DIRTcar Racing NorthEast 2007 Season Ender!!

Weedsport, NY - 2007 marked the 32nd consecutive year of operation for DIRTcar Racing NorthEast. The past season emerged most rewarding for recently crowned DIRTcar NE champions Brett Hearn, Mario Clair, Joe Williams, Pete Stefanski and Scott Smith with the season-long Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds and companion traveling tours for 358-Modified, Sportsman, UMP Pro Stock and UMP Street Stock teams once again laying the foundation for these five overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar titlists.
 
Chronicled in the DIRTcar NE record book, 772 main events ­ Big-Block Modified 194, 358-Modified 147, Sportsman 222, UMP Pro Stock 100, UMP Street Stock 109 ­ were staged at 36 speedways with 20 Big-Block drivers, nine Small-Blockers, 34 Sportsman pilots, 10 UMP Pro Stock wheelmen and 19 UMP Street Stock chauffeurs reaching victory lane for the first time. 79 of those features were extra-distance touring events that were staged from March through October.
 
Advance Auto Parts Modified winner Hearn collected the $60,000 top prize from the annual DIRTcar NorthEast Banquet for his record-tying sixth overall Big-Block title. First-time Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified champion Clair pocketed $12,000 while Sportsman titlist Williams earned $7,000. Stefanski became the first back-to-back champion in full-fender Pro Stock tour competition and took home $2,000 while Scott Smith claimed the first-ever Caprara Bros. Outdoor Toy Store Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock high-point honors worth a cool grand.
 
While fresh off his first career Small-Block Championship in 2006, Hearn claimed his initial overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified crown in 1990 as Clair earned the coveted 358-Modified crown in his initial season following the entire tour stateside. Hearn (14) topped the season victory list with Series stars Danny Johnson (11) and Jimmy Phelps (10) the only other drivers to reach double figures. Success didn't stop there as Hearn matched Canadian chauffeurs Pete Bicknell, Yan Bussiere, David Hebert and Laurent Ladouceur with seven wins in 358-Modified competition by season's end.
 
Hearn used an Advance Auto Parts Series-best seven wins to improve his career tour total to 98 which ranks him first all-time. Only Alan Johnson (350) owns more Big-Block feature wins although Hearn (339) continues to be recognized as DIRTcar Racing NE's
all-time open-wheel leader with 508. The 'Jet' (169) also stands behind only Bicknell (190) on DIRT NorthEast's 358-Modified all-time list although he remains the career 358 Mr. DIRTcar Series race winner with 66 extra-distance triumphs.
 
2007 was a break-out season for Williams as he brought the 18th Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman title chase to a close in record-setting fashion, establishing the new tour standard with seven triumphs and tying the previous mark after recording four straight Series wins in the first half-dozen shows. Coming into '07 he had totaled eight feature wins on the DIRTcar NE circuit since 2004 and recorded just three top-five finishes in tour competition without a single feature win. He ended the season ranked fifth with nine victories at seven different tracks to increase his DIRTcar count to 17.
 
2007 marked the 13th season that DIRTcar Racing offered a Mr. DIRTcar title for the premier Pro Stockers and it ended with the first back-to-back champion in division history. Moving his weekly home to Genesee Speedway, full-fender standout Stefanski exhibited his superiority throughout the entire season at the Fairgrounds oval winning 11 features to secure his first track points title. He concluded the season with a division-high win total for the third straight time, reaching victory lane 17 times at 4 tracks to make him DIRTcar Racing NorthEast's all-time career win leader with 66. Three tour victories in '07 also places him second on the all-time Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series win list with 14 first-place trophies.
 
The past season was highlighted by the crowning of the first-ever overall Street Stock Champion. Inaugural Caprara Bros. Outdoor Toy Store Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock titlist Smith racked up 8 top-5 feature finishes in 12 races held at 8 different New York State tracks to secure first-place honors. The Finger Lakes Region runner scored two tour triumphs at DIRTcar charter members Rolling Wheels Raceway Park and Cayuga County Fair Speedway while being recognized as a weekend warrior at Canandaigua Speedway where he finished 4th in points with one win in 2007.
 
An impressive influx of new talent on the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast circuit in 2007 helped account for 73 first-time feature winners in one of the most competitive seasons ever. Headed by Motorsports Safety Systems/G-FORCE Rookie of the Year award winners Mike Bowman (Advance Auto Parts Big-Block Modified), Eric Landry (358-Modified), Larry Wight (Sportsman) and Jocelyn Roy (UMP Pro Stock), some of those same drivers made a return trip to the winner's circle, gaining even more familiarity with solid showings in their respective home track point standings.
 
The 2008 race season is expected to bring further success as DIRTcar continues to raise the level of excitement in the world of short-track auto racing. It all begins this coming February when racers make their annual pilgrimage to Florida for the start of DIRTcar Racing NorthEast's 33rd straight season. The 37th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park will be highlighted by the 20th trip to the Sunshine State for the DIRTcar Big-Block contingent with Florida Tour '08 featuring the mighty Advance Auto Parts Modifieds during the week of Feb. 13-16.

From Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director

Press Release: K&M Motorsports Park and South Sask Motorsports under new ownership

REGINA, SK - Rod and Florence Ziegler of Regina, along with their daughters Maranda and Christina are pleased and excited to announce that they have purchased K&M Motorsports Park along with the motorsports management firm of South Sask Motorsports Ltd.

For the Ziegler family this will truly be a family venture as they will be building their home on the property in the immediate future. The Zieglers are all kart racers with a passion for kart racing and motorsports in general and they will strive to provide and improve the racing facilty to serve a growing number of users which presently includes:

• South Sask Kart Club (Kart racing) “SSKC” http://www.southsaskkartclub.tripod.com/
• Regina Corvette Club (Solo Corvette racing) “RCC” http://www.reginacorvetteclub.com/
• Queen City Motorsports Association (Solo sports car racing) “QCMA” http://www.qcma.org/
• Prairie Sport Riders Association (Motorcycle performance riding programs) “PSRA” http://www.sasksportbike.com/
• Audi Club/Prairies Chapter (Audi performance driver training programs) http://www.audiclubpraires.ca/

Plans are in the works to include a wider range of activities to allow more of the general public an opportunity to…get of the streets and get on track…. as well corporate team building programs with a focus on safe, friendly and competitive employee interaction will be offered in the near future.

The change in ownership was affective as of late November 2007 and renovations to the club house are currently underway with track, paddock and spectator improvements to follow in early spring of 2008.

More information will be available in the next few months along with the anticipated launch of a new track facility name and web site.

The Ziegler family would like to take this opportunity to wish one and all a safe and Happy New Year and look forward to seeing new and familiar faces at the track in 2008.

CSRA Snowcross Event #1 Dec. 8-9 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Photos from the Dec. 8-9 CSRA Snowcross event in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (the Searchmont Resort & Team Arctic Cat, CSRA National/Regional)

Thanks to Dwayne Young of RINet/CMSports .com for supplying them!

Results are available here.

The next CSRA event is schedule for Owen Sound, ON on January 19-20, 2008.

Rick Young's 'Rick @ the Races' ... Retro #21 (1983)

PIC # 1    The new rollcage in place on the Spitfire/Jaguar BriSCA F1

PIC # 2     Most of the Spitfire body has now been discarded.

PIC # 3   The rebuilding work is completed and the Jaguar powered BriSCA F1 is ready to race.

PIC # 4   The Seddon Atkinson truck I drove for a living.

PIC # 5    The 'beat up' Morris Marina run-about I was driving.

PIC # 6    Pat and Carla pose beside the current gold top BriSCA F1 of Willie Harrison # 2

PIC # 7   Stuart Smith # 391 winner of the 1983 BriSCA F1 World Championship

PIC # 8   Dick Wolstenhume # 99 of Maine, was a USA rep at the 1983 BriSCA F1 World Final

PIC # 9   Larry Tanguay # 61 of Maine,was a USA rep at the 1983 BriSCA F1 World Final

PIC # 10  Anthony V/D Oetelaar # 4 ( Tilburg. NL) was the 1983 SUPERSTOX World Champion.

PIC # 11  Some of the advertizing posters for the racing at the Gonne Circuit (Gruitrode,Belgium)

PIC # 12  Carla at her first Mainland Europe stock car meeting (17 Sep 1983, Gruitrode, Belgium)

PIC # 13  The # 7 F1 Stock car of John V/D Coot at the Gonne Circuit , Gruitrode , Belgium.

PIC # 14  Rien Rutgens # 15 in Victory Lane at Baarlo following his 1983 Long Track W/F win.

PIC # 15 Me and Carla at Brafield (2 October 1983).

PIC # 16  Brian Bedford # 209 at Brafield ( 2 Oct 1983)

From Rick Young....

Intro.... RICK @ the RACES 'RETRO' is an ongoing 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. When our family moved to Bedfordshire in the 1960's , I became a regular race fan, as a school kid , at the Brafield Stadium ( Northants) . After leaving school, I raced my first BriSCA F1 Stock Car in 1974 at the age of 20. Since then and after several moves, I now live in Ontario, Canada (since 1994) where I've become heavily involved in the DIRT Modified scene. RICK YOUNG.

RICK @ the RACES (RETRO # 21)

First, to recap from 1982 (RETRO # 20) . I was living in Maidford , Northamptonshire and working as a truck/lorry driver on contract to the UK's leading Freezer Food retailer ( I was either driving a Leyland Marathon or a Seddon-Atkinson) On December 8, Pat and I became the proud parents of a baby daughter we named Carla. Later that month I once again became the owner of a BriSCA F1 stock car. Pat had bought the E Type Jaguar powered Triumph GT6 Spitfire bodied car from my old buddy Chris Pickup # 50. We had an Austin A60 as our regular 'road car' and I acquired a 'beat up' old Morris Marina as a runabout.

1983

Every winter , the BSCDA ( British Stock Car Drivers Association) held it's AGM and as usual I was in attendance. One of the rule changes made that year in relation to construction, was for cars to have a mandatory 'six post' roll cage. In the past it was OK to have just four. As well as this, cages were to be steel plated above the drivers head and down the sides. This was aimed at giving added protection from impact in the event of a rollover or a 'heavy' side swipe.

This meant that my newly acquired race car needed 'major surgery' to comply. A new roll-cage had to be built, so it turned out longer than expected before I got back out on the track. I had no bending equipment to make one out of round tubular steel, so chose to make it from 2 X 2 box section similar to that used on my first car. My original idea was to keep the Spitfire body but the larger roll cage made it impractical. I did try fitting the 'battered' Fiat Toppolino body that I'd saved from my BriSCA F2, but that didn't work either. In the end I decided to use just the roof section from the Spitfire combined with sheet metal. As for a radiator grill, I used one from a Van Den Plas Princess 1100.

I guess you could say the early 1980's were the 'thin end of the wedge'.

The new rules brought in for roll cages and the 'doing away' of mandatory stock bodies really set the trend for the modern day �cookie cutter� stock cars.

Also, there were many cars now appearing with sprint car style wings. I'm not afraid to say that at the time ( just my opinion ! ) , I felt, they made the cars look 'silly' . I still dont like them,  but have now excepted the fact they are here to stay. I thought it was a bad thing for the sport because the cars began to lose their individuality. If I had wanted to see sleek speed machines with wings, I would have spent my Sunday afternoons watching the air planes take off at Luton Airport ! The cars were turning in to something far apart from what I learned to love in the 1960/70's.

This was also the end of the era for Jaguar powered BriSCA F1 Stock Cars. In the past, your average working guy, with a modest budget and a little bit of mechanical knowledge could be out on the track with a Jag, having a bit of fun and picking up the occasional placings. These days were now over, technology had advanced and more and more drivers were using imported big block Chevy's from the States. I realized this before starting out on the project , so my intentions were to concentrate only on my 'local' Brafield track and to 'have a bit of fun'.

The re-construction took place gradually throughout the year while we attended our nearby tracks of Coventry, Brafield and Leicester as a spectators.

One long distance track I did visit early in the season was the Smeatharpe Stadium near Taunton . Pat's sister lived on a farm at West Lydford in Somerset which was not far away from Smeatharpe. We took a drive down there for a visit on the May Day holiday weekend ( April 30- May 1 / 2 ) so the relatives could see Carla for the first time.

While the two sisters spent time together, nephew Peter and myself went along to Smeatharpe to see the BriSCA F2's in action. This was my second, and only other time I visited the track. The first time was in 1976 when I accompanied Brian Holmes # 542 who was racing there. Back then, it poured with rain all day , and it did the same thing on this occasion too. Heat and Final winner was long distance traveler Andy Horton # 574 from Cheshire.

The Spedeworth Superstox were first to hold their World Final this year, with the event once again taking place at Cleethorpes (13/14 Aug). I missed this one, where Anthony V/D Oetelaar # 4 from Tilburg in the Netherlands took the victory. He was the son of Barry , 1960's BriSCA F1 driver # 386, who had moved from his base in Reading, Berkshire, back to his native land where he become a promotor.

Actually Cleethorpes is on my �wish I'd done it� list of UK tracks , which consists of places I regret never visiting. ( others on that exclusive list include New Cross, West Ham, Prestatyn, Newcastle, and Bolton )

The BriSCA F1 World Final was held at the the Coventry Stadium on September 3 and was won by Stuart Smith # 391. Defending champion Willie Harrison # 2 came home third with my old buddy Danny Clarke # 203 taking the runner up spot. The Netherlands representatives were Friedhelm Welters # 8, Leon Cox # 17, George Kroonder # 217 and Piet Keyzer # 10. Once again the reps for the USA came from the Beech Ridge Speedway in Maine, and were Larry Tanguay # 61 and Dick Wolstenhume # 61. Wolstenhume was the best placed overseas driver with a twelth place finish.

A week later ( Sept 11) it was Carla's christening, which came between the next big race on the agenda. The F1 Long Track World Final ( Sept 17/18) was a little different this year. Instead of being an exclusive weekend event at the Baarlo Autospeedway, for the first ( and only) time it was run as two legs at two different venues. On the Saturday it was at the Gonne Circuit at Gruitrode , near to Bree in Belgium and on Sunday it was at Baarlo in the Netherlands.

A few days after Carla's christening we set off from Maidford en-route to my birth town of Ipswich in Suffolk. We stayed overnight at some of my relatives to make it handy for an early morning ferry crossing from the Port of Felixstowe. With Carla being so young this was the best way to do it. Once landed in mainland Europe I drove the Austin A60 up the Dutch coastline to the sea-side town of Noordwijk an Zee . This was close to the world famous Zandvoort Circuit which used to host the F1 Dutch Grand Prix ( unfortunately there was nothing going on at the track while we were there) . For this years vacation we chose Bed and Breakfast establishments ( or pensions as they are called over there) in preference to camping.

After a day by the coast we drove to Roermond (where I'd camped many times in the past) and  based ourself at a small hostelry in the center of town. Roermond was a good central point for both the Gruitrode and Baarlo tracks.

What made this two day event interesting was the fact that Gruitrode was a dirt track of approx 1/3 mile and Baarlo was a 1 kilometer paved track. This meant that some drivers used two different cars. A pre-race rainstorm made the going tough at Gruitrode, where Rien Rutjens took the two heat races and Friedhelm Welters won the Final.

The next day the 'traveling road show' moved to Baarlo which was about an hours drive across the border from Gruitrode. Again the day started out wet, and it was local hero , Rutjens who took both races including the prestigious Long Track World Championship. One of the Dutch drivers competing that weekend was John V/D Coot # 7 who in the coming years we got to know as well as his family.

Instead of dashing to catch the ferry straight after the races , we traveled towards Chaam near Breda and stopped overnight. Pat, who's mother was Dutch, had an uncle who lived there so we payed him a visit. The next day we traveled to Rotterdam for the sea crossing back to the UK.

While we were in Belgium and the Netherlands the BriSCA F2 World Final was taking place at Newton Abbott in Devon where David Bunt # 595 of Plymouth clinched his second gold roof.

I mentioned before, that my old friend Brian Bedford from the 'Beds and Herts' club days was now living in Weedon close to our place at Maidford. He'd quit racing after moving up country, but had been watching with interest the progress of my rebuild. I think the temptation was too much for him, and by the time I was ready to get back on the track, he'd aquired another race car too. He bought a former, Geoff Weston # 96, Bob Boddington # 196, Jim Wilde # 90 car from John Plant # 390. John , who I knew quite well, was also a former Hertfordshire racer who'd moved north to Long Buckby in Northamptonshire.

During the year while I was at work , I stopped at the Watford Gap Services on the M1 for a 'cuppa tea ' where I happened to bump into Al Henderson . Al was well known in the sport as 'Mr Starter' but he'd filled many other positions over the years. At this time he was secretary of the VSCA ( Veteran Stock Car Association) which is a group of people dedicated to keeping the sports long time drivers, fans and officials in touch. He invited me to become a member, I joined up and I'm still a member to this day. Many VSCA special events and 'get togethers' are organized through out the year and one was scheduled for Brafield on October 2 . With the rebuild completed it was this day that I chose to make my racing come-back. I was joined by Brian Bedford as we towed our cars in convoy through the lanes of Northamptonshire on our way to the track.  As for the racing that day ...... Oh, how things had changed in nearly three years !

1984 to follow...

GRAND AM KONI CHALLENGE: COMPASS360 Signs Burrows and Hopwood

Toronto, Canada - Throughout the 2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season, Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood had to keep one eye on the road and one in the mirror to keep tabs on the all-out championship pursuit from Compass360 Racing. In the end, the ST Class Championship came down to the thrilling last laps of the season in the VIR Six- Hour enduro, as Burrows stormed to take the final spot in the podium and clinch the championship with Hopwood.

But even after the checkered flag flew on 2007 for Compass360, the chase was not over, as the team pursued Burrows and Hopwood during the off-season to turn their fierce competition into an asset by inking the two to a one-year contract to campaign the team's #74 Acura TSX.

"I'm really excited that Compass360 Racing is giving us this chance to defend our championship and to race together," said Burrows. "We were pretty floored by the interest we got from teams after we won the championship, but it was really important that we were in a competitive situation and that Trevor and I could race together and go for another championship. Fortunately, Compass360 presented us with an opportunity we just couldn't pass up."

While the move from the straight-six powered rear-wheel drive BMW 330i they won the championship with last season to the front-wheel drive four-cylinder Acura TSX is a dramatic one, Burrows and Hopwood are looking forward to showing what they can do in a completely different kind of race car after impressing all season in the BMW.

Acura's TSX's took five wins in 2007, four of them in the hands of Compass360 Racing. "Obviously we saw a lot of this car on the track last season and I'm looking forward to getting a feel for it from the drivers seat," said Hopwood, who has raced everything from Spec Racers to GT-1 Corvettes. "As returning Champions, we know we are going to have a target on our backs, but we're excited about the challenge. We know there are going to be some fast new cars and drivers in ST next year, but we are ready to get into it again -- the sooner, the better."

For Compass360, which has a long-term growth plan in place for its motorsports division, the chance to retain Burrows and Hopwood was one that the team wanted to grab with both hands.

"We talked with Adam and Trevor throughout last year and I am tremendously proud to have the champions racing for us this season," said Team Principal Karl Thomson. "I'm pleased we had a program strong enough to sign these guys for 2008. We already know how quick they are on the track, and are looking forward to using the strong assets they bring to the team. We plan on being very competitive this season and continuing to grow in the KONI Challenge Series in the future, and these guys are going to be a an important part of that."

This announcement finalizes the driver line-ups for Compass360 three TSXs; Hopwood and Burrows join Thomson and co-driver Travis Walker who pilot the #76 car, alongside Kevin York and Christian Miller in #75. "I'm excited because all three of our TSXs have strong driver line-ups capable of winning races and a championship."

Burrows and Hopwood will get their first taste of the TSX after the New Year during the Test Days in Daytona on January 4-7 before taking the green flag in the Fresh From Florida 200 on January 25th.

Commercial partnerships are still to be announced in the coming weeks.

Compass360 Racing is the motorsports division of Compass360 Design + Advertising, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit www.compass360.com/racing or email racing at compass360 dot com.

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PR inquiries about Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood should be directed to Matt Cleary at Sunday Group Management; 317.908.2975 (mobile) or media@sundaymanagement.com

PR inquiries about the Compass360 Racing team should be directed to Team Principal Karl Thomson at (416) 993-3951 or email karlt at compass360 dot com

Photo courtesy Grand Am, reproduction rights granted.
2007 Grand Am KONI Challenge Champions Trevor Hopwood (left) and Adam Burrows.