Saskatoon businessman Ken Achs started
racing in 1962 in Calgary at the wheel of a 1940 Ford Coupe with a Buick
motor. Two years later, he opened Mid-West Automotive in Saskatoon and
built a Chevv-powered C-class dragster. This was the first car to go
down the newly-constructed Saskatoon International Raceway in 1966. Ken
also raced his car at Bison Raceway in Winnipeg as well as at Calgary
and Edmonton.
In 1967, he bought a Top Fuel car from Ed Norton of
Seattle. This was the first Top Fuel car in Saskatchewan and he won
virtually every race he entered across the prairies that year, competing
against U.S. drivers. In 1968, he upgraded to a brand-new Top Fuel car,
which he ran for three years, sweeping every race he entered in Canada.
He set the low elapsed time and top miles-per-hour marks at the
Canadian Nationals in 1968.
In 1971, Ken switched to Funny Cars
and continued his success. He won races and championships across the
prairies as well as in California, Washington and Oregon. He was the
only Canadian competitor to hold both NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car
licences in 1971. Due to the demands of business, Ken sold all of his
racing equipment in 1973. When asked, he said he did not consider
himself a world-class drag racer but rather a fortunate fan who happened
to live at a time when going 200 mph was an attainable dream. When
asked, Ken graciously tracked down and restored his 1967 Top Fuel
dragster and donated it in 2002 to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
where it is on permanent display.