junior drag racers, which was very cool to watch and photograph. 

 

Side note: Drag racing in 2025 was the return of Thunder in the Valley after a 7 year hiatus. Welcome back. It's exciting to see you again and I look forward to many years of great photography with you!