Pihulak hopes for peaceful resolution

Auto racing has been in Dwayne Pihulak’s blood for 35 years.
But the Fort Frances resident isn’t sure what his racing future holds after a controversial finish to the last competitive event of the season at Emo Speedway earlier this month.
“It’s very questionable whether I’ll return to racing there,” said Pihulak, who received—by his recollection—only the second black flag for disqualification of his career during the feature race of the Modified division Sept. 7.
Pihulak said Sunday the problems began early in the race when, during a caution flag, fellow Fort Frances racer Steve Arpin allegedly pulled improperly beside or ahead of Pihulak when he should have been lined up behind him.
After a restart, Pihulak said Arpin bumped his car during an inside pass on the backstretch, with Pihulak winding up going over the outer embankment of the track heading into Turn 3.
“There wasn’t any anger against Arpin,” said Pihulak in response to an article in last week’s Times that he was upset about the incident after returning to the track during the subsequent caution.
“The contact put me out of control. But contact’s a part of the sport.
“What the flag people see, they call. I just didn’t know which way the call was going to go,” Pihulak remarked. “I was just excited because my car was still in good enough shape that I thought I could take a run at [the lead]. ”
Pihulak said upon re-entering the oval, Borderland Racing Association president Dave Allen, who was lining up the cars for the restart, signalled to him that he would have to go to the back of the pack.
“I shrugged my shoulders and said, “What the [expletive] is up?” but I didn’t yell it,” said Pihulak.
“It was just in a general way, like when a hockey player is leaving the ice. [But] he started shouting at me and then, as I drove away, he threw his clipboard at the back of my car,” Pihulak charged.
Pihulak said when he came back around, Allen had the black flag in hand and motioned him to pull over.
“He came up and said, ‘Don’t call me an [expletive], and I replied I didn’t call him an [expletive],” stated Pihulak.
“He was poking me through the net of the car with the black flag, and then said I went off [the track] by myself.”
Allen confirmed Pihulak’s version of the events late Sunday, except for denying he used the flag to poke Pihulak.
The following Monday (Sept. 9), Pihulak said he was informed by association promoter Ken Perry that he was being fined and given a month’s suspension from competition at various tracks belonging to the same circuit as the Emo Speedway.
Pihulak, who is appealing the penalty, said despite the incident, he still thinks Allen has done a good job as association president—and expects to resolve the dispute in the near future.
“Being a former [association] president myself, I understand the pressure the president and the flag officials are under,” Pihulak said.
“I do believe Dave and I will get together and iron things out. We’ve got along on and off the track for years,” he added.