Narrow Results By
Digney Speedway
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark693
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- MacPherson Avenue
- Irmin Street
- Associated Dates
- 1948
- Heritage Value
- Andy Digney built the speedway in South Burnaby in 1948. He was approached by the B.C. Midget Auto Racing Association, who were looking for a good location to race the smaller, racing cars, popular at the time. Digney owned property in the vicinity of present-day Metrotown that was centrally located and easily accessible via the interurban railway. Motorcycles were also raced in the early days of the track. In 1949, when the popularity of midget racing declined, Digney started racing roadsters. However, he struggled to find local drivers, and it was expensive to bring in drivers from elsewhere. In 1951 Digney found a winner: jalopy racing. Local men would buy 1930s cars and strip them down, remove the glass, and weld the doors shut. By early 1952 over forty cars were showing up for jalopy races. By the early 1950s the Speedway was well established, with coverage in the sports pages and on radio. The track closed down in 1958 when Andy retired.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Clinton-Glenwood Area
Images
![Race car driver Kaija Kalevala, [2004] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2074.jpg?width=280)
Race car driver Kaija Kalevala
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96404
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2004]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Kaija Kalevala posing with memorabilia, including photographs and an autographed checkered flag, from her career as a race car driver in Finland and at the Digney Speedway in Burnaby.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2004]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 535-2074
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Kaija Kalevala posing with memorabilia, including photographs and an autographed checkered flag, from her career as a race car driver in Finland and at the Digney Speedway in Burnaby.
- Names
- Digney Speedway
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a March 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Kaija Kalevala, who's about to turn 80, reminisces about her career as a pioneer race car driver in the 1940s in Finland, and then at the old Digney Speedway in South Burnaby. She was the first woman to race at the Speedway and her fellow racers presented her with an autographed checkered flag when she retired to take up truck rodeo."
Images
![Race car driver Kaija Kalevala, [2004] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2074.jpg)