As most of you found out this past weekend, Speedtech Racing Development Calgary closed it’s doors for good on August 21st, 2010.

As sad and depressing as this is for most of us in Calgary’s car community, we want to take this time to give thanks to the car shop that was STRD.

Thank you Speedtech Racing Development for everything you did for the Calgary car scene over the years, you guys will definitely be missed.

-ill.motion

PS: After the jump find out what some of us here at ill.motion had to say individually.

JC’s Thoughts//

After seeing everything being taken down on Saturday, I felt like all the memories I had of Speedtech just rolled through my mind. It’s because of Speedtech I was able to meet so many great individuals who shared a common love and enthusiasm for cars. It’s because of this same passion we were able to witness some of the hottest cars in Calgary come out of this shop.

As hard as this is to believe for me there’s so many things I want to say but I’m gonna keep this short. I’ll never forget the countless hours, the friends I’ve made, the laughs, and good times I shared with everyone at Speedtech.

An era is definitely ending, and Speedtech Racing Development will definitely be missed.

Shout out and many thanks to Will, Nick, Jeevs, Jackie, Tien, Rocky, Michael, Paul, Pat, Allan, Terry, Randy and Chanry (for my infamous Tiffany colored Speedtech decals haha) as well as anyone else who worked at Speedtech that I may have missed (I tried to roll call everybody lol).

Thank you for everything you guys could find for my Vitz and my Corolla!

-JC

Punit’s Thoughts//

I’ve been buying from Speedtech for a few years but the last year or so is when I really got to know everyone at STRD. The shop will be missed quite a bit from me. I’ve spent countless hours hanging out in the office with Jackie and Will, had Paul to fix my “broken” car numerous times (haha) and just becoming great friends with all of them. Through the shop I got to meet many of my friends today.

Thanks everyone at STRD for everything.

-Punit

Aldrich’s Thoughts//

I was at Speedtech helping out before they opened, and was there on their opening day, and was also there on Saturday on their final day.

It was very bittersweet. On one hand, I got to see a whole bunch of people that have been associated with Speedtech, and it was nice to see them all in one place. On the other hand, it was the last time that we would all be there inside that building. It was so weird to see the place so empty.

But like everyone else will agree, Speedtech has always been very helpful to me, and I will never forget that, along with all the friends I’ve made because of them.

Thanks for everything over the years guys! Good luck to all the former staff on their future endeavors.

-Aldrich

Arif’s Thoughts//

I don’t really know where to begin. All of us who make a small post about STRD will have very similar thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. On the last day as I looked around the shop, looking at the people that had gathered for a final moment in the showroom, and in the back shop area. A thought occurred to me. I realised that because of STRD there was a very close knit group of people that was brought together. Yes we all got know each other under the banner of modded cars…but some for me have become akin to family.

It is NOT just about a shop to pick up your next bling part. It is more and pretty much to me all about the friendships forged like my TE’s in that building. In the years that STRD was around you saw trends come and go, you saw cars come and go…and its really sad to see the shop go…

But a thank you to everyone there, Will, Chowfun, Allan, JDM GVS, Pat, Rocky, Michael, Paul (love the brackets, and am never getting rid of them haha), Chanry, Randy…oh…seems like I am forgetting someone…hmmm…I should check my Honda Tuning Issue to see…was it Jackie??…I never got a shout out so you ain’t getting one…haha…just playin’ homie…and J Law too…

ONE!!

-Arif