I love trucks. I have grown up around trucks. I love trucking culture, trucker slang, long roads, smell of diesel fuel, sound of diesel engine, and everything that goes with it. When I moved to Canada, I really wanted to get more into it. But it was not before this weekend when I had a chance to do it!
Many years ago I have seen a video on YouTube, it was showing a drag race somewhere in rural Canada, but it were not Corvettes and Mustangs racing each other, but Kenworths and Peterbilts! I was really amazed, and I remember thinking that it must be so cool and it would be so awesome to see it myself.
So here I was driving northbound on Highway 20 in Quebec, on early Saturday morning, heading to a tiny town of Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, located in eastern Quebec, going to see that magic event myself!
The event turned out to be a real festival celebrating trucking culture. The event that is officially called Accélération de camions à St-Joseph-de-Beauce lasts 3 days, and offers visitors many events, including concerts, truck parade, racing and other. To me it felt like a cozy family-like event, gathering people who are not indifferent to world of big rigs. I have seen many bikers, groups of friends, families with kids and huge camper trailers, big trucker guys in tuned trucks, and everyone seemed to have a great time! Me too!
The racing event attracted over 70 participants from Canada and USA. They were split into three categories, from trucks with significant modifications, to stock trucks with only factory parts. And what I liked the most, all trucks must have a manual gearbox! This is not only race of engines, but also a skill race, driver must have great gear shifting skills to win (it is much harder to do on trucks then on a passenger car – gearboxes on big rigs have up to 18 gears and have no synchronizes)!
Trucks were racing in two categories – bobtail (means no trailer) and loaded, with 42,000 pound (19 tons) load. What a show it was to see two trucks racing uphill pulling heavy trailers! Clouds of smoke, over-the-top forces that were pushing trucks to the limit.























Here is a video that I filmed:
I really liked this event. I think it is much better, more interesting and fun to spectate them Formula 1! It is not a race of crazy budgets, it is a race by ordinary hard working men, who get together, show their big toys to the world, celebrate trucking and have fun!
Tomorrow, they will hook up trailers and return to the road, moving goods across the country and earning their living. Next year they will be back. For me it would be more difficult, but if I ever have a chance to go there again, I will do it without a slightest doubt!
P.S. Don’t wear white to this event – it will become dark grey. I’ve tested it myself 😉