Rick Young's 'Rick at the Races' from Super DIRT Week (Oct. 8, 2008)

SUPER DIRT WEEK 2008 opened up at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse this Tuesday ( 7 Oct) for tech inspection and today (Wednesday) was the first day of official practice. I was up early for the three hour drive down there and after stopping for breakfast in Watertown I was at the Fairgrounds at around 11-30.

As expected there were a lot of tidy looking cars to be seen as they prepared for the afternoon 'Happy Hour' hot laps session.

Pete Bicknell # 42, Yan Bussiere #21 ,David Hebert # 1 and Stewart Friesen # 44 were the Canadian drivers I noticed.

I joined fellow photographer friend, Jim Young (from PA) on the cinder track for about an hour before heading back north.

My plan was to attend the Can Am Speedway at Lafargeville NY for one of the satellite events supporting SUPER DIRT WEEK before heading back to Canada. Can Am which is situated just 20 minutes from the border was holding a SUPER DIRT CAR Series race.

It had been a lovely day at Syracuse, the sun was shining and still T shirt weather. Just to prove it check this out. I was captured by someone elses camera !

http://www.dougsdirtdiary.com/php/img_show.php?id=53624&midsize=1&sort=1

Alas, as I walked through the gates of Can Am, the oh so familiar spots of rain were felt. It continued to drizzle until 7-30, when the promotional team had no choice but to cancel. It was announced that the remake would be on Saturday 25 Oct , a week after the big Eastern States Weekend at Middletown NY.

As for the rest of SUPER DIRT WEEK , I'll be back down at the NYS Fairgrounds at the weekend

With yet another rain out to add to my 2008 tally I was home around 9-30, and in good time to knock out this extra mid week report.

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Montreal F1 promoter looks to Canadian federal government to save the race. What a shock.

Stevie Wonder could have seen this one coming a mile away.

Yesterday, when it was announced that the Canadian Grand Prix was cancelled - supposedly without the knowledge of the Canadian promoter - some people smelled a rat. They wondered if the whole thing was a faux crisis cooked up between the FIA and the event's promoters - during the federal election - to elicit money from Canadian taxpayers?

For some, it was a case of deja vu from when the government stepped forward with tax dollars to replace the tobacco sponsorship money.

Well, it didn't take long for the other shoe to drop. It looks like a truckload of your money is about to be handed over in an attempt to win Conservative votes in Quebec. Very disappointing.

From Canadian Press

"Canadian Grand Prix promoter says only government can save F1 race
MONTREAL — It is up to government if the cancelled Canadian Grand Prix is to be revived.
A spokesman for race promoter Normand Legault said Wednesday that government bodies were already looking at ways to bring back the annual race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve that was abruptly dropped from the Formula One calendar this week.
The event draws an estimated $100 million per year in revenues and economic spinoffs to the city.
Spokesman Paul Wilson said Michael Fortier, the Conservative Minister for the Montreal region, has already called F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone at the urging of Prime Minister Stephen Harper."

Click on the link above for the full story

PHOTO GALLERY: Flamboro Speedway - Octoberfest - Oct. 5, 2008 - By Dave Franks and Randy Collins

This is a 385-photo gallery from Flamboro Speedway's Octoberfest on Oct. 5, 2008. Thanks to Dave Franks and Randy Collins for sharing their work with Inside Track's web visitors. You can see Dave's website here.

Goodyear and NASCAR stars pleased with progress at Indy tire test

INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008 – Goodyear Tire and NASCAR officials, along with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin, expressed optimism at the progress made in tire testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A total of 14 Sprint Cup Series drivers tested Oct. 6-7 at IMS as Goodyear developed a tire for the 16th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, scheduled for Sunday, July 26, 2009. The final day of the three-day test, Wednesday, Oct. 8, was canceled due to rain.

This was the second Goodyear test at IMS in three weeks and, according to Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager of worldwide racing, the effort is paying dividends.

“We tested with Kyle Petty a couple weeks ago, saw some very, very encouraging results out of that test,” he said. “Now, of course, we’re here with a lot more cars. We’ve got what we believe to be a good start toward a 2009 race recommendation. Just look at the racetrack, you can see there’s a groove in the racetrack where the cars are going around, just kind of looking normal. We’ve got rubber debris on the outside of the groove, and we’re seeing some significant improvements in wear.”

Goodyear also plans to test again with multiple cars in April 2009 at IMS, Grant said.

Detailed laboratory analysis after the 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, which was slowed by frequent competition cautions, identified the causes of excessive tire wear during that event, Grant said. The 2008 event was the first for NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow” at IMS.

“We saw that the additional load and additional slip that the right rear tire saw was considerably more than it was in 2007,” Grant said. “Then we started to do some laboratory analysis to try to figure out, ‘OK, why did we see that kind of wear debris, why did the track not rubber in?’ To make a long story short, what we found out was that the additional load and slip that the right rear tire saw changed the particle size of the wear debris.”

Goodyear brought tires to this test that lasted longer and will produce better racing next year at IMS, Sprint Cup stars Mark Martin and Kasey Kahne said.

“The tire is more drivable than what we had,” Martin said. “We certainly didn’t have any complaints about the grip level that we had with the other tire, but what they’ve got for a controlled test tire here is faster, great grip, and it's lasting at least twice, maybe three times, the distance already.”

Said Kahne: “I think it’s came a long ways. They’re much better as far as the grip, as far as turning. I would say you would be able to race better, too, with some of the tires we ran yesterday afternoon behind another car. I think our cars would work a little bit better. So to me everything was good. They lasted.

“It’s not an easy project for Goodyear, and they’re stepping up and doing the – they’re figuring out how to do it the best way they possibly can, and I think that’s why we’re here these couple days, and we’ll be back before the Brickyard 400 next year.”

From Indianapolis Motor Speedway

KONI CHALLENGE: Predators fast at season finale

OTTAWA, ONTARIO - Predators Autosports has seen a huge improvement in performance and results in the second half of the 2008 Koni Challenge Series. Those results brought with it confidence, and that confidence was evident heading into the final six-hour finale at Virginia International Raceway last weekend.

Matt Pritiko was impressive in practice, and backed that up with a third place in qualifying. He also was the fastest Chevrolet Cobalt SS in the field.

"It was a good session," Pritiko said. "I didn't leave much out there, but I knew the race would be different. That being said, we had great pace, and being at the front should really help us in the race."

The best laid plans sometimes go wrong, and that was the case for Pritiko and the rest of the Predators Autosports team. On the first lap, Pritiko had contact with another driver and was called in for a penalty.

"The penalty wasn't the way I hoped the race would start, but with six hours, we should have been able to catch back up."

Sadly for the team, the Cobalt SS developed an air leak in the turbo hose which meant the team had to go behind the wall to make repairs.

"After the repairs, we were eight laps down," Pritiko said. "But even still we were able to make up three of those laps. If we hadn't had that problem, we could have challenged for the win."

Pritiko ended up driving for five hours of the six hour race, and now with the season over, he is looking forward to next year.

"First, I have to thank Steve Morris and all the Predators Autosports team for all their hard work. Also, thanks to Robert [Boyer], it was great to have him as a co-driver. I now look forward to next year."

Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency, Inc.

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Ron Fellows needs your help

Russ Bond's CanadianRacers.com site is helping to promote Ron Fellows in voting for the ALMS's Driver of the Decade. Or you can go directly to the online poll here. Either way, Ron is certainly worthy of our support. Thanks to Russ for the heads up on this.

NAT'L POST: Commentary on the loss of the Canadian GP

National Post columnist John Turley-Ewart laments the loss of this great 'party' event here.

2008 Atlantic Stock Car Championships at CFS - Over 160 teams set to compete

October 8, 2008 – Shediac (N.B.) – Over 160 drivers and teams from throughout Atlantic Canada, including a number of current and former track and tour champions, will compete in this weekend’s 8th annual Pepsi Atlantic Stock Car Championships on October 11 & 12 at the Centre for Speed (CFS) in nearby Grand Barachois. A total of over $45,000 in payouts will be available for the teams in Pro Stock, Sportsman, Streetstock, 4 cylinder TigerCat and Thundercat, Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) modifieds and Legend events during this upcoming weekend.

Two feature events will highlight these Atlantic Stock Car Championships with the Pepsi Pro Stock 150 as well as the Vance Hanes Auto Parts Sportsman 100 both on Saturday, October 11th, starting at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday, October 12th, the CFS will present the Atlantic Street Stock 75 as well as two 35-lap features for 4-cylinder TigerCat (over 100 hp) and Thundercat (under 100 hp) racecars, a 35-lap finale for the AOW Tour modifieds and a 30-lap feature for the Legend racecars also starting at 1:00 p.m.

"We’re really excited about this year’s event", said Tim Wile, track promoter for the Centre for Speed (CFS). "The weather is looking great, the car counts are growing every day, and we've already got the strongest overall field of stock cars that we've seen hit our facility for this annual event."

The weekend will attract many top drivers from throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island including most area track and tour champions and a number of former track and tour champions. The Pepsi Pro Stock 150 will feature this year’s CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock (MPST) series champion, Wayne Smith of Timberlea, Nova Scotia competing against the best Pro Stock racers from our region such as former MPST champ and current PASS Tour competitor, John Fleming of Halifax and local favorite Dave O’Blenis of Boundary Creek.

Other top regional Pro Stock competitors expected on Saturday include a number of teams from Nova Scotia including New Glasgow’s George Koszkulics, Fredericton-area drivers Brent Wiggins, Kevin Moore, Vinny Bonnar and Paul Gahan along with PEI competitors Kent Livingston and Kris Fournier. Over 32 Pro Stock drivers are expected to compete for positions on the starting grid for the Pepsi Pro Stock 150 on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, a total of over 40 of the Maritimes’ top Sportsman drivers are expected to battle for positions on the starting grid for the Vance Hanes Auto Parts 100. Current and former track champions and top competitors from most of the stock car tracks in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are expected to make the trek to Shediac for the 100 lap feature. The event will include the return to competition of three-time CFS Sportsman champion Laurie Cormier (Shediac) as well as multi time New Brunswick track champs such as Claude Gaudet (Barachois), Brian Gillespie (Nackawic), Mike Power Jr. (Salisbury), Jim Duke (Miramichi), Ken MacKenzie (Salisbury), and Gary Hicks (Moncton).

On Sunday, Oct. 12th, track champions from throughout the region and other top drivers in the Streetstock and 4 cylinder divisions will also compete in individual Atlantic Championship features – including the Atlantic Streetstock 75 and 35-lap main events for the 4 cylinders divisions. Furthermore, drivers from the Atlantic Open Wheel (AOW) modified touring series will battle it out for their series championship in a 35-lap main event along with competitors from the Legends racecar series who will compete in a 30-lap feature.

"There are two things that make this weekend event unique," said track promoter Wile. "Fans, drivers and crews get a chance to celebrate the end of the racing season in friendly competition, without any pressure, and it's also an opportunity to match skills with most of the top teams from throughout the region - in every class with a chance to be named the 'best of the best' in your division."

Friday afternoon and evening on October 10th will feature practices for all divisions as well as a pit party.

Weekend passes for adults will be sold for $40 while a youth weekend pass will go for $10. On Saturday October 11th, individual day passes will be $28 for adults and $10 for youths while day passes for the October 12th races will be $15 for adults and $5 for youths. Monday, October 13th has been reserved as a rain date for either event.

The CENTRE for Speed is a 128-acre motor sports park including Atlantic Canada’s largest and fastest stock-car oval along with several other racing facilities. The facility overlooks the Northumberland Straight and is located 5 kms east of Shediac’s Parlee Beach in the village of Grand Barachois, New Brunswick.

Full schedule details are available at www.centreforspeed.com.
 
From Tim Wile, Promoter & General Manager // CENTRE for Speed

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on TSN: Kawartha finale

Watch the 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season finale from Kawartha Speedway this Saturday on TSN-TSNHD-TSN2!

The Dodge Dealers of Ontario Dodge RAM 250 premiers Saturday, October 11 at 11 a.m. EST with replays on Thursday, October 16th @ 1:00 PM EST and at MIDNIGHT that same night.

On behalf of JRA, 'Thanks to everyone for another great year!' DVD Box Sets are now being generated. Click here to send Joel Robinson an email inquiring about purchasing one. Makes a great holiday gift!

Brockville Ontario Speedway Adds Rookies to October 18th card

BROCKVILLE, ON - Brockville Ontario Speedway has added another class to it's season finale on Saturday afternoon, October 18th.  The four-cylinder or Rookie class will now be part of the much anticipated Sprint Car Challenge spectacular that features the open wheeled stars of the Southern Ontario Sprints, Empire Super Sprints and Patriots.

 
"There was alot of interest from our Rookie drivers, crews and fans to be involved with the closing show of the season. " said Track Promoter, Paul Kirkland.  "We are pleased that this already impressive show will now offer even more value for our race fans."

 
The show is a special 2 pm start with the already scheduled Brockville sportsman class and a Street Stock Challenge events.  Admission for this four class event is just 15 dollars.

From Steve Young / BOS

NASCAR: Canadian Patrick Carpentier out of Gillett Evernham's car effective immediately

STATESVILLE, N.C. – Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced today that Mike Wallace will drive the No. 10 Dodge at Charlotte this weekend and A.J. Allmendinger will take over driving duties at Martinsville on Oct. 19 and for the remainder of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Wallace and Allmendinger replace Patrick Carpentier who drove the No. 10 in 24 races this season.

Allmendinger, 26, is committed to driving the No. 00 this weekend at Charlotte.  

“We certainly appreciate all the effort that Patrick Carpentier made for us this year. But, our job is to put ourselves in a position to win races plus we’re striving to get the No. 10 into the top 35 in points. We feel A.J. gives us the best chance to do both,” said Mark McArdle, the team’s vice president and managing director of competition.

“A.J. has a lot of talent and if you look at his numbers you will see that he’s only run in 38 races in his career. I think the more experience he gets the better results you are going to see and I hope that starts at Martinsville. He’s demonstrated in open wheel he has the talent and I think his performance two weeks ago proves his worth in a stock car.”

Allmendinger finished a career-best ninth at Kansas on Sept. 28 driving the No. 84.

“I’m excited about this news,” said the California native. “GEM has great equipment and I’m confident we can take these final five races and get the No. 10 up in points. I know we have a lot of work to do, but we are going to give it our best shot. I’m looking forward to spending some time with Crew Chief Mike Shiplett and the guys starting at Martinsville.”

Reed Sorenson will assume the driving duties of the No. 10 at the beginning of the 2009 season.

McArdle said Wallace brings a wealth of experience to the No. 10 team.

“We appreciate Mike stepping in and helping us out. A.J. had a commitment and Mike was gracious enough to give us a hand. He’s a good driver and we expect that will show this weekend.”

From Gillett Evernham Motorsports

POLL QUESTION: F1 has dumped Montreal. Do you care?

The FIA's 2009 Formula One schedule shocked many when it was revealed that the Canadian Grand Prix would not take place next season. Do you care? Register your vote and comments on the poll located on the right side of this page.

p.s. - Several hours after the announcement that the race is no more, the GP du Canada's official website still says, "See you next year!" ... on the same page offering ticket information for the '09 event. What could it all mean?

NASCAR: Elliott Sadler and Stanley Racing Turn Pink Driving For the Cure at Bank of America 500

STATESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 7, 2008) – Elliott Sadler and the No. 19 Stanley Dodge are changing their look with a passionate pink paint scheme for the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Oct. 11 in Charlotte. The pink paint scheme is in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Sadler, who races each week with a pink ribbon decal above the driver’s side door on the No. 19 Dodge, is excited for the opportunity to lend support to breast cancer awareness.

“Last year my mother, Bell, was diagnosed with breast cancer, so this is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart,” said Sadler. “We are fortunate that she was able to fight and is now on the road to recovery, but I’m excited to get involved with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help support breast cancer awareness and raise money for research to find a cure.”

Stanley is making a $100,000 donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in support of the initiative. Following the race weekend, all of Sadler’s uniform items are going up for auction with proceeds set to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

“Stanley Tools is proud to be supporting breast cancer awareness and Susan G. Komen for the Cure,” said Rebecca Durham, Motorsports & Sponsorships Manager of Stanley Tools. “Elliott has told us how important breast cancer awareness is to him and his family, and Stanley Tools is equally as passionate about the cause. This is a big weekend for Elliott, Stanley Tools and Susan G. Komen for the Cure and we are thrilled to be lending our support.”

The pink Stanley logo that appears on the No. 19 Dodge and on Sadler’s firesuit marks the first time in the company’s 165 year history that its logo will change to a color other than Stanley Yellow.

Elliott Sadler Quotes: What would it mean to you to visit victory lane this weekend: “I’m really excited for this weekend. We are bringing a car that should definitely give us a chance to win. It’s been our best car all year and we are always racing to win. Winning in a pink Stanley/Susan G. Komen for the Cure car would definitely be a very special thing for me. With everything that has happened in the last year with my Mom it would mean a lot to win a race in this car with her in attendance.”

Chassis Info: The No. 19 Stanley/Susan G. Komen for the Cure Dodge is racing chassis No. 256; which recorded a fourth place finish at Indianapolis, ninth at Michigan and 10th at Kansas. Chassis No. 240 will serve as the backup. Chassis No. 240 won the pole position for the All-Star Race qualifier at Charlotte.

Change for the Good: The pink Stanley logo that appears on the No. 19 Dodge and on Sadler’s firesuit marks the first time in the company’s 165 year history that its logo will change to a color other than Stanley Yellow.

Back-to-Back: Sadler’s top-10 finish last Sunday at Talladega marks the first time in 2008 that the No. 19 team posted back-to-back top-10 finishes. The last time Sadler posted consecutive top-10 finishes was at Watkins Glen (seventh) and Michigan (10th) in 2006.

Chased-Out Standings: David Ragan (500 pts), Bobby Labonte (486 pts), Paul Menard (457 pts), Elliott Sadler (446 pts) and Casey Mears (422 pts) are the top five non-chase drivers through the first four chase races of 2008.

Sadler at Charlotte: In 20 previous starts, Sadler has won the pole position, started eight times in the top-five and 11 times in the top-10. Sadler also has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has in 10 races for a total of 192 laps in his career at Charlotte.

From Ryan Barry // Team Communications

 
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Chris Raabe Survives Early Afternoon DIRTcar Sportsman Run at Fulton Speedway

Wouldn’t it be great if things always worked-out exactly as you’d planned?  Napanee, Ontario’s Chris Raabe thinks so.  Friday, October 3rd the 17 year-old DIRTcar sportsman modified driver and his team hauled their pair of TEO Pro Car rides to Fulton Speedway for the latest event on the Mr. DIRTcar trail.  Things were rolling along quite smoothly for the young speedster, and then Mother Nature threw everyone a curve.

With 71 teams showing-up, Raabe knew just cracking the starting line-up for the 30 lap main event would be tough.  Especially when track officials announced that less than 35 cars would take the green flag.  The driver of the Scott Industrial Services/TyRoute Communications-Telus/Kingston Hyundai/Kingston RV Centre/Waste Management/Brunet Plumbing/Kwik Load Products/McColman Media/Len Corcoran Excavating #01 drew a spot in the 3rd qualifying heat – a race that would also include his main championship rival, Dan Wiesner – but only the top 3 finishers would earn a spot in the main event.  Chris Raabe finished 3rd, just behind Wiesner and Matt Billings who is also a regular runner at Brockville Ontario Speedway.

Before the sportsman feature take to the track, the intermittent showers that had been falling through the late evening hours caused Fulton Speedway officials to adjust the night’s schedule.  The Mr. DIRTcar pro stock race was shortened to 22 laps, while the sportsman and street stock features were put over until Saturday, October 4th start.

Chris Raabe, the current sportsman modified championship series points leader took the green from a 17th place starting spot, while Wiesner luckily selected the pole position in the pre-race draw.  On the opposite end of the scale, Greg Panunte of Port Colborne, Ontario needed to use a guaranteed starting spot.  After winning 2 of the previous 3 Mr. DIRTcar sportsman events, he would start 31st and make it only as far as 24th at the checkers.

Wet track conditions delayed the sportsman main event from a planned 11:00 start to a green flag just after 1:00.  Not knowing exactly what to expect with their early run, the #01 team drew a ‘mixed bag’ set-up from their notebooks.  The track would likely   start-off tacky, but the daytime conditions could cause it slick over and dry out.  With just 30 laps to work with, gaining spots could be hard but their driver has shown all along that he has the ability when the going gets tough.

Fulton’s high-banked layout offers plenty of room to race.  From the drop of the green flag, teams were using every available groove.  Chris Raabe tried the top – and then the bottom – then went back to the top again.  The sledding was tough at times, but the 12th grader from Napanee and District Secondary School kept his composure.  The #66 or Wiesner was struggling too.  He went from his inside front row starting spot to 31st at the checkers.  Raabe dropped back to 19th at the event’s conclusion, but making the best of a bad situation the Teenage Tornado left Fulton with a 65 point cushion between himself and Wiesner.

Coming up:  Wednesday, October 8th - Can Am Motorsports Park - Lafargeville, New York.  Friday, October 10th - Rolling Wheels Raceway Park - Elbridge, New York.  Saturday, October 11th - New York State Fairgrounds - Syracuse, New York.

For more on Chris Raabe, see www.chrisraabe.com

Photo tag line: Chris Raabe and his #01 DIRTcar sportsman modified.  (Jim Clarke photo)
Media contact:  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

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OSCAAR: Tiemersma takes Oktoberfest Classic at Flamboro Speedway

Heading into the 2nd last race of the season, Tiemersma Motorsports was looking for its first win of 2008 and to get back into the points battle for the 2008 OSCAAR championship.

Arriving at the track Saturday we decided that since we were only getting one practice session we would have to treat the heat races that evening as testing session if the car was not handling properly.  After the first (and only) practice however we were not 100% happy with the handling of the #7 Wayfreight, so we would head into the first heat race lined up 3rd and finished 3rd with some minor suspension changes having been done. 

Once the first heat was completed we decided one some major changes for the 2nd heat of the night.  So as Derrick lined up 3rd once again, this time he was able to get to the lead of the race and give the crowd a good show as Derrick and the #83 of Ian Bourque battled for the lead with Derrick beating him to the line.  With heat races done for the night Tiemersma Motorsports packed up for the night and planned changes for the #7 for the next day.

Arriving Sunday the Tiemersma Motorsports crew quickly got to work on a number of changes to the suspension that were decided on and discussed the night before.  In of first of two practice sessions we knew we were on to something so for the final practice session we scuffed tires.

With the results from the night before in the heat races, Derrick would line up 2nd for the feature race of the night outside of the #70 of Jeff Hanley who had lead the field for most of the weekend and definitely the car to beat up until that point.  At the start of the race Derrick would pull in behind the #70 as the two of them would pull out a small gap over the #22 of Glenn Watson during the first 18 laps.  On lap 18 the #40p would spin bringing out the caution, then on the restart the #9 spun keeping out the caution flag; this would also be the end of the night for the #70 car when his rear end broke under caution.

On the next restart the caution would fly again for a violent wreck on the back stretch that would see the #18, #7T, #54 and the #83 involved.  Everyone was glad to see all the drivers were un-harmed; however the #83 and #7T were both damaged beyond repair for the night.  With a lengthy red flag period the drivers were now informed that the race was being shortened to 30 laps.

With 12 laps to go, Derrick had the #7 out front and was hoping for 12 green flag laps, and that is pretty much what we got as the #7 Wayfreight car got better on long runs and lap after lap started to pull out a gap over the #22 in second place. 

Tiemersma Motorsports would like to thank all of our supporters over the 2008 season, we are now back in the hunt with one race to go in the season and are hoping to return the Tiemersma name back to the Autumn Colors Classic.

From Mike Sutton  // Crew Chief  // Tiemersma Motorsports

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F1: Montreal dropped off 2009 Formula 1 calendar

From TSN.ca

The Canadian Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2009 Formula One calendar.
Following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, France on Tuesday, the FIA announced an 18 race schedule which did not include the popular Montreal event.

Instead, the Turkish Grand Prix has been moved from its August date to June in order to maintain the summer break which F1 teams have enjoyed the past few years.

With the U.S. Grand Prix still in limbo, the loss of the Canadian race marks the first time since 2006 that there will not be a North American Formula One stop.

Click here for the full story

ATLANTICS: Hinchcliffe Wraps Season with Podium

Toronto, Ontario (October 04, 2008) – James Hinchcliffe returned to the podium with a third place effort at Road Atlanta as the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda concluded with Round 11 at the Georgia track on Friday 3rd October.

Absent from the top-three since Round 5 in Edmonton back in July, the 21-year-old Toronto racer wrapped his Atlantic season piloting the Forsythe Pettit Racing #3 INDECK/TireRack.com entry with his fourth podium of the year and his sixth top-five finish in eleven starts.  Hinchcliffe, who won Round 2 and had twice led the Driver Standings earlier in the season, finished the year fourth overall in the points, equaling his final placing from last year’s championship.

After a rare qualifying slot outside the top-ten at the previous round at Miller Motorsports Park, James returned to the sharp-end of the grid at the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta track, situated in Braselton, Georgia.  Sixth fastest in the first qualifying session, the second outing proved to be the quicker of the two with ‘Hinch’ securing a fourth row start slot with the seventh quickest time, his lap a 1m14.778s (122.282mph) to pole-sitter Jonathan Summerton’s 1m14.137s (123.339mph) – a new Atlantic lap record.

A good start saw James gain a couple spots to target the podium in what was the championship deciding race.  A hectic re-start following a late caution period allowed James to fight for his podium finish, the Canadian emerging victorious from a five car tussle.  At the checkered James claimed third behind countryman Kevin Lacroix in second and race winner and 2008 Atlantic Championship Champion Markus Niemela from Finland.

“I have to say it was great to get back onto the podium to finish the year,” said Hinchcliffe.  “It was a nice finishing touch and felt great after recent results even if it was a bit fortunate.  Our pace was there though; I messed up qualifying a bit on Thursday but knew the car was quick.  I have to say congratulations to both Markus Niemela and Brooks Associates Racing for their championship success.  It’s been a rollercoaster season but we’ve ended it on a high note!”

Top-Five Atlantic Drivers – R11/11: 1st Niemela (FIN) 245pts – Champion, 2nd Bomarito (USA) 228pts, 3rd Summerton (USA) 204pts, 4th HINCHCLIFFE (CAN) 196pts, 5th Strous (NED) 196pts – www.atlantic-championship.com

The 2008 Atlantic Championship will be broadcast on SPEED throughout November and December.  For a full broadcast schedule please log on to – www.speedtv.com

ENDS – www.hinchtown.com

Photo Credit – ‘James Hinchcliffe finished fourth overall in the 2008 Atlantic Championship’ – TNT Images
From Stuart Morrison Public Relations

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ENDURO Rescheduled at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway

From Auto Clearing Motor Speedway

SASKATOON, SK - We need to have good discussion with our weatherman/woman as they have not been kind to us and our race schedule this past season.

Due to the excessive rain on Sunday, the annual Family Fun Enduro race had to be postponed.  It is now set for Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 SHARP.  Gates will open at 6:00 PM

Dress warm and come out for some fun and excitement.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP: Stewart Grabs First Talladega Sprint Cup Victory in AMP Energy 500

TALLADEGA, Ala. – On a day when the lead was swapped 64 times among 28 drivers, it ended up with a driver who had never led the most important lap at Talladega Superspeedway.

Tony Stewart picked up his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, prevailing over Regan Smith and Paul Menard on the final lap to win the AMP Energy 500.

Stewart had finished in second place six times in 19 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, but had never won. Talladega was one of only four tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit that Stewart had failed to conquer.

“People don’t understand what it means to win here,” Stewart said. “Winning the Nationwide race here this year (for his first Talladega victory in any series) was huge to me. And now to win the Cup race, man, it’s just an awesome feeling. We finally got ourselves in Victory Lane here.”

Stewart’s longtime crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, also was excited about seeing the No. 20 car finally take the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway.

“We’ve had a lot of good cars here in the past, and hadn’t been able to get that victory,” Zipadelli said. “This is one of those places where, if you were going to pick five or six race tracks to win at in your career, this is one of them. For us to finally get our first win after all those seconds and top-fives we’ve had, it’s cool.”

The 28 different leaders is a record for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, breaking the old mark of 26 previously held by Talladega, that was set in July 1986 and equaled in April 2001. No driver held the lead for more than 20 consecutive laps, and only three drivers managed to hold onto first place for as long as 10 laps.

The tone was set early, as the lead traded hands 30 times in less than 50 laps, from lap 35 to 83. During that span, no driver led for more than five consecutive laps.

Stewart took the lead for good on lap 174 and held onto first place for the final 17 laps. But he had some anxious moments on the last lap, as Smith and Menard – teammates at Dale Earnhardt Inc. – lined up behind him for the final trip around the 2.66-mile tri-oval.

Smith finally attempted to pass as the cars came out of Turn 4, but Stewart attempted to block the move and NASCAR deemed that Smith went below the yellow line at the bottom of the track, preserving the victory for Stewart. Smith officially finished in 18th place.

“For 10 years, I’ve lost races here at Talladega because somebody blocked. That’s just the name of the game,” Stewart said. “Today’s race wasn’t any different than the last 19 races that I’ve run here. There have always been people blocking. The nice thing is I was actually on the right end of it this time.

“Trust me, I have no regrets about what I did. I did exactly what I needed to do to win the race, and it worked out.”

Menard was awarded the runner-up spot, followed by David Ragan in third, Jeff Burton fourth, Clint Bower fifth, Bobby Labonte sixth, Scott Riggs seventh, Robby Gordon eighth, Jimmie Johnson ninth and Elliott Sadler 10th.

Kyle Busch, who won the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway in April, finished 15th. Among the rest of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, Kevin Harvick came in 20th, Greg Biffle was 24th, Matt Kenseth 26th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 28th, Carl Edwards 29th, Jeff Gordon 38th and Denny Hamlin 39th.

Johnson overcame falling a lap down only 25 laps into the race to salvage a top-10 finish. In the process, he built a 72-point lead over Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Greg Biffle is 77 points behind and Jeff Burton trails by 99.

From Kristi King / Sr. Director of Communications and Consumer Marketing // Talladega SuperSpeedway

Grand-Am KONI Challenge Grand Sport: Plumbs, Canney Win Season Finale at VIR; Maxwell, Foster Win Title

ALTON, Va. (Oct. 5, 2008) - Hugh and Matt Plumb dominated the middle and final stages of Sunday's Bosch Engineering Twin Six Hours, the season finale for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport (GS) class, giving themselves and Mike Canney a victory in the six-hour classic at Virginia International Raceway.

Hugh Plumb passed fellow Rehagen Racing and Ford Mustang GT driver Dean Martin on Lap 144, then led Martin and TRG's Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly in a nose-to-tail battle to the checkered flag in a two-lap shootout. The leading quartet was separated by only 1.081 seconds, and the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Valvoline/ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT of Martin, Jack Roush Jr. and Ryan Phinny finished 0.208 seconds behind in the second closest finish in KONI Challenge Series history.

Like the race itself, the championship race came down to the final hour-and-a-half, with seven drivers fighting for the title. In the end, Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster finished fifth in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT, giving Maxwell his second GS title (2002 GSI) and Foster his first. They won the driving and owner titles by six points (248-242) over Bret Seafuse and James Gue and JBS Motorsports, and the top seven drivers were separated by only 19 points (248-229).

Maxwell and Foster went without mechanical problems - though they encountered cosmetic damage from an early spin and were running two laps shy on fuel before the final caution - and all seven drivers were in the top 10 heading into the final pit stop. But mechanical woes plagued three of the four championship cars during the final hour.

Seafuse and Gue entered the race one point (222-221) behind Maxwell and Foster, but the team had to change brake pads and rotors on the No. 37 JBS Motorsports Trumansburg Shur Save Ford Mustang GT and start from the tail after finding problems on the recon laps. The team, which also served a 60-second stop-and-go penalty for running over pit equipment, managed to stay on the lead lap, and Gue battled Maxwell for a top-five finish. However, he faded in the final 45 minutes from a lost cylinder. They finished 10th, the final car on the lead lap.

Fuel delivery problems forced Jeff Segal and Jep Thornton to lose one lap for repairs, but they and another co-driver, Terry Borcheller, regained the lap and made their way back into the top five. However, the car slowed on Lap 138 and Borcheller brought the car into the paddock for repairs. He took the No. 09 Automatic Racing Imported Car Store/Land Air BMW M3 back on the track a lap down, and finished 11th.

Craig Stanton led for the only time on Lap 125, but was passed by Maxwell on the restart on the outside of Turn 1 and quickly fell to fourth two laps later. On Lap 150, the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Performance Drink/Weeden Consultants Porsche 997 slowed due to engine failure, and Stanton and co-driver Jon Miller retired in 15th.

Though Maxwell passed Stanton on Lap 126 and led 12 laps, his fuel situation forced him to into conservation mode. Martin took the point on Lap 138, then held it until Lap 144, when Hugh Plumb surged ahead. Hugh Plumb, Martin and Lally ran within a second before the final caution - which occurred due to dropped oil from Stanton's engine. Pumpelly joined the lead trio, but no one was able to get by Hugh Plumb, who gave Canney and Matt Plumb their first career GS victories. Matt Plumb - who last won in KONI Challenge with Hugh Plumb two years ago at VIR in the ST race - led a race-high 44 laps and the No. 60 Ford Mustang GT led 67 laps.

Overall, 13 drivers in eight cars combined for 19 lead changes, and seven cautions for 22 laps slowed the average speed of 84.184 mph.

Martin, Roush and Phinny, combined to lead 18 laps in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Valvoline/ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT in earning their best finish and second podium of the season. Their previous best third was in July's race at Barber Motorsports Park.

TRG's two cars also finished strong. Lally led a lap in the No. 41 TRG Carlsen Porsche/Cohen Financial Porsche 997 he shared with Scott Schroeder and Peter Ludwig. Outside front row starter Pumpelly, meanwhile, stormed through the field in the final 10 laps in the No. 39 TRG Carlsen Porsche/TheDigiTrust Group Porsche 997 he shared with Duncan Ende.

Rehagen Racing's Ray Mason, Gene Martindale and Adam Pecorari also slipped into sixth near the end of the 155-lap race, driving the No. 52 Columbus Truck & Equipment Ford Mustang GT. Overall, four of the top six cars were Ford Mustang GTs, helping the marquee earn its first KONI Challenge Series championship. Ford bested Porsche by four points (313-309) and BMW - which entered the race leading the standings - by five (313-308).

Other notable drivers included polesitter Bill Auberlen - who led the first 22 laps and 24 overall - and Matthew Alhadeff, who finished 20th in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 after sustaining damage to the car's right side and mechanical problems late in the race. Andrew Davis, who flipped end-over-end multiple times in the No. 18 Motorsport Technology Group Morris Animal Foundation/Meisha's Hope BMW Z4 when his brakes failed, was uninjured in the race's most spectacular incident of the day. Davis and Billy Johnson finished 24th.

The top GS and Street Tuner (ST) drivers, teams and manufacturers will be honored in Monday's season-ending banquet at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons in Greensboro, N.C.

POST-PRACTICE DRIVER QUOTES

Hugh Plumb (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "This is an amazing day for the Sunset Hills Vineyard car, we've had a run of bad luck this season but we finally did it and got the win today. I thought that there was going to be a huge pile up with how slippery the track was on the last two laps. I had a really big battle with Dean (Martin) going, and it was great to come out of that on top and have Rehagen Racing finish 1-2. After I got hit on the first lap I had to take an extra pit stop to fix the damage and then I just had to put my head down, be consistent, and catch the field. But the car was great, and we just kept moving forward all day. This is a great result, and I'm happy to be able to share it with Mike and Matt."

Matt Plumb (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "I'm just happy the team waited until I got involved to win a race! A big thanks to (crew chief) Quinn Conda and to everyone at Rehagen Racing. The car was great today. Even though I was up front, I just tried to save the brakes as much as possible, and Hugh did the rest of the work to get back to the front and stay there to the finish. It was a nail biter to have the green-white-checker like that to finish the race, a lot more exciting than I was hoping for. But Hugh just stayed cool and did a great job."

Mike Canney (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "This is my first win in this series, so it's really exciting, especially to do it like we did today. Our crew chief Quinn Conda had a great set-up on the Mustang and the car handled really well during my stint. I'm happy to get a 1-2 finish for Rehagen Racing.  It's an exciting way to finish this season off and it's also a great way to get things going for next year. I've learned a lot this year, so I'm thrilled to end the season on a high note like this!"

Dean Martin (No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "We were racing hard, and I knew Hugh was light on brakes. I had brakes, but I was being a little conservative, and Hugh came in just a little bit deep. I knew he was going too light on brakes at the end, and I knew that when he hit me. I got crossed up and he got by me. At that point, I was thinking, don't let Andy by, he left me in the clutches of Andy Lally, I've got to get out of here.' I had some opportunities to get back around Hugh, but they were all going to be risky. The last thing I wanted to do was take my teammate out. We had a good finish, 1-2; I was more focused on getting away from Andy and bringing it home 1-2. Having a Rehagen car win was a team win. It was unfortunate that we got hit and turned sideways, because we might have won it. But Hugh was certainly fast, and that's the way it worked out. I'm not too upset about it, just disappointed. Jack and Ryan Phinny did an awesome job all day, we all took turns at the front of the field."

Jack Roush Jr. (No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "I was very happy with the way the year went. We had some unfortunate problems early in the year that hurt our championship run, but we had a lot of good finishes. This is a nice way to finish, with our best finish of the season. The car felt very strong out there. At one point, it felt like I was taking positions at will. It got a little harder at the end, when the tires went away, but the No. 59 Roush/Valvoline Mustang was awesome all day."

Andy Lally (No. 41 TRG Porsche 997): "In the corners and under braking I had something for them at the end, but they've got way too much juice. Even if they make a mistake, they can get on the gas and drive away from us. They're both very good drivers, but I think with a little more juice on our side, we could have done it. It's a testament to the car and how good the TRG guys have been thrashing on it. We had the first and second place Porsches today, and I'm proud of that. This is a horsepower track, and we just got beat. I overdrove the heck out of it, I threw it off probably three or four times hustling it, but third was the best we could do today."

Scott Schroeder (No. 41 TRG Porsche 997): "This Porsche ran real strong all weekend. Peter did a great job. Andy did a great job. We just had to be there at the end. We didn't have any for those Mustangs, they just have too much straight-line speed. I'm looking forward to next year. I think this is a good way to end the year. I can't say enough about the team."

Peter Ludwig (No. 41 TRG Porsche 997): "I ran the middle shift, and it was a good experience. It's nice to finish strong in the last race of the year. I've had a lot of bad luck this year. In my stint, we had a shock go out. That was a little scary, I had a lot of rear end motion. But Andy was able to deal with it perfectly in his stint and brought the car home, so we're real happy."

Scott Maxwell (No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT): "We were trying to save fuel near the end. We were two laps short on fuel with a half an hour to go, so I was a little concerned. I started short shifting. I knew the point scenario, so I started fading back to try to save enough fuel. The last caution was a Godsend. If we had to pit, I knew the championship was over. We needed to make up two laps of fuel, because we were two laps short. We had a great car the first two hours, then Joe got hit and got spun, and the front end got bent a half-hour into his stint. It was tracking sideways, so it was a bit of a handful the last four hours. It definitely wasn't as easy as it might have looked. For the first two hours, the car was great and I thought not only could we win the championship, we could win the race. At the end, it was just survival."

Joe Foster (No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT): "Obviously, it was a crazy race with a lot of excitement on the track. It was a good car in the beginning. Unfortunately, we had contact with a car that was not involved in the championship about the middle of the race, and that definitely affected the handling of the front end of the car. The steering wheel was pointed at nine o'clock instead of 12 o'clock. I can't thank Scott enough for driving the wheels off at the end to stay ahead. We had to play a conservation game at that point, because the car was not going to go to the front as it had early in the race, so we did the lap times we needed to get it to the end. Winning the championship was an amazing thing. It's something Hyper Sport hasn't done before, and team owner Patrick Dempsey and Rick Skelton, the partners in the team (haven't either). I know Patrick, on the set of Grey's Anatomy, was watching online all day. Personally, it's the culmination of a lot of hard work by about 100 people sharing in this."

Craig Stanton (No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997): "I feel bad for the team, and I feel bad for Jon Miller, John Tecce, John and Patti Moore, the whole team. Each and every one of them put their whole heart and soul out all year long. This isn't just a one-race weekend. It showed in every race. It was a great year. They stepped up for every race, each and every time. It's a great place to race, there are a lot of fans here, and I can't wait for next year. It's one of them darn racing deals. We have three or four minutes to go, we were running for first or second in the championship, but heck, we'll move on for '09."

Jon Miller (No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997): "Not great. We made it to 10 minutes to go until the end of the season, and then we had our first mechanical issue that took us from being in the position to win the championship to finishing a couple of laps down. It's pretty gut-wrenching to make it to 10 minutes from the end of the season and have a mechanical problem take us out of it."

James Gue (No. 37 JBS Motorsports Ford Mustang GT): "We thought we had it there, but everything that could have gone wrong went wrong today. Right when we thought we had a chance to run them down, we lost a cylinder near the end. Very disappointing, actually."

Bret Seafuse (No. 37 JBS Motorsports Ford Mustang GT): "Good race for us. Second place (in the championship), we can't complain about that. But it was a rough weekend. Anything that could go wrong pretty much has. But we battled back and it came down to the end. We were running on seven cylinders, we'd been hit, and we had a rough race. We battled through it, and I can't complain about second. Too bad we lost a cylinder with 30 minutes left, we were running well. James was doing a real good job in his last stint, and we were actually quite a bit faster than a bunch of cars. I think potentially we could have gotten the 55, but congratulations to them, they did a good job."

Jeff Segal (No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3): "Congratulations to the entire Hyper Sport team. They did a fantastic job, and they really deserve this. Their Mustang was really strong and our little M3 just didn't have anything for them. Our whole team worked unbelievably hard all weekend. Our championship last year and our third place points finish this year is all because of their efforts."

Jep Thornton (No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3): "Congratulations to Joe and Scott. You never know how things will turn out - we lost our chance for a championship in the last minutes of the last race. We all fight for this moment. We had our problems, but overall we had a great season." (referring to Monday night's KONI Challenge banquet in nearby Greensboro, N.C.) "Viva Greensboro!"

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From Grand-Am / Michael Harker, PR Coordinator