- Although he didn’t begin his competitive race driving career until he was 24, he was closely associated with the sport through family ties, especially with his father who was a long time race fraternity member and car owner / builder.
- He started driving in 1977 without rising through the normal ranks of jalopies or stock cars. He began by driving the powerful open wheel super modifieds
- Sharing the driving duties with Al, he appeared in only five races and was still considered a rookie on the Canadian American Modified Racing Ass’n. (CAMRA) circuit. With Al’s guidance and his own familiarity with the race car, he was an instant success. In his debut at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, he won the “B” Dash, was 3rd in the heat race and came 5th in the “A” Main Event.
- He ended his first season in 12th place in the Washington Racing Ass’n. (WRA), one position behind Al. Over the next year and a half, he honed his skills and gained the necessary driving experience to be a definite contender on the CAMRA circuit. He was the fastest qualifier for the 1979 Daffodil Cup race in Victoria, but was forced out with mechanical woes. The following CAMRA race in Victoria was the Strawberry Cup. He set fast time, won the “A” Dash, came 3rd in his heat race and then won the 50 lap “A” Main Event
- In the following seasons, he raced throughout the Pacific Northwest and scored numerous top ten finishes. In 1983, he was involved in a major crash at Portland’s Rose City Speedway. He hit the wall at 130 mph, but escaped with a broken collar bone, nerve damage in his neck and a car about 5 feet shorter than it was before the race. It was very unfortunate as he had been sitting in 2nd place in the CAMRA points
- A major highlight in his career occurred in 1985 when he was crowned the USAC Northwest Champion.
- The following year he finished the season in 3rd place.
- 1988 saw him run five races in three different cars, picking up a 3rd and a 4th place finish.
- After competing in cars built by his father for the majority of his career, the team purchased an 870 hp methanol powered machine for the 1989 Northwest Super Modified Racing Ass’n. season.
- In subsequent years, he drove for the Veenstra family out of Boise, Idaho.
- It is now our pleasure to welcome Gerry Vantreight into the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame, joining his father Bob
