VERNON, BC - Don Thomson Jr. set a new CASCAR Super Series time trial qualifying record at Sun Valley Speedway on Saturday evening when he lapped the half-mile tri-oval in 18.459 seconds to secure the pole for Sunday afternoon's Castrol 300.
Kerry Micks was second fastest, with a lap of 18.521, and will start on the outside of the front row. The remainder of the starting field will be determined later this evening in the Twin 100 qualifying sprint races. Derek Polack of Stony Plain, AB was the fastest of the Flo~Pro.com Western Series drivers during time trials, posting the eighth-fastest lap. A total of 37 cars are on hand for the race.
Thanks to Joel Robinson for the update!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
CASCAR: Sun Valley practice
Joel Robinson will be calling from Sun Valley Speedway with updates from this weekend's CASCAR Super Series / Flo~Pro.com Western Series Castrol 300 race.
He just phoned to say that i
n the first practice session, Don Thomson Jr. was quickest, ahead of DJ Kennington, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Scott Steckly and Daryl Harr.
According to Joel, this past week, DJ Kennington drove his Castrol Dodge Charger out to BC in advance of this weekend's race at Sun Valley (in Vernon, BC). He then flew back to Ontario so that he wouldn't miss the Friday night show at Delaware Speedway. After finishing fourth, he jumped back on a plane to BC where he's getting ready for the Castrol 300 at Sun Valley. Talk about dedication!
I'll post more updates from Joel as they arrive. And don't forget to check the CASCAR website for dates and times when the CASCAR broadcasts will appear on SPORTSNET.
He just phoned to say that i
n the first practice session, Don Thomson Jr. was quickest, ahead of DJ Kennington, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Scott Steckly and Daryl Harr.
According to Joel, this past week, DJ Kennington drove his Castrol Dodge Charger out to BC in advance of this weekend's race at Sun Valley (in Vernon, BC). He then flew back to Ontario so that he wouldn't miss the Friday night show at Delaware Speedway. After finishing fourth, he jumped back on a plane to BC where he's getting ready for the Castrol 300 at Sun Valley. Talk about dedication!
I'll post more updates from Joel as they arrive. And don't forget to check the CASCAR website for dates and times when the CASCAR broadcasts will appear on SPORTSNET.
Canadians in NASCAR
Pete Shepherd was 25th fastest in the final practice session in advance of today's qualifying session & race at Memphis in the Headz Gamez Ford. TruckSeries.com has an mp3 interview with Pete, talking about his day on Friday. Can't wait for the race tonight!
and.... Canadian open-wheel racer Patrick Carpentier showed up at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway to let people know that he wants to race in NASCAR, too.
(photo credit Nick Laham / Getty Images for NASCAR)
and.... Canadian open-wheel racer Patrick Carpentier showed up at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway to let people know that he wants to race in NASCAR, too.
(photo credit Nick Laham / Getty Images for NASCAR)
Friday, July 14, 2006
OSCAAR: Set for second stop of '06 to Mosport Speedway
By Don McLeod / OSCAAR
Mosport Speedway is next on the OSCAAR Super Late Model schedule with the 2nd stop at this track coming up on Saturday, July 15. No one has forgotten the big win by Shane Maginnis at the last race on June 24.
The Kerr Cadillac Goodwrench Service has been on a roll lately taking 3rd at Sunset after leading the race for 40 laps. They will be looking forward to another great run at Mosport. The biggest momentum has to be with the JNE Consulting #61 team having already recorded two wins this season.
John Fletcher has those steely blue eyes fixed firmly on the distant prize of championship honours but hasn't lost sight of how fickle each race is and what can still happen. Like a slumbering giant black bear, the JBM Leasing #49 team has been uncharacteristically slow out of the gate by their standards. Everyone is expecting Rob Clarke to once again break through with a dominant run, and the #49 team is hoping that starts at Mosport.
Competition this year is the closest it has been for years in super late model racing. Despite John Fletcher and Rob Clarke being at the top of the standings, no surprise there, they haven't led the most laps. That honour and distinction is currently held by the Shane Maginnis and Glenn Watson, both teams running very strong cars. Watson's Race2Way #22 team could catch a little luck for a change and definitely be at the top toward the end of the race.
Perhaps the greatest competition will come from the very fast car of Pee Wee Evans, who turned heads at Mosport three weeks ago with the some of the fastest lap times. Now throw in a mix of other hungry Outlaws like Phil Bullen, Drew Spicer and Lloyd Ritchie, to name a few, and once again we have the makings of a dynamite race. See you at Mosport!
Navin Wins “Simms Cup” for MGs at Mosport
Courtesy MG Vintage RacersFrom a field of 18 MGs racing at VARAC’s “Vintage Festival” at Mosport, Richard Navin, of Grimsby, Ontario, racing his MGB was select to receive VARAC’s prestigious “Simms Cup”. It is presented annually to a MG racer at this event selected as “Having demonstrated superior driving skills – in a MG prepared to an outstanding level of race readiness – while still maintaining its vintage character.” It was established in 1998 and its roots go back to the “Alitalia Trophy” which the Canadian Automobile Sports Car Club use to award – and was won by Tony Simms. Richard’s reaction: “Wow, what an honor and what a surprise! Frankly, I often hoped that one day I might be awarded the “Simms Cup”, but in all honesty never really thought I would be considered over so many other good drivers and great MGs! It was a wonderful weekend of racing at the Festival. There were 8 MGB’s alone, including three beautifully prepared Sebring style MGB’s.”
Richard’s MGB was originally raced in the 70’s by others. After collecting dust for 29 years, he acquired it and restored it for vintage racing. In 2001 he began vintage racing it and was chosen for VARAC’s “Rookie of the Year” award. Richard reflecting on his racing philosophy: “Vintage racing affords me the opportunity to drive many hallowed tracks where my racing heroes once competed. It also provides the correct balance of competitiveness, camaraderie, social pleasure, and fun with many like-minded friends.” Sharing his vintage racing joys are his wife Brenda, three daughters, and 3 grandchildren.
The MG Vintage Racers congratulate Richard on this honor. MGVR has designated VARAC’s Vintage Festival at Mosport next June as their “Focus Event 2007”, where a large turnout of MGs is expected.
Headz Gamez to sponsor Peter Shepherd, No. 50 NASCAR Craftsman Truck at Memphis
(NOTE: A big fat checkered flag to Headz Gamez Int'l for stepping up to support a young Canadian racer as he makes his first steps in NASCAR. These guys should really be applauded and supported for what they're doing. We need more Canadian companies like Headz Gamez Int'l! ... G.M.)
PRESS RELEASE
CONCORD, NC – Roush Racing announced today that Griddly Headz Board Games whom has been awarded the NASCAR license has signed on to sponsor the No. 50 of Peter Shepherd in the O'Reilly 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on July 15 at Memphis Motorsports Park.
"We are extremely proud to have this immense opportunity to be part of the NASCAR world but that is secondary to the pride we feel to be able to support such a brilliant and up and coming driver such as Peter Shepherd III," said CEO and President Kerry Martens. We believe that Peter has the ability to be one of NASCAR's brightest stars and we take pride in associating the "world's toughest board games" with such an entity as the Roush Racing team.
Shepherd was selected as one of the 25 finalists for Roush Racing's Driver X competition in 2005, and was quick to impress. Following a stellar performance at Martinsville, Shepherd advanced to the second round of the competition at Darlington, where he continued to make an impression on team owner Jack Roush.
"When I saw Peter's performance at Martinsville, it reminded me so much of a young Mark Martin, someone who has the ability to learn and adapt very quickly," said Roush. "He is one of the most talented 19 year-olds I've ever seen."
Shepherd, 19, will make his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start for Roush Racing this Saturday.
"I'm really excited to be heading to Memphis to make my first start in the Craftsman Truck Series," said Shepherd. "I've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time, and to get to do it with the support of Headz Gamez is really great. They've been involved in racing, but this will be their biggest involvement to date. I'm ready to get to Memphis and get them a good finish."
About Headz Gamez Enterprises International Corp.- Headz Gamez Enterprises International Corp. has developed a unique new line of sports themed board games corresponding to each major sport in the world. Over and above the innovative and exciting features of the games, we are partnering with some of the most desirable and successful sports leagues in the world, resulting in a whole new product category; licensed sports board games! In a world full of passionate sports fans, buyers have quickly recognized the enormous appeal our games have to these fans, and the prospective sales for their organizations. For more information, please visit www.headzgamez.com
Roush Racing is a subsidiary of Livonia, Mich., based Roush Enterprises which operates 14 motor sports teams; five in NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, six in the Busch Series with Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards, Todd Kluever and Danny O'Quinn, and three in the Craftsman Truck Series with Martin, David Ragan, Erik Darnell and Michel Jourdain,
From Roush Racing
Canadian Jon Nichols Selected for 2WD Class at X Games Rally
Story Courtesy Rally America
Photo by Andrew Harvey
Up-and-coming rally driver "Cowboy" Kenny Bartram will join veterans Doug Shepherd and Canadian Jon Nichols in a demonstration of two-wheel drive talent at this summer's X Games 12 Rally.
The three drivers won't be vying for gold in the action-sports contest. Instead, they'll be showing the X Games audience that two-wheel drive action is just as much fun to watch as four-wheel drive.
John Nichols, one of Canada's undisputed masters of slick-surface driving, began his motorsport career as an ice racer but has been a regular rally driver since the early 1990s. Although he has competed in the all-wheel-drive category, he is a two-wheel-drive pro who has earned six Group 2 National championships in a Volkswagen Golf GTI. His skills are so respected in his home province of Quebec that a regional rally series has been named after him. He will be co-driven by Carl Schenk at the X Games.
Bartram, a motocross pro and X Games veteran who will compete for gold this year in the Moto X Freestyle category, emerged on the rally scene early in the 2006 season. The Oklahoma-based driver, along with co-driver Dennis Hotson, has been taking consistent class wins this year in a Volkswagen New Beetle affectionately known on the scene as the "StudBug."
Shepherd, a factory Mopar driver, is a regular threat for any two-wheel drive win in his snarling Group 5 Dodge Neon SRT-4 and has taken home the prestigious Woodner Cup four times during his lengthy career. Before he signed on with Dodge as a driver, Shepherd was a co-driver to John Buffum during the 1970s and early 1980s. Most recently, Shepherd and co-driver Pete Gladysz stood atop the two-wheel drive podium at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA.
The annual X Games is the premier action sports event in the world, featuring athletes from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally. X Games 12 will be telecast live on ESPN and ABC.
In addition to the three-car two-wheel drive demonstration, there will be a dozen crews competing for gold all-wheel drive, Open class cars at the X Games Rally. Among them: WRC veteran Colin McRae, motocross superstar turned Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana, eight-time U.S. champ Paul Choiniere and 2005 Rally America champion, Pat Richard. The last two all-wheel drive teams to be included in this year’s X Games Rally will qualify at the Maine Forest Rally in late July.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
OILERS HEAD COACH MACTAVISH NAMED GRAND MARSHALL OF 2006 WEST EDMONTON MALL GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY THE BRICK EDMONTON
Courtesy Sid Priddle
July 13, 2006 – Edmonton Oilers head coach, Craig MacTavish will serve as Grand Marshall of the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick. The announcement was made today by event General Manager, Ernie Pasemko.
“We’re delighted that Craig, the guiding force behind the Edmonton Oilers meteoric rise to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final has agreed to join the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick, as Grand Marshall,” said Pasemko. “Hockey fans were captivated this Spring by the Oilers thrilling performance and cheered them on as they outplayed their competition en route to the final round of the NHL playoffs. Craig MacTavish’s role in this success is immeasurable.”
One of the most popular players in Oilers’ history, MacTavish was named the Club’s eighth Head Coach on June 22, 2000. “This is an opportunity that every sports fan dreams of,” said MacTavish. “It will be a privilege to step up to the microphone and kick off the race. It's going to be a great weekend of racing, and I can't wait for it to start.”
MacTavish has a record of 190-139-47-34 in his six seasons behind the Oilers bench. He has guided the club to the playoffs on three occasions, including the 2006 Western Conference Championship. Prior to taking the reins of the Oilers, MacTavish was an assistant coach with both the Oilers and New York Rangers.
His 17-year playing career in the NHL included nine seasons in Edmonton where he was a member of the 1987, 1988 and 1990 Stanley Cup Championship teams. He also served as the Oilers Captain during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. MacTavish won a fourth Stanley Cup as a player as a member of the New York Rangers.
July 13, 2006 – Edmonton Oilers head coach, Craig MacTavish will serve as Grand Marshall of the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick. The announcement was made today by event General Manager, Ernie Pasemko.
“We’re delighted that Craig, the guiding force behind the Edmonton Oilers meteoric rise to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final has agreed to join the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick, as Grand Marshall,” said Pasemko. “Hockey fans were captivated this Spring by the Oilers thrilling performance and cheered them on as they outplayed their competition en route to the final round of the NHL playoffs. Craig MacTavish’s role in this success is immeasurable.”
One of the most popular players in Oilers’ history, MacTavish was named the Club’s eighth Head Coach on June 22, 2000. “This is an opportunity that every sports fan dreams of,” said MacTavish. “It will be a privilege to step up to the microphone and kick off the race. It's going to be a great weekend of racing, and I can't wait for it to start.”
MacTavish has a record of 190-139-47-34 in his six seasons behind the Oilers bench. He has guided the club to the playoffs on three occasions, including the 2006 Western Conference Championship. Prior to taking the reins of the Oilers, MacTavish was an assistant coach with both the Oilers and New York Rangers.
His 17-year playing career in the NHL included nine seasons in Edmonton where he was a member of the 1987, 1988 and 1990 Stanley Cup Championship teams. He also served as the Oilers Captain during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. MacTavish won a fourth Stanley Cup as a player as a member of the New York Rangers.
Kevin Lacroix off to the Western swing
Courtesy Richard GalarneauSaint-Eustache, July 12th. – Kevin Lacroix enters this week a new phase in the Star Mazda championship with three events in four weeks that will take him across the United States and almost back home. The 17-year old rookie will be at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah for a testing day with his Uniselect #74 car before he takes to the track for his fifth round of the season over the weekend. Then, it will be the Oregon Trail for another round in Portland before he heads back to Quebec for the second stop on Canadian turf at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.
“Any testing day is a good chance for us to try new setups as we will face three different tracks in four weeks, said Lacroix. Miller looks like a rather flat and technical track while Portland is faster. Then we go to an urban twisty facility when I have been waiting to race for a long time, Trois-Rivières. I think my engineer (Johnny Walko) and I can find a bit more speed in our car.
Looking into the futureAlthough it is very early to announce anything for next year, Lacroix adds his managing team is looking towards the future and what lies ahead for him: “We will evaluate all avenues and make the proper announcement in due time. I value every minute with JWR in the Star Mazda series and learn every time I race the UniSelect car. I think we will have a strong season end.”
Miller Motorsports scheduleAfter his Wednesday testing, Lacroix will take part in two practice sessions on Thursday before a third one and qualifying on Friday. The 45-minute rave will go green on Saturday at 2:45 PM. “Those two races will be very important for the championship, concluded Lacroix. I have my work cut out and will look for podiums.”
Named the Rising Star among kart drivers in 2004, Kevin Lacroix was a multiple kart champion and a 2005 Formula BMW USA scholar where he finished second in the 14-round championship. Lacroix enters the Star Mazda 2006 series with JWR with the support of sponsors that have trusted him over the years: UniSélect automotive network, SKF MotorSports, Raybestos, Tenneco, Pennzoil, Auto Parts Plus and Lacroix Auto Parts. His new web site can be visited at www.kevinlacroix.com.
Spiering voted Inside Track Readers’ Choice
Courtesy Bruce F. Mehlenbacher
TORONTO, ON (July 13, 2006) – Carl Spiering, driver of the Eaton Electrical Supercharged Pro Modified Chevrolet Camaro, was voted top drag racer in Canada in the fourth annual Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, announced in the July 2006 issue of Inside Track Motorsport News.
Inside Track Motorsport News is Canada’s top racing magazine, and the Readers’ Choice Awards are a key component of the magazine’s commitment to shine a bright light on this country’s current and future stars.
“This certainly is an honor and the fact that it is voted on by the fans is a very exciting reward,” said Spiering. “Honestly, I had no idea we won the award until I read about it in Inside Track. Just to be nominated in a category with Rob Atchison and Todd Paton says a lot for the Eaton Road Warrior Team,” added the 41-year old driver from Jordan Station, Ontario. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this elite group, to represent the leaders in Canadian motorsports such as Don Thomson and Ron Fellows.” With a serious passion for fast machines in any type of competition, Carl Spiering is quickly becoming one of the hottest Pro Modified racers on the drag race circuit.
Spiering had a very strong 2005 season, and he plans on continuing the IHRA Pro Modified Championship pursuit this year. In 2005, Spiering won the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified Shootout and the IHRA ACDelco Nationals. Overall Spiering placed third in the IHRA World Championship National Event Tour.
Spiering joined other notable winners including first-time winner and Stock Car Racer of the Year – Don Thomson Jr., five-time and defending CASCAR Super Series champion and Road Racer of the Year and Ron Fellows (ALMS, SPEED GT) who picked up a trio of additional awards. For the second time in Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards history, he was chosen as Overall Canadian Racer of the Year. Also, Fellows was selected as the Canadian Racer of the Year Competing at the Highest Levels of International Competition and Most Deserving of Induction in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame has incorporated several Readers’ Choice Award winners into their induction celebrations.
In past years Inside Track supplied a list of potential nominees in each of 12 categories representing various popular forms of racing in Canada, however this time voters were given free rein to nominate any racer they chose. Inside Track wanted to ensure that every single Canadian racer had the chance to win, regardless of whether or not they were a ‘popular’ choice.
All voting for the Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, was conducted via a controlled balloting procedure at the official Inside Track website www.insidetracknews.com
Carl Spiering continues to lead, and is the defending Champion in the chase over all other teams in the Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified class earning points based on their final qualifying spot at each national event. The top eight point earners will have the opportunity to participate in the 2006 Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified Shootout, which will be held in Martin, Michigan at the Northern Nationals.
The next International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) eMax Drag Racing Series event of the season the Fifth Annual Canadian Nationals will take place July 21-23 at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario. For information, call 905.772.0303 or visit www.TorontoMotorsportsPark.com.
Local racer ready for IHRA Canadian Nationals at Cayuga’s TMP
Courtesy Bruce F. MehlenbacherCAYUGA, ON (July 14, 2006) – Victoria Smith has grown up with drag racing a big part of her life. The 23-year old has been going to the track as long as she can remember, but now instead of watching her Dad race, she sits behind the wheel.
“I grew up on racetracks on the weekends all summer,” she said recently, adding that the racing was a family affair as her father F.J. Smith was one of the top competitors in North America in the Stock and Super Stock classes.
Now one of the sport’s premier car builders, F.J. has turned over the driving duties to Victoria, who has been running up and down the strips for about six years.
“When Dad decided to stop driving, Mom (mother Betsy) thought it would be worth a shot to put me in the car,” said Smith. “And I was game and eager to try.”
After learning her craft in a Super Stock Chevy S10 pickup, Smith got behind the wheel of the latest generation of car to come from the Smith Performance Shops near the banks of the Grand River.
The 2005 Pontiac Sunfire, resplendent in a striking white, black, and red paint scheme, is not like your average entry-level Pontiac. This front-engined, rear-wheel drive car puts out about 620 horsepower, enough to get Smith down the track in less than 9.5 seconds at a little over 140 mph.
After six years racing, Smith said she is pretty confident of her capabilities, and the performance of the car. If there is something not quite right, she can tell her crew chief and Father what’s going on.
“We communicate really well,” she said. “We have a good rapport.”
The team runs about 15 events a year in NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), IHRA (International Hot Rod Association), and the Ontario-New York-Michigan Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series. She has two Can-Am race victories so far this year.
Smith missed a couple of recent races as she was putting her post-graduate courses in public relations and corporate communications to good use. For the past several weeks she was working in the Marketing and Communications Department of the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto, and she said it was a terrific experience.
“That was pretty awesome.” Smith said about the time spent working on the Champ Car race through the streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place. “It is quite an experience to see the inner workings of a race of that magnitude.” This was a temporary position, but in a field she wishes to pursue on a full-time basis.
Smith, along with father F.J. and the rest of the family will be on hand for the Fifth Annual IHRA Canadian Nationals July 21-23, just down the road from Smith Performance Specialties at Toronto Motorsports Park on Kohler Road just west of Cayuga.
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) eMax Drag Racing Series, Fifth Annual Canadian Nationals will take place July 21-23 at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario. For information, call 905.772.0303 or visit www.TorontoMotorsportsPark.com
Smith Performance, www.smithperformance.com, thanks all of its sponsors and supporters including Strange Engineering, Ben Grevers/Phoenix Tires, Autometer, Weld Racing, VP Race Fuels, MSD, Fel-Pro, Jesel, Competition Transmission, Dan the Sign Man, Scott Jahren Paint.
Big Week Ahead for RZ Racing
Courtesy Jason White
The RZ RACING team has been working hard since the last Flo-pro.com CASCAR western series race. With the preparation of an oval car for Sun Valley Speedways "CASCAR 300" on July 16th, and a road course car for the " GRIDDLY HEADZ 100" in Edmonton on July 22. The Road course car has posed a bit of a challenge to the team as it has never run a road course before.
The "CASCAR 300" in Vernon has Jason White anxious to see how he can stand up to the big budget teams from back East as well as his full time competitors from the western series. "I am really looking forward to getting back to the track and seeing what our "Zimmer Wheaton GMC" Monte Carlo can do this weekend, we faired well last year in the national events by finishing both of them , now our focus is to be in the top ten at the end of the 300" says white. This is a task that he knows will take alot of hard work and a little luck as well, "I know I have the team to get me in and out of the pits swiftly, and I am confident with our "AMS" horsepower, we just need to keep working on our set-up and we will be a strong car".
Jason's father Marty will be sporting a new Mccoll Monte Carlo this weekend with a new number #55. He tested the car last week at Delaware speedway in London Ontario, and has been on cloud nine ever since, " This new car is a Rocketship", says Marty." It sticks to the track very well and comes off the corner like a bullet". Marty will be looking to finish his first race in Cascar as he had mechanical problems in his first two outings in the "Powder Ventures" Monte Carlo.
The RZ RACING team has been working hard since the last Flo-pro.com CASCAR western series race. With the preparation of an oval car for Sun Valley Speedways "CASCAR 300" on July 16th, and a road course car for the " GRIDDLY HEADZ 100" in Edmonton on July 22. The Road course car has posed a bit of a challenge to the team as it has never run a road course before.
The "CASCAR 300" in Vernon has Jason White anxious to see how he can stand up to the big budget teams from back East as well as his full time competitors from the western series. "I am really looking forward to getting back to the track and seeing what our "Zimmer Wheaton GMC" Monte Carlo can do this weekend, we faired well last year in the national events by finishing both of them , now our focus is to be in the top ten at the end of the 300" says white. This is a task that he knows will take alot of hard work and a little luck as well, "I know I have the team to get me in and out of the pits swiftly, and I am confident with our "AMS" horsepower, we just need to keep working on our set-up and we will be a strong car".
Jason's father Marty will be sporting a new Mccoll Monte Carlo this weekend with a new number #55. He tested the car last week at Delaware speedway in London Ontario, and has been on cloud nine ever since, " This new car is a Rocketship", says Marty." It sticks to the track very well and comes off the corner like a bullet". Marty will be looking to finish his first race in Cascar as he had mechanical problems in his first two outings in the "Powder Ventures" Monte Carlo.
CMRC Round 5 - Regina
Courtesy Mark FriesRound 5 of the CMRC series saw Team Royal Distributing KTM finish with the best results to date. Marco Dube is finally getting some of the luck that has dodged him so far this year. Iain Hayden is riding with confidence and competing well in the very tough premier MX1 class. Micheal Sleeter is staying in the hunt for a top 3 in the very tightly contested MX2 West title.
Qualifying on Saturday took place under sunny but windy conditions. MX2 rider Michael Sleeter got a great start on his 250 SX-F and battled the competition to the checkered flag qualifying easily for the next day's race.
In the MX1 class the #24 of Marco Dube and fellow 450 SX rider Iain Hayden both qualified directly from their respective qualifiers into Sunday's main event.
After early morning Sunday practise sessions the Royal Distributing team riders were excited and ready to battle the competition on their professionally prepped KTM machines.
Royal Distributing rider Michael Sleeter was first to the gate as the first MX2 moto got under way. The #181 rounded the first corner in the top five and rode the leaders pace for most of the moto. Around mid race Shift sponsored Sleeter found trouble in a turn and went down. He got up quickly and pushed back through the pack to finish in 6th place.
The first MX1 moto of the day saw teammates Marco Dube and Iain Hayden lined up with the rest of the premier class. When the gate dropped it was both riders rounding the first corner in the top 7. Hayden has found new confidence, more speed and rode a very strong and consistent race finishing in 12th position in the tough MX1 class. Marco Dube had a great start and put his head down and rode hard battling and passing the competition to a well deserved 5th position at the end of the long 40 minute moto.
The 2nd MX2 Moto saw Michael Sleeter get a fantastic start getting a huge Royal Distributing holeshot. We've had to gladly pay out quite a few holeshot cheques to our own riders and the riders of the Royal Distributing affiliated KTM factory team this year. Proof positive of the strength and power of the KTM bikes. Bad luck struck again when he tangled with another rider going down and losing his position. Sleeter was able to remount his KTM 250SX-F to finish in 8th place which gave the Royal Distributing team a 7th place overall finish in the highly competitive MX2 class.
After the successful first MX1 moto the Royal Distributing KTM riders were looking for more great results and when the gate dropped on the 2nd MX1 moto Marco Dube and Iain Hayden didn't disapoint.
Again the teamates were in the top 8 riders around the first corner. Dube made some fast passes by choosing smart and creative lines and using his racing skills finished in 5th place giving him and his Royal Distributing team a 4th overall for the day. This is their best results so far in the 2006 season.
The #62 of Iain Hayden also had a season best result in the MX1 class finishing his 2nd moto with a strong 13th place landing him a 12th overall for the day.
Thanks to KTM, DRD exhaust, Answer, Shift, FXR, Scott USA, Ignition Racing, Motul and Pirrelli.
BROWN HEADS TO WESTERN CANADA
Courtesy Ken Spencer
CASCAR teams have saddled up their horsepower, equipment and haulers and are headed west for events at Vernon, B.C.’s Sun Valley Speedway this weekend (July 15-16) before backtracking to Alberta for a special appearance at the CHAMP Car World Series Weekend (July 21-23) in Edmonton.
Brantford’s Doug Brown is among the strong contingent of Ontario drivers who is making the trek to face the challenges of CASCAR’s Western Series teams during the two-week tour.
The driver of the NAPA Autopro/Haldex Monte Carlo currently sits third in the National standings trailing Cambridge youngster JR Fitzpatrick by 29 points and second-place Scott Steckly of Milverton by 21 in the tightening points battle.
The veteran competitor is coming off a solid fourth-place finish at Barrie on Canada Day but has three strong and experienced veterans to ward off with Mount Albert’s Kerry Micks, Wyoming’s Dave Whitlock and defending Series Champion, Don Thomson, Jr. within 8 points of third place.
Even with his strongest seasonal start since turning his racing attentions full time to CASCAR Super Series, Doug continues to approach each event with the same philosophy he adopted before the season began.
“We started this season planning for and running one event at a time,” he reiterated when asked about the grueling schedule he and a few of his teammates face in the weeks ahead, especially the western trip. “We had a pretty good run at Sun Valley last year and it’s definitely one of the nicest tracks on the circuit, but Edmonton is a new venue for us so we’ll just have to see how well we can do in qualify and take it one lap at a time,” he added.
After their western tour, teams will be returning home for a brief respite before gearing up for another road course challenge, this time at the fabled three-day Grand Prix des Trois Rivieres on Canada’s Civic Holiday weekend.
CASCAR’s Super Series returns to the Ontario scene on August 12 at Mosport’s half-mile oval.
Another New Sponsorship Marketing Partner
Prior to heading west, Doug was pleased to announce that Strodes BBQ & Deli located in Brantford has joined the team as a sponsorship/marketing partner. Strodes, owned by Brian and Karen Witteveen, specializes in a wide variety of BBQ and catering needs that include fresh meats, hot lunches, seafood, freezer orders and wholesale meat products.
The Brown Auto Racing #10 CASCAR Super Series Team is proud to have NAPA/Autopro as its Title Sponsor. Haldex Limited is a Major Associate Sponsor with Bicknell Racing Products; World of Graphics; HurryPrint Imaging Centre; WIX Filters; KWIC Internet; Gates Canada; BOC Gases; Advance Printing; Brochures etc; Leitch Performance Engines, Davis Fuels, Strodes BBQ & Deli and Leaf Racewear forming its Associate Sponsorship Marketing team.
CASCAR teams have saddled up their horsepower, equipment and haulers and are headed west for events at Vernon, B.C.’s Sun Valley Speedway this weekend (July 15-16) before backtracking to Alberta for a special appearance at the CHAMP Car World Series Weekend (July 21-23) in Edmonton.
Brantford’s Doug Brown is among the strong contingent of Ontario drivers who is making the trek to face the challenges of CASCAR’s Western Series teams during the two-week tour.
The driver of the NAPA Autopro/Haldex Monte Carlo currently sits third in the National standings trailing Cambridge youngster JR Fitzpatrick by 29 points and second-place Scott Steckly of Milverton by 21 in the tightening points battle.
The veteran competitor is coming off a solid fourth-place finish at Barrie on Canada Day but has three strong and experienced veterans to ward off with Mount Albert’s Kerry Micks, Wyoming’s Dave Whitlock and defending Series Champion, Don Thomson, Jr. within 8 points of third place.
Even with his strongest seasonal start since turning his racing attentions full time to CASCAR Super Series, Doug continues to approach each event with the same philosophy he adopted before the season began.
“We started this season planning for and running one event at a time,” he reiterated when asked about the grueling schedule he and a few of his teammates face in the weeks ahead, especially the western trip. “We had a pretty good run at Sun Valley last year and it’s definitely one of the nicest tracks on the circuit, but Edmonton is a new venue for us so we’ll just have to see how well we can do in qualify and take it one lap at a time,” he added.
After their western tour, teams will be returning home for a brief respite before gearing up for another road course challenge, this time at the fabled three-day Grand Prix des Trois Rivieres on Canada’s Civic Holiday weekend.
CASCAR’s Super Series returns to the Ontario scene on August 12 at Mosport’s half-mile oval.
Another New Sponsorship Marketing Partner
Prior to heading west, Doug was pleased to announce that Strodes BBQ & Deli located in Brantford has joined the team as a sponsorship/marketing partner. Strodes, owned by Brian and Karen Witteveen, specializes in a wide variety of BBQ and catering needs that include fresh meats, hot lunches, seafood, freezer orders and wholesale meat products.
The Brown Auto Racing #10 CASCAR Super Series Team is proud to have NAPA/Autopro as its Title Sponsor. Haldex Limited is a Major Associate Sponsor with Bicknell Racing Products; World of Graphics; HurryPrint Imaging Centre; WIX Filters; KWIC Internet; Gates Canada; BOC Gases; Advance Printing; Brochures etc; Leitch Performance Engines, Davis Fuels, Strodes BBQ & Deli and Leaf Racewear forming its Associate Sponsorship Marketing team.
Sign Up for the Oshawa Motor Sport Club's Lapping Day
The Oshawa Motor Sport Club is have a Lapping Day Saturday, August 5th, at the Mosport DDT track.
- Registration is at 8:00 am
- The drivers meeting is at 9am
- There will be club sponsor prizes and giveaways at the event
- There will be a BBQ at 4:30
- Price of admission is $135 for OMSC members and $150 for non-members
For more information call Dave at 416-580-2159 or contact via E-mail at stokesinc@sympatico.ca or call Bruce at 905-697-1244. To sign up call Aileen at 905-478-7331 or E-mail her at fafnir@rogers.com.
Hope to see you there!
- Registration is at 8:00 am
- The drivers meeting is at 9am
- There will be club sponsor prizes and giveaways at the event
- There will be a BBQ at 4:30
- Price of admission is $135 for OMSC members and $150 for non-members
For more information call Dave at 416-580-2159 or contact via E-mail at stokesinc@sympatico.ca or call Bruce at 905-697-1244. To sign up call Aileen at 905-478-7331 or E-mail her at fafnir@rogers.com.
Hope to see you there!
CASCAR: Western swing kicks off this weekend at BC’s Sun Valley Speedway
TORONTO, ON – This weekend, the CASCAR Super Series will make its second-ever appearance at Sun Valley Speedway. Canada’s top stock car series will be the centerpiece of a busy weekend of racing action at the scenic half-mile tri-oval, located in Vernon, British Columbia.
In addition to Sunday afternoon’s 300-lap feature race, the schedule will also include a pair of 100-lap qualifying sprint races on Saturday evening. The race at Sun Valley race is the first of two CASCAR ‘crossover events,’ to be held on consecutive weekends in western Canada. The second takes place the following weekend at the Grand Prix of Edmonton.
As well as being full CASCAR Super Series National Championship points events, these special crossover races are also CASCAR Flo~Pro.com Western Series full points events. The ‘race within a race’ format adds extra drama, as the Western Series competitors will do battle against the top National drivers, and each other, at the same time.
Heading to Sun Valley, Milwaukee Tools Chevy driver J.R. Fitzpatrick leads the CASCAR Super Series points for the first time in his career. The Ayr, ON resident is riding high after winning his first-ever CASCAR feature race, two weekends ago, in the MOPAR Canada Day 300 at Barrie Speedway. Fitzpatrick will undoubtedly have a good feeling about Sun Valley, too, as he earned a checkered flag there during his 100-lap qualifying sprint race in 2005.
Another driver hoping to recapture the magic from last summer is Castrol Dodge Charger driver DJ Kennington. The St. Thomas, ON racer caught fire during CASCAR’s western swing with victories at Sun Valley Speedway in his 100-lap sprint race, as well as in the 300-lap feature race. Those wins came on the heels of his checkered flag performance at Calgary’s Race City Speedway, a week earlier. Kennington’s western tear launched him into contention for the championship in 2005, and set the stage for his stunning late-season charge to third in the points.
And while drivers like Fitzpatrick and Kennington have enjoyed success at the Vernon, BC facility, they can’t hold a candle to five-time Western Series champion Kevin Dowler, driver of the EMCO Taurus. The Sherwood Park, AB racer has earned numerous victories at Sun Valley Speedway, most recently on June 10 of this year. Dowler finished ninth in last year’s CASCAR Super Series results at Sun Valley, while collecting maximum points for being the top finishing Flo~Pro.com Western Series in the field.
“We love racing at Sun Valley,” said Dowler, who is currently leading the Western Series points chase, in what he has declared to be his final season behind the wheel. “I think we’re about seven for 10 in terms of feature wins in races we’ve participated in there. We won our last race there (in June), and at the end of last season, we collected our fifth CASCAR Western Series championship at Sun Valley. So it’s safe to say that we feel good about heading there again.”
CASCAR time trials will take place starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, to be followed by the Twin 100 Qualifying Sprint Races at 7 p.m. and a full slate of local feature races at 8:45 p.m. Sunday’s 300-lap feature race at Sun Valley Speedway will take the green flag at 2 p.m.
PIT STOP DEMONSTRATIONS: In advance of this weekend’s racing activities at Sun Valley Speedway, a series of pit stop demonstrations are being held at various locations in the region. The first takes place Thursday afternoon (July 13 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.) at Zimmer Wheaton Pontiac Buick in Kamloops, BC. On Friday, the demonstrations will take place at Interior Truck & Trailer in Kelowna, BC (from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.), and in the parking lot adjacent to Watkin Motors in Vernon, BC (from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
SCHEDULE: SUN VALLEY SPEEDWAY (Vernon, British Columbia)
CASCAR Super Series
SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2006
5:00 p.m. Spectator Gates Open
6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. CASCAR Super Series Time Trials
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CASCAR Super Series Twin 100 Qualifying Sprint Races
8:45 p.m. Sun Valley Speedway Home Division Feature Races
SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2006
12:30 p.m. Spectator Gates Open
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. CASCAR Super Series Driver Autograph Session
1: 30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies & Driver Introductions
2:00 p.m. START: CASCAR SUPER SERIES 300 LAP FEATURE RACE
CASCAR ON TV: Catch the MOPAR Canada Day 300 presented by the Dodge Dealers of Ontario from Barrie Speedway on Saturday, July 15 on SPORTSNET. For information regarding initial airings and replays of Super Series races, please check your local listings or visit http://www.cascar.ca/schedule/tv_schedule.html.
POINT STANDINGS: CASCAR SUPER SERIES: After 3 Events (Top 15): 1. #84 J.R. Fitzpatrick (542 pts.); 2. #22 Scott Steckly (534); 3. #10 Doug Brown (513); 4. #02 Kerry Micks (506); 4. #39 Dave Whitlock (506); 6. #4 Don Thomson Jr. (505); 7. #17 DJ Kennington (480); 8. #19 Brad Graham (477); 9. #9 Mark Dilley (475); 10. #25 Jim Lapcevich (473); 11. #60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. (470); 12. #1 Peter Gibbons (464); 13. #3 Jason Hathaway (452); 14. #14 John Fitzpatrick (439); 15. #93 Joe Goncalves (414)
POINT STANDINGS: CASCAR FLO~PRO.COM WESTERN SERIES: After 2 Events (Top 15): 1. #35 Kevin Dowler (325); 2. #36 Jim White (320); 3. #71 Daryl Harr (307); 4. #30 Derek Polack (301); 5. #6 Todd Nichol (290); 6. #87 James Ward (278); 7. #21 Jason White (275); 8. #2 Carl Harr (268); 9. #26 Shawn Polack (264); 10. #79 Wade Lee (262); 11. #96 Norm Hunger (254); 12. #48 Chris Dennis (252); 12. #42 Lyle Paulson (252); 13. #24 Scott Dennis (247); 14. #11 Marty White (244); 14. #86 Shawn Press (244); 14. #76 Dale Biesick (244); 14. #31 Shawn Maltman (244)
POINT STANDINGS: CASCAR SPORTSMAN SERIES: After 2 Events: 1. #77 Dion VerHoeven (165); 2. #32 Mike Alguire (164); 3. #00 Steve Munro (154); 4. #81 Shawn McGlynn (150); 5. #11 Cole Weber (147); 6. #95 Ron Lethbridge (140); 7. #20 Dave DiDiero (136); 8. #67 Scott Mitchell (136); 9. #82 Dave Connelly (136); 10. #48 R Doug Cathcart (135); 11. #36 Alan Lebert (133); 12. #07 R Joey McColm (127); 13. #66 Josh Wood (64)
- Prepared by Inside Track Communications
CASCAR on TV
From Joel Robinson / JRA
Watch the MOPAR 300 CANADA DAY WEEKEND presented by the DODGE DEALERS of ONTARIO from BARRIE SPEEDWAY on SPORTSNET
SATURDAY JULY 15th at 3:00PM EST
Replays
EAST: TUESDAY JULY 18th @ 7:00PM EST
ONTARIO: MONDAY JULY 17th @ 1:00PM EST
WEST: TUESDAY JULY 18th @ 2:00PM MST
PACIFIC: THURS JULY 20th @ 1:00PM PST & THURS JULY 27th @ 1:00PM PST
Bourque Looks For Impressive Rebound At NHIS
LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Any driver incurs a few bumps and bruises during the course of a full-season of racing. Last weekend, Pierre Bourque had his share of beating and banging, too much actually. After two cars collided in front of the No. 10 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Bourque had “nowhere to go” abruptly ending his evening. Now with a sour 23rd place finish in the rear view mirror, Bourque and his Fast Track Racing team look to bounce back from the misfortune and dig deep for their first top ten finish of the season.
“We’re all looking forward to putting the disappointing finish from Lake Erie behind us,” said Bourque. “We had a great car. The crew put together a brand new Monte Carlo for that event and we didn’t even get to bring it home in one piece. It’s a shame. We had nothing to do with the wreck and got sucked in. I guess that’s racing. It happens.”
For the first time this season, Bourque will compete at a track over the length of one mile which puts optimism on the face of the rookie. Bourque’s owner Andy Hillenburg has experience at the New Hampshire based track competing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event in 1998 for Joe Falk.
“I can’t wait to get to New Hampshire,” explained the only full-time Canadian running in NASCAR. “I have a good vibe for the race on Friday. I’m hoping to use Andy’s experience and expertise to my advantage. Everyone on the team is looking for a solid run that could put us back in the points deal. After last weekend, we need it.”
Bourque added, “Dave McClure (crew chief) and the FTR team have really worked hard this season. The countless amounts of hours and efforts are not forgotten. Being a rookie is tough. I don’t have a lot of experience in these types of cars and tracks, but I think we are doing pretty decent. We finished all but one of the races. That’s good. We have six races left this season and we I plan to continue to give 150 percent behind the wheel of that racecar. We will have at least one top ten finish by season’s end.
Last weekend at Lake Erie Speedway, Bourque posted his career best qualifying effort of 19th. With the goal of continuing to improve, Bourque foresees two weeks of goals completed. “We have one of goals off our checklist; another goal is to put our car into contention. We can do it.”
Full Metals Minerals and Pollara Strategic Public Opinion will continue to back Bourque’s effort this weekend at New Hampshire. “The publicity and exposure is still reaching new heights and that’s great for our supporters,” explained Bourque. “Our sponsors are new to the racing circuit and I think we’re showing the benefits of being plastered onto a rolling billboard.”
Before arriving at New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) this weekend, Bourque along with Hillenburg’s FTR ARCA RE/MAX Series bunch participated in an open test at Gateway International Raceway. The main goal of the day was to further familiarize the Ottawa, Canada native with the ARCA cars and tracks. With the minimal seat time, the more experience the better was the motto for the session.
14 teams participated in the test but weren’t able to hit the track until afternoon as Mother Nature dashed away the morning session. During the course of the day, Bourque unofficially notched a lap time of 36.72 seconds or 122.549 mph. The team wasn’t looking for speed, but consistency for Bourque. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie and former Fast Track Racing driver Chad McCumbee assisted Bourque at the test teaching him the ins and outs of getting around the track.
“We were able to get over 50 laps during the afternoon session and that’s great,” explained Bourque. “We were working on the technical aspects of my driving. In particular we worked on my braking zones and more importantly my exit speeds by focusing on the apex point to the straightaways. We learned an awful lot. I owe a huge thanks to Chad who flew out to St. Louis just to help me. I really appreciate it.”
Bourque will return to ARCA RE/MAX Series competition in several key events behind the wheel of the famed No. 11 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hillenburg later this year.
The New England 125 (125 laps/131.25 miles) is the sixth of 11 events on the 2006 NASCAR Busch East Series schedule. Practice begins Thursday, July 13th with an hour and half (12:50pm-2:20pm EST) session planned. Busch pole qualifying is on tap Thursday afternoon (4:15pm EST). A “happy hour” session for the field is set early Friday morning starting at 9:30am and concluding at 10:05am (thirty five minute session) with the race set to take the green flag later that day at 5:10pm EST. The race will be broadcasted live in high-definition television on HDNet. SPEED will re-air the race Thursday, July 27th at 5:30pm.
In addition to running the full NASCAR Busch East Series in 2006, Pierre Bourque and Fast Track Racing will make limited starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Bourque will also make three CASCAR Series races later this year with Whitlock Motorsports.
For more information on Full Metals Minerals, please visit http://www.fullmetalminerals.com
For additional input on Pollara Strategic Public Opinion, please logon to http://www.pollara.ca
From: Chris Knight, Fast Track Racing
“We’re all looking forward to putting the disappointing finish from Lake Erie behind us,” said Bourque. “We had a great car. The crew put together a brand new Monte Carlo for that event and we didn’t even get to bring it home in one piece. It’s a shame. We had nothing to do with the wreck and got sucked in. I guess that’s racing. It happens.”
For the first time this season, Bourque will compete at a track over the length of one mile which puts optimism on the face of the rookie. Bourque’s owner Andy Hillenburg has experience at the New Hampshire based track competing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event in 1998 for Joe Falk.
“I can’t wait to get to New Hampshire,” explained the only full-time Canadian running in NASCAR. “I have a good vibe for the race on Friday. I’m hoping to use Andy’s experience and expertise to my advantage. Everyone on the team is looking for a solid run that could put us back in the points deal. After last weekend, we need it.”
Bourque added, “Dave McClure (crew chief) and the FTR team have really worked hard this season. The countless amounts of hours and efforts are not forgotten. Being a rookie is tough. I don’t have a lot of experience in these types of cars and tracks, but I think we are doing pretty decent. We finished all but one of the races. That’s good. We have six races left this season and we I plan to continue to give 150 percent behind the wheel of that racecar. We will have at least one top ten finish by season’s end.
Last weekend at Lake Erie Speedway, Bourque posted his career best qualifying effort of 19th. With the goal of continuing to improve, Bourque foresees two weeks of goals completed. “We have one of goals off our checklist; another goal is to put our car into contention. We can do it.”
Full Metals Minerals and Pollara Strategic Public Opinion will continue to back Bourque’s effort this weekend at New Hampshire. “The publicity and exposure is still reaching new heights and that’s great for our supporters,” explained Bourque. “Our sponsors are new to the racing circuit and I think we’re showing the benefits of being plastered onto a rolling billboard.”
Before arriving at New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) this weekend, Bourque along with Hillenburg’s FTR ARCA RE/MAX Series bunch participated in an open test at Gateway International Raceway. The main goal of the day was to further familiarize the Ottawa, Canada native with the ARCA cars and tracks. With the minimal seat time, the more experience the better was the motto for the session.
14 teams participated in the test but weren’t able to hit the track until afternoon as Mother Nature dashed away the morning session. During the course of the day, Bourque unofficially notched a lap time of 36.72 seconds or 122.549 mph. The team wasn’t looking for speed, but consistency for Bourque. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie and former Fast Track Racing driver Chad McCumbee assisted Bourque at the test teaching him the ins and outs of getting around the track.
“We were able to get over 50 laps during the afternoon session and that’s great,” explained Bourque. “We were working on the technical aspects of my driving. In particular we worked on my braking zones and more importantly my exit speeds by focusing on the apex point to the straightaways. We learned an awful lot. I owe a huge thanks to Chad who flew out to St. Louis just to help me. I really appreciate it.”
Bourque will return to ARCA RE/MAX Series competition in several key events behind the wheel of the famed No. 11 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hillenburg later this year.
The New England 125 (125 laps/131.25 miles) is the sixth of 11 events on the 2006 NASCAR Busch East Series schedule. Practice begins Thursday, July 13th with an hour and half (12:50pm-2:20pm EST) session planned. Busch pole qualifying is on tap Thursday afternoon (4:15pm EST). A “happy hour” session for the field is set early Friday morning starting at 9:30am and concluding at 10:05am (thirty five minute session) with the race set to take the green flag later that day at 5:10pm EST. The race will be broadcasted live in high-definition television on HDNet. SPEED will re-air the race Thursday, July 27th at 5:30pm.
In addition to running the full NASCAR Busch East Series in 2006, Pierre Bourque and Fast Track Racing will make limited starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Bourque will also make three CASCAR Series races later this year with Whitlock Motorsports.
For more information on Full Metals Minerals, please visit http://www.fullmetalminerals.com
For additional input on Pollara Strategic Public Opinion, please logon to http://www.pollara.ca
From: Chris Knight, Fast Track Racing
INSIDE TRACK: Readers' Choice Awards Winners Announced
Canadian Racing Legend Ron Fellows on top in four categories
TORONTO, ON – The votes for the fourth annual Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, presented by Castrol, have been tallied, and the winners were announced in the July 2006 issue of Inside Track Motorsport News.
In past years Inside Track supplied a list of potential nominees in each of 12 categories representing various popular forms of racing in Canada, however this time voters were given free rein to nominate any racer they chose. Inside Track wanted to ensure that every single Canadian racer had the chance to win, regardless of whether or not they were a ‘popular’ choice.
The category winners are:
Stock Car Racer of the Year – Don Thomson Jr. (CASCAR); Up & Coming Stock Car Racer of the Year – Ed Bowlby Jr. (OSCAAR); Road Racer of the Year – Ron Fellows (ALMS, SPEED GT); Up & Coming Road Racer of the Year – Travis Walker (Grand Am Cup); Motorcycle Racer of the Year – Jean Sebastien Roy (Canadian National Motocross); Up & Coming Motorcycle Racer of the Year – Harley Dunn (Canadian National Flat Track); Drag Racer of the Year – Carl Spiering (IHRA); Kart Racer of the Year – Robbie Wickens (SRFKC) and Rally Racer of the Year – Pat Richard (Rally America).
Ron Fellows picked up a trio of additional awards. For the second time in Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards history, he was chosen as Overall Canadian Racer of the Year, previously taking that title in 2004. Also, he was selected as the Canadian Racer of the Year Competing at the Highest Levels of International Competition and Most Deserving of Induction in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
First-time winner Don Thomson Jr. said, “I’m just blown away. I’ve got goose bumps. Winning the Inside Track Readers’ Choice Award is a huge honour for myself and the whole Home Hardware Chevy team, and it means a lot to me. I especially appreciate all of the fans going online and voting for me. It’s pretty cool."
Inside Track Motorsport News is Canada’s top racing magazine, and the Readers’ Choice Awards are a key component of the magazine’s commitment to shine a bright light on this country’s current and future stars. The program is supported by title sponsor Castrol Canada, and Karting award presenter PartSource. Also, the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame has incorporated several Readers’ Choice Award winners into their induction celebrations.
All voting for the Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, presented by Castrol was conducted via a controlled balloting procedure at the official Inside Track web site (www.insidetracknews.com). Polls closed at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 2006. Previous Overall Canadian Racer of the Year winners include CASCAR driver Steve Robblee (2002), former Champ Car champion Paul Tracy (2003), and ALMS and 24 Hours of Le Mans GT1-class winner Ron Fellows (2004).
VOTING RESULTS:
Overall Canadian Racer of the Year: 1. Ron Fellows (19.1%)2. Sean McIntosh (13.6%)3. Don Thomson Jr. (8.5%)
Stock Car Racer of the Year: 1. Don Thomson Jr. (14.2%)2. Rollie MacDonald (13.2%)3. Rob Clarke (8.8%)
Up & Coming Stock CarRacer of the Year: 1. Ed Bowlby (10.8%)2. Pete Shepherd III (10.2%)3. Shawn Turple (9.7%)
Road Racer of the Year: 1. Ron Fellows (35.9%)2. Sean McIntosh (26.5%)
Up & Coming Road Racerof the Year: 1. Travis Walker (30.6%)2. Sean McIntosh (25.3%)3. Robbie Wickens (17.0%)
Motorcycle Racer of the Year: 1. Jean Sebastien Roy (37.2%)2. Miguel Duhamel (17.6%)3. Pascal Picotte (9.8%)
Up & Coming MotorcycleRacer of the Year: 1. Harley Dunn (34.5%)2. Cameron MacAlpine (18.1%)3. Steven Nickerson (9%)
Drag Racer of the Year: 1. Carl Spiering (21.0%)2. Rob Atchison (19.2%)3. Todd Paton (10.5%)
Kart Racer of the Year: 1. Robbie Wickens (34%)2. Kyle Marcelli (28.6%)3. Andy Tallman (9.5%)
Rally Racer of the Year: 1. Pat Richard (28.6%)2. Peter Thomson (21.4%)
Canadian Racer of the Year Competing at the Highest Levels of International Competition: 1. Ron Fellows (25.2%)2. Sean McIntosh (8.9%)3. Paul Tracy (8.1%)
Most Deserving of Induction in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame: 1. Ron Fellows (20.8%)2. Scott Fraser (16.5%)=3. Paul Tracy (3.8%)=3. David Empringham (3.8%)
Inside Track Communications fast facts: Inside Track Communications is the industry leader in motorsports publications. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Inside Track Communications publishes Inside Track Motorsport News (http://www.insidetracknews.com/), Inside Karting, Inside Motorcycles (http://www.insidemotorcycles.com/), and Inside MotoX (http://www.insidemotocross.ca/).For more information on the Readers’ Choice Awards, contact David Weber at (519) 869-4969.
NBIS: Weekend Preview
Fredericton, NB – Don’t you just wish you could be the lucky winner of the jackpot or an instant lottery? Well this weekend you can at NBIS. The Geary Lions Club has hoped on board again with the speedway to bring the fans the $10,000 Fan Giveaway. There’s no trick or any hard skill testing questions, all you need is a loonie to buy a 50/50 ticket and you could be walking away with both your pockets so full you’ll need an extra belt to hold your pants up.
This weekend’s event is the biggest off-track event NBIS will host this season. The $10,000 brings in enough fans to give up the Irving Oil 250 competition. “ It’s great publicity for Lions International and the local Geary Lions Club..” said NBIS Office Manager Miranda Carr “This organization comes out every week and parks the cars in the parking lot and then helps around the track whenever needed. They are a great organization!”
Although the focus is on the off-track event, on the track, fans will be treated to regular points racing in all divisions, including the Coast Tire Street Stocks, Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman, and CARQUEST Pro Stocks. NBIS is coming off one the most entertaining events of the young season as last weekend’s Coast Tire “Best of the Best” race proved to be one of the “Best of the best” in recent memory with Jody Harris taking the win in his first appearance of the season. Not to be outdone, the sportsman division saw Lonnie Sommerville take home this seasons 4th hat trick feature, finishing ahead of father Bill. The street stocks also provided some edge of the seat action with Rick Cashol winning with a daring and controversial manoeuvre in the closing laps. This weekend should provide just as much entertainment on the track.
NBIS has the Irving Oil 250 payout for drivers and several other big payouts throughout the season. However, the Geary Lions Club $10,000 Fan Giveaway was designed to give fans the opportunity to cash in on a big prize - it’s guaranteed to be much easier than driving a stock car and fending off feisty competitors. There isn’t any skill testing questions to rack your brain on, no strings attached, no conditions, and you don’t have to drive a stock car or lead a lap to win. To win a fan will simply buy a 50/50 ticket and wish for the rest of the night that it is the winning ticket. Spectators should get there on Saturday because while the 50/50 booth has enough tickets for everyone, you could be waiting awhile.
Geary Lions Club $10,000 Fan Giveaway
Saturday, July 15th at 7:00pm
Pit gates open at 3pm
Grandstands open at 5pm
Racing starts at 7pm
Regular points racing in Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman, and Coast Tire Street Stock Divisions along with CARQUEST Pro Stocks. (Rain Date is Sunday at 2pm)
Tommy’s Weekend Preview, July 13-16, 2006 – Canadian Sprint Car Week?
From Tommy Goudge....
LONDON, ON - I didn’t really realize it until today, but this weekend may quite possibly be the busiest sprint car weekend in Canada for the entire season. On the schedule are 9 events in 4 provinces at 8 different tracks. Here’s what’s on tap, working our way from East to West:
QUEBEC
On Friday night the Empire Super Sprints make the first of two visits to the Autodrome Edelweiss, just a few miles North of Ottawa, our nation’s capital of course. Eventual 2005 ESS Rookie of the Year titlist Doug Norrie, who tows all the way from Connecticut to compete on the ESS tour with his brother Matt, took home feature win honours in ESS competition last season at Edelweiss. Other former Edelweiss feature winners in the field this time around include Lance Yonge and Nick Fratto, both of whom come from New York State. Quebec’s Steve Poirier, who made the switch from DIRT Modifieds – a division in which he was very successful in Quebec – to 360 sprint cars this season already has a feature win under his belt in ESS competition and will be looking to win in front of his home fans along with fellow Quebecor Alain Bergeron.
ONTARIO
4 Sprint Car events are on tap for Ontario this weekend, starting with the American Sprint Car Series Patriot Sprint Group at the Ohsweken Speedway near Brantford, Ontario on Friday night. Point leader Chuck Hebing from Ontario, New York has been unbeatable in the majority of the PSG events this season and will look to continue his performance this weekend. Hebing thoroughly dominated a Southern Ontario Sprints event at Ohsweken last month and did the same thing in a July SOS event last season as well. Another New York driver, Bryan Howland, last season’s PSG champion, missed the last PSG event at McKean County in Pennsylvania due to a family illness, but if he is at Ohsweken he could definitely be one of the favourites to win as he took home a 2nd place finish at the fast 3/8’s mile last season. Track owner Glenn Styres is also always a threat, and “Penninsula Posse” drivers Joe Middlemiss and Brad Malloy showed they could run well with the Patriots a few weeks ago in the PSG event at Merrittville Speedway when they finished 5th and 6th, respectively.
Saturday night finds sprint car action at 2 different Ontario tracks. In the extreme Southwestern portion of the province, the Southern Ontario Sprints get back in the saddle at the South Buxton Raceway near Chatham. Predicting a winner at Buxton isn’t particularly easy, although if Kyle Patrick from nearby Tilbury is there, he could be a good bet. The slippery 3/8’s mile has somewhat of a reputation of being good to locals, but last season’s results don’t particularly bear this out. One darkhorse pick could be Joe Middlemiss. The Niagara Falls-area driver has been quite strong on the SOS tour and elsewhere during his rookie season in a sprint car and comes into South Buxton riding a string of 3 top 5 finishes in a row.
While the SOS drivers are battling at Buxton, the Patriots will move on about 300 miles to the East of Ohsweken to the 1/3 mile Brockville Ontario Speedway in Brockville, Ontario. Local driver Rick Wilson from nearby Joyceville, Ontario is sure to be a threat at BOS, along with son Kyle if he is in competition. Hebing and Howland will once again be favourites, along with PSG regular Don Adamczyk, who has advanced all the way to 2nd in PSG points on the strength of 6 straight top 10 finishes recently.
On Sunday the Empire Super Sprints will make their way a few miles back over the border from the Frogtown Speedway in Hogansburg, NY after racing there on Saturday night to race at the beautiful Cornwall Speedway in Cornwall, Ontario. Cornwall is the site of Steve Poirier’s previous feature win this season and the Quebec driver has to be considered a favourite to win once again on the ¼ mile track. New York driver Jeff Cook is another former feature winner at Cornwall who will be in attendance on Sunday.
MANITOBA
This weekend’s action gets underway tomorrow night, Thursday, July 13, in the province of Manitoba with the 2nd annual running of the “Mid-Canada Sprint Car Challenge” at the recently renovated 4/10 mile Red River Co-Op Speedway (formerly Victory Lane Speedway) in Winnipeg. The Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) 410’s will once again be sanctioning the event, although at least a handful of 360’s will also be on hand vying for a bonus prize to any 360 that can beat the 410’s. A preliminary entry list for the event was released a month ago with entrants from Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Fresh off a visit by Steve Kinser and the National Sprint Tour last weekend to the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota – NOSA’s home track – many of the NOSA regulars are at the top of their game.
Grand Forks is just a mere 150 miles to the South of Winnipeg, and perennial area standout Mark Dobmeier from Grand Forks is certainly a favourite to take home the feature win. He has racked up 8 feature wins in Upper Midwest Sprint Car competition already this season and finished 4th last Saturday night in NST action at River Cities, ahead of such standout drivers as Steve Kinser and Jason Meyers. Local Winnipeg driver Lou Kennedy, Jr. is sure to be up front as well as he is the defending winner of this event and has taken home 3 NOSA victories already this season. Lou has also shown that he is capable of running with anybody as he set the 5th fastest lap in NST time trials at River Cities on Friday night. Minnesota driver Casey Mack won 2 weeks ago in the NOSA Canada Day event at Estevan Speedway in Saskatchewan and also figures to play a prominent role.
ALBERTA
The 53rd Annual Gold Cup at Castrol Raceway (formerly Budweiser Motorsports Park) just outside of Edmonton Alberta gets going Friday night under Alberta Sprint Tour sanctioning for the first of two nights of what quite possibly could be the most Northerly sprint car event in the world (although I have seen something about an Alaska Sprint Tour if you can believe it). The Gold Cup traces it’s roots back to 1954 at Edmonton’s old Speedway Park, which featured Modified racing, and later Supermodifieds as the cars evolved quickly in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The Gold Cup has been held at the Castrol Raceway since 1991 and is now open to 360 c.i. Sprint Cars. The final night’s feature pays $5,000 to the winner, making it Canada’s 2nd richest sprint car race (behind the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at Ohsweken, Ontario) and one of the higher paying 360 races on the continent. The all time wins list for the Gold Cup reads like a who’s who of Northwest auto racing as names like Billy Foster and Jerry Sneva appear on the win list, along with more recent ones like Jason Solwold and Gary Lee Maier.
Traditionally this event features lots of local flavour with Castrol’s regular 360 sprint car competitors mixing it up with the Alberta Sprint Tour teams, but the event also draws entries from such distant places as Washington State, British Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, and Manitoba. Richard Rogers, who will be competing at the Red River Co-Op Speedway event in Winnipeg on Thursday night, plans on making an incredible 800+ mile haul to Edmonton to race the very next night. The trek for the rest of the out-of-province racers who come to this event each year is pretty much just as far as Winnipeg as well, and if they are coming from points further West, many of them have to deal with the trials and tribulations of crossing the Rocky Mountains to get there too. Sure makes our complaints here in Southern Ontario about going to Brighton for the regular Southern Ontario Sprints events seem pretty trivial doesn’t it?
Rumours abound concerning who will or won’t be racing in this year’s event, including some suggesting that former World of Outlaws driver Brad Furr could be coming from California, as well as a possible visit from Idaho driver Joe Ramaker, who has the most 360 sprint car feature wins in the Northwest so far this season. The local drivers will be strong too with former Gold Cup winners Tim Gee, Wade Fleming, and Sean Moran all expected to compete. Notable in his absence will be 2004 winner Travis Rutz from Langley, BC. The young driver will be racing at his regular track, the Skagit Speedway in Washington this weekend instead.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
In the only paved action of the weekend for sprint cars in Canada, the beautiful cars of the WILROC Northwest Sprint Car and Supermodified Racing Series are back in action this Saturday night at the historic Western Speedway in Victoria, BC competing in the Roy Smith Memorial. Scott Aumen from Duncan, BC has won 2 WILROC features this season, including the last event at the paved 4/10’s mile Vancouver Island track back in June on Strawberry Cup night.
MEANWHILE…
…2/3’s of TheRaceChasers crew is heading to Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Ohio this weekend for the King’s Royal presented by Crown Royal. This is a must-see show for us each year…A few local Ontario teams are planning on heading to Eldora to race in the NRA 360 portion of the program, though some will head back home to race at South Buxton on Saturday instead of staying for the 2nd night. Ridgetown’s Adam West is rumoured to be taking part in both nights again this year after a good showing in his initial Eldora visit last season. In the 410’s, Burlington’s Ryan Coniam could possibly be there, but nothing is carved in stone.
Comments, questions, and anything else you’d like to send my way can be sent to tommygoudge@hotmail.com. See you at the races!
LONDON, ON - I didn’t really realize it until today, but this weekend may quite possibly be the busiest sprint car weekend in Canada for the entire season. On the schedule are 9 events in 4 provinces at 8 different tracks. Here’s what’s on tap, working our way from East to West:
QUEBEC
On Friday night the Empire Super Sprints make the first of two visits to the Autodrome Edelweiss, just a few miles North of Ottawa, our nation’s capital of course. Eventual 2005 ESS Rookie of the Year titlist Doug Norrie, who tows all the way from Connecticut to compete on the ESS tour with his brother Matt, took home feature win honours in ESS competition last season at Edelweiss. Other former Edelweiss feature winners in the field this time around include Lance Yonge and Nick Fratto, both of whom come from New York State. Quebec’s Steve Poirier, who made the switch from DIRT Modifieds – a division in which he was very successful in Quebec – to 360 sprint cars this season already has a feature win under his belt in ESS competition and will be looking to win in front of his home fans along with fellow Quebecor Alain Bergeron.
ONTARIO
4 Sprint Car events are on tap for Ontario this weekend, starting with the American Sprint Car Series Patriot Sprint Group at the Ohsweken Speedway near Brantford, Ontario on Friday night. Point leader Chuck Hebing from Ontario, New York has been unbeatable in the majority of the PSG events this season and will look to continue his performance this weekend. Hebing thoroughly dominated a Southern Ontario Sprints event at Ohsweken last month and did the same thing in a July SOS event last season as well. Another New York driver, Bryan Howland, last season’s PSG champion, missed the last PSG event at McKean County in Pennsylvania due to a family illness, but if he is at Ohsweken he could definitely be one of the favourites to win as he took home a 2nd place finish at the fast 3/8’s mile last season. Track owner Glenn Styres is also always a threat, and “Penninsula Posse” drivers Joe Middlemiss and Brad Malloy showed they could run well with the Patriots a few weeks ago in the PSG event at Merrittville Speedway when they finished 5th and 6th, respectively.
Saturday night finds sprint car action at 2 different Ontario tracks. In the extreme Southwestern portion of the province, the Southern Ontario Sprints get back in the saddle at the South Buxton Raceway near Chatham. Predicting a winner at Buxton isn’t particularly easy, although if Kyle Patrick from nearby Tilbury is there, he could be a good bet. The slippery 3/8’s mile has somewhat of a reputation of being good to locals, but last season’s results don’t particularly bear this out. One darkhorse pick could be Joe Middlemiss. The Niagara Falls-area driver has been quite strong on the SOS tour and elsewhere during his rookie season in a sprint car and comes into South Buxton riding a string of 3 top 5 finishes in a row.
While the SOS drivers are battling at Buxton, the Patriots will move on about 300 miles to the East of Ohsweken to the 1/3 mile Brockville Ontario Speedway in Brockville, Ontario. Local driver Rick Wilson from nearby Joyceville, Ontario is sure to be a threat at BOS, along with son Kyle if he is in competition. Hebing and Howland will once again be favourites, along with PSG regular Don Adamczyk, who has advanced all the way to 2nd in PSG points on the strength of 6 straight top 10 finishes recently.
On Sunday the Empire Super Sprints will make their way a few miles back over the border from the Frogtown Speedway in Hogansburg, NY after racing there on Saturday night to race at the beautiful Cornwall Speedway in Cornwall, Ontario. Cornwall is the site of Steve Poirier’s previous feature win this season and the Quebec driver has to be considered a favourite to win once again on the ¼ mile track. New York driver Jeff Cook is another former feature winner at Cornwall who will be in attendance on Sunday.
MANITOBA
This weekend’s action gets underway tomorrow night, Thursday, July 13, in the province of Manitoba with the 2nd annual running of the “Mid-Canada Sprint Car Challenge” at the recently renovated 4/10 mile Red River Co-Op Speedway (formerly Victory Lane Speedway) in Winnipeg. The Northern Outlaw Sprint Association (NOSA) 410’s will once again be sanctioning the event, although at least a handful of 360’s will also be on hand vying for a bonus prize to any 360 that can beat the 410’s. A preliminary entry list for the event was released a month ago with entrants from Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Fresh off a visit by Steve Kinser and the National Sprint Tour last weekend to the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota – NOSA’s home track – many of the NOSA regulars are at the top of their game.
Grand Forks is just a mere 150 miles to the South of Winnipeg, and perennial area standout Mark Dobmeier from Grand Forks is certainly a favourite to take home the feature win. He has racked up 8 feature wins in Upper Midwest Sprint Car competition already this season and finished 4th last Saturday night in NST action at River Cities, ahead of such standout drivers as Steve Kinser and Jason Meyers. Local Winnipeg driver Lou Kennedy, Jr. is sure to be up front as well as he is the defending winner of this event and has taken home 3 NOSA victories already this season. Lou has also shown that he is capable of running with anybody as he set the 5th fastest lap in NST time trials at River Cities on Friday night. Minnesota driver Casey Mack won 2 weeks ago in the NOSA Canada Day event at Estevan Speedway in Saskatchewan and also figures to play a prominent role.
ALBERTA
The 53rd Annual Gold Cup at Castrol Raceway (formerly Budweiser Motorsports Park) just outside of Edmonton Alberta gets going Friday night under Alberta Sprint Tour sanctioning for the first of two nights of what quite possibly could be the most Northerly sprint car event in the world (although I have seen something about an Alaska Sprint Tour if you can believe it). The Gold Cup traces it’s roots back to 1954 at Edmonton’s old Speedway Park, which featured Modified racing, and later Supermodifieds as the cars evolved quickly in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The Gold Cup has been held at the Castrol Raceway since 1991 and is now open to 360 c.i. Sprint Cars. The final night’s feature pays $5,000 to the winner, making it Canada’s 2nd richest sprint car race (behind the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at Ohsweken, Ontario) and one of the higher paying 360 races on the continent. The all time wins list for the Gold Cup reads like a who’s who of Northwest auto racing as names like Billy Foster and Jerry Sneva appear on the win list, along with more recent ones like Jason Solwold and Gary Lee Maier.
Traditionally this event features lots of local flavour with Castrol’s regular 360 sprint car competitors mixing it up with the Alberta Sprint Tour teams, but the event also draws entries from such distant places as Washington State, British Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, and Manitoba. Richard Rogers, who will be competing at the Red River Co-Op Speedway event in Winnipeg on Thursday night, plans on making an incredible 800+ mile haul to Edmonton to race the very next night. The trek for the rest of the out-of-province racers who come to this event each year is pretty much just as far as Winnipeg as well, and if they are coming from points further West, many of them have to deal with the trials and tribulations of crossing the Rocky Mountains to get there too. Sure makes our complaints here in Southern Ontario about going to Brighton for the regular Southern Ontario Sprints events seem pretty trivial doesn’t it?
Rumours abound concerning who will or won’t be racing in this year’s event, including some suggesting that former World of Outlaws driver Brad Furr could be coming from California, as well as a possible visit from Idaho driver Joe Ramaker, who has the most 360 sprint car feature wins in the Northwest so far this season. The local drivers will be strong too with former Gold Cup winners Tim Gee, Wade Fleming, and Sean Moran all expected to compete. Notable in his absence will be 2004 winner Travis Rutz from Langley, BC. The young driver will be racing at his regular track, the Skagit Speedway in Washington this weekend instead.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
In the only paved action of the weekend for sprint cars in Canada, the beautiful cars of the WILROC Northwest Sprint Car and Supermodified Racing Series are back in action this Saturday night at the historic Western Speedway in Victoria, BC competing in the Roy Smith Memorial. Scott Aumen from Duncan, BC has won 2 WILROC features this season, including the last event at the paved 4/10’s mile Vancouver Island track back in June on Strawberry Cup night.
MEANWHILE…
…2/3’s of TheRaceChasers crew is heading to Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Ohio this weekend for the King’s Royal presented by Crown Royal. This is a must-see show for us each year…A few local Ontario teams are planning on heading to Eldora to race in the NRA 360 portion of the program, though some will head back home to race at South Buxton on Saturday instead of staying for the 2nd night. Ridgetown’s Adam West is rumoured to be taking part in both nights again this year after a good showing in his initial Eldora visit last season. In the 410’s, Burlington’s Ryan Coniam could possibly be there, but nothing is carved in stone.
Comments, questions, and anything else you’d like to send my way can be sent to tommygoudge@hotmail.com. See you at the races!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
FLAMBORO: Special Wednesday night show to feature Ron Williams Memorial
HAMILTON, ON – Next Wednesday (July 19), Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway will play host to a rare Wednesday night racing program. The focal point of the evening will be a 100-lap, $3,000-to-win Late Model race, to be called ‘The Ron Williams Memorial’, in tribute to the popular racer who passed away last year.
The program will also include a 40-lap Thunder Car race and a special free draw for the kids, through will several great prizes will be awarded to youngsters in attendance. They include: 6 bikes, a scanner & headset (courtesy of Glen Watson from Race2way.ca), and Bingeman Park Water Park passes.
The bikes were donated by Ron’s family and friends, including: Jeff Stewart, Bruce Bennett Jr. and Team; Jason Shaw and Team; Pete, Sharon, Petey and Angie Shepherd; Rob and Yvonne Neely (Neely's Auto Service); Cole Weber (Weber Leasing); Ron & Diane Strauss (RJ Trucks); Process Group; Glen Watson and Family (Race2way.ca); Ron & Audrey Snyder (Ron's Service); Alfred Fach Excavating and John Wolff (Wolff's Service Centre).
This event was organized by John Casale of Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway, with help from Sharon Shepherd and Bruce Bennett. The kids’ draw is organized by Wendy Watson and Randy Shaw.
The Back Gate opens on Wednesday (July 19) at 5:30 p.m. and the Spectator Gates open at 6:00 p.m. Racing is slated to start at 7:30 p.m.
A Brief Background on Ron Williams:
Started racing in 1964 at tracks such as Nilestown and Hideaway. In the early ‘70s, he raced with drivers such as Bernie Campbell, John Logel, Jim Collison and Ken McIlroy at various track such as Delaware, Varney, Flamboro and Sauble.In the late ‘70s, he raced in the Late Model division at Sauble and Flamboro, with drivers like Bill Zardo, Jr. Hanley, Don Biederman, Randy Slack and Pete Bennett.
In the early ‘80s, Ron retired from racing and went to work for Bruce Bennett at Sauble Speedway as their Pit Steward. He also helped out in the pits at Varney Speedway.
In the early ‘90s, he was the crew chief for Robbie Thompson's ACT car, was on John Gaunt’s CASCAR pit crew, as well as for other drivers such as John Wolff and Tim Ellis.
At the start of this millennium, Ron joined BBJA - Bruce Bennett Jr. and Associates - and for three years was the crew chief of the #56 Late Model driven by Jeff Stewart at Flamboro Speedway.
- with files from Wendy Watson
Hinchcliffe and Lacroix to Sample A1GP Power
Courtesy Stuart Morrison Public Relations
Montreal, Québec (July 12, 2006) – James Hinchcliffe and Kevin Lacroix, two of Canada’s most exciting open-wheel racing prospects, have been invited by A1 Team Canada to sample the power of an A1 Grand Prix car at a test to be held at the Pembrey Circuit in the United Kingdom next week, Monday 17th – Tuesday 18th July.
The driver evaluation, hosted on the 1.456-mile track in South Wales, will allow Hinchcliffe (19) and Lacroix (17) to experience the power and performance of the 500bhp A1GP car, built by Lola and powered by a V8 Zytek engine, while working with A1 Team Canada.
Commenting ahead of the test, John Surtees, A1 Team Canada consultant and 1964 Ferrari F1 World Champion remarked: "This is not a shoot-out and there will be no pressure on the drivers to go out and set startling times. This is a getting to know you session. We have brought the drivers along based on their past experience and the ability shown in their racing to-date. We wanted to do an evaluation in preparation for the official test which takes place in August. We hope to continue this as a program dependent on A1GP and the availability of equipment.”
Jack Roush Reflects On 600th Consecuitve Start, Journey With Martin
Courtesy Kevin Woods, Roush Racing
Concord, N.C. (July 12, 2006) Nineteen years ago when Jack Roush put together his first run at the Nextel Cup circuit, he put his faith in the hands of young driver Mark Martin. Martin’s streak dates back to Feb. 14, 1988 when he and Roush first hooked up for the Daytona 500.
Almost 20 years later, Roush and Martin will make their 600th consecutive Cup start together this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. Along the way the two have forged the way for one of the most successful teams in motor sports history. Together they have run up 35 Nextel Cup wins, 41 poles, 366 top-10 and 229 top-five finishes. Martin and Roush have finished second in the Championship standings four times, in stints ranging from 1990 to 2002 and Martin has become a regular in the year end top-10 standings. In addition the bulk of Martin’s Busch record 45 wins came with Roush by his side.
“Well it’s been a great ride with Mark Martin for 600 starts now,” said Roush on Wednesday. “He’s brought intensity, enthusiasm, great driving ability and integrity to the driver’s seat, unlike no other driver that I can recall.”
“He is still the man to charge the superspeedways, the restrictor plate tracks and he’s got great enthusiasm and passion for everything he does. Every racetrack that he goes to he still expects to win and he expects his people to prepare to win. His drive and determination haven’t slowed one bit and his ability is still at the top of the echelon. It’s just a pleasure to be with him.”
Going into the race Martin is currently sixth in the point standings, trailing a position in the top five by just a few points, as he makes his bid for a third-consecutive birth in the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. Martin will look to more than likely close out his full-time Nextel Cup career with his 17th career top-10 finish.
“As I started with this journey with Mark 19 years ago I certainly didn’t see the success and the number of wins that we’ve had together,” added Roush. “I also didn’t see this term being as long as it has, nor did I ever consider that it would ever end.
“Now as we look down the road the number of races left are definitely finite and it brings great sadness that we haven’t won a championship and the amount of time left to close the deal is quickly winding down. However we do still have an opportunity and we have to make the most of that. I know that once we get him into the Chase, Mark will be there to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
“We do certainly still look forward to a lot of success and championships in front of us in the truck series as he moves off to that, and I will look forward to moving down the road with him as we continue on this journey that has brought us both so much fulfillment.”
Concord, N.C. (July 12, 2006) Nineteen years ago when Jack Roush put together his first run at the Nextel Cup circuit, he put his faith in the hands of young driver Mark Martin. Martin’s streak dates back to Feb. 14, 1988 when he and Roush first hooked up for the Daytona 500.
Almost 20 years later, Roush and Martin will make their 600th consecutive Cup start together this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. Along the way the two have forged the way for one of the most successful teams in motor sports history. Together they have run up 35 Nextel Cup wins, 41 poles, 366 top-10 and 229 top-five finishes. Martin and Roush have finished second in the Championship standings four times, in stints ranging from 1990 to 2002 and Martin has become a regular in the year end top-10 standings. In addition the bulk of Martin’s Busch record 45 wins came with Roush by his side.
“Well it’s been a great ride with Mark Martin for 600 starts now,” said Roush on Wednesday. “He’s brought intensity, enthusiasm, great driving ability and integrity to the driver’s seat, unlike no other driver that I can recall.”
“He is still the man to charge the superspeedways, the restrictor plate tracks and he’s got great enthusiasm and passion for everything he does. Every racetrack that he goes to he still expects to win and he expects his people to prepare to win. His drive and determination haven’t slowed one bit and his ability is still at the top of the echelon. It’s just a pleasure to be with him.”
Going into the race Martin is currently sixth in the point standings, trailing a position in the top five by just a few points, as he makes his bid for a third-consecutive birth in the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. Martin will look to more than likely close out his full-time Nextel Cup career with his 17th career top-10 finish.
“As I started with this journey with Mark 19 years ago I certainly didn’t see the success and the number of wins that we’ve had together,” added Roush. “I also didn’t see this term being as long as it has, nor did I ever consider that it would ever end.
“Now as we look down the road the number of races left are definitely finite and it brings great sadness that we haven’t won a championship and the amount of time left to close the deal is quickly winding down. However we do still have an opportunity and we have to make the most of that. I know that once we get him into the Chase, Mark will be there to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
“We do certainly still look forward to a lot of success and championships in front of us in the truck series as he moves off to that, and I will look forward to moving down the road with him as we continue on this journey that has brought us both so much fulfillment.”
SAD NEWS: DIRT NE Hall of Fame ‘Outstanding Contributor’ Jack Veach Passes Away
Weedsport, NY – July 12, 2006 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRT NorthEast PR
The entire DIRT MotorSports™ staff and racing community extends its deepest sympathy to family and friends of auto racing official Jack Veach upon receiving the news of his recent passing. Diagnosed last year with a treatable case of cancer, it spread quickly before Jack finally succumbed to the disease on Tuesday, July 11.
Calling hours at the Fretthold Funeral Parlor, 1241 Oliver St. (Corner of Ward and Oliver), North Tonawanda, N.Y. are Wed. 7-9 & Thurs 2-4 & 7-9. The service will take place on Friday at 12 noon.
Veach was named as a Leonard J. Sammons, Jr. Memorial Award winner in recognition of his outstanding service to motorsports during DIRT NorthEast Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in May of 2000 on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds.
He began as a mechanic among a group of friends fielding a jalopy at the old Civic Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y. in the late 1950s and that experience was the catalyst for his life-long involvement with auto racing in and around the Niagara Frontier. The Tonawanda, N.Y. resident picked up his first track job working the sign-in booth at Lancaster Speedway, then followed up quickly with officiating stints at Merrittville (Ont.) and Ransomville ---where he spent 35 years as an official--- speedways before expanding to work events at the Niagara Falls Convention Center, Holland, Perry, Genesee, Bismark, Humberstone and the New York State Fairgrounds under the DIRT banner.
Jack’s family joined in the weekly pitside party with wife Bonnie occupying the sign-in booth and son John manning the flagstand while daughter Dawn currently orchestrates VIP Tower activity at Ransomville. Despite donning official apparel for the past 40 years, Jack once said it best, "I’m a race fan first and foremost."
Donations can be made in Jack’s name and directed to the Niagara Hospice and sent to the Fretthold funeral home address.
TRANSCRIPT: Ganassi & Montoya discuss his jump to NASCAR
NOTE: Chip Ganassi announced Sunday morning at Chicagoland Speedway that Juan Pablo Montoya has signed a multi-year deal with the organization to compete in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series beginning in 2007. Montoya will drive the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger.
CHIP GANASSI (Owner Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)
COMMENT ON BIG WEEKEND AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY “It was certainly a big weekend for us. We have little momentum now and we look forward to increasing that momentum as well.”
WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR JUAN PABLO NOW IN 2006? “We all read yesterday and heard the news that McLaren and Ron Dennis had released Juan. Interestingly as I’m sure many of these sports writers understand there are different levels of being released. Are you released fully and completely on day one? Is it shake hands, see you later, get on with your life or is it something where he’s going to be released to do some testing? Is he going to be released to do some racing? We’re still walking through the mechanics of that. I’m sure there’s still some papers that have to be signed and some release documents and everything. While he has been released from his driving duties with McLaren, I think there’s still some paperwork that’s probably being exchanged right now. I certainly don’t want to speak for him or McLaren, but I would characterize it as while he was certainly released there’s probably going to be some kind of conditional release.”
WHAT IS JUAN PABLO BRINGING TO YOUR TEAM? “I think you have to understand. This deal sort of looked very quick to a lot of people in the last less than a week, and in a way it was. In a way also, I guess I’ve been working on it since he did leave the team. Maybe we’ve been working on for about six years I guess since we last saw him in one of our cars. What does he bring to the team? He brings a lot of excitement, a lot of ability, a lot of attitude. I haven’t really given that whole Hispanic thing a thought yet…. What I want to do, I want to win races. We’ve always had great drivers available to us to drive and this sort of says what our team is doing is right and the way we’re going about it is right. So he brings some validation as well I think.”
HOW DID YOU PRESENT JUAN PABLO TO YOUR SPONSOR? COULD YOU COMMENT ON HOW THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS MATCH HIS APPEAL? “In how their demographic matches his appeal, that is something you’ll have to ask them. I’m into racing. I’m not into the demographics of major corporations. The interesting thing is Juan Pablo is sponsored by Mobil in Formula 1 and he’s under very, very strict rules about what he can say and what he can’t say. Obviously having the Texaco/Havoline Dodge step in is something PR people might have a challenge with. I can tell you this. Obviously we wouldn’t do anything without Chevron, which is the parent company of Texaco/Havoline, obviously we were in step with Chevron the whole way about what was going on and they were fully supportive, could not have been more supportive of the plan, the idea and how it came down and moving forward. They’re very, very excited, obviously. They’re a world class company and Juan is obviously a world class driver. I think it goes hand to hand. What else can you say? The world needs the world.”
COULD JUAN PABLO RACE ONE OF YOUR CARS AT WATKINS GLEN? “When we get the details of his release, what we can and can’t do, we’ll be certainly all over every opportunity we get to put him in good cars at race circuits he needs to see. I have to tell you on the list of important things I want him to learn, driving a Cup car on a road course is way down the list right now.”
HAVE YOU TALKED TO JUAN PABLO ABOUT HOW HE MAY BE TREATED IN NASCAR? “There are going to be people that accept him, and I’m sure there will be people that don’t. It’s like that in any endeavor, any time there’s change. Everybody likes change as long as it doesn’t affect them. The ways of the world are changing. People within our own organization here had some question. I think as soon as they met Juan face-to-face at the racetrack within 20 seconds… The guy has got an infectious personality No. 1 and No. 2, you realize he gets it about racing. I don’t have any problem with him being accepted, being nudged around on the track. I’m sure people will try him on for size, but that’s all part of it. I’m sure he’ll earn their respect on the track, and I’m sure he’ll have everyone’s respect off the track as well.”
DO YOU SEE NASCAR AS BEING THE TOP RACING SERIES IN THE FUTURE? “That’s an interesting question. For many years here in the United States there’s been an influx of interest in NASCAR. In the last 10 years NASCAR has exploded. Really it began with what they call the Modern Era (beginning in 1972). There have been so many interesting things that have happened in the modern era of NASCAR. It has a lot of interest. The interest continues to go up year in and year out. When they signed this new TV package, when they went to FOX, there’s a huge, huge amount of interest in the NASCAR arena from sponsors, from drivers, from teams. It only continues to grow. I’m not someone who keeps score on what’s the biggest racing series in the world or what’s the most popular or whatever. I look at it from a racing point of view. I like being involved in racing. It’s my business. It’s my job, and I love it. I have a lot of passion for it. I have a lot of interest in it, but it’s for other people to decide which is the biggest one in the world or what’s the most interesting one. You have to say there is a lot of interest in NASCAR with people in the United States. We’ll have to see if that expands.”
COMMENT ON MEXICAN DRIVER LUIS DIAZ “Luis is obviously at the top of his sport in the country of Mexico now. Probably the premiere driver in the country, and we’re fortunate to have him in our sports car team, and I look forward to working with him for years to come.”
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT’LL TAKE JUAN PABLO TO BECOME COMPETITIVE IN CUP? “I can only go off of my past experience. He’s shown to pick up new tricks pretty quickly even though he’s not an old dog, so I don’t see that as a major challenge. A lot of times in these Cup cars it’s the things you don’t do as opposed to things you have to do. With his racing experience he knows the things you have to do. I think it’s a question of a pretty long list of things you don’t do. We have some interest from some veteran drivers who want to help Juan along the way, one in particular sticks out. I hope we can get him to help us along the way because a lot of these veterans have a lot to add in terms of nuisances of different circuits and tracks, the dos and don’ts of a Cup car. A couple of these retired guys, one in particular, I’d surely like help me.”
COMMENT ON WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT THE APPEAL OF NASCAR “From my point of view, it’s obviously a tight driver market right now in Cup. It forces people to look outside the box. We’ve never been afraid to do that. Fortunately there was an opportunity here that myself and the world were unaware of until not too long ago, so these opportunities don’t come along often, and I think when they do you have to seize the moment. Interestingly enough, a lot of questions I’m getting about it are things I haven’t thought of yet. I think his life has changed a bit since I saw him last. He’s married. He has a son. I think they have another child on the way. This series gives him an opportunity to be home on Sunday night. I’m just guessing here, but I think this gives him the ability to have some family life. In speaking with Juan, I learned the amount of miles they do each year in Formula 1 and the amount of time he spends testing, not in front of people,. He’s saying that when you compare the mileage, it’s kind of interesting because it’s very close except most of the mileage in NASCAR is in front of people on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as opposed to testing all week in front of nobody in the middle of France. At the end of the day, Juan is about racing. One of the first things he said to me face-to-face at the airport when we finally got together. I began to ask him all these questions about NASCAR, and he said, ‘hey, I want to race.’ I think that’s an important point. There’s all this marketing and diversity and world appeal and all this stuff sort of swirls around, but what does it swirl around? I think at the center of all this is racing. He mentioned to me the closeness of the racing. I read somewhere on a clip here the past few days he said, ‘you go side-by-side three inches or four inches apart for entire laps at 180-190 mph.’ ”
WHY DO YOU THINK THE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT NASCAR HAVE CHANGED SO QUICKLY? “I had the same questions about NASCAR when I came from open wheel racing, and I’ve had nothing but open arms. They respect people who race and they respect people who have had success elsewhere. They welcome them with open arms. You’ve got to work and earn their respect, but I think they give you every opportunity to do that. I wouldn’t call it a closed shop.”
DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA HOW LONG IT MIGHT TAKE TO GET THE DETAILS OF JUAN’S RELEASE WORKED OUT? HOW MUCH TESTING WOULD YOU LIKE FOR JUAN TO DO BEFORE HE ENTERS HIS FIRST CUP RACE? “In terms of time frame we’re hoping we can get going on something here by the middle of August. In terms of what we’d like to see him do in the meantime, no matter what you do between the time you get started and the Daytona 500, I think when you get to the middle of February in Daytona you’re going to say, ‘I wish we had a few more days to try this or try that.’ These race circuits each have their own little nuisances and you’re going to constantly be questioning if you covered every base. So in terms of amount, I don’t know if we could ever do enough and we’ll always wish we had more time. We certainly want to get him in every type of track and every type of car we have.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ADAPTATION PROCESS WILL BE LIKE COMING FROM FORMULA ONE TO NASCAR? “There are so many different things about the two series that are different. While they are both racing, you have different cars, different tracks, different types of drivers, different food, different accommodations, different parts of the country versus the world. NASCAR is a much more family-friendly atmosphere. I was reading in the paper this morning that Tony Stewart said a good thing about NASCAR drivers is they can laugh at themselves or whatever. I think the adaptation will take on a lot of different avenues if you will, on and off the track. These are all going to have to be managed and the expectation is going to have to be managed. The expectation of the driver from the team, the expectation of the fans from the driver, the expectation of the driver on the track – a lot of expectations here are going to have to be managed, and we’re all going to work hard to do that in our respective areas.”
WHAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL WAY TO BRING JUAN ALONG? “The best scenario would be if we had a year to prepare I guess and we could just go to all the tracks and go back to them and test and after we go to each one go back to them again and test. That isn’t a reality situation. Road courses are down at the bottom of the list. It’s about getting to know these cars and getting to understand the nuisances of the circuit and getting to understand the differences of a Bristol versus a Richmond versus a Martinsville versus a Charlotte versus a plate races and the differences in plate races from Daytona to Talladega. The good thing is you’re talking about somebody who is used to racing at a high level with a high level of information. There’s certainly a lot of information here that’s going to be downloaded to Juan within the next six months, however that information is delivered, whether it’s delivered on the track or delivered verbally, whether it’s delivered during a test or during a race. The good news he’s used to absorbing a lot on the information side, and there’s certainly going to be a lot of it.”
ELABORATE ON TIGHT DRIVER MARKET “Let me just say one thing before I go along. Everybody keeps saying Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. I’ve seen that a lot this week in the press. Thanks for letting me get that out. The name of the team is Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, who also happens to be of Spanish speaking decent there in Cuba for those of you who don’t know. Tight driver market, that’s not a failure on anybody’s part. It’s not a tight driver market across the board. It’s a tight driver market when you want good drivers, quality drivers who have the experience. That’s what you’re looking for. These days there are plenty of guys out there that can drive these cars, but can they do the job on the track? Can they do the job off the track? Can they have the maturity level to deal with all the scenarios they’re going to be faced with throughout the season? These are the things the team owners are looking for these days. I wouldn’t call it a failure on anybody’s part. It’s the way of the world these days, across the board in all formulas of racing. There’s a good driver shortage, maybe that’s how it should be phrased.”
WILL THE NEW TESTING RULES HINDER YOU? “Obviously most of the bigger teams I know of actually do test quite a bit at non-NASCAR venue tracks. I heard a rumor they were going to increase the number of tests and have one or two more tests. Again, it’s going to be a wait and see kind of thing. One of the arguments I do have is that the testing rule in years past has been so tight. It does make it difficult if you have a driver that gets hurt or you’re bringing in a new driver or whatever. NASCAR has always been fairly good at working with you on that kind of stuff. I’m certainly somebody that’s pleased if there’s going to be an increase in testing.”
ELABORATE ON JUAN’S DEBUT “Believe me as much of a surprise as this was to everyone in the media, it was just as much a surprise to everyone in our organization here in Charlotte. They’re all scrambling putting different plans together and different scenarios. If Juan was able to drive tomorrow I think it would be an impossibility just because of the previous plans that are in place. I think it’s important to keep in mind this isn’t a start-up situation. We have plenty of plans in place for our current drivers and what they’re scheduled to be doing.”
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (2007 Driver No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger)
WAS THE POPULARITY OF NASCAR A REASON YOU MADE THE CHANGE? “I think the popularity of the sport is very important. I think in America NASCAR is huge, especially if you come here and spend a month between the two races and you see how much is involved in NASCAR. It’s huge and for me to be able to come here and work with NASCAR with the diversity program and bringing new fans into the sport and help promote the sport, I think it’s a huge thing. We’re all going to benefit out of this deal. The reason I made the decision is about how great the racing is. The main reason I made the switch is because I think the racing is great.”
WHY DO YOU THINK PERCEPTIONS ABOUT NASCAR HAVE CHANGED SO QUICKLY? “I think a lot of people are scared of making switches and it’s a big switch. The change from open wheel racing to a Cup car is so big. A lot of people are scared of making the switch, but I’ve been so welcomed and I’ve got to thank everybody for making me feel so welcome around the garage. I think a lot of people think, ‘oh, I can be welcome, too.’ I think that’s a lot of it.”
IS WATKINS GLEN A PLACE YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR EYE ON TO START AND FEEL COMFORTABLE? “No, at the moment the main focus with Chip is getting to know everybody and finalizing everything with McLaren and see where we start. It’s good the way both parties on Sunday night, great for you, great for me. McLaren, Mercedes and Dodge, it’s the same company. It’s all DaimlerChrysler, so in a way I’m still part of the family and it’s great. Am I thinking about starting early at Watkins Glen? I don’t think so. It’s not so important what’s going to be my first race. For me it’s getting to know the cars, getting ready for next year. What really matters is the season ahead next year, not this year.”
DISCUSS EXPECTATIONS FOR NEXT SEASON “A lot of people are going to have their eyes, expecting what I’m going to do in the first few years. One reason Chip and I decided to do a long term deal was it’s going to take time. Jeff Gordon’s comments were with time he was sure I can do well. I’m not expecting to be right out of the box winning races or anything like that. It’s a long learning curve. I’ve had that question before about a road course. I’m sure I could do well on a road course, but there’s two races against 36. There are 34 races on ovals and two races on road courses. I think road courses are a very minority of the whole picture.”
DISCUSS TECHNICAL ADJUSTMENTS YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE TO BECOME A NASCAR DRIVER “Bumping is one of them, getting used to people hitting you from behind. Is it a friendly push? What is a friendly push and what is not? Getting used to running side-by-side with a car beside you for 20 laps or 100 laps. That’s very important learning when to draft, learning when to move out of the draft, learning when to go high and when to go low. When I raced CART before people used to go high, but I was watching a replay of the Daytona race and Chicago race, these guys run so close to the wall it’s not even funny. That’s going to take a lot of practice. I know the team is going to be very patient with me. It’s going to take time and we’re all in it together for the long run.”
WILL YOU FEEL PRESSURE TO PERFORM WELL IMMEDIATELY? “It’s going to take time. It’s such a big deal. I wasn’t really expecting it to be such a big deal. I’m really happy with the change I made, with the choice I made. People are going to be watching closely, so I think it’s very important to be well prepared. I think we need to be well prepared. If we decide to do a race or two at the end of the year, whatever Chip decides to do, I think we need to be prepared. It doesn’t matter how good I do this year. The important thing is how we do next year. The focus is getting ready for next year.”
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BROUGHT ALONG? “I’ll rely on Chip Ganassi to make sure how they bring me along. I’m the rookie here. Yes, I have a lot of knowledge. I’ve raced a lot of cars and I have a lot of experience in spots, but it’s a new world for me. They know it and I don’t. I’m open to suggestions. If they say we want to go there, I’ll say, ‘OK, we’ll go there.’ Where they think it’s right I’ll be there.”
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH YOUR RELEASE FROM McLAREN? “No, I think everything with McLaren is pretty settled. It’s not a matter of releasing or not releasing. It’s a matter of working together. I’m not racing the Formula One program, but the reason I’m not driving the Formula One program is because DaimlerChrysler’s interest at the moment is for me to be here. To be realistic, we’re completely out of the championship this year, so there was no point… To learn here, it’s going to take time. The more time I can spend here in America and focus on next year’s deal is important.”
ELABORATE ON THE F1 RELEASE “It’s not a matter of when it’s released or not. It’s not about being released. It’s about working together and seeing when we can actually start doing the job. It’s a matter of talking and deciding what’s the best for me and what’s the best for DaimlerChrysler. It’s that simple.”
WOULD IT BE BETTER FOR YOU TO JUMP IN RIGHT NOW? “I think at this point it’s a little premature to be honest in a way. You think about it and they’re right in the middle of the season. Yes it’s important for me to get up to speed with the team, but I think at the same time it’s important not to disturb the way the team is developing this year. You cannot damage their program because I got released a bit early. The plan with Chip was always the end of October. If we have a couple more months we should be happy about that. We shouldn’t be arguing if it’s now or in a month’s time. The main focus here is 2007.”
COMMENT ON YOUR DRIVING STYLE? “I think style is hard to say. I think everybody has his personal style. Once you drive the car and see how comfortable… I think it’s about how comfortable you are with the car. If you’re really comfortable you can be more aggressive and use more of the car. If you’re not as comfortable and the car is not as comfortable for you to drive you need to be a bit more predictable with the car. I don’t know. I haven’t even driven the car yet. It’s hard to say how’s my style. I get along with Jeff Gordon well and Casey Mears and David Stremme and all the guys at Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates already came to me and told me whatever you need. Every driver I’ve met so far has been mega nice to me. It’s been ‘anything you need we will help you.’ I’ve never seen that before. I’ve been in Formula 1 for six seasons. In six seasons I’ve been to the Williams motorhome and McLaren motorhome. I’ve never been to any other motorhome in Formula 1. In 10 minutes I was in Jimmie Johnson’s, Roger Penske. I was in every bus and motorhome and everyone was nice. They’re just happy to be there and it’s great to see. It’s great to see people loving the sport and enjoying the sport.”
COMMENT ON OTHER OFFERS IN FORMULA ONE? “The chance Chip gave me to come to America and race NASCAR, you don’t get it every day. Maybe three or four years down the line, maybe the opportunity wasn’t available. Maybe Chip wouldn’t want to give me a ride in four years. Maybe he could have. Moments come in your life and you can either take them or leave them. I decided to take it. I decided it was best for me, the best for my career, the best for my family and I’m just happy. I’m so happy to be working again with Chip.”
WHAT DOES YOUR MOVE MEAN FOR F1? “I think F1 from the technology point of view is the highest sport there is. It is very well positioned world wide. You come to America and nobody is really interested in it. When I was there it was hard to see, but now being a part of NASCAR and being able to be involved with the Latin market and having Colombians, being close to Colombia, everything is just fantastic. From my point of view, to be able to say five years down the line hopefully I could go say ‘I won in CART. I won in IRL. I won in Formula 1 and I won in NASCAR.’ How many drivers in the world are able to say they’ve won in everything they raced on? That’s exciting to me. Of course I want to do well. I want to kick everyone’s butt there, but it’s not going to be easy. Everybody out here is great, and they’re going to make my life very tough.”
From Ray Cooper / Clearblue
MOSPORT: Set to host two-wheeled doubleheader weekend
BOWMANVILLE, ON (July 11, 2006) - Open-wheeled racing in the Toronto area gives way to the two-wheeled variety as Canada’s biggest motorcycle road race, The Canadian Superbike Doubleheader, comes to Mosport International Raceway this weekend, July 14-16.
This event is the premier stop and only doubleheader round in Canada’s national motorcycle road racing championships and features the country’s top riders, big- name factory teams and privateers.
The Superbike class is the premier category of the weekend. Defending series champion, Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, Quebec, a factory Suzuki rider, and Yamaha’s Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) who is last year’s Mosport Doubleheader victor and winner of five consecutive Mosport rounds, will try to stop the red-hot Jordan Szoke (Brantford) from winning his fourth and fifth races in as many outings this year for Canadian Kawasaki. Szoke’s last Superbike win at Mosport’s famed road course came in 2002.One of the fastest growing national championships is the Canadian Thunder Series for twin-cylinder production-based sport bikes like Buell, BMW and Ducati. Richmond, B.C. rider Darren James comes to Mosport as the defending Thunder Series champ aboard a Buell. Just two years as a national class, James has emerged as the category’s first big star and is the man to beat this weekend.
In total, there are three full days of racing action provided by eight different classes of motorcycle racing.
Three-day advance SuperTickets are just $50 and can be purchased by calling the Mosport Hotline at 1-800-866-1072 or though our on-line box office at http://www.mosport.com/ . After July 12, the SuperTicket price is $60. Children 12 and under are admitted (when accompanied with an adult paid admission) and weekend camping is also free with admission.
By Mosport
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