Burnouts, racing, and crowds take over Wasaga Beach

Burnouts, racing and crowding in Wasaga Beach Police try to maintain the upper hand on a huge weekend car rally

Wasaga Beach, Ont. — Crowds took over Mosley St Saturday afternoon as a parade of vehicles filled the air with the smell of burning rubber.

Hundreds of vintage and modified cars have rolled into town for a rally lasting through Sunday. Wasaga Beach tried to deter a big group of visiting car enthusiasts. OPP brought in additional officers from York and Peel regions and sent up their chopper to manage the crowd.

At one point, police had to block access to the main beach area.

"It got a little bit out of control," Dean Prezio, owner of Pedros Gift Shop, said Saturday. "We need a bit more presence down here to babysit these guys so there won't congregate and social distance better than they sure did."

Police laid down the law on several drivers, and their cars were towed away. But drivers aren't bothered.

"People come here, and they intend to have tickets and stuff, so they prepare a budget for that," one man explains. "They are coming here with two grand just for tickets."

While a small group of drivers create mayhem, most visitors just park and talk about their automotive creations' technical aspects.