Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame 2007 Inductees Announced

Canadian Motorsport Hall Of Fame Announces 2007 Inductees... Motorsport Competitors and Builders to be Honoured

NOVEMBER 2007 (Halton Hills) The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF) is pleased to announce the seven individuals to be inducted at the 15th annual Gala on Saturday, February 23, 2008 in Toronto.

This year's inductees come from a variety of racing disciplines and are being recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to Canadian racing. Inductees survive scrutiny by the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame's Nomination Committee which carefully analyses all submissions for accuracy and completeness. A broad range of up to 20 candidate nominations are then forwarded to the Selection Committee, comprised of a national panel of automotive and racing journalists and historians, who make their selection based on overall accomplishments and contributions to Canadian motorsport.

The 2007 inductees are:
Jack Christie Builder Road Racing, Ovals
Scott Fraser Competitor Stock Car Racing
Geoff Goodwin Competitor/Builder Drag Racing
Ted Gryguc Competitor Boat Racing
Alan Labrosse Competitor/Builder Motorcycle Racing
Billy Mathews Competitor Motorcycle Racing
Tony Novotny Builder Stock Car Racing

Thom Dickinson, President of the Canadian Automotive Collection says, "The reason the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame exists is to honour the special men and women who have contributed to making Canada one of the world's great racing nations. We are very excited to announce the newest list of outstanding Canadians, who, through their notable achievements over the last century, have contributed to Canada's racing heritage and have left their stamp on Canadian motorsport."

The Induction ceremony and Gala dinner, including a Silent Auction, will be held at the Canadian International Auto Show within the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday February 23, 2008. Individual tickets are $220 each, and a table of 10 can be purchased for $2,200. Tickets purchased prior to December 31, 2007 are $195 each and a table of 10 is $1,950. Tickets may be purchased by calling 905-876-2454, or by visiting the CMHF website at http://www.cmhf.ca/. Join us for the celebrations. A past Inductee said, "This takes my breath away! I wasn't prepared for this evening. This is my best motorsport memory!"

The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to honour and recognize the achievements of Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada's rich and colourful motorsport history. Since its inception, more than 125 people have been inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame including Greg Moore, Scott Goodyear, Earl Ross, Ross Petersen, Guy Lombardo, Frank Hawley and the legendary Gilles Villeneuve.

Since 1999 the Canadian Automotive Collection, a charitable organization funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships and special events, has presented the Canadian Motorsport Museum, one of the largest motorsport collections in Canada, presenting racing cars, boats and motorcycles, The Canadian Motorsport Archives, an extensive archival collection, and the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, the pinnacle of motorsport recognition in Canada.

From the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame // George Daszkowski

Shocking News!

By James Neilson

In what might be a more shocking divorce than Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, McLaren-Mercedes and Fernando Alonso have agreed to part ways after what seemed like a harmonious relationship between him, the team and Lewis Hamilton in '07. Alonso is now a free agent and can sign with whatever team has a mutual interest in his services.

"Since I was a boy I had always wanted to drive for McLaren, but sometimes in life things do not work out," said Alonso. "I continue to believe that McLaren is a great team. Yes, we have had our ups and downs during the season, which has made it extra-challenging for all of us, and it is not a secret that I never really felt at home."

Clearly unsatisfied by the mount of Bullsh**, Dennis added "He is a great driver but for some reason the combination of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Fernando has not really worked out, and in the end we reached a stage where none of us could find a way to move forward."

Here's what I think they really meant:

"I was supposed to be the #1 guy and those two-faced englishmen made me share equipment with a child," said Alonso. "Manche puercos!"

"Thank god that's over with, good riddance you spoiled brat," said Dennis. "I'll make sure to have Lewis wave to you when he laps your stricken Toyota!"

The most-discussed destination for the two-time world champion has been his former team, Renault. Ferrari removed themselves from the list after recently inking Massa to an extension, not to mention the fact Ferrari can;t provide Alonso with the clear-cut #1 driver role he craves.

The situation is complicated, however. Renault is easily the most money-conscious team at the sharp end of the grid and might need help to sign him to the estimated $25 million US he will most likely be asking for.

Honda and Toyota have been mentioned as possible destinations as well. Neither teams has the car Alonso would be looking for but they both have a lot of Yen to throw at a #1 driver, something both teams, particularly Toyota, lack.

Commentary: Why not BMW? They're improving every year, have the budget and are strong on the technical side. Alonso would as, surely, be the #1 guy on a team that currently employs Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica.

BTW: That's a photo of Alonso's wife, poor guy.

... thus freeing him up to concentrate on his goaltending career

Charasmatic beer pitchman Frank D'Angelo has sold majority interest his brewery and juice business to his business partner, Barry Sherman.

This story has a racing angle because Steelback is the title sponsor of Toronto's Champ Car race and is currently running ads about its backing of Targa Newfoundland.

Upon taking control, Sherman promptly installed his young son (23 or 24 years old, depending on whether you believe the Nat'l Post or the Toronto Star) as CEO.

The National Post's story appears here. Toronto Star Business Columnist Jennifer Wells speculates in her column that under D'Angelo, the company had become "a vast, over-leveraged, money-losing mess." and that the decision for D'Angelo to step aside came as a result of his partner running out of patience, causing him to "pull the trigger."

No word on whether young Jonathon Sherman is a racing fan. I guess we'll find out.

Star Mazda Season Overview

From Peter Frey / StarMazdaPR
 
2007 was another banner year for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  The deep talent pool included drivers from four continents and seven countries, with eight different winners in twelve races and just four points separating the 4th and 8th-place finishers in the championship.  Records were set, including the first-ever back-to-back podium finishes by a female driver in the series.  And, claiming the champion's share of a prize fund approaching $1.5 million, another rising star took his next step up the Mazda Motorsports Ladder.
 
The Champion
Dane Cameron, a 19-year-old series rookie from Sonoma, CA, won the 2007 Star Mazda Championship becoming only the second rookie champion in the 17-yeear history of the series (Ian Lacy won in his first season, in 1998).  Driving the #19 JDC Motorsports/Finlay Motorsports Mazda, he clinched the championship in Round Eleven at Road Atlanta on his way to a record of three wins, six pole positions, and seven top-5 finishes, including five podiums.  Cameron will follow the path established by 2005 champion Raphael Matos and 2006 winner Adrian Carrio, moving up the Mazda Motorsports Ladder to a full-season drive in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.  
 
The Winners
In addition to Cameron's three victories (Houston, VIR and Toronto), seven other drivers also stood on the top step of the podium in 2007.  Ron White of Santa Clara, California (#69 Wunder-Bar Mazda) drove for three teams during the season, starting out with Team G.FRO, moving to Maxwell Racing mid-season and fielding his own car for the last two races.  He scored back-to-back wins for at Road America and Trois Rivières, finishing third in the championship.  Also scoring two wins (Salt Lake City and Road Atlanta) was Burnaby, B.C. driver Lorenzo Mandarino.  He finished 8th in the championship driving the #15 Team G.FRO/Newway Forming Mazda.
 
Single-race winners included Australian racer James Davison, who finished 2nd in the championship.  He won at Mosport in the #7 Velocity Motorsports/Easternats Mazda.  Jonathan Goring of Norfolk, CT finished 5th in the championship and won at Cleveland in the #14 Andersen Racing/Skip Barber Racing Mazda.  Sixth in the championship, and winning his first race of the season in the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca driving the #51 Mundill/Oral and Facial Surgery Center Mazda was Lafayette, Louisiana native Alex Ardoin.
 
Saint-Bruno, Quebec's Devin Cunningham won the 2006 Discovery Channel 'Star Racer' competition to find Canada's next open-wheel racing star, and won in the rain at Portland in the #33 AIM Autosport/Discovery Channel Mazda.  He finished 7th in the championship.  Rounding out the list of 2007 race winners was Toronto's Marco Di Leo; he qualified on the front row for more than half of the races, won the season-opener at Sebring and finished 9th in the championship driving the #21 Maxwell Racing/Nugget Mazda.
 
While it is not known at this point how many of these drivers will return for another season of Star Mazda Championship racing in 2008, those who do and finished in the top-10 will get to use that number on their car.  If the driver moves on to another series, the team that fielded the car will retain the number.
 
Expert and Masters Series
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is one of the only open-wheel racing series in the world to feature a championship-within-a-championship for more mature drivers in whom the competitive fire still burns brightly.  The Expert Series, for drivers aged 30 to 44, was won by Dallas, Texas racer Dan Tomlin III.  Driving the #56 Team Tomlin Mazda, he scored three class wins, including the season finale at Mazda Raceway (where his father, Dan Tomlin Jr., won the Master class event), and four class top-3 finishes.  The Master Series for driver 45 and older, was won by Steve Hickham of Corpus Christi, Texas.  Racing the #17 Maxwell Racing/HB Turbo Mazda, he complied a record of five class wins and six top-3 class finishes.
 
The Prizes
With the 2007 prizes approaching $1.5 million, Cameron claimed the lion's share; including a Mazda-sponsored 2008 season in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.  Cameron has elected to race with the 2007 championship-winning Sierra Sierra/ProWorks team.  He also collected $100,000 and a new Mazda RX-8 for winning the championship and $10,000 for winning Rookie of the Year.   The rest of the $500,000 in cash prizes was paid deep into the field, from $70,000 for 2nd-place to $10,000 for 15th.
 
The season-ending banquet, ably hosted by SPEED Channel commentators Brian Till and Calvin Fish, included not only championship prizes for the top-15 drivers, but also a number of other awards:
 
The Team Championship for the Star Mazda team scoring the most points based on finishes throughout the season by their top two cars: JDC Motorsports ($10,000)
 
Racing for Kids Award for the driver making visits to children's hospitals and scoring the most points at designated Racing for Kids events: Alex Ardoin ($1,000 and $1,000 donated to the hospital of his choice)
 
Quartermaster Clutch Performer Award for the driver gaining the most positions in the championship during the final six races of the year: Dan Tomlin III ($5,000 and trophy)
 
BBS Hard Charger Award for the driver who gained the most places from start to finish in every race of the year: Ron White (Custom-made coffee table and set of BBS road wheels)
 
VP Fuel Most Improved Driver Award, a consensus award among all series participants for the individual who has shown the most progress as a driver from the beginning to the end of the season: Alex Ardoin ($5,000 and trophy)
 
Performance Friction Crew Member of the Year Award, a consensus award for the most valuable member of a particular team who's efforts have also benefited other teams and the series: Kate Gundlach of John Walko Racing ($1,500)
 
President's Cup / The Spirit of Star Mazda, a consensus award for the person who best typifies the qualities and character that represent the Star Mazda Championship: Dan Tomlin Jr. ($2,500)
 
Records and Notable Achievements
Natacha Gachnang of St. Gingolph, Switzerland, set a series record for female racers with back-to-back podium finishes driving the #35 AIM Autosport Mazda.  Gachnang only ran seven of twelve races, but still finished 15th in the championship.
 
Nick Haye, the Hollywood, California-based driver of the #37 JDC Motorsports/ Quantum Sphere Mazda, had an up-and-down season that included two 15th-place finishes, but also two podiums, two top-5s and five top-10s.  He finished 4th in the championship and is planning a return to the Star Mazda Championship in 2008 with his eye on the big prize.
 
At Trois Rivières, a street circuit barely two race cars wide in most places, Dallas, Texas driver Russell Walker, put on an aggressive and substantial display of car control in the #29 Pavecon/John Walko Racing Mazda.  He turned only one lap in qualifying, started last and was still able to slice and dice his way up through the field to finish 4th.  And in the same race, Quebec newcomer Yannick Hofman, driving his first-ever Star Mazda race after two seasons in Formula BMW, showed he will be a force to be reckoned with when he joins the series full-time next season after qualifying 8th on the starting grid and finishing 5th in his #00 Jig-A-Loo/Andersen Racing Mazda.
 
Graduates on the Gas
After 17 years as one of the premier open-wheel driver development series in North America, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear can lay claim to a long and distinguished list of alumni, including the America's most recent F1 driver, Scott Speed, rising Champ Car star Graham Rahal, and IRL standout Marco Andretti.  2005 Star Mazda champion Raphael Matos won the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic championship with Sierra Sierra (which got its start as a Star Mazda team) and will be moving up to Champ Car in 2008. 
 
And such is the quality of education provided by the Star Mazda championship that the 2004 champion, Michael McDowell, after racing both Champ Cars and Daytona Prototypes, has moved over to NASCAR and is making his mark there as well.  In 2007, his rookie year in the ARCA RE/MAX series, he scored nine pole positions, led a series-high 822 laps, scored fifteen top-10 finishes and won four races on his way to a 2nd-place finish in the championship.  He has signed to race in the Nextel Cup series for Michael Waltrip and ran his first Craftsman Truck race at Martinsville on October 20th.  His race was cut short by an accident on lap 181 of the 200-lap event, but he still finished ahead of former Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and Grand-Am Rolex Series 'phenom' Colin Braun (another Star Mazda Championship graduate).
 
Other Feet on the Ladder
Zameron, Matos and McDowell aren't the only Star Mazda Championship graduates taking another step up the ladder this year.  A number of drivers are taking advantage of career opportunities resulting from their performance in the Star Mazda Championship.
 
In partnership with Star Mazda sponsor Performance Friction, Walker Racing (which runs both Team Australia in the Champ Car World Series and a Champ Car Atlantic team) tested Star Mazda drivers Ron White and Alex Ardoin at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian, Indiana in late September.  And James Davison recently bested four other hot young drivers including an A1GP pole winner and the IMSAA Lites champion -- in a two-day Indy Pro Series test at Sebring International Raceway with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.  Jonathan Goring and Jonny Baker, Andersen Racing's two full-time Star Mazda drivers this year, also both received Indy Pro Series tests as part of the team's incentive program.
 
Also, just as some of the Star Mazda Championship drivers are climbing the ladder, some Star Mazda teams are moving on to other forms of racing.  In previous years, the Atlantic championship-winning Sierra Sierra team started in Star Mazda, as did B-K Motorsports, the team currently fielding the Mazda-powered American Le Mans series LMP2 prototype.  For next year, Hickham Motorsports, which fielded the father/son team of Steve Hickham Jr. and Steve Hickham Sr. (the Masters Series champion), will move up in 2008 to a Mazda RX-8 endurance racing effort.  The duo hopes to make their debut as co-drivers at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
 
New Stars Begin to Shine
Even as this year's rising stars begin to shine in new directions, the light from a new set of stars is beginning to illuminate the 2008 Mazda Motorsports Ladder. 
 
Joel Miller, the 19-year-old racer from Hesperia, California, who scored five wins and finished on the podium in all 14 of the 2007 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Series races, has won a fully-sponsored ride in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship.  He has already tested with one top team, is talking with others and will make his decision in the near future.
 
And two standouts from the 2007 Snap-On Stars of Karting Presented by the Indy Racing League, Tyler Dueck and Scott Jenkins (who won the overall Stars of Karting championship) have both been awarded tests later this year with a top Star Mazda Championship team.
 
While plans are still being finalized, there will be both new teams and new sponsors coming into the Star Mazda Championship in 2008, as well as a number of talented new drivers.  This, in addition to changes announced at the season-ending banquet regarding the series' switch to new Goodyear radial racing tires and the implementation of standing starts next season, makes it clear that 2008 will be another step up the ladder for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.
 
For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit www.starmazda.com and www.mazdausa.com .

NASCAR's Brian France reacts to SMI's purchase of NHIS

Statement from Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO
 
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2007) – Today's announcement that Speedway Motorsports Inc. has purchased New Hampshire International Speedway is yet another indication that the NASCAR industry continues to grow and thrive. Capitalizing on NASCAR's national appeal and growth, the Bahre family created a passionate fan base and developed a valuable venue that has hosted the largest sporting events in New England including 26 consecutive sellouts.

The success of NHIS, and the desire of the Bahre family to sell, made the track very attractive to SMI and several other interested buyers. SMI has a highly regarded record for hosting some of the most successful and enjoyable race events in all of NASCAR, and there's no doubt that will continue.

While we don't have any details about SMI's plans for NHIS, all sanctions for 2008 have been signed and finalized. As a result, there will be no location changes to the 2008 schedule that was released last month. This is important to the fans, competitors, broadcast partners and sponsors who have already made plans for the 2008 races.

Looking beyond 2008, NASCAR will continue to consider requests by any track operator, including SMI, to relocate race dates. Under NASCAR's "realignment" plan, we have worked with track owners to relocate race dates to meet the needs of our growing national fan base. Ultimately, any change must meet NASCAR's objectives and serve our fans.

The industry owes Bob and Gary Bahre a debt of gratitude for their leadership and commitment to NASCAR. All of NASCAR wishes the Bahre family well during this time of transition. They will always be considered pioneers in NASCAR.
 
From Ramsey Poston, NASCAR Public Relations

A1GP: No Rest for Canada's Hinchcliffe

Montréal, Canada (November 1st, 2007) - While the current six-week gap in the A1GP schedule might afford some drivers the opportunity to enjoy some rest and relaxation, Canada's James Hinchcliffe certainly isn't one of them!  The Toronto-born racer has had little time to himself since stepping out of the cockpit after Round 2 three weeks ago in the Czech Republic, the Canadian having once again come close to opening his nation's points-scoring account.

Hinchcliffe, with a total of 18 race starts under his belt for A1 Team Canada, has been kept busy since the Brno event, primarily with his TV commitments.  In addition to being an accomplished open-wheel racer, the 20-year-old is quickly forging a reputation as a talent behind the microphone co-commenting on the Champ Car World Series for Eurosport TV.

His colorful commentary skills haven't gone unnoticed and when the Champ Car World Series headed down-under to Australia two weeks ago Hinchcliffe was invited by the local broadcaster, Network 7 Television, to fulfill commentary duties on the Surfer's Paradise race.  While it literally meant hopping out of his A1GP car in the Czech Republic, flying back to Canada for less than a day then hopping back on a plane to Australia, it was an opportunity too good to turn down for 'Hinch'!

"It was a mega experience," reflected Hinchcliffe upon his return.  "They wanted someone who had up-to-date knowledge of Champ Car to help out with the broadcast and the people at the series kindly recommended me to Network 7 as they knew I'd been following everything through my work with Eurosport.  The Australian operation was huge and instead of having to work off of the feed given to us, which is usually the case, we got to call the shots of the coverage which was just fantastic as a commentator!"

He continued, "From a professional point of view it was a really cool experience for me and recreationally it was great to fit in another trip to Australia.  Last time I was there I ended up barrel-rolling the A1GP car at Eastern Creek so this was a bit more pleasurable in that I didn't cause any damage and was able to commentate on the drama on-track as opposed to being the drama!"

Having returned to Canada and readjusted himself to the various time-zone changes, James finds himself preparing to pack his bags once again.  Visiting another A1GP destination, Hinchcliffe is heading back to Mexico City and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez next weekend to commentate on the final round of the Champ Car World Series for Eurosport.

Looking to fit in a couple of well-earned days off in Mexico following the race, James will be reaching for his passport shortly after his return to Canada as he plans to relocate temporarily to England in mid-November to lessen the travel demands on him during the A1GP season.

With 'The World Cup of Motorsport' heading to the Far East visiting Malaysia and China before Christmas, and New Zealand and Australia in January, James, along with the rest of the Canadian crew will be well versed in the art of long-haul travel!

Round 3 of the 2007-08 A1GP season is hosted at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th November - www.a1gp.com
ENDS - www.a1teamcan.com

Photo Credit:  'A1 Team Canada's James Hinchcliffe' - Jakob Ebrey Photography

A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
Tel: +1 514 684 3253, Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com

Série ACT Castrol St-Eustache 300 Coverage Broadcast on RDS Television

ST-EUSTACHE, QC - The 13th annual St-Eustache 300 stock car race, the twelfth and final event of 2007 for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT)'s Série ACT Castrol, will be featured in a one-hour highlight program on French language RDS Television in Canada.  Won by local hero Sylvain Lacombe of Terrebonne, the event was run in September at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal.

RDS will broadcast highlights from the St-Eustache 300 beginning Wednesday, November 7 at 5:00pm.  The show will repeat at midnight on Thursday, November 8, at 10:30am on Friday, November 9, and at 9:00am on Saturday, November 10.

The victory in the 13th annual St-Eustache 300 was Lacombe's third-straight in the event, and his fifth overall.  Patrick Laperle of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC was crowned the 2007 Série ACT Castrol Champion, and finished a close second to Lacombe in the St-Eustache 300 after leading near the halfway point.  Alexandre Gingras of Québec finished in third place, ahead of Jean-François Déry of Val-Bélair and Jacques Laperle of St-Charle-sur-Richelieu.

For more information on the Série ACT Castrol, visit www.laserieactcastrol.com.  For information on the American-Canadian Tour, visit www.acttour.com or call (802) 244-6963.

13th annual St-Eustache 300 – Série ACT Castrol
RDS Television Broadcast Schedule
Wed., November 7 – 5:00pm
Thu., November 8 – 12:00 midnight
Fri., November 9 – 10:30am
Sat., November 10 – 9:00am

From Justin St. Louis // ACT

Aerial photos from the NASCAR race at Riverside Int'l Speedway

Riverside Int'l Speedway (Antigonish, NS) has circulated a few aerial shots taken during its recent NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race in mid-September. The event was originally scheduled for the Saturday but was rained out until Sunday. Not even foul weather or a nearby Nextel Cup race (at NHIS) could deter thousands of die-hard Maritime racing fans from showing up at this beautiful new facility. Thanks to Paul McLean of Riverside Int'l Speedway for the use of the shots.

RICK @ the RACES (RETRO # 16)

From Rick Young

• PIC 1     The Bill West # 39 car vaults the fence at Bristol
• PIC 2      Bill West # 39 ( centre) admires his handy-work at Bristol
• PIC 3     Lionel Shaw # 362 in Chris Pickups Jaguar powered , triumph GT6 bodied car
• PIC 4     1979 BriSCA F1 World Champion, Frankie Wainman # 212 with his 'gold roof'
• PIC 5     Dutchman John VT Veer # 16 at Brafield
• PIC 6      John VT Veer in trouble at Brafield
• PIC 7     The Ray Scriven owned car of Texan Frank Zett # 420
• PIC 8     My BriSCA F1 on a truck after being sold to the Abraham Bros
• PIC 9    Another shot of my F1 on the Abraham Bros truck.
• PIC 10  My Austin 3 Litre and caravan on a Dutch campsite in December 69
• PIC 11   A billboard advertizing the December 9 Baarlo meeting
• PIC 12   The imaculate Ford Thunderbird NACO Pace Car at Baarlo
• PIC 13    The # 104 F1 Stock car of Lambert Keulen on his transporter truck at Baarlo
• PIC 14    The # 217 F1 of George Kroonder at Baarlo
• PIC 15    Rien Rutgens # 15 in Victory Lane at Baarlo.

With my 2007 racing campaign over for the year, and with a little bit more time on my hands, I'm getting back to my RICK @ the RACES 'RETRO' reports. I started doing these last year and they tell the story of my life and times at the races. My first taste of stock car racing was at the Foxhall Stadium (Ipswich UK) when I was taken there by my parents as a 'toddler' in the late 1950's. I became a regular race fan during my school days and then went on to race my first BriSCA F1 Stock Car at the age of 20. I followed the sport continuously until I moved to Ontario, Canada in 1994 . It wasn't long after my arrival that I found myself involved in the North American DIRT Modified scene.

Just to recap, My �RETRO' reports are now up to 1979, which was the Silver Jubilee year of UK stock car racing . I started the year , racing my ex Roger Gunnell ('390' cu in Ford Thunderbird powered) BriSCA F1 stock car, then after a few disillusioned outings had put it up for sale with ideas in my head about moving to the Netherlands. My last report ( # 15) brought us up to the end of August 1979, where I'd just returned to the UK from a European racing vacation with my buddies Nigel Harradine and Martin Budgell. We'd seen Superstox at the Kaldernkirchen track in Germany and the F1 Stock Car Long Track World Final at the Baarlo Auto Speedway ( Netherlands).  If you missed any of the previous fifteen  RICK @ the RACES (RETRO) reports and would like them sent, please let me know (stox@ican.net), as I have them saved.

RICK @ the RACES (RETRO # 16)

The final part of 1979

After returning from the Netherlands ( Aug 13) I carried on visiting my usual haunts of Leicester, Brafield, Sheffield, Rochdale and Bristol ( the Mendips Raceway) in the role of spectator, to watch my preferred diet of BriSCA F1 Stock Cars. At Bristol I was pleased to see that one of my photos had appeared in the race day program. ( this must have been my first racing photo to be published) . Earlier in the year one of my Beds & Herts buddies, Bill West # 39 from Luton, was involved in a spectaular crash where his car vaulted the safety fence,  and I was there with my Kodak Instamatic to capture it. The Beds and Herts Club was now in it's 'final days' and it was around this time that it eventually folded.

A few of the original 'B&H' F1 drivers were still active including Chris Pickup # 50 and Glyn Pursey # 175 . A new addition to the clan was Lionel Shaw # 362, from Luton who was driving Chris's old Triumph GT6 Spitfire bodied car.

On Sept 9 the BriSCA F2 World Final was held at the Newton Abbott Racecourse in Devon, and was won for the third time by Dave Brown # 583 of Looe (Cornwall). I chose to miss this one and instead went to a regular BriSCA F1 meeting at Rochdale.

Unknowingly at the time, on Sept 22 , I attended what was to be a very historic event at the Harringay Stadium in North London. This famous old track which I'd visited regularly since the 1960's , was located on prime development land and by now, it was living on 'borrowed time'. Already much of the site was starting to look neglected and we all knew it was just a matter of time before it would succumb. This date turned out to be the last ever meeting for BriSCA F1 stock cars and sadly not long after , it was demolished to make way for a giant retail outlet. The meeting final that night was won by Richie Ahern # 18.

The BriSCA F1 World Final this year was being held at the White City Stadium in Manchester (29 Sept) , and of course I was there to see Frankie Wainman # 212 win the 'gold'. There were six overseas entrants which included Harry Van der Spuij from South Africa, with Jim Hopkinson, Larry Burton and Gene Welch representing the USA. They were racers from the All American Speedway, at Roseville, near Scaramento, California, and like Van Der Spuij were using loaned cars. Completing the line up of foreigners were, Rien Rutgens and John VT Veer from the Netherlands who brought their own cars.

The day after White City, I, like many other race fans drove two and a half hours back down the M6 / M1 for the following days races at Brafield. Both Dutch of the drivers that had been racing the night before were there too.

While on the subject of overseas drivers, I must mention a USA driver that made his debut during the 1979 season. Frank Zett # 420, who used one of Ray Scrivens # 110 cars. Ray , from Fairford in Gloucestershire lived close to the USAF Air Base where Frank was stationed. According to race day programs , Frank was from Austin, Texas . ( In Sept 2007 , I visited my daughter who lives in Austin , and prior to the trip I tracked down Frank's address with an intention of trying to meet up. I found out he now lives in Abilene, unfortunately some distance away, so never pursued the plan )

From the World Final onwards to the end of the regular season ( Long Eaton Nov 10) I attended weekly races where ever the BriSCA F1's were appearing as well as a few Spedeworth events. The FISCA/SCOTA F1 Stock Cars that had raced on their circuits were in their final days, as plans were afoot for a new smaller and less powerful class for the coming year to be named FORMULA 80. They were similar to a type of stock car that had been introduced in the North of England , called Hot Stox, which were lighter than F1's , and used Rover V8 engines.

I can't remember exactly when, but it was about this time that I sold my stock car. It was bought by two brothers, Dave and Paul Abraham from Gt Barford ( Bedfordshire). Neither of them had raced before and were to make their debut in the coming season. They went under the nick-name of the �Big Abe's�.

As mentioned before, I had ideas about moving to the Netherlands, and on my previous trips had found out that the big British RAF base that was located at Bruggen just outside Roermond hired civilian truck drivers. I made inquiries and was told to come in an fill out an application form. There was a race meeting at Baarlo on December 9, so I thought this would be an ideal opportunity. It was the wrong time of the year to be under canvass , so instead of taking my tent, I borrowed an old caravan/travel-trailer that belonged to my mum and dad and towed it behind my Austin 3 Litre.

This was another of my solo trips and because my regular camp site at Roermond was closed for the season I had to find an alternative site to stay. The job application form was filled in at RAF Bruggen and then I took full advantage of my NACO season pass and attended the races at Baarlo. As usual all the NACO divisions were there and the headline F1 Stock Car final was won by Rien Rutjens.

On my return to the UK, the season was not done yet, as group of us made the usual trip to the North of England for the Christmas meetings.

For some reason the Belle Vue track was not available for it's annual Boxing Day extravaganza  and the fixture was moved across Manchester to the White City Stadium. After stopping over night in a city hotel we all traveled across the Penine Mountains ( hills) to the Owlerton Stadium at Sheffield for the second of the festive double.(27 Dec).

 My 1979 racing calender finally came to end a few days later at my local Brafield Stadium (Northamptonshire) where a rare meeting for BriSCA F1's was held on Dec 30.

KARTING: FIRSTKART.COM LAS VEGAS REVIEW

BROWNSBURG, INDIANA (Oct. 31, 2007) After a very successful divisional championship that saw the FirstKart .com Race Team claim their third consecutive East coast Junior Intercontinental A (JICA) championship, the squad headed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the series finale. With intense on track action all weekend long, FirstKart.com claimed a feature victory on Sunday with Canadian driver Brendan Langlois.
 
Langlois headed to �Sin City� as the East division champion and after a tough qualifying session progressed through the heat races to start both feature events in P11. Moving forward in final one, the British Columbia resident was battling with other championship contenders was a clutch clip failure occurred ruining his championship hopes. Langlois shook off the frustration and came back in final two to take a dominating victory and claim third overall in the series title chase.
 
Rookie pilots Spencer Pigot and Phil De La O also competed in the JICA class and faired extremely well throughout the season. Pigot scored a victory at USA International Raceway (USAIR) in Wisconsin and garnered another podium result at Moran raceway. De La O scored several fast lap awards was also on the podium at USAIR. Both drivers battled hard through the heat races to set up quality starting positions for both finals. Pigot managed to work forward from his P18 starting spot to score a top five result in final one and 13th in final two setting him up for a fifth place finish in the overall series title. De La O, the Arizona pilot had a tough battle in both finals as contact took him out of contention for two top ten results.
 
�07 King of the Street Champion and Stars of Karting front runner Alan Rudolph came home with two top fifteen results from the challenging temp circuit. Rudolph was involved in an incident in one of the heat races that setup a tough starting spot for both finals. The veteran pilot used his experience to overcome this setback and progressed forward to score 11th and eighth place results in the series final races.
 
Spec Racer pilot Zach Beard battled through the Vegas weekend but managed to secure a top five result in the series championship. After damaging a frame in the heat races. Beard was forced to rebuild his machine before Sunday�s on track action. Working with a different chassis, Beard garnered ninth and tenth place results to end the �07 Snap-on Stars of Karting season.
 
Intercontinental A (ICA) pilot Derek Wagner had a good weekend going until Sunday afternoon�s feature events. Wagner was forced to retire from both finals early but will be back to get revenge on the TaG class at the in two weeks time at the SKUSA SuperNationals.
 
Colorado pilot James Michael Sullivan had a very promising weekend. Sullivan was fast in Friday�s action and was able to secure the second quickest time of the day. Sullivan progressed through the heat races nicely and was setting himself up for a solid run in both finals before early race contact ruined any chances. On lap four in final two, Sullivan was involved in a scary incident that saw him go over at the end of the long back straight but was fortunate to walk away from the incident.
 
The FirstKart.com Race team enjoys very little time off as the team will travel back to Las Vegas to compete at the SuperKarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals.
 
For more information on First Kart North America, product sales and exciting dealership opportunities including information on how to get into kart racing and the Firstkart.com Race Team please contact First Kart President Tony Ventresca at 519-824-4343. For information on First Kart USA please contact Director of Operations Mike Maurini at 317.858.3705 or visit them online at www.firstkart.com .
 
From Mike Maurini / Autosports Media

TRG/Kevin Buckler assumes controlling interest of Boogity Boogity Racing (aka Darrell Waltrip Motorsports)

DENVER, NC - Darrell Waltrip Motorsports (DWM) announced today that Kevin Buckler and The Racer's Group (TRG) has assumed immediate controlling interest of its truck racing operations. DWM has fielded Toyota Tundras in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (CTS) since 2004.  David Reutimann drove DWM's truck to a third place finish in the 2006 CTS points and won the 2005 Nashville event.  TRG will continue an alliance with DWM through 2007 and 2008.

The newly formed partnership will take its No 00 TRG Toyota Tundra to this weekend's Silverado 350K at Texas Motor Speedway. Andy Lally will take on the driving duties as he acquaints himself with the team and the truck for the first time in preparation for a full CTS in 2008.

"We will be running the last three races in our new Tundra and are looking forward to getting our feet wet and really learning the ropes in this type of racing," Buckler said. "In our 13 year sports car history, we have had the benefit of working with some top level people and brands.  Many of the conversations regarding motorsports, marketing, sponsorships and long term business goals, always seem to lead to NASCAR.  We decided that it was time to take our racing partnerships to the next level.  We have a strong association with Porsche and the Grand-Am Series, and this endeavor will only benefit our multiple Porsche programs and our presence in the Rolex Series.  The Rolex Series has been good to us and has served as the entrée to NASCAR."

Buckler and the TRG group have been planning this step for the last two years.  After multiple trips to Charlotte to visit with top teams, as well as taking advice from fellow team owners, friends, and partners, the group felt the time was right to enter into the CTS.

"After meeting with numerous teams and discussing many possible scenarios, I was most impressed with this opportunity to begin a long term relationship with one of the world's most respected companies-Toyota.  We are a brand new team running in the Craftsman Truck Series and will have to earn our stripes with both the manufacturer and the other competitors and we are willing to do that.  The team of people at DWM and Toyota has been absolutely fantastic to deal with and that really helped make our decision to be here."

"Assembling a top team in anything we do has always been one of our secrets and we are bringing along a group of partners and friends from the racing and business world to be a part of our journey into NASCAR.  These guys are at the top or their game in everything they do and will be valuable resources and partners in the long term building of our NASCAR program.  These are hallowed grounds we are about to enter and we are heading into NASCAR with our heads down with the utmost respect for the series and everyone involved.  We are going at it with our usual work ethic and professional approach.  It will be a big learning process.  We will be on an aggressive testing schedule and will be looking to compete in the entire 2008 season."

Kevin Buckler and his driver, Lally, have been a fixture in sports car racing since 2004.  The Lally/ Buckler combination has resulted in two championships and 15 race wins to date.  Lally is entrenched in the TRG racing business as lead driver and driver coach and mentor to TRG's list of loyal customers and upcoming young professional drivers.

"Of all the drivers that I have seen, driven against and worked with Andy is the most complete package," Buckler said.  "He is steadfast with his goals and he has always had his sights set on NASCAR.  Since joining us three-years ago, it has been a magical relationship.  He is a team player and knows how to drive and how to win.  In addition, he has a strong understanding of the value of marketing and sponsor relationships.  I have a lot of confidence in Andy and his ability to learn and adapt to the NASCAR philosophies - we are betting on him."

"I am as excited for this opportunity as I have ever been in my racing career," Lally said.  "Growing up, the first kind of racing I was exposed to was NASCAR and those guys were my early role models and heroes.  To be in a truck that has been managed by the legend Darrel Waltrip is awe inspiring.  I'm looking at this as an opportunity to make a dream come true. We have set reasonable goals for these last three races and want to run from green to checker with as few errors as possible. I know I have a lot to learn and will be trying to absorb every bit of information that I can and completely immerse myself into all aspects of this program.  I can't thank Kevin and all of our friends at TRG enough for allowing me this chance, I know that the work ethic within this organization is second to none and so is the determination. I was very happy with the mindset of the guys at Darrel Waltrip Racing when we met and I think that the combination of the two organizations will just elevate them both to increased success."

Lally made his NASCAR debut this year in Montreal where he ran as high as sixth.  The following weekend at Watkins Glen, the Georgia resident, posted a top-10 finish in only his second start.  Lally's main focus in past seasons has been the Grand-Am Rolex Series where he has set records for the most championships in series history as well as most top three finishes, he has also won more races in the last three years than any other driver in the Rolex Series. On the weekends that the Rolex Series was not racing this year Lally found himself in no less then seven other racing series including ARCA, Busch, ALMS and KONI Challenge as well as occasional Late Model and Legends races.

TRG was founded by Kevin and Debra Buckler in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing ever since.  TRG has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 23, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours or Le Mans. TRG is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance racing parts.  The group specializes in engine and chassis building as well as full service professional race car preparation.  The company also provides electrical and mechanical engineering services, driver development and arrive-and-drive services. TRG is based in Petaluma, Calif., near its home track of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

Summary of TRG Grand-Am Racing Accomplishments:

• TRG is the all-time team win leader in Grand-Am history
• Won five races in 2007 at Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Iowa and Montreal, fourth in the drivers' championship
• Only team to have a 1-2 finish in 2006
• Only team to have a 1-2 finish in 2007
• 2002 24 Hours of Daytona GT Class winner
• 2003 24 Hours of Daytona OVERALL winner
• 2002  24 Hours of Le Mans GT class winner
• TRG has the most victories in Rolex Series history (23)
• Only team in Rolex Series history to win an overall race in a GT against prototypes.
• Only team in Rolex Series history to score a Daytona Prototype 1-2 finish
• First and only team in Rolex Series history to win GT and DP on the same weekend 
• First and only team in Rolex Series history to win a championship using multiple manufactures in the same year (Porsche and Pontiac 2005 GT class)
• Marc Bunting and Andy Lally won the Grand-Am GT drivers' championship in 2006
• TRG won the GT team championship in 2005 and 2006
• Pontiac and TRG won the Grand-Am GT manufacturers battle
• TRG had a record streak of 23 podium finishes in Grand-Am competition from 2005-2007

More information and a complete press kit can be found at www.theracersgroup.com.  Please contact press@theracersgroup.com or (707) 935-3999 for additional information.

It felt busy...

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racer John Gaunt just sent me an aerial photo from the Sept. 8 race at Barrie Speedway. I had a hunch the track was busy as I was driving back and forth up Oro Line 8, three hours before the race (early for me!) being told there was nowhere to park. This photo confirms it.

LFPRESS: Novotny to be inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame

Today's London Free Press has a feature story on Tony Novotny (by Jim Cressman) and the news that he's going to be inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. I don't believe the Hall has released its new picks yet (I'm on the Selection Committee), but it appears news of Novotny's situation has gotten out of the bag.


Congratulations to Tony for this long overdue honour. It's likely that the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series wouldn't exist today were it not for Novotny's unwillingness to let his legacy (CASCAR) die when it was down and out.


Click here for the link to Cressman's story.

(h/t to J.P / Mosport)

Kuno Wittmer third in World Challenge

Montreal, Quebec - In his second year in the Speed World Challenge in 2007, Kuno Wittmer had an outstanding season. Steering the # 44 RealTime Racing Acura RSX, the 24-year old driver from Vaudreuil, Quebec ran like a clock all season long. He qualified eight times in the Top Ten with a pole position in Toronto and finished six times in the Top Five with a season end podium at Laguna Seca. The former Quebec Touring and Canadian Honda Challenge champion garnered no less than 230 points and completed the 10-round calendar in third place overall and was the best RealTime Racing driver.
 
"I knew at the beginning of the season I would drive a strong contender with a RealTime Racing Acura, declares Wittmer, compared to last year when everything had to be done. The team is one of the best in America and you know you can take to the track with a good machine every time. But I still had to deliver good outings among a bunch of fierce competitors, some of them my temmates. And I have to admit I'm pretty satisfied with the turnout. I was hoping to win in Toronto or Mosport where I was familiar and had won before. In Toronto, I was leading when I made a little braking mistake and finished fifth. In Mosport, I was quickest but the rain spoiled the weekend and the all-wheel drive cars ran away.
 
When I started at Sebring in March, my goal was to finish each round and try to match Peter (Cunningham) and Pierre (Kleinubing), our team leaders. Then I realised I could earn a sport in the Top Five : I kept raking in good results, except for a bad outing at Watkins Glen. The team always gave me a perfect RSX. In Laguna, we had a full RealTime Racing podium but Pierre was slammed by the officials which gave me a second place in the race, a third in the overall standings and best RealTime driver. I feel like Christmas is early this year!"
 
Impressive victory in Trois-Rivières
Kuno also partnered on a few occasions with brother Nick in Grand-Am events. They had a few podiums but the season highlight came at the only event in Quebec when they won the ST race outright at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. "To be honest, I would have preferred a victory in the World Challenge, he said, but to win with my brother in Trois-Rivières has to be our season high. Just a perfect weekend that was."
 
Getting ready for 2008
The Wittmer brothers are looking at a few proposals for 2008 and Kuno would like to set something before Winter. " The RealTime Racing RSX will not be eligible next year, he adds, and I have to move up to a TSX. I would like to stay in the World Challenge and RealTime is showing a lot of interest. I think we could come to an agreement soon. There are some possibilities with Nick again in Grand-Am, but he will also have to come to an agreement. We should come up with a definite program within a few weeks." 
 
Nick and Kuno Wittmer enjoy the support of Journal de Montréal, The Montreal Gazette, Les Conseillers F.I.E.R., ICI/Mirroir, Dr. Tint, Bomar, Data Start, Uniformes Vittorio and Honda Ste-Rose.
 
From: Michel Poirier-Defoy

MOSPORT SPEEDWAY HONOURS ITS BEST OF 2007

BOWMANVILLE, ON - More than 300 people filled the Port Perry Community Centre last Saturday night to pay tribute to the drivers, teams, crews and sponsors that made Mosport Speedway�s 2007 Autoworkers Community Credit Union Saturday Night Racing, presented by PartSource, at such a success. In addition to honouring each of the class champions and the season's top rookies, this year's festivities also recognized the support and dedication of those who work behind the scenes at the Speedway each and every week to help bring great racing to the fans.

Class Champions

• CAW Local 222 Limited Late Models- Todd Delisle
• THORSENS EVT 6 or Less- Jeff Scott and Tony Lepizzera
• Bob's Towing ThunderCars- Brad Stevenson
• R.P. Oil Open-Wheel Modifieds- Jim Rossiter

Class Awards

• Best Appearing Car- Dan Kimmerly
• Most Sportsmanlike Driver- Dwight Brown
• Hard Luck Award- Terry Shaw
• Most Improved Driver- Doug Wills

THORSENS EVT 6 or Less

• Best Appearing Car- Kevin Hinds
• Most Sportsmanlike Driver- Paul Ryder
• Hard Luck Award- Phyllis Legge
• Most Improved Driver- Ryan Oosterholt
• Rookie of the Year- Scott Peterson

Bob's Towing ThunderCars

• Best Appearing Car- Kevin Hinds
• Most Sportsmanlike Driver- John Baker, Jr.
• Hard Luck Award- Jim Clapham
• Most Improved Driver- Darrell Weston
• Rookie of the Year- Doug McBain, Jr.

R.P. Oil Open-Wheel Modifieds

• Best Appearing Car- Adam Adams
• Most Sportsmanlike Driver- Randal Hollingsworth
• Hard Luck Award- Wayne Carson
• Most Improved Driver- Andrew McFadden
• Rookie of the Year- Gary Tryon

Good Woman Award (in appreciation for outstanding dedication): Angie Tryon, Teresa Gerrow, Sarah Baker, Jasline Stevenson

For many years of dedicated help and support: Kathy McCabe, Peter Brand, Wally Nesbitt, Rev. Walter J. Kelly

Photo Caption: 2007 Mosport Speedway Class Champions (left to right): Jim Rossiter- R.P. Oil Open-Wheel Modifieds, Brad Stevenson- Bob's Towing ThunderCars, Todd Delisle- CAW Local 222 Limited Late Models, THORSENS EVT 6 or Less- Tony Lepizzera and Jeff Scott- CAW Local 222 Limited Late Models (Photo by www.peterbrand.ca)

From Lee Bailie, Mosport

Bill Davis Trucking declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy

STATEMENT FROM BILL DAVIS RACING ON TUESDAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING BILL DAVIS TRUCKING
 
HIGH POINT, N.C. (October 30, 2007) – Bill Davis Trucking, Inc., founded in 1975 by Bill and Gail Davis, announced today it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Today's action was necessitated by an injury accident and an ensuing lawsuit against the company, based in Batesville, Arkansas.
 
"This has been a very unfortunate chain of events and Gail and I certainly hate that it ever had to happen," stated Bill Davis. "Bill Davis Trucking and Bill Davis Racing are two completely separate entities and the race team will in no way be affected by today's announcement."

The NASCAR.com story on this is here.

UPDATED: The Inside Track Main Page

The Inside Track Main Page has just been updated.

Click here to see:

• The cover of the new issue, which is on its way to subscribers as I type.


• The 'Inside the Current Issue' listing, which highlights some of the features and profiles in the new issue (Volume 11, Issue 11).


• A photo gallery from the recent NASCAR Canadian Tire Series banquet.


• Links to all of the sponsored features in the issue, where all of these pieces are reprinted in their entirety, courtesy of their respective sponsors.


• And finally, buttons linking to special offers (like Holiday Gift Subscriptions for the racing fan on your list!) as well as to special upcoming advertising features (e.g. NCATS Year-In-Review).

If you've bookmarked the ITMN Breaking News Blog (thank you), you should also stop by the Inside Track main page from time to time, too.

NHRA: Canadian Pontieri Strikes Gold in Vegas

The Quality Plus Racing Pro Mod 57 Chevy, owned by Rob Sporring, and driven by Tony Pontieri, traveled west and struck gold at the AC DELCO NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pontieri, who quickly credits his team owner, Rob Sporring for giving him the opportunity of a lifetime, won this event with his left foot. Pontieri was on the tree all day long and won two of his four round wins on hole shots. Car owner Sporring says, "I've always had faith in Tony, that's why he is behind the wheel of my car. He won the race for us today. It's a testament to my faith in him as a great driver and a hard worker."

Pontieri, who has a runner up finish at the NHRA St Louis Event, got his prize today after 15 yrs behind the wheel of fast doorslammers. He states, "Man, you do not know what this means to me today. This is such an accomplishment. I have to thank my car owners Rob and Anne Sporring and his company Quality Plus Compressors for this opportunity. Without him this would never happen. My lovely wife Doris and my daughter Lilly for their sacrifice, and my crew guys Paulo Dalimonte, Redneck Randy Ward (who gets the last man standing award), Mark Lawrence, truck driver Gord and my nephew Frank. A special thanks goes to Scotty Cannon and Scott Cannon Jr. for their guidance and help during the last races of the year. All of these people make this a reality."

Pontieri is the second Canadian to win an AMS Pro Mod race since Glen Kerunsky in 2005. Ironically Pontieri took out Kerunsky in the 1st round on a hole shot victory. Pontieri saved the best for last as he strapped a .027 light on Steve Engel who ran an impressive 6.11 @ 237 mph, but could not drive around the Pontieri hole shot and 6.19 @ 230 mph for the win. Sporring stated, "It is real sweet to taste the victory at last. We have been working hard at it all year long. This win goes out to all of our wives for letting us play like kids, to all of our supporters and people that make this class happen. It's been a long time coming."

The Quality Plus Compressors Pro Mod team would like to thank the following companies and individuals that help make this effort a reality: Quality Plus Compressors, Pontieri Automotive, Too Precise Machine, L J Chassis, Ultimate Performance, Speed O Rama Shows, Gary's Transmissions, Cucci Hair Salon, Auto Meter, Fast Eddie Race Wear, Weld Wheel Inc, Bear's Performance, D.M.P.E Inc., The Trailer Shop, AMS Staff Leasing, Tindle Ent., Ohio Crankshaft, Stivers HVAC, BAE, Pro Care RX and Joe Van Overbeek Race Car Bodies.

Photo courtesy of competitionplus.com / By Jon Salemi

Inside Track Tuesday Notebook... NASCAR's bad gas and Alonso's woes

You've heard about putting some water into your wine? That may be fine.

But this past weekend in Atlanta, the NASCAR gang proved that you don't want to mix water with your gasoline... especially when there is a charging horde of stock cars on your tail.

NASCAR has admitted that dirty water got into the Sunoco gasoline and played havoc with its Nextel Cup race on Sunday.

TSN has a story on Watergate II here.

***

Fernando Alonso is running out of options for where he's going to race in 2008. TSN has the details on Alonso's situation here. He might have incredibly bad PR, but from the outside it looks like it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Somebody give him Dave Jacombs' phone number...

KARTING: CAMERON MOTORSPORTS SUPERNATIONALS PREVIEW

Hamilton, Ontario - October 30, 2007 - Canadian karting operation Cameron Motorsports will enter eight drivers in this year's edition of the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals to be held from November 14th -18th in Las Vegas, Nevada. With some of the worlds best descending on 'Sin City' Cameron Motorsports (CMI) pilots will look to impress and fight for victory on the temporary course adjacent to Sam Boyd Stadium.

Competing in the ultra competitive SuperPro division will be Intercontinental A (ICA) standout Cody Jolly. The Texan pilot will trade his 100cc Maxter powerplant in for the more powerful 125cc, six speed gearbox powered CRG and will do battle with the nation�s best in Las Vegas. Joining Jolly in the SuperPro ranks is Ontario pilot Curtis Fox. The senior level driver claimed the runner-up position in Formula Senior at the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship (SRFKC) claiming a huge victory at the Barrie Grand Prix.

Competing in the S1 division will be Canadian drivers Mike DiMeo, David Ostella and Paul Hunter. Di Meo competed in the SRFKC series in Ontario, Canada and has faired quite well scoring victories in the final two rounds in DD2 and claiming a top three result in the Formula Senior overall points standings. Earlier in the year Di Meo also scored the DD2 Florida Winter Tour championship and will be back in '08 to defend. Young David Ostella will advance to the senior ranks and will make the SuperNationals his first ICC event of his career. Ostella has been a force to reckon with in 100cc junior action and will look to take the S1 SuperNationals crown.

Only one driver under the CMI tent will pull double duty this weekend as Ostella will join Alex Ellis and Dylan Gibson in Rotax Senior. Ellis is another one of CMI's juniors progressing to the senior ranks and will look to attack the temporary course and fight for victory. Gibson, who has a year of senior experience under his belt, has proven to be quick at each and every track he competes at. Look for all three drivers to be at the front in a potential podium sweep for the CMI squad.

Cameron Motorsports lone TaG entry will be in the hands of Canadian Enrico Menotti. The Canadian driver has been competing in Rotax Senior at the SRFKC and will look to do battle in the very deep and talented TaG field.

With Cameron Motorsports being the North American importer for Maranello Karts, the CMI team will be pitted with the factory squad in Las Vegas. European drivers and world champions David Fore and Alessandro Piccini will be in attendance competing against and helping Cameron Motorsports drivers.

"We are excited to have such great competitors coming to join our drivers," exclaimed Cameron Motorsports Danielle Duffy. "This is North America's most prestigious karting event and I feel that we have a great shot at taking several victories and with the help and experience from our European friends, we hope to do just that."

Not in attendance at the SuperNationals will be ICC pilots Gianmarco Raimondo and Mike Vincec. Instead, the duo will represent Cameron Motorsports as members of Sunoco Team Ultra 94 at Skip Barber.

For more information on Cameron Motorsports, product sales and exciting dealership opportunities please contact Trevor Wickens. For information on Cameron Motorsports racing opportunities please contact Mike Roth or Danielle Duffy at 905.679.2122 or visit them online at www.CameronMotorsports.com

Photos courtesy of On Track Promotions

From Mike Maurini // Autosports Media

BUSCH MEMPHIS: John Graham survives crash-filled Memphis event

Millington, TN (October 27, 2007) - The Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park was a real Halloween bash with 25 cautions for a total of 117 laps. John Graham and the #37 Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz Ford Fusion finished the race in 27th position, gaining 14 positions from their 41st place starting position.

On Friday the teams had two practice sessions to perfect the car for raceday. The first practice session saw John Graham and the Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz team 25th on the speed chart with a quick lap of 23.444 seconds. The #37 Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz team led the way in practice of all Brewco Motorsports teams.

Qualifying was held Saturday morning and Graham was the 43rd car to take to the track for time trials. With a lap time of 24.198 seconds Graham started the race in the 41st position. The climb forward began on the first lap. John Graham paced himself and methodically worked his way through the field. On lap 27, Graham radioed in, "The car is tight on the bottom. I have a chatter on the exit of four." Graham would pit during the next caution period for four sticker tires and a chassis adjustment. Spotter Mark Green kept encouraging Graham during the race by telling him, "Good corner! Give us another one just like that."

On lap 60 the car snapped loose on Graham causing him to spin; he did not hit anything and was able to continue on. During the pit stop under this caution the Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz team pulled out an impressive 13.4 second stop for four tires and fuel. Graham stopped a few laps later, on lap 76, to top off with gas. On lap 93 Graham radioed in "The car is really good. I could use some help in the center of the corner though." He would again pit on lap 120 for four sticker tires. He would restart the race in 32nd position. Graham slowly began making his way back through the field; he was in the 29th position on lap 134. Crew Chief Shawn Parker radioed the team, "Good job spotter on helping John miss all these wrecks. Good job John on checking up and avoiding the wrecks."

However, about 20 laps later Graham was tapped from behind and knocked out of the racing groove. Parker jumped on the radio to calm Graham down and told him, "We can come back from this again." Graham regrouped and once again began his climb back through the field. Graham got as high as 22nd position before someone soon found his back bumper again. Graham and the #37 Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz Ford Fusion was tapped from behind by the #42 of Dario Franchitti. Still, with minimal damage Graham once again regrouped from the 30th position. By the end of the race John Graham and the #37 Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz team gained three more positions to finish in the 27th position; more importantly, Graham finished on the lead lap and brought the car back in one piece on a day that saw many tore up race cars.

Quotes from John Graham: "I want to thank Brewco and Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz for giving me good racecar. I didn't have many complaints about the car all day. It was crazy out there today. We got knocked around and turned a couple of times, but we managed to overcome those obstacles and come home in one piece. I have to thank all the guys from the Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz team. They worked hard all weekend and we did well. I really appreciate all of their hard work."

About Fun Energy Foods, Inc.: Fun Energy Foods Inc. was created in 2004 with the goal of developing a niche energy food with the same attributes as the most effective energy-enhancing products on the market. The company's "Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz" consists of a proprietary blend of top-quality energy-enhancing ingredients in a great tasting and totally unique delivery format. Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz are currently available at select GNC Retail Stores throughout Canada and will be available at GNC Stores and other select retailers in the U.S. later this year. For More Information on Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz visit www.funenergyfoods.com

From Tiffany Bouldin / Brewco Motorsports

Jacques Villeneuve's Texas Truck Preview

Jacques Villeneuve NASCAR Truck Series Preview: Texas Motor Speedway
 
Race/Date: Silverado 350k - Nov. 3, 2007 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series)
Location: Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas
 
NOTES:
 
This week�s race will be Jacques Villeneuve�s fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start, and it comes on the heels of a season-best 14th-place finish last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
 
The Fort Worth track is also almost identical to Atlanta Motor Speedway, so Villeneuve should be comfortable with Texas Motor Speedway after logging 130 racing laps at the Georgia track.
 
Villeneuve�s first memory of Texas is that his mother watched the Dallas TV show in their family home in Monaco. He remembers that somebody shot J.R. but doesn�t believe rumors that JR now races that red No. 8 car in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition!
 
Lone Star State? If only it were that easy. Villeneuve may be NASCAR�s only world-championship winning driver, but he knows that inside NASCAR, past successes elsewhere count for nothing, and that the series is packed with super-talented drivers.
 
None of his exes live in Texas and Villeneuve has never raced there before. Country music legend George Strait wrote the famous song All My Exes Live in Texas, but Villeneuve has never dated a girl from Texas.
 
Strait-talking George has had more albums certified gold or platinum inside the U.S. than any other country artist, and only Elvis and The Beatles have more overall. It is unlikely, though, that Strait has bought Villeneuve�s debut musical album Private Paradise yet.
 
Texas is about all the 2s. It may have only one star in its state flag, but Texas is the second biggest state in terms of both area and population. It also produces the second-highest gross state product. Villeneuve is not a betting man, but if he can finish in position No. 2 (or higher) in Texas this time around, he will be happy to sing the song to his pit crew.
 
Right place wrong time? While Villeneuve was in Atlanta last weekend, the Canadian media (TV, radio and print) were busy celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Formula One world drivers championship. Villeneuve is not a big fan of TV, and with a one-year-old baby at home in Montreal, he knows that any attempt to read the newspaper now ends in shreds!
 
Blondes don�t have more fun in Villeneuve�s opinion. When Jacques won that F1 crown, he was a spiky-haired blonde. Today, in NASCAR, he wears his hair short in style and natural in color, and although he�s not yet winning in NASCAR, he is having the most fun he�s had for a very long time.
 
Villeneuve�s No. 27 UNICEF truck will carry the 24Heures du Villars logos, advertising an annual charity ski race created by Villeneuve and his long-term manager, Craig Pollock. The race is held in the Swiss town of Villars-sur-Ollon ( www.bcv24hvillars.com). The 24-hour race has raised several millions dollars for a range of children�s charities over the last nine years. About 900 competitors race through the night, and it�s not too late to enter a team for the 10th anniversary event Jan 11 13, 2008, which will benefit Patouch (www.patouch.org) and the Teenage Cancer Trust ( www.teenagecancertrust.org). The NASCAR world needs representation, as Villeneuve will be testing at Daytona (Fla.) International Raceway, and will miss the event for just the second time ever!
 
Pink is the new pink. October is breast cancer awareness month, another cause close to Villeneuve�s heart. Having seen several of the NASCAR Cup drivers sporting pink at recent races, it will be left to Villeneuve to continue as the sole male driver to run pink (on his crash helmet) in Texas and beyond, as he has done for the last 25 years plus.
 
Jacques Villeneuve on Texas Motor Speedway:
 
"After Atlanta, the most important thing is to keep the momentum going. I want to complete race distance, to stay clean, to finish on the lead lap, and I want to be top 10. We had problems with the truck set-up in Atlanta, so I�ll be hoping to change that. If we can do that, and I can stay out of the way of trouble, I�m confident that we can do well.
 
From James McArdle / Advantage Management

NEXTEL CUP: Wild finish gives Johnson his second win in a row

(The #24 and #48 Hendrick Motorsports teams are operating on a higher plane than their rivals. It seems one or the other wins every weekend. At a point where you would expect teams outside of the Chase to be pushing the envelope and contending for wins, it's just not happening. Every race seems to come down to championship rivals Johnson and Gordon battling for the win.)
 
HAMPTON, Ga. (Oct. 28, 2007) – Jimmie Johnson survived a wild ending in Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to emerge with his second straight victory and close to within nine points of standings leader and teammate Jeff Gordon with three races remaining.

Johnson grabbed the lead on lap 322 of the scheduled 325-lap event when leader Denny Hamlin faltered on the restart following the 12th caution flag. During that four-lap caution period, Hamlin didn't pit, but Johnson did and was one of five drivers who took two tires. When they lined up for the restart, Johnson was second. It was then that he noticed Hamlin weaving his Chevrolet as the field exited turn four for the single-file restart. Hamlin then moved down, leaving the outside lane open as they approached the green flag. When the flagman waved the green flag, Hamlin's car stalled. Johnson saw the cars stacking up behind him, swerved to the outside and into the lead. The melee that erupted behind him eliminated Martin Truex Jr., who led the most laps, setting the pace on five occasions for 135 laps, and took Hamlin and Kyle Busch from victory contention.

"We had a good car today and as Chad [Knaus, crew chief] pointed out, probably not the fastest, but his pit call at the end [for two tires] was really what put us in contention to win the race," said Johnson, who has now swept three tracks this season and posted back-to-back victories on three occasions this year.

"I feel really good about where we are in the points and we can go lead laps, we can try to lead the most laps, and really race for this championship over the next three events."

The race's 13th caution period sent the event on the 1.54-mile track into a green-white-checker finish that, to Carl Edwards' dismay, never materialized. Shortly after the front-runners received the white flag, the left-rear wheel flew off Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s third-place Chevrolet. Earnhardt Jr. careened up the track, slammed into the second-turn wall and was then hit by Jamie McMurray, who was left with nowhere to go. The field was frozen and Edwards had to settle for second in the 329-lap race.

"I would have loved to have had a shot (at Jimmie Johnson)," said Edwards, who moved into fourth in the standings. "I hate to see a race end like that. The 8 car [Earnhardt Jr.] and the 48 [Johnson] were both really fast. We were gonna be pretty good on two tires and Matt (Kenseth) had four tires, so it was gonna be one heck of a finish."

Rounding out the top five, respectively, were <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Peachtree City, Ga. native Reed Sorenson, Kenseth and Jeff Burton.

Johnson, who donated his winnings to the Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund, averaged 135.26 mph in the race that had 19 lead changes among 11 drivers and was slowed by a record 14 caution flags for 55 laps. The old track record for caution flags was 11, which was set in 1968 and then equaled in the 1993 fall race.

With three races remaining, Hendrick Motorsports appears to be the owner of this year's NEXTEL Cup championship with the only question being which driver will own the title – Johnson or Gordon. Clint Bowyer is third, 111 points behind Gordon.

In Sunday's race, seven of the Chase drivers posted top-10 finishes. In addition to those who recorded top-five finishes, Bowyer placed sixth, Gordon seventh and Kurt Busch eighth. Kevin Harvick took 15th, Kyle Busch 20th, Hamlin 24th, Tony Stewart 30th and Truex 31st.

From Marcy Scott / AMS

      

ACTion News - Wed., Oct. 31, 2007

ACTion News - Wednesday, October 31, 2007
By Justin St. Louis
 
Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the closing of Catamount Stadium in Milton, VT.  The "Grand Old Lady" was the sister speedway in Vermont to Barre's Thunder Road, and was the site of many major events - not just the stock car races themselves, but also moments that were either immediately profound or happenings that, over time, became much larger and hugely effective (or affective, depending on how you look things).
 
Quebec dairy farmer Jean-Paul Cabana won the first main event held at the high-banked, 1/3-mile oval, driving a sportsman coupe on June 11, 1965.  The victory paid about $200.  Cabana also won the final main event(*) on September 27, 1987, the American-Canadian Tour's New England 300.  The purse was slightly higher in that one, as Cabana took home a shade better than $11,000 that day.
 
The asterisk next Cabana's "final win" is due to the fact that the actual final race ever held at the track was a 300-lap Enduro on November 1.  Cult hero "Dipstick" Don Tofani of Barre, VT won that day, triumphant over a field that included nationally recognized late model drivers Beaver Dragon and Stub Fadden, as well as dignitaries from all parts of the regional stock car racing (professional and otherwise) spectrum.  Tofani pocketed a cool $5,000 for his win, capping a dream season that also saw him earn a $3,000 Enduro 200 victory at Thunder Road and the Vermont State Street Stock Championship.
 
Catamount played a part in the chase for the national NASCAR Modified, Sportsman, and Late Model Sportsman Championships in the 1960s and '70s, with young Boston-area driver Don MacTavish earning the Vermont 200 NASCAR National Championship victory (they called them "NC" shows back then) on his way to the 1966 national sportsman title.  Current ACT President Thomas "T-Bone" Curley finished 15th in that race.  Carl "Bugs" Stevens won the National Modified title and Catamount Stadium championship in 1967, and hero drivers Ed Flemke, Riche Evans, Jerry Cook, and Jimmy Spencer were among the open-wheel winners at The Cat before its closing.  Late model stars L.D. Ottinger (1975) and Butch Lindley (1977-78), won NC events on their way to national titles, and southern invader Bob Pressley and Catamount's own "Dynamite" Dave Dion (although during the time he "belonged" to Thunder Road's fans and the anti-Bobby Dragon crowd) were NC event winners at Catamount.
 
Catamount was, in two ways, the birthplace of what is now known as the American-Canadian Tour.  Curley created the NASCAR North Tour in 1979 as a way to save local late model racing.  In the formative years of the tour, nearly one third of the events were held at Catamount, with as many as ten in one season.  Beaver and Bobby Dragon, Dick McCabe, Robbie Crouch, Dave Dion, Cabana, Jamie Aube, and Kevin Lepage were among the heroes of the day.  The touring concept caught on with local race fans and teams, and is the model for which ACT is built on today.
 
In 1985, however, things took a major turn.  Young Connecticut hotshot Randy LaJoie, a relative newcomer to the late model scene after spending some time in the modifieds, was on his way to winning the NASCAR North Tour title that year, battling Crouch for the prize.  A scoring dispute erupted in the aftermath of the August 11 event at Catamount – LaJoie claiming he was on the lead lap and in fact won the race, Crouch claiming LaJoie had been lapped in the pits and that he had won the race – and was not settled until a Supreme Court ruling awarded the race win, and subsequently the Tour title, to LaJoie three years later.
 
Crouch had been named the winner by Curley's chief scorer, Dr. Gordon "Doc" Nielsen (LaJoie was black-flagged for a procedural infraction and chose to ignore the flag, racing the leaders the rest of the way, but his scorecard had been pulled at lap 71 after several attempts to black flag him), but NASCAR's office staff in Daytona Beach disagreed with the call.  Curley backed his officials and Crouch, while NASCAR backed LaJoie.  In the messy legal fallout, NASCAR dropped Curley and his tour, creating an opportunity for Curley to regroup with the newly-formed ACT, and here we are today.
 
In the mean time, Catamount's fate had been decided in 1981, as a slew of financial disappointments – bad weather, bad crowds, thin fields of weekly competitors, among them – prompted the sale of the property to technology giant IBM for development as an industrial park.  A six-year, special-events-only lease was taken out by Curley and business partner and track founder Ken Squier, and Catamount Stadium flourished in its final seasons running between five and seven events in each of those years.
 
Sadly, the track closed its gates following the Enduro 300 on the chilly evening of November 1, 1987 and was demolished.  Catamount Stadium is still remembered as the site of a lot of good times, a few bad ones, and some great races.
 
Twenty years later, it is still missed.
 
***
 
Catamount Stadium's rich history has been preserved by several die-hard fans, competitors, officials, and media members, but none have done the grunt work as thoroughly and thoughtfully as Milton's own Bill Ladabouche.  The school teacher has created an online guide of the track's history at www.catamountstadium.com, and his efforts were rewarded in 2006 with the Coastal 181 Award through the New England Antique Racers group at their Hall of Fame induction dinner.  You can also learn more about Catamount in Ladabouche's regular column, "Bill's Back in Time" in the Racin' Paper.
 
***
 
Third-place ACT Late Model Tour points finisher Brent Dragon has entered into a partnership with Kenyon Racing Products of Ontario that will see Dragon campaign a Kenyon-built Port City chassis on the Tour next year.  "Mike and Tom Kenyon offered me a deal I couldn't turn down," he said.  "I'm very excited for next year."
 
Tom Kenyon did two tours of duty with ACT in late 1980s and early 1990s.  His first stint was behind the wheel of a race car, competing in 29 events with the former ACT Pro Stock Tour from 1987-1990.  Tom's second go with ACT was behind the wheel of the pace car, a job he did for three seasons.  His one final run with ACT was a 10th place finish at Sanair Super Speedway in August 1994, his only start that year.
 
Kenyon Racing Products was a contingency supporter for the Série ACT Castrol in 2007, rewarding the "hard charger" in each of the 12 races on the schedule.
 
***
 
Did you know…?
-Bobby Dragon won 52 feature events at Catamount Stadium, tops all-time.  Dragon's first 19 victories came in the first Flying Tiger division during the 1960s.  In fact, Dragon took his first career win on May 22, 1966 and then won six more during the year, including the first five consecutively.  He later won 33 Late Model events and a total of four track championships.  Joey Laquerre ranks second on the all-time win list at 34, with 31 wins the VW Beetle-dominated Mini Stock division.  Laquerre won 11 out of 12 races in 1980, and won the only four events held at Thunder Road that season as well.  Laquerre's other three Cat wins were in the second version of the Flying Tigers in the 1980s.
 
-In 1974, the first year of Catamount Stadium's Mini Stock division, Laquerre, Butch True, and "Easy Ed" Orton all tied for the championship!
 
-Caron brothers Gary, Richard, Dennis, and Larry combined for a total of 40 wins at Catamount.  Larry won 25 races across four divisions (Hurricane, Limited Sportsman, Grand American, and Flying Tiger), while each of the remaining three brothers won five times each.
 
While Catamount Stadium may be gone, Thunder Road is still going strong year after year.  We will celebrate the 50th season at "The Nation's Site of Excitement" in 2009, and are asking fans, competitors, and even passers-by to send along their favorite memories of Thunder Road throughout the years.  By all means, please include memories of drivers you love, drivers you don't, moments of glory, controversy, and excitement, and anything that may stick out in your mind.  The older the story, the better!  Send along your thoughts to media@acttour.com, and be sure to visit the websites at www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com and www.acttour.com .

From the America-Canadian Tour