JACK CANFIELD MEMORIAL THREE HOUR ENDURO RACE SET TO RUN MONDAY AT AMP

(Halifax, NS, October 6, 2010) – Atlantic Motorsport Park (AMP) will host the third annual Jack Canfield Memorial Enduro Race on Monday, October 11th. The 1.6 mile circuit, located just outside of the town of Shubenacadie, will see a variety of racecars and sports cars in the three-hour race, including the Maritime League of Legends, who will make history when they hit the road course for the first time. The car with the most completed laps after the grueling three hours will be declared the winner. Paddock opens and registration begins at 8:00am and admission is FREE! For more information please visit www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com

Jack Canfield was a motorcycle racer and car racer in Atlantic Canada from the 1960’s until he hung up his helmet in the 1980’s. He was instrumental in the founding of AMCRA, the club that organized motorcycle racing in Atlantic Canada. Later in the 1970’s he was a moving force and founding member of Atlantic Motorsport Park, the first and still only road racing circuit in the Maritimes. Because of his efforts to help and promote motorsports, Jack has been inducted into both the Canadian and Maritime Motorsports Halls of Fame.

Beginning in 2008, the car racers began to organize a three hour endurance race at AMP to honour Jack’s memory. This year’s race is the third annual event and its popularity increases each year. Teams from the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and the Eastern United States will travel to AMP to participate. Most of the teams utilize two drivers which requires a pit stop and allows more racers to take in the event.

The Maritime League of Legends will be holding their final race of the season at Atlantic Motorsport Park. Although Legends Cars race on road courses all over North American and Europe, on Monday the 2.5 Kilometer, 11 turn road course will host the first race of this type in Atlantic Canada. The drivers, who are no strangers to competing on oval tracks in the Maritimes and North Eastern United States, will certainly have their driving skills tested and challenged by this very technical track.

The number of entries from the League of Legends is growing daily and includes the likes of 2009 Maritime Pro Stock Tour Champion Shawn Turple, Canadian Masters Champion and local favorite Cy Harvey, 2010 Scotia Speedworld and Maritime League of Legends Tour Champion Paul Blenkhorn, two- time Canadian Legends Champion Justin MacNeill and seasoned road racer Todd Roberts.

To make this race possible the volunteer organizations that regularly help out each race weekend donate their time and expertise for free. Atlantic Motorsport Park waives the rental fee for the day. Bluenose Autosport Club who usually provide timing and scoring efforts donate their fee for the event. ARRCA, the Atlantic Region Race Control Association, the flag marshals who make the racing as safe as possible, do their valuable job without pay to honour Jack Canfield’s memory. Sponsors also help pay the cost of race insurance which is the only necessity not free for this event. In the end, several thousand dollars will be raised and donated to the upkeep of AMP the only club-owned and non-profit circuit in Canada.

Castrol Touring Car Series - Wittmer & Rapone Crowned 2010 Champions

October 5, 2010 - Toronto, Ontario Canada - With the seven event championship now in the record books, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires celebrated a fantastic fourth year of competition. It all came down to the last event at the famed Circuit ICAR at Mirabel, just north of Montreal. 35 of Canada’s best race drivers were on hand racing in two extremely competitive car classes for the final time in 2010. As in past years, both Super and Touring Class championship titles were decided on the last weekend of the year.

For a second year in a row, Lombardi Honda driver Nick Wittmer took the top spot in Super Class in his Honda Civic with a total of 1522 points, just 111 points of his second place rival Dave Ciekiewicz in his Donington Motorsports Subaru WRX STi and 300 points ahead of Audette Racing’s Mathieu Audette in his Acura RSX. For 2010 there was a total of 33 drivers vying for the the top spot in Super Class.

A record number of two and three car teams were on hand this year as everyone stepped up their game. G1 Racing fielded two Hyundai Genesis Coupes with drivers Bob Attrell and Sasha Anis. Team Aldo/Northwest campaigned three BMWs driven by Greg Pootmans, David Bensadoun and Paul Dalla Lana. There were an average of 37 cars competing each Championship weekend.

GT Racing’s Etienne Borgeat and Jacques Gravel debuted their new Pontiac Solstice coupes but struggled early in the year to get them dialed in. Lombardi Racing brought out their three extremely potent Honda Civics with the driving duties being shared among regular driver Nick Wittmer, Benjamin Distaulo, Andre Rapone, Nigel Heron and last years rookie of the year Alex Healy.

In Touring Class, Anthony Rapone had a significant points lead going into the final event but the fight for second and third place was among at five drivers going into event seven at Mirabel. Michel Sallenbach driving a MINI Cooper for Octane Motorsports, Karl Thomson, Rapone’s Durabond/Compass360 Racing team mate, M&S Racing’s Tom Kwok, Pfaff Tuning’s P.J. Groenke and Jacques Belanger battled all year long taking turns on the podium and keeping them all within the top spot in the championship. A total of 30 different Touring Class drivers competed this season and put on some of the best racing in Canada.

For 2010 the Manufacturers Championship went back and forth between Honda, BMW, MINI, Subaru and Acura. In the end, BMW took home the Super Class Championship and Honda was able to hold off MINI for top honours in Touring Class. No less than twelve different manufacturers were represented this season.

New for 2010 was the introduction of the Championship Webisodes. Produced by Phanta Media, Mark Drager and his team put together seven event Webisodes and corresponding video race reports that put fans in the car and in the paddock with the teams. The Webisodes were a huge hit with the fans and the media. Look for these to continue for 2011 as it seems the audience just can’t get enough. http://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianTouringCar.

The 2011 Championship schedule and event planning is well underway. New cars are being added to the roster and the rules are being updated and refined. Discussions are ongoing with current and new sponsors with many wanting to increase their involvement for the future.

The championship would like to acknowledge its partners for their support for another exciting season; Castrol (Wakefield Canada Inc.), Toyo Tires Canada, Holiday Canopies, NOS Energy Drink, Hawk Performance Brakes, Pit Uniforms.com, MK Technologies, Toronto Tirecraft, Pure Design Marketing, Garagescapes, Racing Radios International, Forge Motorsport, dba(Disc Brakes Australia), Anze Suspension and Traqmate Data Acquisition.

Pyrotect’s Newest SA2010 helmet - ProSport AirFlow

Pyrotect’s Newest SA2010 helmet coming out in 2011 will be the ProSport AirFlow. The ProSport will feature our unique Airflow head liner and cheek pads which are removable, changeable, washable, and the best part is the pads can be changed out and resized for a custom fit. The SA2010 ProSport will be HANS Ready and features will include a light weight composite shell with an aerodynamic designed for open cockpit racing, a new friction shield adjuster, Nomex removable interior, new tear off posts with adjustment, and will be available in white or flat black. The ProSport will racer net for $329.00 USD For more information go to: http://www.pyrotect.com/

RTR is on the air tonight! (Tues. Oct. 5th 2010)

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Faultless L’Estage, fast Richard give Yokohama cars 1 and 2 at PFR

MERRITT, B.C. (October 3, 2010) – A faultless drive in a “flawless” car on “perfect” tires has given the Quebec team of Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard a decisive victory in the Pacific Forest Rally and the lead in the Canadian Rally Championship with one event left on the calendar.

In a weekend they described as “uneventful,” L’Estage and Richard drove their Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X to a one minute, 14-second lead over Yokohama team mates Patrick Richard and Allan Ockwell in their Subaru WRX STi. Their victory makes the Mitsubishi team the only four-time winner of the Pacific Forest Rally.

Third place went to the Subaru of Leonid Urlichich of Thornhill, Ontario, and Chrissie Beavis of San Diego, California.

Despite heavy dust, L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, opened an 18-second lead over Patrick Richard of Squamish, B.C., and Ockwell, of Toronto, on the first night, then managed the pace of the event through the conclusion on Saturday. “We had no real incidents, the car ran flawlessly, the tires were perfect – it was almost uneventful,” said Nathalie.

The two-day rally was anything but uneventful for reigning and four-time Canadian champ Patrick Richard, who had been leading the 2010 championship going into the Pacific Forest round. “We had a series of niggling set-up issues that meant we couldn’t go as fast as we needed to at the start,” he explains. The car suffered minor electrical and transmission problems, but the pair had a major setback when they struck a cow that had wandered onto the stage in the last 50 kilometres of the event.

The results from Pacific Forest leave L’Estage with a 2-point advantage over his Yokohama team mate in the championship chase heading into the final event of the 2010 season. L’Estage has won three of the five championship events this year.

“Whoever wins Rally of the Tall Pines will win the driver’s championship,” confirms Patrick. Subaru is leading the race for the manufacturer’s title.

In addition to its sponsorship of Antoine L’Estage/Nathalie Richard and Pat Richard/Allan Ockwell, Yokohama Canada is a supporting sponsor of the Canadian Rally Championship. The Canadian championship has been televised nationally on TSN and RDS since 1993, and is made available on multiple media platforms, including TSN 2, as downloads from iTunes, on-line on Flat Over Crest (www.flatovercrest.com) and to 80 million homes in Europe on MotorsTV.

Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. markets and distributes a full line of tires for high performance, passenger car, light truck, and commercial truck applications, as well as off-the-road tires for mining, forestry and construction applications. It maintains distribution centres across Canada to serve more than 700 independent tire dealers and more than 2,000 retail locations.

ANTOINE L'ESTAGE WINS PACIFIC FOREST RALLY TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

MERRITT, BC, OCTOBER 2, 2010 – Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) took the early lead at the Pacific Forest Rally, and won the event with more than a minute advantage over their closest competitors. The rally is the fifth event of the Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.

This was a very important win for us," said L'Estage. Counting events he has run in the United States of America, L'Estage has won five of the last six rallies he has entered. "It was a real win, fair and square and now we lead the Canadian Rally Championship. The Rockstar EVO X has been great and John Buffum has built it into an excellent rally car."

L'Estage and Richard now lead the championship by two points. The team has already been crowned 2010 Rally America champions and won the North American Rally Cup. L'Estage also won a bronze medal in Rally Car Racing at X Games.

Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto, ON) of Subaru Rally Team Canada suffered multiple problems throughout the rally, yet were still able to finish second overall. The two are also second place in the championship standings.

"It is good points for the championship," said Richard. "We had problems all rally but to come away with second place is pretty good. Subaru is leading the Manufacturer's Championship, which was a big goal for this weekend."

Third went to Leo Urlichich (Toronto, ON) and Chrissie Beavis (San Diego, USA). After a nearly trouble free run, the last two stages of the event threw multiple challenges at the team, costing time but not positions.

"We couldn't make it boring," joked Urlichich. "We had some throttle problems, and brake problems and a flat tire, but we had a great rally." Urlichich has also managed to put himself into the thick of things for third place in the championship.

Bruno Carré and Yvan Joyal (Laval, QC), of Team Swap Shop came to the Pacific Forest Rally in a close championship battle, along with teammates Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy. Both teams suffered severe problems, and only Henderson was able to complete the rally, finishing in a disappointing sixth place.

Two wheel drive went to Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) in their Mitsubishi Lancer. The brothers have also secured the two wheel drive championship for drivers and co-drivers as well as the manufacturer's two wheel drive title for Mitsubishi.

"We came and did what we had to do," said Jody. "There is so much to learn in two wheel drive, and it's a great place to perfect skills before moving on to the bigger cars."

The 2010 edition of the Pacific Forest Rally featured a reworked schedule with two new stages that were a hit with drivers. Nighttime stages and dusty conditions proved to be a challenge through the weekend, demanding the utmost of drivers and co-drivers.

"We're delighted with how the rally has gone," said Paul Westwick, organiser of the 2010 Pacific Forest Rally. "We had amazing conditions, and the new roads proved to be a great addition."
The final round of the Canadian Rally Championship, the Rally of the Tall Pines, is staged in the twisty roads surrounding Bancroft, ON, just three hours from Toronto. Known for winter roads and summer ditches, drivers must be at their peak in order to win the event. With tight battles overall and across classes, teams will be pushing flat out to win the title of Champion.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada, and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Rally car racing is often described simply as "real cars, real roads, real fast." The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometers of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.
For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.pacificforestrally.com

INDYCAR MIAMI: Franchitti wins title, Dixon wins race

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010) -- It was a perfect night for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

Scott Dixon won the Cafes do Brasil Indy 300, while Dario Franchitti claimed his record-tying third IZOD IndyCar Series crown with an eighth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Having already securing the bonus point for winning the PEAK Performance Pole Award, Franchitti needed to lead the most laps and outpace Will Power in the 200-lap event. One was achieved on Lap 118 of 200 when he clinched two points for leading the most laps, and he was on pace to win the race. That would seal the deal no matter where Power finished.

That became moot when Power's No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car brushed the Turn 4 wall on Lap 135 while running fourth, which bent the right-rear wishbone. The crew wheeled the car behind the wall and made the parts change in 5 minutes, 6 seconds. After testing the patch for a few laps under caution, he brought the car into the pit stall and climbed out of the cockpit.

Power, who posted five victories in his first full season with Team Penske, suffered his first DNF of the season in the biggest race of his career. Franchitti, who entered the race 11 points arrears, earned the title by five points with an eighth-place finish.

Dixon, who started on the front row, held off Andretti Autosport teammates Danica Patrick, who tied her season-high of second, and Tony Kanaan to win his third race of the season. Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe finished fourth and teammate Helio Castroneves was fifth. Alex Lloyd of Dale Coyne Racing clinched the Rookie of the Year award.

Also on Oct. 2, Brandon Wagner outdueled James Hinchcliffe to win the Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka 100 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The USAC Midget Series veteran beat James Hinchcliffe of Team Moore Racing by 0.7006 of a second for his first victory and first for Davey Hamilton Racing.

Wade Cunningham, who won the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May in his only other start this season, finished third in the No. 77 IZOD Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. Adrian Campos Jr. was fourth and pole sitter Pippa Mann fifth.

J.K. Vernay finished 15th to clinch the Firestone Indy Lights championship. The Frenchman wrapped up the title when he took the green flag for the 67-lap race.

From Amy Konrath, IZOD IndyCar Series

Global Warranty DIRT Northeast Fall Nationals Less Than Two Weeks Away

BROCKVILLE, ON - The second annual Global Warranty DIRT Northeast Fall Nationals at Brockville Ontario Speedway are now less than two weeks away.  Those fans who have not already purchased a weekend pass for the season ending event for the three of the four DIRT divisions can recieve a bonus if they act quickly while showing their support for a couple of Canadian drivers as they defend home turf.

Global Warranty has made 100 t-shirts available for the next 100 people to purchase a weekend pass for just 65 dollars for this special event.  Half the t-shirts feature current DIRT 358 Modified points leader Danny O Brien and his Global Warranty 7 star machine, while the other half feature Stewart Friesen, in the midst of his best season yet, and driving the Global Warranty 6 star machine at the big weekend from October 15 through the 17th at the Beast of the East.

The weekend pass includes admission to Full Fender Friday that includes the final event of the DIRT Pro Stock tour along with a Street Stock invitational on Friday night, 360 Saturday with the 360 Sprint cars and the final event in the Super DIRT Series for 358 Modifieds on Saturday and of course, the final race in the DIRT Sportsman series on Sunday teamed with the next to last race in the Big Block series and the Vintage cars on Sunday.  

Tickets can be ordered through the track office by phoning 613-345-6324.  Act quickly and get your free t-shirt and ensure your seat for the premier DIRT weekend in Canadian racing history.

Global Warranty is based in London, Ontario and has been offering an extensive lineup of automotive and recreational vehicle warranty packages for more than 20 years. These warranties meet and exceed the needs of today’s drivers and vehicles. They offer their warranty packages through your local automotive and RV dealers in most provinces.  Ask for details when making your purchase.  Their newly launched Ultimate Star Series offers 5 comprehensive coverage plans to fit most vehicles.  For details, call 800.265.1519 or visit www.globalwarranty.com.

The event is also presented by Thousand Islands RV, CKWS TV, BOB-Fm and the Brockville Recorder and Times.

From Steve Young / BOS

Super DIRT Week: Story on Roger Slack in the Buffalo News

Click here to see a nice story on Canadian Roger Slack and his role at Super DIRT Week. The piece, by Larry Ott, appeared in the Buffalo News.