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Rick Mercer tries racing at Grand Prix de Kincardine By Liz Dadson |
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 Alicia Noakes (C) and Jeff Scott (R) thank Rick Mercer for helping draw the door prize winners at the Grand Prix de Kincardine Sunday afternoon  Rick Mercer (C) wraps up his wild ride in vintage snowmobile racing at the Grand Prix de Kincardine Rick Mercer helps out by drawing the door prize winners Rick Mercer encourages audience reaction to his spill on the Grand Prix de Kincardine track, in order to get more video footage for the segment on the "Rick Mercer Report," slated to run in about two weeks Videos by Liz Dadson |
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Rick Mercer was looking forward to taking a vintage snowmobile out on the track at the Grand Prix de Kincardine, Sunday afternoon, at Family Funland, south of Kincardine. But he certainly wasn't expecting to flip the machine upside down in a classic spill during his few moments of fame, surrounded by seasoned racers and a crowd of fans. "That was a total surprise," he said, after getting back on the sled and completing the race. "But, it was great fun. I could spend the whole day doing this." The star of the "Rick Mercer Report" was shooting a segment of his show at the Grand Prix de Kincardine which will air within the next two weeks. The program is on CBC-TV Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. Mercer said he travels around the country looking for community events to broadcast on his show. "I heard about the vintage snowmobile races here so I wanted to try it," he said. "I remember a lot of these machines from when I was in high school. It sure takes you back a lot of years." There wasn't a lot of pressure. "The racers are competing but they're also having a good time," Mercer said. "They went out of their way to accommodate us taping the show here." He admitted he grew up in an area that had a lot of snowmobiles, but he didn't ride them much. He drove mini-bikes and motorcycles. "Around these guys today, I would qualify as a novice." Mercer said he enjoys travelling all over Canada in search of unique events. "People often contact the show and give us some ideas," he said. "We check on-line and look for interesting videos on You Tube." He spends a good part of the year filming segments for the "Rick Mercer Report," including his famous rants and political commentary. "I love politics," he said. "It's like my sport. The only time I feel as if I'm working is when I have to be in the office once a week." About 1.6 million viewers tune in each week for the "Rick Mercer Report." So, they will all see him wipe out on the vintage snowmobile at the race in Kincardine. Mercer said he is not sure what his next challenge will be. His craziest one so far was riding in the back of the "Train of Death" at the Varney Motor Speedway, near Durham.
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 Race organizer Rob Noakes (R) presents the prize of $280 to Joel Muyson of Fergus, winner of Saturday night's 20-lap endurance race at the Grand Prix de Kincardine One thing he would not do is ride a bull. "Those people are completely crazy," he said. He has a list of items at the office that he wants to try - it's like his very own Bucket List - but he would not reveal what's on it. He'd rather it be a surprise for his viewers. To check out when the segment taken at the Grand Prix de Kincardine will air, check the website at www.rickmercer.com Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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