Watch the final event of the 2005 CASCAR SUPER SERIES Season, the DODGE RAM TOUGH 250 from Kawartha Speedway, on Sunday October 16th on SPORTSNET!
EAST and ONTARIO Regions on Sunday October 16th @ 1:30PM EST
WEST and PACIFIC Regions on Sunday October 16th @ 12:00PM MST
***this is a 90 minute program***
Replays
EAST Tuesday October 18th @ 2:30PM EST
ONTARIO Friday 21st @ 1:00PM EST
WEST Monday 17th @ 1:00PM MST
PACIFIC Friday 21st @ 1:00PM PST
Friday, October 14, 2005
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: Season Ends With Championship Plans for 2006
Courtesy Flamboro Speedway (Picture supplied by Dave Watson)Series Race #23 - Flamboro Speedway - October 2nd
The Oktoberfest Show was filled with excitement. It would be Gary’s first ever 100 lap race bringing with it some of Ontario’s best Late Model drivers. Qualifying was done on Saturday October 1st.
A record 32 cars battled for 24 spots. A 2nd in the heat qualified him 6th. David won the heat, picking up his 8th win of the season. An invert of 16 put Gary 11th in the line up. The start of the race was very tight with many fast cars. Moving to the outside the Quaker State Dodge soon got into 7th place and followed ALSTAR Champ Kirk Hooker. A caution on lap 11 provided the opportunity to get by the 6th place car of #22 Glen Watson.
For the next 10 laps Gary glued his car to the back of Hookers #38. Another caution came when 5th place runner Larry Jackson spun out. Gary moved to 5th and would restart beside the #38 to lead the outside lane. Also moving quickly through the pack was David coming from 14th to 7th. On the restart Gary moved the black Dodge past 4th to the rear of 3rd place runner #30 Jim Molehuis another ALSTAR veteran.
The challenge of running the outside lane with these quick cars didn’t discourage the Rookie although these seasoned Late Model vets were anything but passive. Coming off turn 2 the pack of cars headed for turn 3 with Gary beside Kirk and David on dads bumper. Suddenly Kirk moved his car into the high lane hitting the Quaker State car. Gary slowed to avoid the wall but the decrease in speed was too quick for David to react and he slammed the black Dodge knocking into the lower lane where a chain reaction developed causing chaos and mayhem. Gary was hit hard and driven back into the high lane where he collected David. Unfortunately the only 2 cars wrecked were the father and son team.
Later Kirk Hooker would apologize claiming that he didn’t see Gary. A handshake settled the issue. Both returned to the race many laps down. Gary finished 17th and David 18th.
Series Race #24 - Peterborough Speedway - October 9th
With WWS points on the line and the possibility of losing 3rd, Gary and his team hoped their debut at Peterborough would be a success. The car was prepared during the week with Flamboro’s wounds repaired. What the team wanted was to finish the season with a good performance. What happened was incredibly bizarre.
During hot laps with the Quaker Sate Dodge turning excellent times, another car on the track was black-flagged. The driver was suppose to take his car to the infield until practice was over, but instead stopped at the end of the front chute, in the fast lane to turn into the pits. Unfortunately, Gary came flying past the starter stand with 2 other cars on the low lane. The only choices were to slam into the back of the stopped car or go around the outside. Passing high at full speed Gary slid through the opening in turn one and head on into the cement barriers and huge tires. The car went air born landing on top of the tires.
Gary was unhurt but the car suffered serious suspension damage. The crew worked hard (along with the driver who stopped on the track) to get the car ready for the heats. Though race ready, it would not be the same car prior to the accident. On Sunday Gary started 16th but parked the car after two right rear flats. Gary made enough points to finish 3rd in the WWS series. David meanwhile won the WWS Late Model Championship by 3 points his first Late Model title.
FINAL Flamboro Points Standings:
1. #52 Scott Lyons (2071 pts); 2. #8 Paul House (1986); 3. #37 David Elliott (1983); 4. #4 Terry King (1953); 5. #36 Gary Elliott (1941); 6. #56 Jeff Stewart (1934); 7. #07 Todd Campbell (1928); 8. #27 Mark Burbridge (1884); 9. #95 Kevin Benish (1788); 10. #23 Dave Baker (1747); 11. #55 Greg Cox (1697); 12. #06 Simon Wild (1604); 13. #89 Shawn Chenoweth (1257); 14. #44 Steve Laking (1105); 15. #10 Shane Gowan (1093);
FORMULA BMW NEWS: Kevin Lacroix, a remarkable season!
Courtesy Richard Galarneau, Lacroix Racing TeamSt-Eustache, Québec, October 14. – After completing his season in Formula BMW USA, young driver Kevin Lacroix took some time with his team to brush up a picture of the first year of his road racing career. The 16-year old young man is really proud of his first season and draws many positive conclusions. One thing is obvious in his mind: he has come a long way from the kid who was driving karts just a year ago.
“When I realize what happened to me over the span of one year, says Lacroix, I have to admit this season was a tremendous learning curve and no other series could have done better for me. The BMW series is meant for young drivers coming out of karting. The FB2 machine is swift and nervous, similar to the small machines I drove for nine years before reaching the big tracks.”
From karting to road racing
It all started last year when Kevin was invited to both BMW training camps in Valencia, Spain. He continues: “We are supervised by professional instructors whether we’re on the track or attending classes. We get familiar with the car, we learn how to behave on the track, etc” After these camps, Kevin was awarded a 40,000$ scholarship and was tutored for the rest of the season. “We were sent to the NASA training center for a physical evaluation. You learn early that you physical fitness is very important when you race. The you realize again how serious those people are: over the course of a race season, I learned more than all my karting years put together. No other series could have done as much. I strongly recommend all newcomers to road racing to start with the BMW.”
Four victories and great events
He totaled four victories this season, the highest by any driver, and a few more podiums. “I was pretty impressed to race on such grand prix tracks like Indianapolis and Montreal, my hometown. Some other tracks were also fantastic racing venues. Each of the seven double headers was a new challenge. Besides the races, we also met great people.”
Special thanks
Kevin had some kind words for the people around him. “I want to thank the series officials who were very professional. Also AIM Motorsport and Keith Willis for their work at the races. Hats off to my engineer Yvan Turcotte who the tireless hours he spent preparing the UniSelect #22 car. And also my manager Richard Galarneau. Finally, the season would not have been possible without my sponsors. They have been very supportive over the last four years and I feel committed to them.”
Where the future lies
The team around Kevin Lacroix is presently considering different avenues for 2006. “We have a few offers from European Formula 3 teams but our goal right now is the new Formula Atlantic series. With a new chassis and engine, all teams will start from scratch with no data: this will benefit a young man like me who would start fresh with new package like all the others. Furthermore, the mother series will apply a two million dollar prize money for the champion when he enters Champ Car.
Testing to come
The Lacroix team is working on a testing schedule in the coming weeks. “We want to test with the former 014a model: it is very competitive and most of the teams will test with it. The new package won’t be available before Spring. The best way to keep posted about what will happen to me in the future is to pay a little visit to my web site.”
Named the Rising Star among kart drivers in 2004, Kevin Lacroix was a 2005 Formula BMW USA scholar, the best entry level professional racing series in America, Europe and Asia. He took part in Formula BMW USA in 2005 with the support of sponsors that have trusted him for many years: Uni-Select network, SKF MotorSports, Raybestos, Tenneco, Pennzoil, Auto Parts Plus and Lacroix Auto Parts. His web site can be visited at www.kevinlacroix.com.
ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS POSTPONED AT THE CENTRE FOR SPEED
Courtesy Tim Wile, The Centre for Speed - "Atlantic Canada's Super Speedway"
Well folks, unfortunately, due to the weather we are forced to postpone the Atlantic Championships - Speed Weekend presented by Midland to next week - Oct 21, 22 and 23.
I know most of us will be disappointed with the news however the event continues to gain momentum and has now reached a record enrollment of over 230 entries and promises to be well worth the wait.
So, we'll see you next week for one of the biggest stock car event weekends of the year - The Atlantic Championships - Speed Weekend presented by Midland. Oct 21 - 23rd.
Please spread the word! (...and pray for sunshine next weekend)
A complete updated schedule of events will be posted on the CENTRE for Speed site early next week.
Yours very truly
Tim Wile, www.centreforspeed.com
506 388-2415 (O)
506 866-6387 (C)
506 877-1068 (F)
Well folks, unfortunately, due to the weather we are forced to postpone the Atlantic Championships - Speed Weekend presented by Midland to next week - Oct 21, 22 and 23.
I know most of us will be disappointed with the news however the event continues to gain momentum and has now reached a record enrollment of over 230 entries and promises to be well worth the wait.
So, we'll see you next week for one of the biggest stock car event weekends of the year - The Atlantic Championships - Speed Weekend presented by Midland. Oct 21 - 23rd.
Please spread the word! (...and pray for sunshine next weekend)
A complete updated schedule of events will be posted on the CENTRE for Speed site early next week.
Yours very truly
Tim Wile, www.centreforspeed.com
506 388-2415 (O)
506 866-6387 (C)
506 877-1068 (F)
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 – Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Ray Evernham and Erin Crocker Q&A
Courtesy Evernham MotorsportsRay Evernham (President and CEO, Evernham Motorsports)
“We are going to run the full (NASCAR Craftsman) Truck Series. We are going to run six Busch races and probably six or seven ARCA races. At this time, it’s the best way for our program. Our ultimate goal is to get Erin Crocker to be competitive at the Nextel Cup level. We are just looking at changing our steps a little bit, and we feel that the plan now is a little better plan than we originally came up with.”
Is this the plan that you talked about at the beginning?
“It is. It’s more like I had originally planned, and sometimes there are a lot of other factors that you have to change, that start you going down a path that you may not want. It’s everyone’s competitive nature to run faster, sometimes, than we originally planned. We are at where we originally wanted to be. We certainly aren’t going down the Busch route. I think we just got ahead of ourselves.
“In general, Erin does a tremendous job. She’s really talented. I know she’s wrecked in the two Busch races, but speed-wise she gets the job done. I would put Erin in a Cup car tomorrow, if it was purely qualifying and speed. Without having raced that much on pavement and without racing in traffic a lot, we feel that this is going to be a much better way to get more experience racing, without having all the pressure.
“In all fairness to her, I want her to learn without people running all over her all the time. It might be giving her a little bit more of a break. I don’t know whether we would be having a different conversation or not, but the point is that she’s not going to get the experience and the laps if people keep wrecking her.”
The two Busch races that Erin raced in already, did that directly affect this decision, or were you already thinking of this?
“I had been thinking about the decision. A large part is what our partners want and if they are committed (to the change). Judging by the two Busch races, which is one part of what we looked at, I feel we went back to the plan that I felt was the best plan. Erin has another Busch race this year and obviously she would have run well at the Richmond and Dover races, and she will in the future as long as no one runs in the back of her again. They were factors, but I don’t want to say it was the determining factor, because it would be unfair to her to judge her off those two races. Parts of the factors were the number of Cup guys that are going to be in Busch next year.
“This year there is already a bunch – right now there are fifty-five Busch cars in the garage next door – and we understand that there are going to be more next year. I just feel it’s going to be best for Erin to split her time between those three series. She will be able to run competitively in the Truck Series and run for the Rookie-of-the-Year title and have some good finishes. We will step up in ARCA where she will gain her superspeedway experience, and with six Busch races she can really get acclimated with the car in that series. So overall, I really think it’s going to be a good program.”
Where are you going to get the trucks that Erin will run?
“I think we can just go get some of those Dodge Rams out of the lot. Don’t they just put roll cages in them? We hired Keith Barnwell, who was the general manager with ppc Racing, and he has experience with the Busch cars as well as running in the Truck Series. Certainly Dodge, even though Dodge is backing away from their factory support in the Truck Series, there still is a lot of knowledge there. We just need to hire the right people, and you don’t need as many trucks as you would Busch cars. It will actually be a little easier to put together than the Busch team would have been.”
Who will the crew chief be?
“We are looking at a few people right now. Keith is going to bring us some prospects and sit down and talk with them. We are looking for someone with a lot of experience over on the truck side.”
How is Erin taking this?
“Certainly, she’s extremely disappointed, because things were moving along and now it may seem like we are backing up. I don’t want her to think that we are backing up. She’s a very confident, very competent driver. And she’s like I’ve said before, a fiery little red head, and she wants to go. That’s one of the reason’s she’s going to make it, is because she’s ready to go, and I would rather have someone that I have to hold back than someone I have to push forward.”
“We were concerned about that, but in reality it’s the plan we think is best. In this business, people are going to say lots of different things anyways, but in the end they can only judge you on what you did. So, what we have to do is, sure take the criticism, but in the end as long as we deliver, the facts are the facts. So I think it’s going to be easier for me because I’ve been on both sides of the business. One day you’re a hero and the next day you’re an idiot. Hopefully, that’s not what everyone thinks, but I always tell Erin and Kasey when they have bad days, that in the end your book isn’t written all in the first chapter. Everyone is going to have their say, but if we go out and do what we set to do in the end, we are going to be well off.”
What are the expectations, now that we decided what we are going to do?
“We are going to sit down as a group, and I want to sit down with the team, and go over what we want from testing. And certainly if we run six ARCA races next year, I think our goal should be to win one of those because we have a baseline. I don’t know where our goals for the Truck Series or Busch Series should be at next year.”
What about General Mills?
“We will be with General Mills on all of our cars and trucks; Erin is a General Mills driver. They will be a sponsor on the ARCA car, the Busch car and the Dodge Truck; it’s actually a really neat program.
“I don’t want to get into the specifics of the contract, but we have a really good relationship with General Mills, and lets just say have not held back any support.”
What are your goals now?
“We – myself, Erin and General Mills – we feel it’s the best thing for her right now and in the long term to make her a competitive driver in Nextel Cup. Whether she’s running Busch or Truck, it doesn’t really matter, what matters is getting her lap time, keeping her confident, getting her experience and to build a team that will surround her and support her. With the overall goal in mind, it’s really not a big change. This should allow her to race more competitively, than to, honestly, go out and run around in the back of the Busch races. With the races next year, we just want to build her confidence.”
Erin Crocker (Evernham Motorsports Developmental Driver) – What are you thoughts about the decision?
“I think we just got a little ahead of ourselves as far as a full year of Busch, but I look at it as one step back, two steps forward.”
How are you feeling? I mean the rib?
“Well, that was almost three weeks ago now, so I’m back to my regular self. I’m not one that complains a lot to start with and I think I have a high tolerance for pain, but everyone tells me there’s nothing you can do about it. And I think when we ran Talladega, there is so much force that it’s pushing me down into the seat that I didn’t really notice it, but then we tested the next week (Kentucky) and I could feel it a little bit more and someone caught wind of it and that went back to Ray. So the next morning it was, ‘What time is your appointment?’ “
Are you concerned about the outside view of this being a step back?
“Not really, but the people that are important to me, like the Ray Evernhams and Jeremy Mayfields and other people that I respect in racing know it’s for the best.”
Will this maybe make your more comfortable?
“I feel like when Ray said I was ready and that he has a lot of confidence in me, I looked at it in a positive way. We started looking at how many Cup drivers are going to run Busch next year and with the testing changes, he asked me if would feel comfortable going to Daytona and California without ever seeing these places and going out there with twenty Cup drivers, the Truck Series wasn’t sounding so bad.”
When is the first time you are going to be in a truck?
“We are going to be going to Phoenix and Miami this year.”
How do you feel about your two Busch races this year?
“Frustrating, I take the blame for Richmond. I got in over my head a little bit and I messed up my qualifying, something that is pretty simple. I just got down too low and made a driver mental error. And from there we were behind the eight ball. We had a big media day announcing General Mills and with everything else going on I just want to forget about that day all together. Then Dover, I felt really comfortable, we qualified really well, and I felt if we could just get some laps it would be so much experience, and to have that happen on lap 12 is really frustrating.”
So how are you in a pick-up truck?
“I’ve never actually driven one on a race track, but I’m sure we will be alright. Everyone says they are fun to drive, they are a little more forgiving with the longer wheel-base, and I’m really looking forward to racing them.”
Not on the race track, but what have you learned this year?
“Where do I start…I’ve learned a lot about the race cars, I’ve learned a lot about people, about media… it’s just been a huge learning curve that I enjoy learning.”
When did you find out about this change?
“I knew we were going to make some changes, and I had an opportunity to talk with Ray at Talladega and then that Monday we went to lunch and talked about it. It wasn’t like he said this is what we are doing, we talked about it, and it was a nice father-daughter chat.”
Isn’t this more racing?
“We will run over 40 races, and I think it’s great. Not only will it give me more seat time, but it will be in different cars for that matter.”
Dual Airbags return to Super DIRT Week
Courtesy Dirt Motorsports PROctober 12, 2005 Hamilton, Ontario The Dual Airbags returned from Super DIRT Week with three new shows now available at www.oval1.com.
The Airbags, Clinton Geoffrey and Adam Ross, hosted two live shows in the infield of the Moody Mile at Super DIRT Week presented by Lucas Oil Products, Old Forge Powersports, Merrittville Speedway and Ohsweken Speedway.
Bolstering the events were superstar guests Brett Hearn, Tim Fuller, Billy Decker, Andy Bachetti, car owners Randy Ross and John Wight and DIRT Technical director Martin Willis along with special guest host Timmy McCreadie.
"We definitely exceeded our expectations," said show co-creator Geoffrey. "We judge the success by the crowd that gathers, and we stopped traffic on both days."
Sunday's show featuring guest host McCreadie - along with a panel of guests including Ross, Wight and Willis - started with a bang when McCreadie questioned DIRT's technical staff and knowledge.
"We should have thought of using a panel of guests a long time ago," said Ross. "We didn't have a whole lot to do once we got the ball rolling.
"I hope the fans enjoyed the different perspectives as much as we did."
The controversial ending to this year's Super DIRT Week prompted the Airbags to record a special edition program. The third SDW Dual Airbags show features comments on DIRT's decision to postpone the event by Stewart Friesen, Vic Coffey, Jeff Brownell and former DIRT race director Cory Reed.
Reed also discusses the Eastern States Weekend coming up at Orange County Fair Speedway and his first season away from DIRT Motorsports in many years.
Next week's follow-up program will feature more feedback from DIRT's major players on the rescheduling of the remaining 148 laps of the Eckerd Drugs 200 for November 5th.
The shows can be heard at www.oval1.com by following the Dual Airbags links. As always they are absolutely free.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
TSN: Molson looking to sell Toronto Indy
TSN.ca - Auto Racing - Canada's Sports Leader: "Molson looking to sell Toronto race
By TSN.ca Staff //
10/13/2005 9:42:02 AM
The Champ Car series has been given an October 31st deadline to purchase the assets of the Molson Indy Toronto or risk losing it to the rival Indy Racing League.
The Toronto Sun says while Molson is looking to shed its reponsibilites as the race promoter, they will likely continue its sponsorship of the event no matter who takes over the race.
'What we have now is a memorandum of understanding that means if (Champ Car) wants to purchase the physical assets of the race - which is the blocks, the fences and the bridges - it has to do its due diligence now,' Cynthea Galbraith, Molson Sports and Entertainment communications manager tells the newspaper.
A Champ Car spokesperson says the series is very interested in keeping Toronto on its schedule.
Galbraith added that a Champ Car takeover of the event would be the 'next best thing' to Molson running it."
... more at the link above.
By TSN.ca Staff //
10/13/2005 9:42:02 AM
The Champ Car series has been given an October 31st deadline to purchase the assets of the Molson Indy Toronto or risk losing it to the rival Indy Racing League.
The Toronto Sun says while Molson is looking to shed its reponsibilites as the race promoter, they will likely continue its sponsorship of the event no matter who takes over the race.
'What we have now is a memorandum of understanding that means if (Champ Car) wants to purchase the physical assets of the race - which is the blocks, the fences and the bridges - it has to do its due diligence now,' Cynthea Galbraith, Molson Sports and Entertainment communications manager tells the newspaper.
A Champ Car spokesperson says the series is very interested in keeping Toronto on its schedule.
Galbraith added that a Champ Car takeover of the event would be the 'next best thing' to Molson running it."
... more at the link above.
Tracy's NASCAR debut on hold
Paul Tracy
TSN.ca Staff
10/12/2005 3:38:56 PM
Paul Tracy's NASCAR debut will likely have to wait until 2006.
With six races left in the season, Richard Childress says he is focused on helping Kevin Harvick secure 11th place in the Nextel Cup standings which comes with a $1-million bonus.
As well, should Clint Bowyer wrap up the Busch Series title before the NASCAR season ends, he would like to give him - and not Tracy - a chace at racing in a Cup event, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Tracy tested with Childress back in August with a goal of competing at the Nextel Cup event in Michigan. But Childress said there was not enough time to properly prepare the former Champ Car champion for his debut.
It was speculated that Tracy might make his NASCAR debut at the Nextel Cup event in Atlanta on October 30, but that is unlikely to happen according to the Star.
Tracy's contract with Forsythe Racing is set to expire at the end of this year and the Canadian is keen on trying his hand at NASCAR. Forsythe Racing boss Gerald Forsythe has indicated that Tracy will always have a deal to drive one of his cars as long as he wants.
Paul Tracy
TSN.ca Staff
10/12/2005 3:38:56 PM
Paul Tracy's NASCAR debut will likely have to wait until 2006.
With six races left in the season, Richard Childress says he is focused on helping Kevin Harvick secure 11th place in the Nextel Cup standings which comes with a $1-million bonus.
As well, should Clint Bowyer wrap up the Busch Series title before the NASCAR season ends, he would like to give him - and not Tracy - a chace at racing in a Cup event, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Tracy tested with Childress back in August with a goal of competing at the Nextel Cup event in Michigan. But Childress said there was not enough time to properly prepare the former Champ Car champion for his debut.
It was speculated that Tracy might make his NASCAR debut at the Nextel Cup event in Atlanta on October 30, but that is unlikely to happen according to the Star.
Tracy's contract with Forsythe Racing is set to expire at the end of this year and the Canadian is keen on trying his hand at NASCAR. Forsythe Racing boss Gerald Forsythe has indicated that Tracy will always have a deal to drive one of his cars as long as he wants.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
GIRL RACER TO DRIVE BOY RACER
Courtesy Alain Surprenant
After a successful weekend at Virginia International Raceway, car owner Tom Nastasi announced after his Grand-Am Cup 200 win that he has signed the 22 year old Driver “Valerie Limoges”, of Montreal, Quebec. Canada, to a three year contract to drive the # 4 Ford Mustang GT FR500C for Blackforest Motorsports of Deland Florida, in the Grand-Am Cup Championship for two years and a third year to move to a higher series.
The team, in its first year of Grand-Am Cup competition, began the Championship by winning the inaugural race in Daytona for Ford and the Mustang GT FR500C car and capped off the year with a book end win at VIR. The team finished forth in the series championship and drivers Tom Nastasi and Ian James finished fifth in the drivers championship having missed one race during the series.
Valerie is a quadruple kart champion in F100 and F125.
At the age of 19 she moved into FF1600, and then with a limited budget competed in the Canadian races of the North American Fran-Am series.
After securing sponsorship for 2005, Valerie competed in the Hankook Touring Car series were she had four top fives finishes, including a 3rd and six top tens, taking in account a run from 27th to 9th in the Three Rivers Grand Prix. She finishes the season forth in the championship.
Valerie will begin extensive testing with Blackforest Motorsports at the end of October right through to New Years day. A co-driver for the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Championship has of yet not been decided.
After a successful weekend at Virginia International Raceway, car owner Tom Nastasi announced after his Grand-Am Cup 200 win that he has signed the 22 year old Driver “Valerie Limoges”, of Montreal, Quebec. Canada, to a three year contract to drive the # 4 Ford Mustang GT FR500C for Blackforest Motorsports of Deland Florida, in the Grand-Am Cup Championship for two years and a third year to move to a higher series.
The team, in its first year of Grand-Am Cup competition, began the Championship by winning the inaugural race in Daytona for Ford and the Mustang GT FR500C car and capped off the year with a book end win at VIR. The team finished forth in the series championship and drivers Tom Nastasi and Ian James finished fifth in the drivers championship having missed one race during the series.
Valerie is a quadruple kart champion in F100 and F125.
At the age of 19 she moved into FF1600, and then with a limited budget competed in the Canadian races of the North American Fran-Am series.
After securing sponsorship for 2005, Valerie competed in the Hankook Touring Car series were she had four top fives finishes, including a 3rd and six top tens, taking in account a run from 27th to 9th in the Three Rivers Grand Prix. She finishes the season forth in the championship.
Valerie will begin extensive testing with Blackforest Motorsports at the end of October right through to New Years day. A co-driver for the 2006 Grand-Am Cup Championship has of yet not been decided.
Make-Up Date Set For Eckerd 200 Modified Finales at NYS Fairgrounds
By DIRT MotorSports PR
WEEDSPORT, N.Y. (October 12) – The show WILL go on in 2005! DIRT MotorSports NorthEast officials have secured the date of Saturday, Nov. 5 to conclude the 34th edition of the Eckerd 200 for Advance Auto Parts Modifieds at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Sunday, Nov. 6 is available if necessary.
Pole-sitter Billy Decker will resume his position out front of the field with 52 of the scheduled 200 laps in the record book.
"We wanted to do everything possible to see this race finish under green this season," commented DIRT MotorSports Events Director Tonya Moschell. "There's no perfect solution that will please everybody but our intentions are to work with the teams and sponsors and we've been given the okay from the State Fair board to bring this event to its conclusion the first weekend in November."
Moschell also noted that staffing the event on Monday, Oct. 10 was never an issue, only the weather that has become as unpredictable as the Syracuse Mile itself over the past 34 autumns. Only twice in Super DIRT Week history ---1974 (95 of 100 laps) and 1992 (135 of 188 laps) --- has the headline Eckerd 200 been shortened due to rain and 1977 marks the lone time that the event was actually postponed until the following season. On three occasions over the past seven years, Sunday's Super Bowl of Modified racing has actually gone beyond the prescribed distance.
Since the race was able to be rescheduled this year ---which was far from certain at the time of its postponement--- it will now be the final points event of the year to determine the overall 2005 Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Champion. A pair of Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series events remain at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 16 and Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Oct. 23 during the Atlantic Coast Championships before contending teams return to Syracuse in November.
Competitors have been put at ease knowing that the lucrative purse has been assigned to an escrow account. Individuals seeking pit access must have a red wristband while fans must save their wristbands and ticket stubs for admission to the Fairgrounds' grandstands for this make-up event. Reserved seating will be honored and free general admission passes can be picked up at all Eckerd and Advance Auto Parts store locations in the Syracuse area.
The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver, Zippo Lighters and F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.
WEEDSPORT, N.Y. (October 12) – The show WILL go on in 2005! DIRT MotorSports NorthEast officials have secured the date of Saturday, Nov. 5 to conclude the 34th edition of the Eckerd 200 for Advance Auto Parts Modifieds at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Sunday, Nov. 6 is available if necessary.
Pole-sitter Billy Decker will resume his position out front of the field with 52 of the scheduled 200 laps in the record book.
"We wanted to do everything possible to see this race finish under green this season," commented DIRT MotorSports Events Director Tonya Moschell. "There's no perfect solution that will please everybody but our intentions are to work with the teams and sponsors and we've been given the okay from the State Fair board to bring this event to its conclusion the first weekend in November."
Moschell also noted that staffing the event on Monday, Oct. 10 was never an issue, only the weather that has become as unpredictable as the Syracuse Mile itself over the past 34 autumns. Only twice in Super DIRT Week history ---1974 (95 of 100 laps) and 1992 (135 of 188 laps) --- has the headline Eckerd 200 been shortened due to rain and 1977 marks the lone time that the event was actually postponed until the following season. On three occasions over the past seven years, Sunday's Super Bowl of Modified racing has actually gone beyond the prescribed distance.
Since the race was able to be rescheduled this year ---which was far from certain at the time of its postponement--- it will now be the final points event of the year to determine the overall 2005 Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Champion. A pair of Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series events remain at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 16 and Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Oct. 23 during the Atlantic Coast Championships before contending teams return to Syracuse in November.
Competitors have been put at ease knowing that the lucrative purse has been assigned to an escrow account. Individuals seeking pit access must have a red wristband while fans must save their wristbands and ticket stubs for admission to the Fairgrounds' grandstands for this make-up event. Reserved seating will be honored and free general admission passes can be picked up at all Eckerd and Advance Auto Parts store locations in the Syracuse area.
The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver, Zippo Lighters and F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.
RACE REPORT: A1 GRAND PRIX OF NATIONS, EUROSPEEDWAY LAUSITZ, GERMANY
Courtesy Nikki Rooke, PR and Communications Manager
EuroSpeedway Lausitz, 9 October – It was a close fought, incident packed Feature race that was watched by 34,000 noisy fans at the impressive EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit. The country whose national anthem was played on the winner’s podium for the second time this weekend was France, with Great Britain and Canada second and third, each taking their first podium of the A1GP series.
When the starting lights went out and the cars rushed into Turn 1, it was A1 Team Switzerland who got the best start with France in close attendance. As the cars crossed the start/finish line for the first time, it was A1 Team Malaysia completing the top three with Brazil in fourth. However, A1 Team France soon opted to use the PowerBoost button and the red, white and blue car overtook Switzerland on lap 4. In the meantime, A1 Team Brazil had moved ahead of Malaysia and the German fans were given something to cheer for as their car moved into fourth on lap two and third on lap 8.
The order at the front remained the same until France pitted and it was A1 Team Switzerland that crossed the line first at the end of lap 16. Sadly for Switzerland, a long pit stop put them out of contention and France re-took the lead they were never to give up on lap 21.
One of the drives of the race was by A1 Team Great Britain. With their car having started last, by the end of lap two it was seventeenth, by the end of lap 10 eleventh, by the end of lap 15 sixth and by the end of lap 21, the French driver knew he had a very rapid car behind him as A1 Team GBR was lying second. A1 Team Canada’s driver, Sean McIntosh, also moved up through the field after starting from seventh on the grid and like A1 Team GBR moved into a podium position on lap 21.
There was one safety car period after A1 Team India stopped on the start/finish straight and the car had to be retrieved. This was soon cleared up however A1 Team Malaysia received a drive through penalty for overtaking during this period. This was not the only team to be penalised during the race, as A1 Team Czech Republic received a drive through for a jump start and A1 Team Brazil, the same penalty for a pit stop infringement. Unfortunately that was not the end of Brazil’s problems as at the restart after the safety car period, three into two didn’t go and with the car in the middle of a sandwich, the inevitable collision happened and Brazil spun into retirement.
It was another miserable weekend for A1 Team USA with Scott Speed being an early retirement in both races. In the Sprint race it was a retirement at Turn 1 while in the Feature race, at the end of lap 2 the car drove into the garage.
Khalil Beschir, who made a name for himself at Brands Hatch after a spectacular crash, gave A1 Team Lebanon their best result to date despite severe handling problems and an extra pit stop. The Team, along with several others, encountered wheel nut problems during their pit stops. This is something that the A1 Grand Prix organisers will be looking into over the next couple of days.
A1 Grand Prix of Nations, EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Germany - Feature race results:
1. France / Nicolas Lapierre; 2. Great Britain / Robbie Kerr; 3. Canada / Sean McIntosh; 4. New Zealand / Jonny Reid; 5. Switzerland / Neel Jani; 6. Ireland / Ralph Firman; 7. Netherlands / Jos Verstappen; 8. Indonesia / Ananda Mikola; 9. Japan / Hideki Noda; 10. Germany / Timo Scheider; 11. Portugal / Alvaro Parente; 12. Pakistan / Adam Khan; 13. Mexico / David Martinez; 14. Australia / Christian Jones; 15. Austria / Mathias Lauda; 16. Malaysia Alex Yoong; 17. China / Jiang; 18. Lebanon / Khalil Beschhir (33 laps); 19. Czech Republic / Tomas Enge (27 laps); 20. Brazil / Nelson Piquet Jr. (26 laps);21. India / Karun Chandhok (19 laps); 22. South Africa / Tomas Scheckter (15 laps); 23. Italy / Enrico Toccacelo (11 laps); 24. USA / Scott Speed (4 laps)
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:
1. Brazil 30; 2. France 29; 3. New Zealand 29; 4. Switzerland 17; 5. Australia 16; 6. Mexico 16; 7. Great Britain 15; 8. Canada 14; 9. Malaysia 11; 10. Germany 8; 11. Ireland 8; 12. Netherlands 8; 13. Japan 6; 14. South Africa 5; 15. Pakistan 4; 16. Indonesia 3; 17. Portugal 3
To receive regular updates from A1 Grand Prix, or to register for media accreditation to attend an A1 Grand Prix race, please visit the Media Relations area at www.a1gp.com.
– A1 Grand Prix is the first opportunity in any area of motorsport for nations to compete with other nations on an equal basis. 25 national teams representing Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland and the USA race identical cars with no electronic driver aids. Performance is determined by human bravery, skill and excellence.
– Following the summer sun around the globe, A1 Grand Prix will deliver 12 weekends of exciting racing action outside of the traditional motorsport season. With the first race under its belt, A1 Grand Prix heads to EuroSpeedway, Lausitz in Germany this weekend before travelling to Portugal, Australia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, California, USA and China. Full details of the race calendar can be found at www.a1gp.com.
Points are awarded for the Sprint race and the Feature race, money is awarded for the Feature race only.
1st. 10 points $300,000; 2nd. 9 points $200,000; 3rd. 8 points $150,000; 4th. 7 points $110,000; 5th. 6 points $80,000; 6th. 5 points $60,000; 7th. 4 points $40,000; 8th. 3 points $30,000; 9th. 2 points $20,000; 10th. 1 point $10,000
There is also 1 bonus point available for the fastest lap in either the Sprint or Feature race.
EuroSpeedway Lausitz, 9 October – It was a close fought, incident packed Feature race that was watched by 34,000 noisy fans at the impressive EuroSpeedway Lausitz circuit. The country whose national anthem was played on the winner’s podium for the second time this weekend was France, with Great Britain and Canada second and third, each taking their first podium of the A1GP series.
When the starting lights went out and the cars rushed into Turn 1, it was A1 Team Switzerland who got the best start with France in close attendance. As the cars crossed the start/finish line for the first time, it was A1 Team Malaysia completing the top three with Brazil in fourth. However, A1 Team France soon opted to use the PowerBoost button and the red, white and blue car overtook Switzerland on lap 4. In the meantime, A1 Team Brazil had moved ahead of Malaysia and the German fans were given something to cheer for as their car moved into fourth on lap two and third on lap 8.
The order at the front remained the same until France pitted and it was A1 Team Switzerland that crossed the line first at the end of lap 16. Sadly for Switzerland, a long pit stop put them out of contention and France re-took the lead they were never to give up on lap 21.
One of the drives of the race was by A1 Team Great Britain. With their car having started last, by the end of lap two it was seventeenth, by the end of lap 10 eleventh, by the end of lap 15 sixth and by the end of lap 21, the French driver knew he had a very rapid car behind him as A1 Team GBR was lying second. A1 Team Canada’s driver, Sean McIntosh, also moved up through the field after starting from seventh on the grid and like A1 Team GBR moved into a podium position on lap 21.
There was one safety car period after A1 Team India stopped on the start/finish straight and the car had to be retrieved. This was soon cleared up however A1 Team Malaysia received a drive through penalty for overtaking during this period. This was not the only team to be penalised during the race, as A1 Team Czech Republic received a drive through for a jump start and A1 Team Brazil, the same penalty for a pit stop infringement. Unfortunately that was not the end of Brazil’s problems as at the restart after the safety car period, three into two didn’t go and with the car in the middle of a sandwich, the inevitable collision happened and Brazil spun into retirement.
It was another miserable weekend for A1 Team USA with Scott Speed being an early retirement in both races. In the Sprint race it was a retirement at Turn 1 while in the Feature race, at the end of lap 2 the car drove into the garage.
Khalil Beschir, who made a name for himself at Brands Hatch after a spectacular crash, gave A1 Team Lebanon their best result to date despite severe handling problems and an extra pit stop. The Team, along with several others, encountered wheel nut problems during their pit stops. This is something that the A1 Grand Prix organisers will be looking into over the next couple of days.
A1 Grand Prix of Nations, EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Germany - Feature race results:
1. France / Nicolas Lapierre; 2. Great Britain / Robbie Kerr; 3. Canada / Sean McIntosh; 4. New Zealand / Jonny Reid; 5. Switzerland / Neel Jani; 6. Ireland / Ralph Firman; 7. Netherlands / Jos Verstappen; 8. Indonesia / Ananda Mikola; 9. Japan / Hideki Noda; 10. Germany / Timo Scheider; 11. Portugal / Alvaro Parente; 12. Pakistan / Adam Khan; 13. Mexico / David Martinez; 14. Australia / Christian Jones; 15. Austria / Mathias Lauda; 16. Malaysia Alex Yoong; 17. China / Jiang; 18. Lebanon / Khalil Beschhir (33 laps); 19. Czech Republic / Tomas Enge (27 laps); 20. Brazil / Nelson Piquet Jr. (26 laps);21. India / Karun Chandhok (19 laps); 22. South Africa / Tomas Scheckter (15 laps); 23. Italy / Enrico Toccacelo (11 laps); 24. USA / Scott Speed (4 laps)
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:
1. Brazil 30; 2. France 29; 3. New Zealand 29; 4. Switzerland 17; 5. Australia 16; 6. Mexico 16; 7. Great Britain 15; 8. Canada 14; 9. Malaysia 11; 10. Germany 8; 11. Ireland 8; 12. Netherlands 8; 13. Japan 6; 14. South Africa 5; 15. Pakistan 4; 16. Indonesia 3; 17. Portugal 3
To receive regular updates from A1 Grand Prix, or to register for media accreditation to attend an A1 Grand Prix race, please visit the Media Relations area at www.a1gp.com.
– A1 Grand Prix is the first opportunity in any area of motorsport for nations to compete with other nations on an equal basis. 25 national teams representing Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland and the USA race identical cars with no electronic driver aids. Performance is determined by human bravery, skill and excellence.
– Following the summer sun around the globe, A1 Grand Prix will deliver 12 weekends of exciting racing action outside of the traditional motorsport season. With the first race under its belt, A1 Grand Prix heads to EuroSpeedway, Lausitz in Germany this weekend before travelling to Portugal, Australia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, California, USA and China. Full details of the race calendar can be found at www.a1gp.com.
Points are awarded for the Sprint race and the Feature race, money is awarded for the Feature race only.
1st. 10 points $300,000; 2nd. 9 points $200,000; 3rd. 8 points $150,000; 4th. 7 points $110,000; 5th. 6 points $80,000; 6th. 5 points $60,000; 7th. 4 points $40,000; 8th. 3 points $30,000; 9th. 2 points $20,000; 10th. 1 point $10,000
There is also 1 bonus point available for the fastest lap in either the Sprint or Feature race.
Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge and BARC to Team Up in 2006
Courtesy David P. Hilton, V.P. BARC, www.meandawgracin.ca
October 05, 2005, Epsom, On – The Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge Series and the British Automobile Racing Club Ontario Centre (BARC-OC) have agreed to a partnership for the 2006 Race Ontario Season. This is a first for both organizations.
BARC has been asked to assemble a Management Team for this race series for the 2006 season. The BARC Team will undertake all aspects of managing and promoting the Ontario Formula 1600 Series.
There are 28 highly experienced drivers and crew participating in the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship Series and BARC considers this race series to be one of the premier championships of the CASC Race Ontario 2006 season. The BARC team will work closely with the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship Series and the other CASC Race Ontario organizing clubs to ensure the continued growth of this race series.
The BARC team is Greg Adamkowski who will act as Series Manager, Pat McDiarmid will be the Operations Manager, Scrutineering and Technical issues will be handled by David Bayley, Series Administration will be managed through Amy Wong, and David Hilton will handle the Marketing and Promotions
The BARC Team is looking forward to meeting with the series competitors and getting a start on the 2006 race season together.
The Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge Series is a long standing race series comprised of members from Ontario and Quebec. The Ontario F1600 Challenge sponsored by Dunlop tires is a competitive, economical, and very enjoyable series of races designed to challenge everyone from the budding Professional to the seasoned Master and of course welcoming rookies of all ages. The average grid of F1600 only in 2005 was 23 cars.
http://ontariof1600challenge.freeservers.com/
The British Automobile Racing Club is an Ontario Race organizing club 250 members strong. BARC (known as BARC-OC - the British Automobile Racing Club - Ontario Centre) is a volunteer organization that organizes and participates in motorsports activities. Our mission is ...To be the club of choice for competitors, volunteers, fans and sponsors of motorsports in Ontario ... Our culture is one of ... Continuous improvement in everything we do, driven by teamwork and innovation and governed by the need to act with integrity ...Our members and alumni compete and win in motorsports events in Ontario, across Canada, and throughout the world. BARC organizes several motorsports events every season;
- the Molson Indy Toronto
- the Grand Prix Of Ontario and Canadian Touring Trophy CASC-OR regional races at Mosport, the Ice Prix Of Ontario CASC-OR ice race at Minden, Ontario
For more information and details on the new partnership visit http://www.barc-oc.com/
October 05, 2005, Epsom, On – The Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge Series and the British Automobile Racing Club Ontario Centre (BARC-OC) have agreed to a partnership for the 2006 Race Ontario Season. This is a first for both organizations.
BARC has been asked to assemble a Management Team for this race series for the 2006 season. The BARC Team will undertake all aspects of managing and promoting the Ontario Formula 1600 Series.
There are 28 highly experienced drivers and crew participating in the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship Series and BARC considers this race series to be one of the premier championships of the CASC Race Ontario 2006 season. The BARC team will work closely with the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship Series and the other CASC Race Ontario organizing clubs to ensure the continued growth of this race series.
The BARC team is Greg Adamkowski who will act as Series Manager, Pat McDiarmid will be the Operations Manager, Scrutineering and Technical issues will be handled by David Bayley, Series Administration will be managed through Amy Wong, and David Hilton will handle the Marketing and Promotions
The BARC Team is looking forward to meeting with the series competitors and getting a start on the 2006 race season together.
The Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge Series is a long standing race series comprised of members from Ontario and Quebec. The Ontario F1600 Challenge sponsored by Dunlop tires is a competitive, economical, and very enjoyable series of races designed to challenge everyone from the budding Professional to the seasoned Master and of course welcoming rookies of all ages. The average grid of F1600 only in 2005 was 23 cars.
http://ontariof1600challenge.freeservers.com/
The British Automobile Racing Club is an Ontario Race organizing club 250 members strong. BARC (known as BARC-OC - the British Automobile Racing Club - Ontario Centre) is a volunteer organization that organizes and participates in motorsports activities. Our mission is ...To be the club of choice for competitors, volunteers, fans and sponsors of motorsports in Ontario ... Our culture is one of ... Continuous improvement in everything we do, driven by teamwork and innovation and governed by the need to act with integrity ...Our members and alumni compete and win in motorsports events in Ontario, across Canada, and throughout the world. BARC organizes several motorsports events every season;
- the Molson Indy Toronto
- the Grand Prix Of Ontario and Canadian Touring Trophy CASC-OR regional races at Mosport, the Ice Prix Of Ontario CASC-OR ice race at Minden, Ontario
For more information and details on the new partnership visit http://www.barc-oc.com/
Pro Modified Racing Association Champion to be crowned in final event for 2005 at Lancaster Motorsports Park
Courtesy Bruce F. MehlenbacherOctober 12, 2005, CAYUGA, ON – The final event of the Pro Modified Racing Association, www.ProModifiedRacing.com (PMRA) season is scheduled for Friday, October 14 at Lancaster Motorsports Park presented by: G-Force Race Cars, Jan-Cen Racing Engines and Oddy's Racing Inc.
Joe Lilienthal from Kenmore, NY leads the PMRA point standings followed by the Grainy Brothers Beretta with Jack Grainy of North Tonawanda, NY. Tied for third is Dave Earhart of Strathroy, ON, with his ’02 Camaro, and Kasey Janzen of St. Catharines, ON, with his Lumina.
Other New Yorkers scheduled to compete include Mark Mitchell of East Otto in his wild-looking “Rude Stude” Pro Modified, and Utica's Fred Jacobs with his 1994 Chrysler LaBaron.
The New Yorkers will face some other heavy competition from Southern Ontario at Lancaster, including Bruce Boland of Hamilton and his Corvette who sits sixth in the standings.
Qualifying is scheduled for 5:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., with eliminations to start at 8:45 p.m.
Lancaster has a long tradition in motorsports. With both a drag strip and a paved oval track, Lancaster has presented the best in racing to fans of Western New York and Southern Ontario.
Lancaster Motorsports Park, situated in Clarence, New York, is a one-eighth mile drag strip under International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) sanctioning.
For information about Lancaster Motorsports Park call 1.716.759.6818 (Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET) or visit online at http://www.lancasterracing.com/.
In its first year of operation, the PMRA will provide fans in Ontario, Quebec, and New York the opportunity to see and hear popular Pro Modified racing in the class known as “the world’s fastest doorslammers.”
The PMRA is a self-governing organization with its own set of technical and safety rules based on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Pro Modified division. Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class offers a widely-diverse group of race cars with different types of 2000-horsepower engines propelling the cars down the quarter-mile in the 6.20-second range at 230 mph.
For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher mehlenbacher@promodifiedracing.com
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Team Cobalt Third Among Grand-Am Cup Manufacturers: Rain turns season-ending race into a tactical crap shoot
Courtesy Dave ArnoldWARREN, Mich., Oct. 8, 2005 – Team Cobalt finished its first year in Grand-Am Cup professional road racing competition third among nine veteran manufacturers who put cars on the starting grids in the ten races.
The 2005 season ended today at VIRginia International Raceway where the 65 cars battled ever-changing weather conditions ranging from downpours to light showers to drizzle, the occasional dry track spell, and six full-course caution periods.
Team Cobalt’s top finishers were Delphi engineer Ed Magner and Jim Holtom, driving one of three ScadaPack Cobalt SS Supercharged entries fielded by Mike Kuznicki’s Georgian Bay Motorsports in Carp, Ontario, CAN. They were ninth in the Sport-Touring class.
Eleventh were GM Performance Division development engineers Chris Berube and Dave Thilineus, in another GBM Cobalt. “This race was development driving in the extreme,” said Berube, the Division’s small cars vehicle performance manager. “The Cobalt’s front-wheel drive configuration was such a huge advantage over cars like the BMWs and Mazdas. In the jobs Dave and I have, we do a lot of wet track driving, and we’ve both raced in the rain, but at these speeds with over 60 cars all around you, and all kicking up water spray, your eyeballs are on sticks the whole time.”
Added Thilineus, a ride and handling development engineer who was part of the team which developed the Antilock Braking System (ABS) for the Cobalt, “This race and the entire season have been a great way to compare Cobalt against our competition.”
“When you convert a production car into a race car, you can enhance the car’s performance characteristics,” he added. “What we’ve done with the Cobalt SS Supercharged is emphasize the production car’s already-substantial acceleration, braking and handling attributes.”
“I’m proud of Chris and Dave,” said John Heinricy, director of the GM Performance Division. “They do a great job in the office, and today they did a great job on the race track under some really tough conditions.”
Ken Wasmer is small car program engineering manager for the Division, which provides engineering and parts assistance to teams racing the Cobalt SS Supercharged. He noted the season’s success.
“We won three races in our first season, had three other podium finishes and qualified on the pole once,” Wasmer said. “This is a very strong first season. What we learned about the Cobalt SS Supercharged in these races will be analyzed over the winter months. When the 2006 season opens at Daytona International Speedway in January, our plan is to be even stronger. We have to be, because our competitors aren’t going to go lie on the beach until then.”
The third Georgian Bay team Cobalt, driven by 18-year old sensation Jamie Holtom, son of Jim Holtom, retired 12 laps into the race when a fuel pump failed. At Mosport last June, Jamie became the youngest race winner in the history of the Grand American Road Racing Association at age 17 years and nine months.
The fourth Cobalt is owned by Bo Roach, who shares his car with Tom Lepper and drives on behalf of Franklin American Mortgage. They finished an uncharacteristic18th at VIR.
In 2004, the GM Performance Division introduced the 205hp Saturn ION Red Line and the 400hp Cadillac CTS-V. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged was added last January. In 2006, the Performance Division’s lineup will be joined by the 395hp Chevrolet Trailblazer SS and two upgraded Cadillacs – the 443hp XLR-V and the 469hp STS-V.
The VIRginia International Raceway race will be televised Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. on SPEED
Sunoco’s Ultra 94 team gets four new membersAdriano Bilotta, Devin Cunningham, Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Morad assigned to Ultra 94 team for 2006
Release prepared by Russ Bond AgencyMOSPORT, ONTARIO Eleven drivers took part in the fourth Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Evaluation Day on Friday, October 7, at the Mosport Driver Development track, and of those, four were chosen to represent Sunoco’s Team Ultra 94 for the 2006 running of the Bridgestone Academy F2000 series.
Adriano Bilotta, Devin Cunningham - the first driver from Quebec to be selected - Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Morad were the four drivers chosen. “This is a huge honour,” said Bilotta. “I was a little worried because I had a few spins, that I thought would hurt my chances, but they didn't, so I am really happy to join the Ultra 94 team for 2006.
The youngest of the group, Kyle Marcelli, made a huge impact with his car control and speed. “I am really excited about this opportunity,” Marcelli said. “Thanks to Ron Fellows, Sunoco and ASN Canada for this opportunity.” Devin Cunningham, from St-Bruno Quebec, is the first driver from Quebec to join the team. “I really had this opportunity circled on my calendar for a long time,” Cunningham said. “To join this team for 2006 was one of my goals for this year. It is one of the main reasons we come to Ontario to race. The program Ron Fellows and Sunoco have put together here is fantastic for young drivers, and I am honoured to be chosen to represent Sunoco next year along with my teammates.”
The final member chosen, Daniel Morad had a nervous few moments before his name was called. “I was really worried,” Morad said. “They called three names the normal number of drivers selected and I wasn’t called. Then they announced my name fourth - they did them alphabetically - and I was extremely happy. I have some great teammates on the Sunoco team for 2006, and I feel like we will be able to do a good job for both Sunoco and Ron Fellows.”
Fellows, like in the past, told how difficult it was to pick four of the 11 drivers. “It gets harder each year, but luckily this year, with the help from Sunoco and the Bridgestone Academy, we were able to select four drivers.” This year, the four drivers all come from different classes within the karting championship, and that shows the level of competition in the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship. Bilotta is the World Formula Senior Champ, Marcelli competes in Formula Junior, Cunningham in Rotax Max Sr, and Morad is vice champion of Formula Senior.
“It shows the classes we have in the championship are all capable of developing some impressive talent,” Fellows added.
The four drivers will compete in the 2006 Bridgestone Academy F2000 series, and they have a ‘tradition’ to uphold. The last three years, a Sunoco Team Ultra 94 driver has won the championship, starting with Matt Champagne in 2003, Frank Launi in 2004, and Marco Di Leo in 2005.
Sunoco Team Ultra 94 fast facts;
The Sunoco Team Ultra 94 drivers are chosen from over 300 drivers in the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels. Out of the 300 drivers, ten are invited to the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Evaluation Day, and from those ten, two are invited to join the team. The selected drivers are given a fully funded scholarship to compete in the Bridgestone Academy F2000 series. Sunoco also sponsors the series and is proud of the school’s 13 year injury free record, the personal coaching and the track time that the drivers receive.
In 2003, inaugural team members Matt Champagne and Jordy Vorrath finished one-two in the series, with Vorrath taking the ‘most poles’ award. Aaron de Heus came home fifth in the 2003 championship.
The 2004 members were 2003 Formula Senior Champion Juliana Chiovitti, multi-time Formula Senior race
winner Frank Launi, who won the 2004 championship and consistent Rotax Max Senior front runner Jamie Holtom. The 2005 team consists of 2004 double class winner Marco Di Leo, Formula Senior race winner Matt Pritiko, and Formula Senior driver Robert Wickens.
The 2006 Sunoco Team Ultra 94 drivers are Adriano Bilotta, Devin Cunningham, Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Morad.
ALSTAR DRIVERS' MEETING
From Sue Chisholm....
The 2006 SHOULDICE STONE ALSTAR Drivers' Meeting will take place on Sunday November 20th in Collingwood at the Blue Mountain Resort. The meeting will be in the Wider Room (same as last year).
TIME: 2:00 p.m. to 4: 00 p.m.
AGENDA: Registration and Information for the 2006 Racing Season.
See you there.
For More Info: 519-371-7588 Email: thebeach@bmts.com or visit www.alstarseries.com
SUPER DIRT WEEK: Eckerd 200 Modified Finale Postponed Indefinitely At NYS Fairgrounds
By Tom Skibinski, DIRT Modified Series Reporter
Syracuse, NY — October 9, 2005 — For the second time in Super DIRT Week history, the headline Eckerd 200 for DIRT big-block Modifieds on Sunday has been delayed due to rain. Only once before has DIRT MotorSports NorthEast's premier open-wheel event been held past the scheduled date and that was in 1977 when the Modified main was eventually run off in the Spring of '78. The 2005 finale has been postponed indefinitely.
"We're facing a forecast of rain for the next five days with even worse conditions expected on Monday," said SDW events coordinator Tonya Moschell. "We plan to work cooperatively with the competing race teams and members of the State Fairboard to establish a date that will be satisfactory for all parties involved."
Moschell further clarified that the Eckerd 200, when rescheduled, will be a non-points race toward the overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Championship and the only two Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series events remain at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 16 and Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Oct. 23 during the Atlantic Coast Championships.
The 34th edition of the Eckerd 200 opened with both green and yellow flags waving due to an ongoing mist in the air which glazed over the Syracuse Mile. Pole-sitter Billy Decker paced the 45-car field even when the green appeared all by itself with 15 laps showing the scoreboard.
Pennsylvanian Rick Laubach brought out the first caution period under racing conditions on lap 31 when his yellow no. 5 Lincoln Auto Body/TEO shredded a tire exiting turn three and slid into the outside retaining wall. The water pump belts failed on fellow Keystone State pilot Jeff Strunk's no. 88 BPG Racing/TEO mount to incur a second slowdown on lap 38 and yellow lights appeared for the final on lap 52 when DIRT officials declared the track unsafe due to the sprinkles that continued to fall.
The field was brought down pit road and remained parked there as team crews rushed out to cover their prized machines with tarps. After another hour of light rain came to an end, Public Address Announcer Joe Marotta then made the call to bring out the "parking lot packers" and a hundred vehicles toured the track in hopes of saving the surface. However, showers returned shortly thereafter and the formal announcement was made to postpone the race at 7 o'clock.
The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver, Zippo Lighters and F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
Syracuse, NY — October 9, 2005 — For the second time in Super DIRT Week history, the headline Eckerd 200 for DIRT big-block Modifieds on Sunday has been delayed due to rain. Only once before has DIRT MotorSports NorthEast's premier open-wheel event been held past the scheduled date and that was in 1977 when the Modified main was eventually run off in the Spring of '78. The 2005 finale has been postponed indefinitely.
"We're facing a forecast of rain for the next five days with even worse conditions expected on Monday," said SDW events coordinator Tonya Moschell. "We plan to work cooperatively with the competing race teams and members of the State Fairboard to establish a date that will be satisfactory for all parties involved."
Moschell further clarified that the Eckerd 200, when rescheduled, will be a non-points race toward the overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Championship and the only two Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series events remain at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 16 and Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Oct. 23 during the Atlantic Coast Championships.
The 34th edition of the Eckerd 200 opened with both green and yellow flags waving due to an ongoing mist in the air which glazed over the Syracuse Mile. Pole-sitter Billy Decker paced the 45-car field even when the green appeared all by itself with 15 laps showing the scoreboard.
Pennsylvanian Rick Laubach brought out the first caution period under racing conditions on lap 31 when his yellow no. 5 Lincoln Auto Body/TEO shredded a tire exiting turn three and slid into the outside retaining wall. The water pump belts failed on fellow Keystone State pilot Jeff Strunk's no. 88 BPG Racing/TEO mount to incur a second slowdown on lap 38 and yellow lights appeared for the final on lap 52 when DIRT officials declared the track unsafe due to the sprinkles that continued to fall.
The field was brought down pit road and remained parked there as team crews rushed out to cover their prized machines with tarps. After another hour of light rain came to an end, Public Address Announcer Joe Marotta then made the call to bring out the "parking lot packers" and a hundred vehicles toured the track in hopes of saving the surface. However, showers returned shortly thereafter and the formal announcement was made to postpone the race at 7 o'clock.
The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver, Zippo Lighters and F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
SUPER DIRT WEEK: Fuller Powers To Third 358-Mod Series Win In Super DIRT Week Thriller
By Chris Marquart, DIRT MotorSports 358-Modified Series Reporter
Syracuse, N.Y. - October 8, 2005 – Brett Hearn was hot at Super DIRT Week XXXIV. Real hot, like on fire in Death Valley hot.
Heading into Saturday’s Goulds Pumps-ITT Industries 150-lap 'Salute to the Troops' 358-Modified Super DIRT Series event, Hearn already drove the Wentworth Construction Custom Homes-Delaney Heavy Construction-Four Star Transmission Services No. 4* TEO Pro car to a win in the NativePoker.Com twin-20 qualifying heat, and had previously set the fastest time in qualifying.
Now, there was only the headline event to win, but no such luck would be found. Tim Fuller gambled, driving under Hearn when ‘The Jet’ miscalculated a pass on a lapped car. Slipping too high into the turn one/two cinders, Fuller drove the NativePoker.com no. 19 TEO Pro car under Hearn and ultimately sealed the win.
“You only get one or two chances to pass a driver like Brett Hearn,” Fuller commented. “I had the opening and I went for it.” For the third year in a row, the final outcome of the 150-lap 358-Modified event was decided in lapped traffic. “This was typical Syracuse,” Hearn said, dejectedly.
Hearn was on fire all week long, but Mother Nature took it upon herself to help cool the streak. With iffy conditions at best, the race was delayed some seven hours due to drizzly rain. With the event nearly certain to be held in the darkness, and the Syracuse Mile’s notably dark third turn, crews trucked in special generator/light rigs, positioning 12 of the apparatus around the speedway. With the significant amounts of rain, the infield and pit row were quite muddied, and deemed too dangerous for pit stops. The event was split into twin 75-lap segments. This eliminated the pit strategy of the program, and also let drivers race on their right rear more than guessing when they could go hard and when they needed to conserve.
Hearn redrew on the pole, but began to encounter an overheating problem. The car was backwashing water out of the cooling system. On lap 105, the car lost all oil pressure. Luckily, it came back, but it was fluctuating considerably. “We’re lucky to have even finished the race,” Hearn said. “We had terminal motor problems that would have put us out in another 10 laps.”
And that was the best news that anyone could have shared with Tim Fuller. Fuller was second quick in time trials and won the second NativePoker.com qualifier. He pulled position no. 7 in the redraw and was none too pleased with the redraw situation to start with. But from there, the car was a rocket.
“We knew we would have to have some good luck,” Fuller said. “But the car has been good. Still, I thought our chances were pretty limited and a win at Super DIRT Week was a little far-fetched.” But at the half-way break, he found himself second, sandwiched between Billy Decker and leader Hearn
In the first half, Matt Sheppard led the first 17 laps before Andy Bachetti made a wild move entering turn one. Bachetti powered to the outside, pinching down on a lapped car. Setting a brutal pace, Bachetti ended up getting into trouble as traffic checked up and Bachetti hammered the outside wall. Sheppard would later be sidelined with a flat right rear and a broken rear end.
Hearn took the lead at that point, lap 23, and could run away on restarts. Vic Coffey showed some muscle leading into the halftime, but spun on lap 69 after being cut down in turn one and started the second half in seventh. The wreck moved Fuller and Decker into second and third.
In the second half, Decker was able to run Fuller down on restarts, but couldn’t do much in terms of passing the no. 19. “I had a little more gear than Tim did,” Decker said. The gearing difference let Decker chase down Fuller on a restart, but within a lap, Fuller was back on Hearn’s tail.
The field bunched up on Hearn on lap 105 when Ryan Larkin flipped down the back straight. Hearn showed his first signs of weakness during that break in the action, radioing his crew about the engine temperature and oil pressure issues.
The field slowed again on lap 118 when New Jersey’s Mark Forte Jr. slowed in the third turn. The event stayed green through lap 143, and Hearn looked to be on a yo-yo string. As the engine cycle grew more ill, Hearn fell back to Fuller. Hearn could pull away at times, but the situation was not in his favor. Aside of that, the leaders were mired in heavy traffic.
“Our only chance was going to be in the lapped traffic,” Fuller said. “Hearn jumped up in the traffic and he got up too far in the cinders. He had the fastest car and he was the class of the field. But Syracuse isn’t always about the fastest car, but who makes the fewest mistakes.” Hearn skated up the track and opened the door for Fuller, who rolled on through on lap 143. Hearn’s piece held together through the finish, but he could not catch the leaders as the engine soured. Defending race winner Wayne Jelley took fourth ahead of third-generation Syracuse competitor Stewart Friesen.
DIRT MotorSports 358-Modified Super DIRT Series – New York State Fairgrounds - Saturday – October 8, 2005 Event Summary [Official Box Score posted on www.DirtMotorSports.com and can be viewed by first selecting 'DIRT NorthEast' on the Corporate Homepage, choosing 358-Modified SDS, then clicking '358-Modified Series' link on the top left.]
26th ITT Industries/Goulds Pumps "Salute To The Troops" 150
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 7 19 Tim Fuller / Edwards,NY
2 9 91 Billy Decker / Unadilla,NY
3 1 4* Brett Hearn / Sussex,NJ
4 12 45 Wayne Jelley / Pittsfield,MA
5 11 22 Stewart Friesen / Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
6 14 115 Kenny Tremont / West Sand Lake,NY
7 17 43 Keith Flach / Ravena,NY(R)
8 13 42 Pete Bicknell / St.Catharines,ONT
9 34 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
10 22 47S Chris Shultz / Pawling,NY
11 16 21 Donnie Corellis / Averill Park,NY
12 37 10X Richie Pratt,Jr. / Sewell,NJ
13 21 M40 Mark Forte,Jr. / Blue Anchor,NJ(R)
14 29 7 Sam Crogan / Lewiston,NY
15 8 3B Chad Brachmann / Wheatfield,NY
16 6 77X Dale Planck / Cortland,NY
17 10 37K Kyle Jacobs / Hogansburg,NY
18 33 66X Carey Terrance / Akwesasne,NY(R)
19 35 77F Mark Flach,Jr. / Coxsackie,NY
20 25 39 Ryan Larkin / Alford,MA(R)
21 2 28S Matt Sheppard / Waterloo,NY
22 4 32C Vic Coffey / Liecester, NY
23 27 24S Rich Salisbury / Wynantskill,NY
24 31 3W Donnie Wetmore,Jr. / Weedsport,NY(R)
25 28 55 Perry Francis / Akwesasne,NY
26 5 1H David Hebert / St. Damase,QUE(R)
27 26 112B Stephane LaFrance / Casselman,ONT
28 23 151kb Brian McDonald / Cornwall,ONT
29 15 1X Todd Stone / Middlebury,VT
30 36 88 Jeff Strunk / Bethel,PA
31 19 44 Sebastian Gougeon/Drummond,QUE(R)
32 30 66 Jared Petruska / Wayne,NJ(R)
33 32 47M Mike Storms / Wantage,NJ(R)
34 3 4 Andy Bachetti / Sheffield,MA
35 20 26 Rick Richner / Niagara Falls,NY
36 18 26S Scott George / Wilson,NY(R)
37 24 48too Dave Rauscher / Waterloo,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Sheppard (1-17), Bachetti (18-22), Hearn (23-141), Fuller (142-150).
TOTAL LAPS LED: 119-Hearn, 17-Sheppard, 9-Fuller, 5-Bachetti.
LEAD CHANGES: 3 among 4 drivers.
CAUTIONS: 10 for 37 laps; 2 RED FLAGS (lap 75-mandatory pit stop, lap 105).
ELAPSED TIME: 2 hrs. 25 mins. 29 secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 61.865 mph.
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .613 sec.
DIRT MOTORSPORTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Keith Flach.
BEHRENT'S PERFORMANCE WAREHOUSE HARD CHARGER: Alan Johnson.
NATIVE POKER.COM HALFWAY BONUS: Brett Hearn.
GATER RACING NEWS BEST APPEARING CAR & CREW: #37 - Kyle Jacobs.
NYSSCA 'TOP MEMBER' AWARD: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM FAST TIME AWARD: Brett Hearn (29.552 sec/121.819 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM 2ND FAST TIME AWARD: Tim Fuller (29.704 sec/121.196 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Tim Fuller.
RACE ROOKIES(R): 10.
ENTRIES: 45.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
Syracuse, N.Y. - October 8, 2005 – Brett Hearn was hot at Super DIRT Week XXXIV. Real hot, like on fire in Death Valley hot.
Heading into Saturday’s Goulds Pumps-ITT Industries 150-lap 'Salute to the Troops' 358-Modified Super DIRT Series event, Hearn already drove the Wentworth Construction Custom Homes-Delaney Heavy Construction-Four Star Transmission Services No. 4* TEO Pro car to a win in the NativePoker.Com twin-20 qualifying heat, and had previously set the fastest time in qualifying.
Now, there was only the headline event to win, but no such luck would be found. Tim Fuller gambled, driving under Hearn when ‘The Jet’ miscalculated a pass on a lapped car. Slipping too high into the turn one/two cinders, Fuller drove the NativePoker.com no. 19 TEO Pro car under Hearn and ultimately sealed the win.
“You only get one or two chances to pass a driver like Brett Hearn,” Fuller commented. “I had the opening and I went for it.” For the third year in a row, the final outcome of the 150-lap 358-Modified event was decided in lapped traffic. “This was typical Syracuse,” Hearn said, dejectedly.
Hearn was on fire all week long, but Mother Nature took it upon herself to help cool the streak. With iffy conditions at best, the race was delayed some seven hours due to drizzly rain. With the event nearly certain to be held in the darkness, and the Syracuse Mile’s notably dark third turn, crews trucked in special generator/light rigs, positioning 12 of the apparatus around the speedway. With the significant amounts of rain, the infield and pit row were quite muddied, and deemed too dangerous for pit stops. The event was split into twin 75-lap segments. This eliminated the pit strategy of the program, and also let drivers race on their right rear more than guessing when they could go hard and when they needed to conserve.
Hearn redrew on the pole, but began to encounter an overheating problem. The car was backwashing water out of the cooling system. On lap 105, the car lost all oil pressure. Luckily, it came back, but it was fluctuating considerably. “We’re lucky to have even finished the race,” Hearn said. “We had terminal motor problems that would have put us out in another 10 laps.”
And that was the best news that anyone could have shared with Tim Fuller. Fuller was second quick in time trials and won the second NativePoker.com qualifier. He pulled position no. 7 in the redraw and was none too pleased with the redraw situation to start with. But from there, the car was a rocket.
“We knew we would have to have some good luck,” Fuller said. “But the car has been good. Still, I thought our chances were pretty limited and a win at Super DIRT Week was a little far-fetched.” But at the half-way break, he found himself second, sandwiched between Billy Decker and leader Hearn
In the first half, Matt Sheppard led the first 17 laps before Andy Bachetti made a wild move entering turn one. Bachetti powered to the outside, pinching down on a lapped car. Setting a brutal pace, Bachetti ended up getting into trouble as traffic checked up and Bachetti hammered the outside wall. Sheppard would later be sidelined with a flat right rear and a broken rear end.
Hearn took the lead at that point, lap 23, and could run away on restarts. Vic Coffey showed some muscle leading into the halftime, but spun on lap 69 after being cut down in turn one and started the second half in seventh. The wreck moved Fuller and Decker into second and third.
In the second half, Decker was able to run Fuller down on restarts, but couldn’t do much in terms of passing the no. 19. “I had a little more gear than Tim did,” Decker said. The gearing difference let Decker chase down Fuller on a restart, but within a lap, Fuller was back on Hearn’s tail.
The field bunched up on Hearn on lap 105 when Ryan Larkin flipped down the back straight. Hearn showed his first signs of weakness during that break in the action, radioing his crew about the engine temperature and oil pressure issues.
The field slowed again on lap 118 when New Jersey’s Mark Forte Jr. slowed in the third turn. The event stayed green through lap 143, and Hearn looked to be on a yo-yo string. As the engine cycle grew more ill, Hearn fell back to Fuller. Hearn could pull away at times, but the situation was not in his favor. Aside of that, the leaders were mired in heavy traffic.
“Our only chance was going to be in the lapped traffic,” Fuller said. “Hearn jumped up in the traffic and he got up too far in the cinders. He had the fastest car and he was the class of the field. But Syracuse isn’t always about the fastest car, but who makes the fewest mistakes.” Hearn skated up the track and opened the door for Fuller, who rolled on through on lap 143. Hearn’s piece held together through the finish, but he could not catch the leaders as the engine soured. Defending race winner Wayne Jelley took fourth ahead of third-generation Syracuse competitor Stewart Friesen.
DIRT MotorSports 358-Modified Super DIRT Series – New York State Fairgrounds - Saturday – October 8, 2005 Event Summary [Official Box Score posted on www.DirtMotorSports.com and can be viewed by first selecting 'DIRT NorthEast' on the Corporate Homepage, choosing 358-Modified SDS, then clicking '358-Modified Series' link on the top left.]
26th ITT Industries/Goulds Pumps "Salute To The Troops" 150
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 7 19 Tim Fuller / Edwards,NY
2 9 91 Billy Decker / Unadilla,NY
3 1 4* Brett Hearn / Sussex,NJ
4 12 45 Wayne Jelley / Pittsfield,MA
5 11 22 Stewart Friesen / Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
6 14 115 Kenny Tremont / West Sand Lake,NY
7 17 43 Keith Flach / Ravena,NY(R)
8 13 42 Pete Bicknell / St.Catharines,ONT
9 34 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
10 22 47S Chris Shultz / Pawling,NY
11 16 21 Donnie Corellis / Averill Park,NY
12 37 10X Richie Pratt,Jr. / Sewell,NJ
13 21 M40 Mark Forte,Jr. / Blue Anchor,NJ(R)
14 29 7 Sam Crogan / Lewiston,NY
15 8 3B Chad Brachmann / Wheatfield,NY
16 6 77X Dale Planck / Cortland,NY
17 10 37K Kyle Jacobs / Hogansburg,NY
18 33 66X Carey Terrance / Akwesasne,NY(R)
19 35 77F Mark Flach,Jr. / Coxsackie,NY
20 25 39 Ryan Larkin / Alford,MA(R)
21 2 28S Matt Sheppard / Waterloo,NY
22 4 32C Vic Coffey / Liecester, NY
23 27 24S Rich Salisbury / Wynantskill,NY
24 31 3W Donnie Wetmore,Jr. / Weedsport,NY(R)
25 28 55 Perry Francis / Akwesasne,NY
26 5 1H David Hebert / St. Damase,QUE(R)
27 26 112B Stephane LaFrance / Casselman,ONT
28 23 151kb Brian McDonald / Cornwall,ONT
29 15 1X Todd Stone / Middlebury,VT
30 36 88 Jeff Strunk / Bethel,PA
31 19 44 Sebastian Gougeon/Drummond,QUE(R)
32 30 66 Jared Petruska / Wayne,NJ(R)
33 32 47M Mike Storms / Wantage,NJ(R)
34 3 4 Andy Bachetti / Sheffield,MA
35 20 26 Rick Richner / Niagara Falls,NY
36 18 26S Scott George / Wilson,NY(R)
37 24 48too Dave Rauscher / Waterloo,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Sheppard (1-17), Bachetti (18-22), Hearn (23-141), Fuller (142-150).
TOTAL LAPS LED: 119-Hearn, 17-Sheppard, 9-Fuller, 5-Bachetti.
LEAD CHANGES: 3 among 4 drivers.
CAUTIONS: 10 for 37 laps; 2 RED FLAGS (lap 75-mandatory pit stop, lap 105).
ELAPSED TIME: 2 hrs. 25 mins. 29 secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 61.865 mph.
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .613 sec.
DIRT MOTORSPORTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Keith Flach.
BEHRENT'S PERFORMANCE WAREHOUSE HARD CHARGER: Alan Johnson.
NATIVE POKER.COM HALFWAY BONUS: Brett Hearn.
GATER RACING NEWS BEST APPEARING CAR & CREW: #37 - Kyle Jacobs.
NYSSCA 'TOP MEMBER' AWARD: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM FAST TIME AWARD: Brett Hearn (29.552 sec/121.819 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM 2ND FAST TIME AWARD: Tim Fuller (29.704 sec/121.196 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Tim Fuller.
RACE ROOKIES(R): 10.
ENTRIES: 45.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
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