F. RENAULT 3.5: Robert Wickens and Jean-Eric Vergne in title showdown

Barcelona - Robert Wickens and Jean-Eric Vergne took part in final preparations ahead of the Formula Renault 3.5 season finale today. Both Carlin drivers completed a full and detailed test programme in Barcelona, including runs in low and high downforce configuration. Wickens was sixth quickest in first free practice while Vergne was 12th. In the much cooler afternoon session was saw the quicker times, Wickens was third quickest, while Vergne was 11th. 

 With only two points separating Wickens and Vergne in the FR3.5 standings, the final two races of 2011 promise to deliver a thrilling finale to the season. Despite the close competition, both Wickens and Vergne and their engineers continued to share data as the team worked hard to find the best set-up around the Circuit de Catalunya. 

Vergne was the pace in the early part of the first session of the day, while team mate Wickens was close behind in third place. As the session continued several drivers improved at the end of 1 hour and 15 minutes of track time, and Wickens was sixth while Vergne was 11th. 

After a lengthy lunch break and debrief, the cars were back on track for the second practice session of the day. A red flag early on disrupted proceedings and forced all the drivers back into the pits for a short time. Once the track went green again, Wickens and Vergne continued their test programmes, with Vergne putting on new tyres 20 minutes before the end of the session. The Frenchman climbed the timing screens as did other drivers who had taken the same strategy. Wickens soon followed in his team mate’s tyre track, and on new rubber went quicker and went third fastest. Wickens was able to stay there until the chequered flag while Vergne was 11th. 

Speaking about his session Wickens said, “It was a pretty typical Friday, was had a good base set-up which meant we didn’t have to search too hard or waste time looking for the right way to go. The puncture from Paul Ricard left us without a great selection of tyres in the first session so that wasn’t ideal. Overall we had two good sessions though. We just need to try and find a bit more speed tomorrow to get pole.”

Vergne was less happy with his session adding, “The car wasn’t quite doing what I expected today, I didn’t feel the consistency that I do usually. There are a few things we need to check tonight. Tomorrow is a different day though, so I’m still confident ahead of qualifying tomorrow.” 

From Stephanie Tindall / Carlin

SUPER DIRT WEEK: Billy Decker Sweeps Time Trials at Super DIRT Week XL

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Oct. 6, 2011 — Billy Decker dominated Super DIRT Week XL Time Trials on Thursday at the New York State Fairgrounds. He captured the pole position for the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified SEF Small Engine Fuel 200 Presented by Ferris & Snapper just moments after winning the pole for the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series Nationwide Insurance 150.

Decker, of Unadilla, N.Y., posted a lap around the Moody Mile in 29.927 seconds at 120.293 mph in his Big-Block Modified after already topping the 358-Modified field in 31.517 seconds at 114.220 mph. There were 61 cars attempting to qualify for the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200 Presented by Ferris & Snapper while 50 cars tried to capture one of the prized top six positions for the 358-Modified Nationwide Insurance 150.

“The goal coming into the day is to be the fastest car in both divisions and we were fortunate enough to get it done,” Decker said. “I don’t know how much momentum it gives you but it’s a huge disappointment when you don’t get locked into the top six. We feel we have a good enough program to be locked into the top six every year. It’s more a sense of relief when you get it accomplished than it is a morale boost.”

When Decker starts on the pole, it often spells trouble for the competition. A five-time winner of the Nationwide Insurance 150 – including the past three in a row – Decker has started from the pole twice before and both times he won. Decker is a four-time winner of the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200 Presented by Ferris & Snapper, including a win from the pole in 2004.

The top six drivers in Big-Block Modified and 358-Modfied time trials are locked into the first three rows of their feature events with Friday night’s Triple 20s and Twin 20s filling out much of the remaining field.

Joining Decker in the Big-Block Modified SEF Small Engine Fuel 200 will be Billy Dunn of Watertown, N.Y.; Pat Ward of Genoa, N.Y.; Tim McCreadie of Avon, N.Y.; defending champion Stewart Friesen of Niagara on the Lake, Ontario; and Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y.

Following Decker in the 358-Modified event will be Andy Bachetti of Sheffield, Mass.; David Hebert of St. D’Amase, Quebec; Willy Decker of Vernon, N.Y.; Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y.; and Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y.

Dunn will start alongside Decker in the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200. Dunn, a dominating force at Can-Am Motorsports Park the past couple of seasons, has seven Big-Block Modified victories this year but has dreams of winning at Syracuse on Sunday.

“Last year I had to pass about 20 cars in the first 30 laps, I’d really rather not have to do that if I don’t have to,” Dunn said. “If I have a chance to win this race, I’d rather win it from the front. ... It would mean everything. This is what I grew up watching. It’s our biggest race. It’s our Daytona 500. I came here this year expecting to time trial well, and with our practice speed and when we were going out in time trials, I expected a top-six but I’m really happy with second.”

For more on Super DIRT Week XL, make sure to click SuperDIRTWeekOnline.com each day.

News & Notes

Fitting Tribute: JR Heffner — the 2011 Mr. DIRT Track USA winner at Lebanon Valley Speedway — is running a DIRTcar 358-Modified dedicated to the memory of Calli Larkin. Larkin, daughter of Dirt Modified legend Dickie Larkin, passed away suddenly late last year. The car features Dickie Larkin’s car number (39), along with Calli’s initials over a rose and her favorite saying, “What d’ya say?”    

Nick Noll Racing Returns: Nick Noll Racing, who has entered the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200 in the past with Bobby Varin, Drew Ricco, Eric Palmer and Grant Hilfiger, has returned to racing after missing more than a year. Noll has hired Pennsylvania star Kevin Bates to run the familiar #6n Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block modified in the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200.

Bartemy Racing Full Assault: The Herb Bartemy-owned race team was one of the final teams to enter the pit area on Thursday, and came loaded for bear. The Bartemy team arrived with a Big-Block Modified for Ted Christopher, along with 358-Modifieds for Herb’s sons Aaron and Adam.

Flach Goes Old School: Former Lebanon Valley Speedway track champion Mark Flach came to the New York State Fairgrounds with a home-built chassis. After experimenting all season, Flach entered the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200 with his own creation.

Last Minute Deals: Two Syracuse entries came together within the last week. Alan Johnson partnered up with Kenny Saya Racing to run the team’s second car in the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200, while Harry Murphy Racing decided to put together a 358-Modified for Steve Hulsizer to run in the Nationwide Insurance 150. “It’s a good thing that Wednesday got canceled, we just finished the car (Wednesday) night,” Murphy said. 

“Coach” Brachmann: Chad Brachmann has experienced a lot of success at Super DIRT Week in the past. This season, Brachmann finds himself on the sidelines at the Syracuse mile. Lernerville Speedway champion Jeremiah Shingledecker is making his first attempt at the SEF Small Engine Fuel 200, and Brachmann has stepped in to help. “He’s been giving me a lot of good advice,” Shingledecker said. Shingledecker is one of 12 drivers who will compete in the Safety-Kleen Shootout on Friday afternoon.

From Chris Dolack // World Racing Group

Two days of Atlantic Stock Car Championships at CFS this weekend

October 6, 2011 - Shediac (N.B.) – With Mother Nature forecasting lots of warm temperatures this coming weekend, drivers from the four Atlantic Provinces are set to converge at the Centre for Speed (CFS), Atlantic Canada's Super Speedway and Metro Moncton's 'Playground of Power', for two days of action-packed racing as part of the 12th Annual Atlantic Stock Car Championships.

Upwards of 85 drivers from throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, as well as two drivers from Newfoundland and Labrador have so far registered to compete in FIVE stock car division events with additional drivers expected on race day. This weekend's (October 8 & 9) end-of-season stock car celebration will include the Wilson's Fuels / Go Stores Pro Stock 150 as well as a 'door-handle-to-door-handle' Streetstock 100 on Saturday, with over 30 Streetstock drivers registered. On Sunday, Atlantic Championship racing continues with heart-stopping action in Late Model Modified Sportsman, Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) Modifieds, and Bandolero divisions.

A number of current and former track, tour and defending Atlantic Champions, will be competing in this weekend's racing events, which begin Saturday (October 8) with qualifying heats at 12:30 p.m. and feature races at approximately 2:00 p.m. Top Pro Stock drivers from the Maritime Pro Stock Tour (MPST) and the Fredericton area who have so far registered for Saturday's Wilson's Fuels / Go Stores Pro Stock 150 include defending 2010 Atlantic Champion and three-time MPST Champion, John Fleming of Halifax, along with George Koszculics from New Glasgow, N.S., Bern Hickey from Avondale Speedway in Newfoundland, as well as local favorites Dave O'Blenis of Boundary Creek, N.B., Gary Hicks of Moncton and Michael Kyle of Berwick, N.B.

Saturday's event will also feature some of the best Streetstock racing ever seen in the Maritimes with four former Atlantic Champions set to compete in the 100-lap finale, including 2010 Atlantic Champ and five-time Fredericton track champion, Rick Cashol of Saint John, Jamie Vassallo and Mike Rozicki from Cape Breton, 2011 Oyster Bed Speedway (PEI) Champ Nick Chaisson, as well as multi CFS Champions, Rémi Gaudet of Barachois and Don Marcoux of St. Charles, N.B.

Sunday's (October 9) action, which gets underway with qualifying heats at noon (12 p.m.) and feature races at approximately 2:00 p.m., will include racing in the unpredictable Late Model Modified Sportsman 100, as well as the final race of the season for the Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) Modified touring series (50 lap feature) and some of the best up-and-coming young drivers (aged 8 to 15) in the Maritimes in the Bandolero division finale (25 lap feature).

Sunday's Late Model Modified Sportsman 100 will pit some of the top Modified division drivers from Oyster Bed Speedway (OBS) in PEI against some of the top Sportsman drivers on the mainland, with Sportsman cars having been beefed up with extra horsepower for this event. A number of Modified competitors from PEI, including 2011 OBS Modified Champion, Robbie MacEwen of Charlottetown, will pit their driving skills against mainland Sportsman competitors such as John and Calvin Rankin from Quispamsis, N.B. and Ronnie Lane of Pine Glen, N.B.

A reminder that on Saturday, October 15, CFS will host the final stock car racing event of 2011 which will include over 37 competitors in the Vance Hanes Auto Parts Sportsman 100 as well as over 40 drivers in the Four-Cylinder divisions vying for the 2011 Atlantic Championship titles. This event was originally scheduled for October 1, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather.

Admission prices, advance tickets and a full event schedules for all of these events are available at www.centreforspeed.com

From Tim Wile / CFS

OSCAAR: Peterborough's Autumn Colours Classic the setting of the season finale

PETERBOROUGH, ON – The final leg of the twelve stop OSCAAR Super Late Model tour is upon us this Thanksgiving weekend. The fifty-lap season finale is part of the 19th annual Lucas Oil Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway.

The 2011 OSCAAR Champion will be crowned at Peterborough and it will be the fourth straight for Glenn Watson, as Wayne Isaacs sits too far back to catch him, regardless of Sunday’s outcome. The Inside Track Motorsports News Rookie-of-the-Year award will also be awarded, this year to Todd Campbell. Even with many award winners already decided, expect nothing less than the best racing the series has to offer all weekend long. Every driver wants the bragging rights for the winter months and to call themselves an Autumn Colours Classic champion in the OSCAAR Super Late Model division.

Brandon Watson is the defending champion of the event and is keen on defending his title. The younger Watson posted five top-five finishes in seven events in 2011, including two second place finishes and a remarkable third place finish two weeks ago at Sunset Speedway. When asked about defending his title, Watson replied rather matter-of-factly, “we’ll be here for Autumn Colours.”

One driver to fly under the radar for much of his OSCAAR career has been John Owen. Owen will make his 19th Autumn Colours Classic start in the traditional red and black #2. Owen has never missed ‘the classic’. After one of his strongest outings ever one month ago at Peterborough with a second-place finish, Owen is very excited about taking to the track once again at Peterborough.

“I’ve been in all 19 Autumn Colours Classic (events). We won’t miss,” said Owen.

Meanwhile, Glenn Watson has unofficially been crowned the 2011 OSCAAR Champion, but the driver of the #22 machine is still hungry for another win. After sweeping the first half of the season, Watson is winless since July 23 at Mosport Speedway. He posted second place finishes to Jeff Hanley at Peterborough and Kawartha on July 30 and August 5, respectively. In addition, Watson narrowly missed his seventh win of the year at Sunset Speedway when Rob Clarke edged him out by mere inches on the final lap two weeks ago. While six wins may be enough to keep some content, for Watson, winning never gets old.

“We’ve been a while without a win now, so were hungry to get back there and try and get another ‘W’,” said Watson.

As previously mentioned, Todd Campbell has locked up the Rookie-of-the-Year title and has been Mr. Consistency all season long with 10 top-ten finishes in 11 starts this season. Campbell narrowly missed breaking in to the top-five on a few occasions this season and has his eyes set on the mark heading in to the final event.

“Our goal is to finish in the top-five and try to get a top-three finish. A top-three I would be pretty happy with,” explained the Guelph, Ontario native.

Lloyd Ritchie will look to duplicate the efforts that led to his first ever OSCAAR feature win in the series’ last visit to Peterborough Speedway on September 3. Ritchie’s tenth place finish two weeks ago was less than ideal and Ritchie hopes to end the year with the #62 ‘Orange Blossom Special’ on the podium.

There certainly will be no shortage of talent on hand come Saturday afternoon and it will come from what is expected to be a full field of twenty or more cars. While the OSCAAR action will be fantastic, the other seven divisions in action will also keep the adrenaline flowing throughout the day. Don’t miss the final stock car racing event in Ontario this season featuring Ontario’s top touring series. For a full schedule of events please log on to www.peterboroughspeedway.com

OSCAAR Schedule of Events

Friday – Rotating Practice every ten minutes from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

Saturday – OSCAAR Practice from 12:40pm-12:50pm and 2:00pm-2:10pm.

First set of Heat Races at 3:30. Second set of Heat Races at 7:00pm.

Sunday – Racing Starts at 12:30pm, OSCAAR 50-lap feature scheduled for 3:10pm.

*All times are subject to change.

From Clayton Johns / OSCAAR

Peterborough Speedway's Lucas Oil Autumn Colours Classic - Weekend Preview

PETERBOROUGH, ON – The Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing returns to Peterborough Speedway this weekend as the 19th Annual Autumn Colours Classic presented by Lucas Oil is set and ready to go under perfect weather conditions. The event will feature over 250 of the top drivers from across Ontario competing for that elusive, resume-enhancing title of 'Autumn Colours Feature Winner.'

"It is the biggest racing event in the province," said Peterborough Speedway owner/promoter JP Josiasse.

This year's Lucas Oil Autumn Colours Classic will feature eight different classes of racing, making for an exciting action-packed weekend of fender-to-fender, bumper-to-bumper, door handle-to-door handle – well, you get the picture – racing!

The Autumn Colours Classic has become a landmark on the Ontario racing scene ever since the first event back in 1993, the year the track was lengthened and re-paved. Last year, there were 271 cars crammed into the pits in support of eight racing divisions.

The event gets underway on Friday Oct. 8th with Four Funs, Mini Stocks, Thunders, Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds, Late Models Hurricane Midgets and Super Late Models all taking to the track to qualify for Sunday's features.

Everyone loves the speed of the OSCAAR Super Late Models. They'll be wrapping up their championship with a 50 lap feature. Top drivers such as Glenn Watson, Rob Clarke, Jeff Hanley and John Owen are expected to be battling out in the final OSCAAR race of the season.

Click on this link for the full weekend schedule: http://peterboroughspeedway.com/img/pdf/19THITINERARY.pdf

For more details please visit www.peterboroughspeedway.com

From JP Josiasse // Promoter // Peterborough Speedway

MARITIMES: Jack Canfield Memorial set to run Monday at Atlantic Motorsports Park

HALIFAX, NS - Atlantic Motorsport Park (AMP) will host the fourth annual Jack Canfield Memorial Enduro Race on Monday, October 10th.  The 1.6 mile circuit, located just outside of the town of Shubenacadie, will see a variety of race cars and sports cars in the three-hour race, including the Maritime League of Legends, who will continue where they left off last year when they hit the road course for the first time.  The car with the most completed laps after the gruelling three hours will be declared the winner.  Paddock opens and registration begins at 8:00a.m. 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 fourth 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 second 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 Canadian Masters Champion and local favourite Cy Harvey, 2011 Scotia Speedworld champion Dylan Blenkhorn, two- time Canadian Legends Champion Justin MacNeill and seasoned road racers Todd Roberts and Mark Cruickshank.  This final race battle will be a nail biter with only 2 points separating Dylan from his father Paul Blenkhorn who is currently leading in the tour points.

Accomplished Kart and Legends driver Chad Windsor will once again make the trip from his home town of Ottawa to attend the final Legends race of the season.  The Capital City Raceway Legends Champion is only 11 points out of second place and is a strong contender to win the Championship.  The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour’s Craig Slaunwhite is also expected to join the field on Monday. Slaunwhite is a fan favorite and multi-time winner on the prestigious touring series.

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.

Schedule for Monday, October 10th  

8:00a.m. Paddock opens.        Registration opens

9:00 - 9:30                               Legends practice

9:30 - 10:00                             Sedan practice

10:00 - 10:30                           Legends qualifying race

10:30 - 11:30                           Sedans practice

11:30 - 12:00                           Legends feature race

12:00 - 1:00                             pot luck barbeque

1:00                                         Race begins

4:00                                         Race ends

4:30                                         Award ceremony 

From Bill Anwyll (AMP)

Sports Car Club of BC: Pit Pass Newsletter - October 2011

Click here: http://www.sccbc.net/pitpass/2011/Oct11pp.pdf to view the
October edition of the Sports Car Club of BC's Pit Pass Newsletter.
Thanks to 'Pit Pass' Pete Weedon for sending it along!

Marcelli Earns Pole position And Runner Up Finish At Petit Le Mans

(Braselton, Georgia) October 3rd 2011 – Canadian Race Driver Kyle Marcelli has sure added a few stamps into his passport over the last several weeks as not only has he been participating for Intersport Racing in the American Le Mans Series but also co-driving alongside Miami’s Chapman Ducote in the last two rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Most recently with the 2011 American Le Mans Series championship coming to a close it was Kyle Marcelli who qualified on pole position, set fast lap of the race and went on to finish second in LMPC at the 14th annual Petit Le Mans.

It was a race week that started out like all others, however would soon took a turn for the worst as co-driver of the #89 LMPC David Ducote was air lifted to the Gainsville Hospital after a crash in Saturday morning practice. As the car was virtually destroyed, many were unsure of David’s condition. Yet, hoping for the best, the Intersport Racing crew worked hard over the next three hours to prepare the back up #37 chassis for qualifying. After tightening the final bolt just moments before the green flag for prototype qualifying, young Kyle Marcelli was strapped in behind the wheel. Miraculously, Marcelli wowed fans and series officials as with just moments to go he laid down a blistering lap of 1:14. 848 which secured him the LMPC pole position by .7 tenths of a second.

Following post-qualifying interviews, Marcelli was off to the hotel for an early night as Saturday meant game day, a ten-hour race testing both man and machine. As Marcelli arrived to the track early Saturday morning, the team informed him of the news. They had been moved to the back of the grid due to some unfortunate protests against his qualifying efforts. As it turned out, switching to the back-up #37 tub was not an issue providing you still use the major components from the #89 and although we passed post-qualifying technical inspection with flying colours, many were questioning Marcelli’s incredible performance in qualifying. Some thought that maybe the wrong restrictor was in the car. However, this information proved to be completely false. The Intersport Racing crew has made sure to utilize the proper size restrictor and had certainly been reviewed during post qualifying inspection. Nevertheless, rules are rules and that meant Marcelli had his work cut out at the start of the race.

“I was certainly very happy with my performance in qualifying but especially pleased with the crew’s performance to prepare the back-up car in less than three hours. That was simply amazing. It’s a shame our efforts were taken away, nevertheless we and I’m sure many others recognized what we did.” Said Kyle Marcelli

The 14th annual Petit Le Mans was one for the ages. However, for Kyle Marcelli and Intersport Racing it was nowhere close to a walk in the park. After starting from the back of the grid, Marcelli showed his true talents as he stormed to the front and took the LMPC lead in only his first stint. Following Marcelli’s double stint to start the race, he then handed the wheel off to Miami’s Chapman Ducote for a single stint. Chapman was still a little shaken up from his brother’s incident; nevertheless he showed he was willing and able to get the job done. Marcelli was soon thereafter back in the car for another double stint, maintaining the LMPC lead it was about hour five when a scheduled stop for fuel and tires got Hollywood’s Tomy Drissi into the car. Tomy did his job exactly, running a double stint and kept the car just where Marcelli left it, at the front. With the sun beginning to set and just about two hours remaining, Intersport Racing had their “stig” Kyle Marcelli back in the car to chase for the win. Marcelli had retook the lead and held a comfortable gap over second place Ryan Lewis of England, however with instructions from the engineers to slow the pace to conserve fuel Marcelli’s gap would soon vanish. As it turned out, both Marcelli and Lewis would need to pit in the final stages of the race for a quick splash and go. It would be a dogfight to the end. By this time it was completely black outside, yet the intensity was through the roof as drivers and teams pushed to the limits. Following completion of the splash and go, Marcelli had about a seven second lead with only ten minutes remaining. Unfortunately, it was one lap later that a full-course caution appeared for an incident in turn three.  The race would end up going green with three laps remaining. As Marcelli was third in line on the restart, he had two LMP2’s behind him then the LMPC of Ryan Lewis. After holding them off for the first lap, the LMP2’s would soon find a way by Marcelli into turn six. This gave Lewis a good run as he was able to draft by Marcelli with only one lap to go. With the crowd on their toes, Lewis drove defensive and Marcelli tried to make the car stick on the outside of turn ten. However, it wasn’t meant to be as the two crossed the finish nosed to tail separated by only 0.172.

“To loose a ten-hour race in the second last lap was so dis-heartening. The team and myself worked so hard all race long and it was in the palm of our hands. Yet, the caution with only three laps remaining was like leading the Indy 500 on a green, white checkered. Nevertheless, I’m happy for what we accomplished this weekend. Setting the pole position in qualifying, leading a good part of the race and setting the fastest race lap. I think our efforts were noticed and at the end of the day we did our best.” Said Kyle Marcelli

For Marcelli its time to take the racing helmet off and put the business hat on. The next several weeks will consist on hard work behind the scenes to make 2012 another banner year for the 21- year old.

Kyle would personally like to thank his corporate partners: Lafarge (Turbo Plus), DynaPep Energy (7/11), Barrie Trim & Mouldings, Simcoe Building Centre, Thermo Seal Insulation Systems, Braille Battery, Merchant Services Ltd, Sailun Tire, Spherion Staffing Solutions, 104.1 The Dock, Leaf Racewear and Intersport Racing.

For more information visit: www.kylemarcelli.com

Yokohama teams top the podium, wrap the championship at Pacific Forest Rally

MERRITT, B.C. (October 2, 2011) – One Yokohama-sponsored team won the battle and a second won the war as teammates and rivals Patrick Richard and Antoine L’Estage dominated the Pacific Forest Rally here. 

The Subaru Rally Team Canada pair of Patrick Richard of Squamish, B.C. and Alan Ockwell of Toronto led most of the two-day event and comfortably won the first rally for their team since the middle of 2010. They had a 48-second margin in hand over the second-place Mitsubishi of Yokohama teammates L’Estage (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) and Nathalie Richard (Halifax). Third went to the Subaru of Leo Urlichich of Toronto and Martin Brady of Ireland. 

Their second-place finish easily notched a second consecutive Canadian Rally Championship title for L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, with one event still on the 2011 calendar. It is their second championship of the year: The pair secured the 2011 North American Rally Cup honours earlier in the season with four first-place finishes in Canada and two wins and three second-place finishes in the Rally America series in the U.S. 

The two top finishers took separate paths to the podium. Reunited with co-driver Ockwell for the first time this season, Pat Richard showed the winning form over the roads of the Pacific Forest route that helped the pair to the Canadian Rally Championship in both 2008 and 2009. Their clean drive, solid reliability and proven team work moved the Subaru squad a step closer to the manufacturer’s title in the Canadian series. 

L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, meanwhile, kept their goal of a repeat championship in sight and ran a conservative rally that still took them to second place in the results.  

Both teams rely on a selection of highly sophisticated Yokohama competition tires for the gravel roads like those here, and turn to Yokohama’s line of winter tires for the ice and snow conditions of winter rallies – conditions that are frequently found at the final event of the season, Ontario’s Rally of the Tall Pines in November. That event will also decide the manufacturer’s championship within the Canadian Rally Championship, where Mitsubishi has a narrow lead over Subaru. 

The six-event 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 centers across Canada to serve more than 700 independent tire dealers and more than 2,000 retail locations.

Canadian Rally Championship: Mitsubishi Brigade lock titles in BC

Merritt, British-Columbia, October 4, 2011 – The 5th round of the Canadian Rally Championship took place last weekend out of Merritt, British Columbia. After the running of the Pacific Forest Rally, new Canadian champions were confirmed: Antoine L’Estage from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC and codriver Nathalie Richard from Halifax, NS earned second place in their Mitsubishi Evolution and plenty of points to nurse their lead and secure another national title. For driver L’Estage, it is the fourth title and for codriver Richard, a seventh. They are also North-American champions and were runner-up in the Rally America series. First on the road, L’Estage was just 5 seconds shy of leading the event after 5 stages: he then decided to settle for second place, after seven outright wins in a row, and rake enough points to put the grab on another championship.

In the 2 Wheel Drive group, the brother team of Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg drove their Lancer to an eighth place overall finish and class wins in Group 5 and the 2WD category. They took the lead early and never looked back, clinching their victory by more than two minutes over their closest competitors. The Zedril eased their pace after two other Mitsubishi teams dropped out of the event, those of former champions Calgarians Szewczyk and Karzynski and newcomers Ostrowski and Galecki. For Mitsubishi, those victories guarantee up to five manufacturer titles for the 2011 season at this point.

 “The leaders of the Mitsubishi Brigade had another very good weekend filled with success”, stated Fr. Kenji Toh, VP Sales/Marketing & Corporate Planning for Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “We are proud of their accomplishment and we look forward to great results at the last round in Ontario.”

Last round : Tall Pines Rally

The last round of the 2011 calendar will be the Tall Pines Rally, a national event in November that goes back to the early seventies. Held around Bancroft in Ontario, Tall Pines is always filled with surprise, considering the narrow logging roads can turn from mud to ice or snow in a matter of hours. The ‘Pines’ is a one-day event starting early on Saturday and covering more than 520 kilometres in distance, comprising more than 200 in stages. For more information, please visit the event web site at www.tallpinesrally.com  or visit our password free media website at www.mitsubishi-motors-pr.ca

Belyea Gets 16th in Go Nuclear Challenge Series Race at Fulton; World of Outlaw Late Model Series Race at Rolling Wheels Will End 2011 Season

By Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design

Greg Belyea and his Excel Tower Service race team have had a phenomenal 2011 racing season, winning seven feature events, the Brighton Speedway track championship, and finishing second overall in points at Chapman’s Can Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville, New York. Belyea entered this past weekend with just two more events remaining on his schedule, beginning with a Friday night event at Fulton Speedway in the Go Nuclear Late Model Challenge Series.

Belyea holds the distinction at Fulton Speedway as the first ever feature winner in the Crate Late Model division at the track when he won on opening night back in 2010. Belyea had struggled in his last appearance at the track, and was hoping to finish out the Go Nuclear Late Model Challenge Series with a strong run.

“We are at a bit of a disadvantage here because most cars run the American Racer tire, and we decided not to buy a set just for this one race, and we are still on our regular Hoosier tires that we race at Can Am and Brighton”, says Belyea. “We still hope to get a good finish here and have some fun”.

In the 25 lap main event, Belyea started from deep in the field in 23^rd position. After getting caught up in a wreck on lap two, Belyea had minimal damage and was able to continue on. It was a struggle right from the start, and when the checkered flag was displayed to the field, he was credited with a 16^th place finish.

“It was tough going out there, and we realized that it probably would be”, says Belyea after the race. “We wanted to come down here and support Shayne (Tenace) and the Go Nuclear Series and we had a good time”.

The final race of the 2011 season for Belyea will come on Thursday night at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, New York with the World of Outlaw Late Models. The Excel Tower Service team will be looking to end the season with a good performance against the best of the best when it comes to Late Model Racing.

For more information on Greg Belyea and the Excel Tower Service racing team, please visit our website, www.exceltowerracing.com.

Wickens Set for Spanish Shootout

Toronto, Canada (October 04, 2011) – Canada's Robert Wickens heads to Spain's Circuit de Catalunya targeting his first European open-wheel racing title as the 22-year-old takes a narrow two point lead into the season finale of the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Round 9, this weekend, Saturday 8th – Sunday 9th October. 

The stand-out Canadian racer, who holds four victories from a total of nine podium finishes already this season, leads France's Jean Eric Vergne 216 to 214 after a thrilling year of competition in the category that has propelled such talents as Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica directly into Formula One. 

While Wickens already enjoys an involvement in Formula One, through his role as a reserve driver for Marussia Virgin Racing, the former Formula BMW USA Champion is focused on adding another title to his already impressive resume, which also includes runner-up finishes in F2 in 2009 and the GP3 Series in 2010. 

This weekend's title-fight is a straight shoot-out between Wickens and Vergne.  Robert saw a 34-point advantage over his French rival evaporate last month in Round 8 through a combination of factors, including a pair of podiums for Vergne, but significantly a no-score for Wickens in the second race resulting from a puncture, ensuring this season's championship battle would go all the way to the wire in Barcelona. 

The 4.65km track, home of the 'Spanish Grand Prix' – traditionally the first European round of the Formula One season, has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Wickens since he began competing in Europe in 2008.  Highlights include a pair of pole positions and a third place podium finish in F2 two seasons ago while last year he again reached the podium with a second place finish in GP3. 

"If things go well I'll win the championship and if they don't I'll finish second," stated Wickens pragmatically ahead of the title showdown.  "It's really an all or nothing weekend but I believe Saturday will be the key.  If we have a strong showing then it'll help make Sunday a little bit easier.   

"We just have to wait and see what happens though.  I like the circuit, it's one of my favorites and I've run well there in the past.  Carlin do a great job, we've had a quick car all season long and I'm hoping we can maintain our form and lead from the front." 

Round 9 of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series starts with Race 1 held at 8am EST / 2pm CET on Saturday, followed by Race 2, also set for 8am EST / 2pm CET, on Sunday 9th October. 

2011 FR3.5 Series Top-5 Driver Standings (R8/9): 1st – WICKENS (CAN) 216pts, 2nd – Vergne (FRA) 214pts, 3rd – Ricciardo (AUS) 144pts, 4th – Rossi (USA) 138pts, 5th – Costa (ESP) 126pts - www.worldseriesbyrenault.com  

ENDS – www.robertwickens.com  / Twitter: @robertwickens 

Press release issued on behalf of Robert Wickens by SM-PR:

Tel: +1 514 684 2621 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com

 

RICHARD PUTS SUBARU ON TOP OF PODIUM AT PACIFIC FOREST RALLY

MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, October 2, 2011 – Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada won the Pacific Forest Rally, putting an end to a year long drought. The two were competing together for the first time this season, though together they won the 2008 and 2009 Canadian Rally Championship titles.

“We took control of the event right from the start,” said Richard, who led most of the rally. “Then we had to manage the lead. Really, it was a clean run, with no drama. The car was flawless, Alan was great.”

Richard last won a round of the Canadian Rally Championship in the middle of the 2010 season, and has faced a number of challenges since. Between car development issues and using a different co-driver for most of the 2011 season the team had been unable to reach the top of the podium while his rivals seemed to have nearly trouble free runs at every event.

Though Richard’s bid for driver's title is over for this season, he arrived at Pacific Forest Rally relaxed and refocused on earning the manufacturer's title for Subaru. The points scored this weekend are vital in Richard's bid to earn the Manufacturer's title in the Canadian Rally Championship. Richard will still need to win the final event of the season to secure the title for Subaru.

Second place team of Antoine L’Estage (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and Nathalie Richard (Halifax, NS) ran a conservative event but remained focused on their goal for the season.

“For this rally, we really needed to concentrate on the Driver's Championship and not get caught up in the battle for the event win. We only needed to finish tenth here to get the points we needed,” said L'Estage, whose second place result earns a second consecutive Canadian Rally Championship title for both he and codriver Nathalie Richard.

“This marks my fourth career championship in Canada, and at the last event, I clinched my fourth North American title,” said L'Estage. “I wouldn't be here without the help of my sponsors and of course my team. They worked hard all season, and we've had great results. Of the last 11 rallies we've done, we've only had one DNF, we've won six, and been on the podium for the rest.”

“Crazy” Leo Urlichich (Toronto) and Martin Brady (Meath, Ireland) earned the final spot on the podium, Though Urlichich wasn't satisfied with the result.

“Of course I want to do better than third place,” said Urlichich. “But we had two really good accomplishments this weekend. We led the rally while both Antoine and Pat were still competing, and our margin back from those guys is a lot less than it used to be. We just need to fine tune ourselves and our car, and I think we can go even faster.”

Immediately behind the top three, a battle emerged between the team of Hardy Schmidtke (Cochrane, AB) and John Hall (Sherwood Park, AB) versus rookie Max Riddle (Vancouver) and co-driver Aaron Neumann (Vancouver). Schmidtke took advantage of early road position on the first day to open up a comfortable margin while slotting into fourth place. Riddle, who was further back in the start order was slowed by dusty conditions that made it hard to see, especially on the night stages.

“I've competed for three years to have earned my road position,” said Schmidtke, referring to his driver ranking that moves him closer to the front of the pack. “But Max is really fast, so I'm not sure I can hold him off.”

Meanwhile, Riddle, who started competing less than a year ago, drove calmly, clawing back the seconds until edging past Schmidtke halfway through day two.

“On Friday, our goal was to get into the top five,” said Riddle, a position that gives the team an extra minute gap to help reduce the chances of catching the dust from the car ahead. “From there, we just drove hard to make up time.”

Riddle and Neumann finished fourth, their highest result in a national championship event.

In two wheel drive, brothers Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) had a largely trouble free run to the top spot on the two wheel drive podium. The pair has been one of the most consistent competitors in two wheel drive and have been rewarded by winning the 2wd Championship making Jan the only driver to win the title in its three year history.

The Pacific Forest Rally also includes the PIAA ecoChallenge, an award given based on a combination of fast times and low fuel consumption. Jim Shepard and local Nicki Beverley (Merritt, BC) took the top spot in the ecoChallenge in their Toyota Celica. Though dominated by two wheel drive cars, pro mountain bike rider Brandon Semenuk (Whistler, BC) and Adam Vokes (Red Deer, AB) were the top ranked all wheel drive car.

“This rally offers up a great challenge for teams, and an amazing experience for spectators,” said organiser Paul Westwick. “The stages really reward teams that push and take chances, and that means more excitement for the fans.”

The 2011 Canadian Rally Championship finishes at the Rally of the Tall Pines, in Bancroft, ON, November 25-26, 2011. Conditions are highly variable at the Rally of the Tall Pines, so teams must prepare to face everything from soft gravel to snow and ice. Multiple class championships will be up for grabs, and teams will be driving at maximum attack!

The Canadian Rally Championship comprises 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 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

You can also follow the series on Twitter @CRCRally or at facebook.com/CRCRally

Pacific Forest Rally Final Results

1. Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell – One hour, 19 minutes, 49.60 seconds

2. Antoine L'Estage – Nathalie Richard – 1:20:37.45

3. Leo Urlichich – Martin Brady – 1:21:55.80

4. Max Riddle – Aaron Neumann – 1:29:36.00

5. Hardy Schmidtke – John Hall – 1:30:36.90

6. Mike Goodwin – Martin Burnley – 1:31:19.70

7. Mark Jennings-Bates – Jennifer Daly – 1:33:27.10

8. Jan Zedril – Jody Zedril – 1:35:26.10

9. Onur Tezcan – Angela Cosner – 1:37:25.60

10. Eric Grochowski – Leanne Junnila – 1:39:09.80

PHOTO GALLERY: Dunn Tire Raceway Park U.S. Open 2011 (Tour-Type Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, Street Stocks & Legends)

Brighton Speedway: Rick Mercer gets lost on the way to the campground...

BRIGHTON, ON - Lange and Fetter Ford presented the second annual Eve of Destruction that featured a special guest this year as Rick Mercer from the CBC’s Rick Mercer Report was not only on hand at the speedway but competed in a number of events! Fans came out in large numbers to brave the cold temperatures just to watch Speedway Staff orchestrate a day of what seemed like nonstop chaos that was highly entertaining.

The day started out with the Workman Auto Repair 25 lap Junior’s race. Criteria for entering this race were that competitors had to be between the ages of 14 and 18 years old with no Saturday night race experience. Sixteen youths took the initial green flag and were off and flying. At the end of 25 laps with one red flag for a roll over by Courtney Mastin was won by youngster Cameron Pederson.

The 35 lap Quinte Septic Ladies race was up next and once again sixteen competitors took to the track. This time however as the name indicate all competitors in this race were all of the female gender. Former Street Stock and Ladies Class competitor Cindy Mosco proved she has not lost her touch as she came out on top with a checkered flag.

The Hotch’s Auto Parts 100 lap Monster Enduro was the third race to hit the track and 70 drivers took the initial green. The race ran quick and the action was fast, a little too fast at times causing officials to water the track three times throughout the 100 laps in order to slow the cars down. First time winner Blair Turcotte of Trenton beat 69 other cars to complete the scheduled distance of the race and took home not only the hardware but the $500.00 top prize.

Up next was the much anticipated Trailer Race featuring Rick Mercer of CBC’s Rick Mercer Report. With a field of twelve participants each with a trailer of some sort attached the crowd anxiously awaited the hilarity. Rick Mercer was driving the number 67 Man Cave Racing minivan accompanied by Chad Currie, towing a retro tent trailer. The race started out with a couple of caution laps to allow our guest star some time to get a handle on the 1/3rd mile clay oval and when the green flag dropped he jumped at the start and racing as if he was a veteran.

In the first lap Mercer held his own until going into turn one as his special edition Prowler imploded, scattering debris over the track. Veteran racer Bernie Rhebergen in the 77 was following closely behind in third going into the first turn; Rhebergen had the 111 of Barry Grills pushing hard on his boat trailer and got caught in debris and rolled his van. With the red flag out to clean up the roll over track officials used the down time to clean up some debris from the trailers. Both Rhebergen and his passenger daughter Tamara were checked out and OK. The race commenced with Mercer back in the lead. Derrick Greig and Paul Reid executed a smooth move on lap two as Reid was able to mount Greig’s trailer and ride through turns three and four. Other highlights of the event was the Most Original Trailer Bonus going to the number 29 Fowl Mood Team of Jan Steenstra and Richie Saunders towing a fishing boat with passengers of stuffed chicken costumes. Greig and Steentra and Frank Grills would soon be the only three vehicles running with trailers and were in a tight race while Mercer and others were still running but without trailers and continued to race trying to remove the other trailers. Frank Grills would end up hitting an infield tire and rolling with his trailer coming out of turn 4. The race was red flagged for a second time as Frank got out and jumped on the car for the fans. The race was called at this time and Greig was declared the winner followed by the Fowl Mood Racing Team while Rick Mercer ended up in 3rd place with no trailer left and a flat tire!

Clearview Auto Glass presented the Flag Pole Race, participants had to complete 10 laps around the oval and then circle a flag pole positioned at the start finish line each lap. Fourteen competitors started this event and the 15 Mark Packer started on the pole and won the action packed race. Just because he started up front it didn't mean it was an easy race as Packer dropped as far back as 5th place and made his way back to the start.

The Car Long Jump that saw minivan number 9596 piloted by Josh Burn travel almost 40 feet, that's right in a Mini Van! Burns took home the one time prize of $200.00.

The ongoing of battle of good versus evil was replayed in the Gauntlet race with Rhebergen and Mercer driving a 1977 Ford LTD. The premise of this race is for the Good Guys driving the gauntlet vehicle to race for 6 laps and fend off the bad guys (four drivers in four cars). With Rick Mercer as the passenger as well as two more helpers in the back seat armed with fruits and vegetables, and a paint ball gun just to make things a little more interesting, Rhebergen piloted the massive 400 cubic inch 8 cylinder car around the oval.

On lap two they were almost thwarted but some serious manoeuvring by Rhebergen got them loose and back around the track they went. Every time the bad guys thought they had Rhebergen and Mercer stopped they were able to manoeuvre their way out of trouble and continue on. The battled was not limited to the track either; they were off the back straight, in the infield and even almost in the creek at one point. The Bad Guys finally stopped Mercer and Rhebergen on the back straight just 1/2 a lap short of completing their mission. Mercer jumped on the roof of the car and began to shoot paint balls in the air to the delight of the packed grandstands.

The Brighton Recycling Demo Derby was up next with 12 cars entering the small box. Track official made the decision right at the start to water the ring down in order to slow the cars and ease the impact. In a derby that lasted almost 30 minutes long the number 12 Shane Vale came out on top!

To end the day Promoter Mark Rinaldi was determined to finish what he had started last year and launch a bus through a motor home. Last year he was only able to make it half way through so with fierce determination he piloted the bus around the track in preparation for launching it. It would take Rinaldi 4 or 5 attempts around the track as his need to be sure of a smooth and straight approach to the launch ramp. Finally he would come around 3 and 4 turns to point the bus into the infield and make a run for it. Unlike the previous year with greater speed, a better ramp and a lot more determination Rinaldi exploded through the motor home and the crowd went crazy!

All in all it was a great day of action and destruction! Brighton Speedway would like to thank Rick Mercer and his crew for attending and competing. We would like also thank all the sponsors of the day and Brighton Recycling for providing many of the vehicles and props used throughout the events! We would also like to thank all the drivers, fans and sponsors that made 2011 a great season and invite one and all to join us in January for our Winterfest event.

Photo Tags

1)      Promoter Mark Rinaldi was determined to finish what he had started last year and launch a bus through a motor home to the thrill and delight of the fans during the 2nd Annual Eve of Destruction at Brighton Speedway.

2)      Rick Mercer of CBC’s Rick Mercer competed in the Trailer Race at Brighton Speedway on Saturday, October 1st. Rick’s retro tent trailer imploded in turn one as he raced ahead of the pack in the 15 lap event.

3)      Josh Burn launched his minivan number 9596 over the jump in the infield to soar over 30 feet and take home the $200.00 payout for the Long Jump Competition during the day of Destruction at Brighton Speedway on Saturday.

Inside Track TV: Matt Bentley at Flamboro Speedway's Oktoberfest on Oct. 1, 2011

Inside Track's Spencer Lewis talks with Matt Bentley at Flamboro Speedway on Saturday, October 1, 2011. The setting was Day 1 of the track's annual Oktoberfest Classic, which will conclude on September 15 at the Hamlton, Ontario-area speedway.

PHOTO GALLERY: Flamboro Speedway Oktoberfest Classic (LM, LLM, TC, MS & Modified)

Delaware Speedway: Pumpkin Smasher Approaches

LONDON, ON - Less than two weeks remain until competitors and fans will be back at Delaware Speedway for one of the most unique season-enders in recent memory: the October 15th Pumpkin Smasher, held in support of Jesse's Journey.

"This really is a grass roots event," explained event promoter John Houghton.  "We've taken suggestions from fans and drivers over the years and put those ideas into a really fun package."

That fun package features a number of special events including:

- Bone Stock 75: The main event on the day which features completely stock cars battling it out in an old-school "1990's Enduro-inspired" format.  The race features a special course for drivers to navigate and vehicles damaged in the competition will be removed from the track but will be replaced with obstacle cars.

- Demolition Derby: Who doesn't love a Demolition Derby?  One of the last derbies in the province this season, only one car will be left running to claim top prize!

- Open-Ontario Four-Cylinder Championship: Featuring drivers of professional four-cylinder stock car racers from across Ontario in a pair of 8-lap heat races and a 25-lap feature race.  For many in this race, Delaware Speedway will be the largest and fastest track they have ever raced on.

-$500 to Win King of the Hill Spectator's Race: This event allows spectators to enter their street-legal-street-driven cars into one-on-one fun drag races around the speedway.  The King of the Hill will be raising funds for Jesse's Journey.  Jesse's Journey will also be the recipient of the 50/50 draw.

- Classic Car Cruise: taking place before the races, fans will get a chance to see some of the classic and custom automobiles in a parade around the track and on display throughout the afternoon.

- Cheap Admission: Admission to the event is $15, but fans are able to pick up $5-off coupons from participating locations listed on the track website which allow entry for just $10.  Kids 12 & under are free of charge.

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A NEW ENTRY-OPPORTUNITY FOR DRIVERS

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Beyond simply being a fun day for fans, the main idea of the event is to open the doors for new racers to become involved with the action on the track.

"This event brings back the chance to easily build a car in your driveway and come out and have a great time," explained Houghton.  "None of the races on this day cost big money to get started in.  A top-notch Bone Stock should not cost more than $1,500 including all of the driver's safety equipment.  Everything's been put together with affordability and safety in mind."

Apparently, competitors agree: the pre-registration response has been strong leading up to the event and the track is taking phone calls daily as drivers make preparations for their vehicle builds for this, the final weekend before the event.  Local suppliers of racing equipment have also made special deals available to drivers.

Interested competitors are directed to a special webpage which has been setup for the event which features a series of "How-To" videos as well as detailed information for the days events: http://www.delawarespeedway.com/race-season/pumpkinsmasher/pumpkin-competitor-information

For more information contact John Houghton (519) 652-5068 Ext 201 or e-mail info@delawarespeedway.com.

Race Time Radio.... Tonight: October 3-6 at 8 p.m.

Tonight on Race Time Radio.... tune in to www.RaceTimeRadio.com tonight at 8 p.m. for:

·         A preview on Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colours Classic

·         An interview with Canadian businessman / Ferrari Challenge racer Robert Herjavec

·         Coverage from Flamboro’s Oktoberfest Classic, including interviews with LOSC champ Jay Doerr and race winner Shawn McGlynn

·         … and much more.

Tabatha Murphy Looking to End 2011 Season on a High Note at Brockville Speedway Fall Nationals

By Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design

It is no secret to anyone that Tabatha Murphy and the Murphy Motorsports team have not had a great season in 2011. The team has worked hard to turn things around, and they look forward to their final opportunity at the Northeast Fall Nationals at their home track Brockville Speedway later this month.

So far this season, Murphy’s season has been highlighted by a seventh place finish at Brockville back on June 25^th, and an eighth place finish back on July 23^rd. The rest of the season has been filled with some disappointing finishes that have been a result mostly of bad luck. Murphy finished the season 15^th in points in the DIRTcar Sportsman division at Brockville.

“It hasn’t been a great season by any means”, says Murphy. “I do know that Dad and the team has worked hard all year long, and hopefully that hard work will pay off when we return to the BOS for the Fall Nationals”.

The 2011 season will conclude at Brockville on October 16^th as Murphy takes on the DIRTcar Sportsman Series competitors in a 50 lap main event.

“This is one of the biggest races that we run all season, and I am looking forward to racing with the best drivers in the DIRTcar Sportsman series right in our own back yard”, says Murphy. Hopefully we will have a good day, and finish out the season on a good note, and give us something positive to build on for next year”.

Tabatha Murphy would like to thank King Edward Auto Parts, Brockville Tractor Trailer Maintenance, Allan Bell and Associates, Reabel’s Plumbing, Splash Well Drilling and Finish Line Web Design for all of their support. We have worked hard this season to represent our sponsors proudly and we hope we can end the season with something positive.

To stay up to date with Tabatha Murphy and the Murphy Motorsports team throughout the off-season, log on to the team’s website at www.tabathamurphy.net. The website is updated weekly and it also contains information on Tabatha Murphy as well as direct links to our sponsor’s websites.

Photo attachment: Tabatha Murphy with her father Ralph Murphy as they prepare for a night of racing at the BOS. (Henry Hannewyk Photo)

KAWARTHA SPEEDWAY: Making a good thing even better

It was an exciting year, with excellent racing in each of the track’s 3 regular divisions and even though the season wrapped-up less than a month ago, staff and officials at Kawartha Speedway are already thinking ahead to the 2012 campaign.  Competition in the Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rental Mini Stocks, Better Carpet Thunder Cars and NAPA Auto Parts ACT Late Models was strong, with first time track champions in 2 of the 3 classes.  General Manager and Promoter Derek Lynch says the Fraserville, Ontario 3/8th miler can’t rest on its past success.

“We have to look to the future and keep moving forward to give area race fans the best value we can for their entertainment dollar,” said Lynch.  “There is always room for improvement and we’ll never grow as a facility if we think we’re doing everything right every time we open the gates.”

One of the areas where Lynch feels Kawartha Speedway can improve is with the thunder car field.  While the on track product was great, he’d like to see car counts in the track’s ‘middle division’ grow in the next year.  A total of 24 different drivers scored points in at least 1 event during 2011, but the average turnout was about 15 teams throughout the year.  Lynch feels the economy might have been a contributing factor, but he also looks at the rule book at his own track – as well as other venues – as a possible issue.

“There were a couple of guys who moved into a different division, but I can think of at least 5 or 6 drivers who were with us in 2010 who didn’t turn a lap in 2011,” said Lynch.  “I’ve spoken to some other area promoters who’ve noticed the same thing.  Whether you call them thunder cars, street stocks, sportsman or pro stocks, they’re all essentially the same type of racecar.  Aligning the rules package to a common set of specs might allow people to run more than 1 night a week and that would be a benefit to all of us.”

Kawartha Speedway will host an open meeting for thunder car drivers Sunday, October 30th at 1:00 in the track’s main grandstand.  The session is open to drivers, crew members and promoters not just from the home track, but from any speedway that runs cars with a similar platform.  Lynch hopes the forum will generate some honest discussion on the future of the class and looks forward to hearing from drivers on potential changes they’d like to see made to make the pack even stronger when the green flag flies in 2012.

“The meeting is open to everyone and I hope we’ll come away with some solid suggestions.”

For more information, visit www.kawarthaspeedway.com or contact Derek Lynch via e-mail, lynch15red@yahoo.ca.

PHOTO: Former feature winner in Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rental Mini Stocks, Andrew Swindells moved-up to Kawartha Speedway’s Better Carpet Thunder Cars in 2011.

Words and Photo by Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

Inside Track TV: Andy Kamrath at Flamboro's Oktoberfest Classic

Spencer Lewis continues to work that pits at Flamboro Speedway's Oktoberfest Classic, this time interviewing Owen Sound, Ontario's Andy Kamrath. The finale of the annual fall racing extravaganza takes place on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at the Hamiton, Ontario area oval.

Click here for the details on the raindate.

Johnny Benson Jr. wins ISMA Seekonk RAC 100

Seekonk, MA – Last year Johnny Benson Jr. of NASCAR truck fame, came to Seekonk Speedway for the first time to compete in the ISMA 100. He left Seekonk with his career-first ISMA victory after an exciting battle with Chris Perley to the end of the 1st annual Racing Against Cancer 100. Benson duplicated his feat Sunday at the Cement Palace with a few different adversaries, but an equally awesome run. Benson was able to present the $2500 ISMA check once again to the Racing Against Cancer effort and he also participated in the Cancer Team Walk on Saturday for one fulfilling weekend.

The former NASCAR Camping World truck champ started 7th in the field of 26 potent supermodifieds and had to work by Eddie Witkum Jr, swap the top spot with 7-time ISMA champ Russ Wood and then spend over half the race fending off the torrid advances of Louie Cicconi in his newly-purchased Vic Miller machine, a car which Cicconi had taken to two wins in 2011 while subbing for Chris Perley. Benson was finally able to clear some heavy traffic with less than five to go, leaving second place finisher Russ Wood a couple car lengths behind at the checkers.

Benson mentioned the traffic factor in victory lane, “I would have liked to see some open traffic in those last laps. I’ve got to thank Brad and Mike Lichty, Reggie, Duane and all the guys that work on the 74. The thing was pretty good tonight. I began to think toward the end there that I might have used it up more than I wanted to, but it just felt good. I remember from last year that you could run the car pretty hard here so that’s what we did.

“But those last 15 laps were pretty spectacular. The car was getting loose and sliding around pretty good. But I’m sure the other guys were doing the same thing. I don’t know if it was Russ or Louie who got beside me there but that woke me up. You have to be patient in traffic. You have to keep tires on the car. Sometimes you come up on guys and you kind of surprise them. You kind of click through when you do. When somebody puts the pressure on, then you have to go. I probably took a few chances out there, but outside that we did pretty good.

“Again I have to thank Brad, Patco Transportation and the whole Lichty family for giving me this opportunity and to Gary Sagar for having me come up here two years in a row. The hospitality has been great. The walk they had for Breast Cancer was a pretty cool success.  It’s been a good time this week. We appreciate everybody who has helped the cause. On behalf of ISMA, I get to present the check for $2500 for Racing Against Cancer. There are a lot of great people who help make this happen. It was great to be a huge part even though I only walked 25 laps!”

Russ Wood, who actually led the race briefly, and then had to get by Louie Cicconi late in the race for second, commented,  “It was a pretty fun race there. Johnny won here last year and I think he’s got this place down pat. We were good and then we were bad. I was having fun in traffic. I had a ball. Thanks to Gary from Kraze Korlacki Speed Equipment for putting this on and to everybody who has given to Racing Against Cancer this year. Every little bit helps.”

Rob Summers, in the thick of things all race long, came across in third after Cicconi got some help for a late race bobble. Said Summers, “I was running pretty good but toward the end of the race I got in a bad lane and got shuffled back. Then we were able to get back toward the front again. Russ was good but none of us were as good as Johnny. He owns this place. I can’t thank enough Jeff Holbrook, Russ Wood, JWJ Enterprises, Brian Allegresso and all these guys who gave me a great car tonight.”

The ISMA 100, which had been delayed a day due to bad weather forecasts, got underway just after 5 pm on Sunday with Dave Sanborn and Mike Ordway Jr. leading the strong 26-car field down to green. Sanborn took the early lead but his teammate Eddie Witkum Jr. came up and stole his thunder on lap 5.

Witkum survived a couple cautions for spins in those early laps but soon had Benson bearing down on his 97, until Russ Wood stepped in to give Benson a battle.

 

First Wood got Benson, then Benson got Wood, and then Wood got both Benson and Witkum to lead lap 28. But, that was the only lap Wood led. Shortly thereafter, both Witkum and Benson maneuvered through a pack of cars to put Wood back in third and Eddie back in the lead. Coming on strong in the meantime was Louie Cicconi, trailed by Justin Belfiore and Rob Summers

On lap 31, Benson put the Lichty 74 into the lead thanks to some more traffic and the race was on. A quick yellow for Brandon Bellinger one lap later bunched up the field, but Benson was able to pull slightly ahead on the restart.

By lap 35, Johnny was back chomping at the tail of the field at the quick third mile oval.  Wood followed Benson through, diving high and low with Cicconi doing likewise. Witkum held fourth now ahead of Summers and Belfiore, trailed by Mike Lichty, Chris Perley and Jon McKennedy.

On lap 44, Cicconi, in one hairy, breath-taking move in traffic, got by Wood for second.

Just prior to the half way mark, things tightened up as yellow fell for Oswego Classic champ Otto Sitterly who had bounced off the track.  Several cars pitted during the time including Mike Lichty. Things got underway, only to slow up again when Jeff Locke repeated Sitterly’s spin.

A lot of water and dirt had been kicked up on the speedway and the race was red flagged for cleanup and a quick refueling due to the number of caution laps already run.

The race went green again on lap 55 and Benson was off like a shot, knowing Cicconi and Wood were right there now trailed by Summers and Perley. Minutes later Benson approached a tangle of cars, which put Cicconi right on his tail again.

Cicconi throwing every trick from a long playbook, took the advantage on lap 71 but Benson played the trump card and was back in front on lap 72. Johnny was able to put a couple car roadblock on Cicconi but Lou jumped it and was back on Benson’s tail at the 20 to go mark, not leaving out Wood, Summers, McKennedy and Perley by any means.

With 8 laps to go the excitement escalated if that was possible as Benson hit another traffic wall, allowing Cicconi to catch right up again. With five to go, Benson had cleared a path through and one lap later Wood get by Cicconi in the cat and mouse chase leaving Summers, Cicconi, McKennedy and Perley not far behind.

With three laps to go, Cicconi suddenly appeared to slide up the track losing a couple valuable spots to Summers and McKennedy. After finishing sixth, Cicconi said on those last laps, “I was running with Benson. I thought I was going to get a shot in lap traffic. Actually, I did get by him but I didn’t take his line away and I should have. He runs me so clean. Then we were going through that heavy lap traffic and Jonathan McKennedy made a right turn into me, hit me and almost spun me out. I was able to hold on though.”

Benson came through the last two laps unscathed with Wood and Summers chasing for the top three spots. McKennedy and Perley finished up the top five.

McKennedy commented later, “We had a good car. I want to thank Paul and Helen Dunigan for letting me run the car again. At the beginning of the race, the car was a little bit tight - it might have been all the fuel. Chris and I had a pretty good race back and forth there. It was fun racing with him. … good clean racing. We were able to catch up to Russell and Robbie but at that point the race was over. Congratulations to Johnny on his second win in a row here.”

Perley, who watched as his second Vic Miller ride for years, left the stable for the Cicconi garage, said of his run, it was round and round for 100 laps. Let’s see here. At Star we finished second and we were wondering what was wrong with the car. It was good but it was a good second place car. We came here and the car was good all day but it wasn’t quite what we’re used to I guess you could say. We worked on it and I think we did the best we could. I was really happy with a fifth after starting fourteenth, but now we think we know what it is. So, we’re going to go home and cut it up. But I’m happy. The car ran the whole 100 laps. It was a tough race and it was fun racing with everybody. Everybody raced clean. Traffic was tough which made it fun. Fifth is good. We’ll take it.”

Lou Cicconi, Bob Bond, Mark Sammut, Dan Bowes and Jon Gambuti rounded out the top ten.

Notes…ISMA’s $2500 donation to Racing Against Cancer came from a share of their purse for the night’s feature… Rick Wentworth, driver/owner of car 10 gave all of his earnings for the night to Racing Against Cancer…Russ Wood gave his second place trophy to a young man, Austin Hayes, who was a young cancer survivor fan…ISMA’s season finale comes at Thompson Speedway on Oct 14-16…

Summary ISMA Event #13

Racing Against Cancer 100

Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011

Heat 1 – Justin Belfiore, Mike Lichty, Dave Sanborn, Jamie Timmons, Jon McKennedy, Otto Sitterly, Joey Scanlon, Bob Magner, Rick Wentworth

Heat 2: Russ Wood, Johnny Benson, Lou Cicconi, Eddie Witkum, Chris Perley, Dan Bowes, Ben Seitz, Brandon Bellinger, Dave Duggan

Heat 3: Jeff Abold, Mike Ordway Sr., Rob Summers, Jon Gambuti, Mark Sammut, Jeff Locke, Bob Bond, Dave Danzer, Bob Dawson

RAC 100: 1. Johnny Benson Jr. (74), 2. Russ Wood (29), 3. Rob Summers (35), 4. Jon McKennedy (79) 5. Chris Perley (11), 6. Lou Cicconi (75), 7. Bob Bond (25), 8. Mark Sammut (78), 9. Dan Bowes (18), 10. Jon Gambuti (14), 11. Jeff Locke (37), 12. Eddie Witkum Jr. (97) 13. Mike Lichty (84), 14. Joey Scanlon (88), 15. Dave Sanborn (9), 16. Bobby Dawson (28), 17. Bobby Magner (40), 18. Brandon Bellinger (02), 19. Rick Wentworth (10), 20. Jeff Abold (04), 21. Ben Seitz (17), 22. Jamie Timmons (27), 23. Justin Belfiore (98), 24. Otto Sitterly (7) 25. Mike Ordway Sr. (61), 26. Dave Danzer (52).

From Carol D Haynes, ISMA PR // Johnny Benson photo by Jim Feeney / ISMA

NASCAR and Goodyear extend agreement through 2017

NEW YORK, New York (Oct. 3, 2011) – NASCAR and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today jointly announced they have signed an extended agreement for Goodyear to continue as the exclusive tire used in NASCAR’s top three racing series for the next five years.

The agreement, which extends through the 2017 season, renews Goodyear as the “Exclusive Tire Supplier” of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Goodyear has had an uninterrupted commitment to NASCAR since becoming a race tire supplier in the 1950s, making it one of the longest-running supply programs in any sport. In addition, Goodyear has been the exclusive tire supplier for all three of the circuit’s top series since 1997.

“Our longtime relationship with Goodyear is a testament to the company’s consistent high-quality tire it supplies the race teams,” said Jim O’Connell, NASCAR’s chief sales officer. “Not only are they experts in tire performance, but they are also a brand that understands how to effectively engage and connect with our fans through creative activation.”

“This extension is the continuation of a relationship between experts,” said Pierre Jambon, vice president of Goodyear’s off-highway business. “NASCAR is clearly the expert in stock car racing, and it has chosen Goodyear because of our expertise in delivering outstanding performance. Our tire performance on the track validates our brand, inspires confidence for drivers and helps create exciting racing for fans. We are proud to continue to be an integral part of NASCAR.”

For additional information, contact: Jon Schwartz, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications, (212) 326-1880 or jschwartz@nascar.com // Ed Markey, Goodyear, (330) 796-8801, emarkey@goodyear.com

Wakefield Opens Canada's First Diesel Exhaust Fluid Solutionizing Facility

Wakefield Canada has opened its H2Blu diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) solutionizing facility in Toronto ahead of schedule.

The ribbon cutting ceremony took place well ahead of the original business timetable. The plan called for building a facility eventually when H2Blu volume warranted the step; the strength of sales in the first six months have already justified the investment.

Wakefield Canada has been marketing its own brand of DEF, H2Blu, for less than half a year and its market success has already accelerated the company's plans for Canadian production. Bob MacDonald, President of Wakefield Canada, today cut the ribbon officially opening the high tech facility that will take prilled urea, the raw ingredient in DEF, and process it into ready-to-use H2Blu DEF. The solutionizing facility is housed within Wakefield's existing lubricant blending plant in Toronto's Long Branch area. The facility is understood to be the first of its kind in this country. Wakefield sources prill through CDI (Cervantes-Delgado Inc), a strategic partner of PotashCorp.

By manufacturing and packaging H2Blu in its own facility, Wakefield is able to absolutely control the product's purity. Purity is critical to the operation of today's SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) clean diesel vehicles; impurities can cause engines to operate improperly, slow down (derate) or even stop.

In addition to the manufacturing equipment, Wakefield has also increased its distribution fleet adding the specialized trucks required for distribution of sensitive DEF. MacDonald noted that the investment in the new facility and trucks is significant for the company but helps strengthen Wakefield's commitment to manufacturing and distributing vital products to the automotive and heavy-duty sectors. The company's strong relationships within the HD and automotive industry, built on the strength of its Castrol lubricants representation, will create synergies that MacDonald anticipates will propel the company into a leadership position in the DEF segment.

Macdonald was pleased to announce that production of H2Blu also brings jobs and economic benefit to the community and the country, fulfilling another of Wakefield Canada's business objectives.

Canadian Rally Championship: L'Estage and Richard clinch CRC title at PFR

Merritt (British Columbia), October 2, 2011.- Antoine L'Estage (of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and his co-driver Nathalie Richard (of Halifax, Nova Scotia) contested the Pacific Forest Rally, the penultimate round of the Canadian Rally Championship, held this past weekend in British Columbia.  The duo won six of the competitive stages and assured themselves second place overall, giving them enough points to clinch the 2011 Canadian title with one event remaining in the championship.  This marks the fourth Canadian championship for the Rockstar Royal Group team and is their second 2011 title, after locking up the North American Rally Cup with their win at the Rallye Défi in September.

“We stuck to our original plan for the weekend and the entire team did an amazing job to ensure that we could bring home the championship title again this year,”confided Antoine L'Estage, who adds: “after winning every single Canadian rally since September 2010, (seven consecutive events), I had to hold myself back a bit here because our priority was the championship title.  The Pacific Forest Rally is not an easy event and again this year, many teams suffered from flat tires or mechanical issues.  Our Yokohama tires provided us with the best line-up to avoid any flats and our Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X was once again extremely reliable.  Our championship is as much for us as it is for John Buffum and the entire Rockstar Royal Group team for their dedicated work throughout the entire season.”

Quebec driver, L’Estage, and his small private team have experienced a remarkable season with a string of victories and titles. « Winning the championship here in Merritt, during the second last event in the 2011 calendar, is such an advantage because it eliminates all pressure for the Rally of the Tall Pines, the final event of the year taking place next month in Ontario.  The last rally will still offer Mitsubishi a chance to win the manufacturer’s title if the top Mitsubishi finishes in the top 6 overall » mentions Antoine L'Estage.

As for Nathalie Richard, this second consecutive Canadian title highlights a faultless season. “This year we truly demonstrated how important the concept of a team is.  In the car, it’s Antoine and I that need to set fastest times but it’s the work of John Buffum and our amazing mechanics, as well as the implication of all of our sponsors, that enable us to be so successful,” she explains.

Antoine L’Estage holds four North American championship titles (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011), four Canadian titles (2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011), one American title (2010), and thirty-one overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard holds seven overall national championship titles (4 in Canada and 3 in the USA), as well as thirty-seven overall rally wins on both sides of the border. She is also a seven-time North American Champion (2004 – 2011, excluding 2006).

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2011 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Énergie Cardio, Libra Racing, Driver's Edge Autosport (OMP), VP Racing Fuels,  Exe-Tc Suspensions, Seibon Carbon and Hawk Performance Brake Pads. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com.

From Coyote Rallye Media Services