Inside Track Motorsport News - Volume 26, Issue 01

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IN THIS ISSUE Volume 26, Issue 01 April/May 2022

INSIDE News 18 NASCAR Pinty’s Series Pre-season update Ontario Short Tracks 20 Outlaws and Pro Sprints announces skeds 22 Erika Hoffmann Canadian wins Formula Woman scholarship Maritime Short Tracks 24 Scotia Speedworld hits important milestone Western Short Tracks 26 Race City reunion at Dinosaur Downs Super Production Challenge 36 Series announces new title sponsor 38 Canadian Road Racing CASC-OR, VARAC and BCHMR updates Canada Heads Up – Shootout Series 44 New classes added for 2022 season INSIDE Features 12 Speedweeks at Daytona Jacques Villeneuve makes D500 debut Formula 1 28 New tires and cars usher in next generation 32 IndyCar McLaughlin wins season opener 40 Dream Results Pfaff earns class win at Rolex 24 42 Ice Racing CASC-OR wraps up winter series 46 Vintage Safety advances throughout the years INSIDE Opinions The Inside Line 04 Greg MacPherson: Spring & Motorama 10 Shifting Gears James Neilson: Red Bull retirements 48 This, That & the Other Ernie Saxton: Will NASCAR go streaming?

50 Get a Grip Mary Bignotti Mendez: Power blues 52 Tomas Tales Erik Tomas: Digging for audio gold 60 Technically Speaking Larry Holt: Two-stroke engines

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PAGE 38 BC Historic Motor Races Photo by Brent Martin

PAGE 28 Formula 1 Photo Courtesy of Ferrari

PAGE 60 Technically Speaking Photo Courtesy of Wikia Commons ON THE Cover: Jacques Villeneuve qualified for his first Daytona 500, at the 2022 event.

Photos: NASCAR / Getty Images (main) & Neena Channan/ImagesByNeena.com (inset) InsideTrackNews.com 3

I OPINION

THE INSIDE LINE

By Greg MacPherson

SPRING & MOTORAMA car, the reception he got from the NASCAR community and bringing his family and his newborn son, Gilles, to the track.

Thanks to Bill Burns for his help connecting us with Jacques, to discuss his NASCAR-related experiences. Many will know Burns from his years working with CASCAR and NASCAR Pinty’s Series drivers.

Most recently, he worked with JV on his NASCAR Euro team and was in action with the No. 27 operation in Daytona.

Norris McDonald (l) and the late Ernie Martin, at a Pinecrest Speedway reunion, in 2004.

We’re into April, and the Canadian racing season feels like it’s within reach. For the first time in two years, we appear to be headed back to ‘normal’ when it comes to motorsports.

People managed to get a good bit of racing in, the past two seasons, but with 2020 pretty much a write-off and last season not getting underway until well into the summer months, we’re all looking forward to being able to enjoy racing throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall… just like we used to in the old days.

And while most tracks and series are set to kick-off on their traditional dates, our Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by eBay Motors will take place on a different weekend than it has for most of the past 50 years.

A fixture at the start of March Break, it will go ahead, this year, on April 29, 30 & May 1 at Toronto’s International Centre.

As noted in the previous issue, if there is one drawback to moving to the final weekend of April, it’s that some tracks are hosting practice sessions by then. In the case of Flamboro Speedway, it’s their opening weekend!

We’re very grateful to Flamboro – a supporter of the show throughout its several incarnations during the decades – for still coming to the show, despite the conflict.

And we understand those who were unable to make it happen this year. To everyone, we look forward to being back to our 4 Inside Track Motorsport News

regular date in 2023, and beyond.

A month out from Motorama, all indications are that this year’s show is going to be incredible. Exhibitor space is sold out and it turns out that people spent a lot of time in their garages, during the pandemic, building incredible vehicles, many of them race cars.

On Saturday, April 30, don’t miss the Fast Eddie Night of Champions, at Motorama.

For the first time ever, Canadian road racing champions will be honoured at the show, as well as the short track and drag racers.

Nowhere else in the world are upwards of 150 track and series champions celebrated at one place and time.

For tickets and show info, visit MotoramaShow.com. We’ll see you April 29, 30 & May 1, at The International Centre.

JV DOES DAYTONA Looking at this issue, our cover story is an exclusive, feature interview with Canadian racer Jacques Villeneuve, following his recent experiences participating in the Daytona 500.

Villeneuve has competed in NASCAR races in the past, but it was his first time taking part in the biggest and most important stock car race in the world.

In addition to talking about making the race, the mechanical adventures that prevented him from getting any practice, and the 500 itself, he also discussed the characteristics of driving the new Next Gen Cup

ERNIE MARTIN Finally, I’d like to make note of the passing of Ernest ‘Ernie’ Martin. Fans of Southern Ontario short track racing will recognize him as the announcer at the CNE, Pinecrest, Sunset and Barrie Speedways.

He passed away on March 6, just prior to his 91st birthday. As noted in his obituary, “nothing made him happier than to make people laugh with his jokes.”

I first got involved covering racing in the early ‘90s and can still remember smiling hearing him belt out Kenny Rogers’ song – albeit with his own racing-related twist – over the PA system at Sunset… “You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel!” as someone’s tire took a solo trip down the straight. It was corny, but it was fun.

I last saw Ernie at a Pinecrest Speedway reunion, in 2004, near the site of the former speedway. At one point, he was being interviewed by Norris McDonald, of the Toronto Star Wheels section. I would love to hear what the two of them were chatting about, recalling stories from the past.

We all have great memories of the times we’ve spent at racetracks. Many of those come from what happens on the racing surfaces. But just as many come from the people we’ve met and the sights, sounds and smells that occur on other parts of the property.

For so many, around these parts, Ernie was a big part of those experiences and the memories that still make them smile when they look back upon them.

Thanks for the memories, Ernie, and we offer our condolences to your family and friends. IT

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ROLEX 24 HOURS AT DAYTONA

The 2022 edition of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona International Speedway took place in February, and featured a sizeable Canadian contingent, including class winners. The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 earned the overall and DPi class win with drivers Tom Blomqvist (United Kingdom), Hélio Castroneves (Brazil), Oliver Jarvis (United Kingdom) and Simon Pagenaud (France). Canadian IndyCar rookie Devlin DeFrancesco earned the LMP2 class win (fifth overall) in the No, 81 Dragonspeed USA Oreca 07-Gibson co-driven by Americans Colton Herta and Eric Lux and Mexican Pato O-Ward. In LMP3, Kay van Berlo (Netherlands), Michael Cooper (US), Felipe Fraga (Brazil) and Gar Robinson (US) finished atop the class (13th overall) in the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320-Nissan. Canada’s Pfaff Motorsports and Canadian Zach Robichon were the big winners in the GTD classes. Pfaff claimed the GTD Pro class win (18th overall) in their No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Australia’s Matt Campbell, France’s Mathieu Jaminet and Brazil’s Felipe Nasr. Robichon co-drive the GTD class-winning No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R with Ryan Hardwick (US), Jan Heylen (Belgium) and Richard Lietz (Austria).

PHOTOS BY NEENA CHANNAN/IMAGESBYNEENA.COM 8 Inside Track Motorsport News

InsideTrackNews.com 9

I OPINION

AD XXX

SHIFTING

GEARS

By James Neilson

FAST BUT FRAGILE?

T

he 2022 Formula 1 World Championship kicked off in Bahrain in March, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc earned an impressive win, qualifying on pole and leading the race from start to finish, earning the first win for the Maranello-based squad since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2019.

Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz finished second, but it wasn’t looking that way for much of the race. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen looked set to comfortably finish second in the closing stages, perhaps even challenge Leclerc for the lead after doing so earlier in the race, but a powertrain failure left the reigning Formula 1 World Champion walking away from Bahrain pointless, as did his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez, who also succumbed to powertrain issues.

Along with the new aero rules, 2022 also marks the first season for Red Bull Racing’s new powertrain division, Red Bull Powertrains, which is taking over Honda’s engine project after the Japanese giant withdrew from Formula 1 at the end of 2021. To add to Red Bull’s woes, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly also retired from the event with powertrains issues in his Red Bull Powertrains-supplied engine.

Speaking of the powertrain failures on the Red Bull Racing cars, Team Principle Christian Horner had this to say to Sky Sports F1 after the race, “It looks like a similar issue on both cars. We don’t know exactly what it is yet, whether it’s a lift pump, whether it’s a collector, or something along those lines, but we’ve got to get into it and understand exactly what caused it.”

Later, Horner revealed it was an issue with the fuel feeder pump, which is an FIA-mandated part that’s identical on all the cars.

So, perhaps it was just bad luck, or perhaps there is something in the packaging of the new Red Bull Racing RB18 or its powertrain that is causing the problem, who knows? What I do know is this will be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses. It’s a monumental project to build engines in-house in Formula 1.

Few constructors have ever even tried, bar large manufacturer efforts like Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Toyota, to name a few, and even then, as evidenced by the aforementioned manufacturers, success isn’t guaranteed.

In fact, Red Bull Racing got its start in Formula 1 after purchasing the now-defunct Jaguar Racing effort after its own in-house, Ford-funded, project ended in failure in 2004.

For the sake of competition, I hope the powertrain failures are a fluke, because Red Bull Racing look quick, Ferrari is back in form, for now, and you can never count out Mercedes, who did very well to get on the podium with Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain after a miserable offseason. It would be incredible to see three teams and six cars battle it out for victories week-in and week-out.

But if Red Bull Powertrain’s Bahrain woes aren’t an isolated incident, the RB18 could be consigned to the history books as another fast, but fragile Formula 1 car along with the likes of Lotus’ 1967 Ford DFV-powered 49, Renault’s revolutionary 1979 turbocharged RS10 or, more recently, title contenders like the Williams-BMW FW23 in 2001 and McLaren-Merceds MP4-20 in 2005. IT 10 Inside Track Motorsport News

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SPEEDWEEKS 2022

JV’S DAYTONA 500

FORMER FORMULA 1 AND INDYCAR CHAMPION WOULD LIKE TO DO MORE NASCAR RACING Story by Greg MacPherson ne of the highlights of Daytona Speedweeks – in addition to the regular-season debut for the new Next Gen car – was Jacques Villeneuve’s participation in the Daytona 500. And while he wasn’t in contention for the win, the former Formula 1 and IndyCar champion made the race “on time,” overcame mechanical troubles that eliminated his practice and learning time, demonstrated an ability to navigate the draft… and had a good time in the process.

Describing how the opportunity came about, Villeneuve noted that Toine Hezemans – who raced successfully in the 1970s for Alfa Romeo and other manufacturers – has plans to establish a team in North America, for his son Loris to race in the NASCAR Cup Series.

But heading into this season, Loris wasn’t yet licensed by NASCAR to compete on SuperSpeedways. Enter Villeneuve, who raced against Loris in the Euro NASCAR Series. Jacques is licensed and agreed to drive for the team at Daytona.

“We chatted at a race in Europe, and I knew what they were planning to build. We discussed it and decided to do Daytona together,” said Villeneuve.

Summing up the experience, Jacques said, “It’s an amazing event.

You know, it’s one of the big races in the world. I knew it would be a tough event because we were tiny team, and it worked out. We were super excited when we got in on time.”

O

12 Inside Track Motorsport News

During time trials for the Daytona 500, Villeneuve’s No. 27 Ford Mustang was one of six teams vying for two available starting spots in the big race. The ‘charter’ owning teams were all locked in. The rest of the field would be set based on the results of the 150-mile Duel races.

By guaranteeing himself a spot in the 500, via time trials, that made all the difference as the car “broke down,” in Villeneuve’s words, before its qualifying race. Trouble with a throttle cable prevented the car from getting up to full speed. “Had I not qualified on time, that would have been it.”

The rest of his opportunities to get in some practice time were eliminated by engine troubles.

“It hurt us that we didn’t have any practice, in the Duels, obviously.

And we didn’t do any laps until the race (the 500). After the issue in the Duels, we realized we had dropped a valve in the engine. So, it was only once we were racing, on Sunday, that we had a chance to figure out the car and how it handled in traffic. Even coming in for the first pit stop, I spun the car because the brake bias was all the way in the rear, and we just didn’t know.”

In short, Villeneuve had to learn to drive and draft NASCAR’s new Next Gen car under green flag conditions, in the Daytona 500.

“Yeah, it was a bit of a bit of a shock. I didn’t get the drop on the first start because somewhere in the line, someone missed a gear

and the whole line choked and we all hit the brakes. I ran into the back of (Joey) Logano. And that by the time I got going again, we’d lost the pack. So, the first part of the race was really, boring, driving around on my own until the pack laps you.

“And once you get lapped, suddenly, you get back into drafting. But you really don’t want to be too aggressive when you’re a lap down.

But then we got the ‘lucky dog,’ and I was a lot better once we got racing with all the other guys. It was a lot of fun, although the car was a handful.”

Asked about the handling of his car, in the draft, Jacques continued, “I was surprised. Once you were in the middle of the pack, the front would wash out a little bit. Then we did a little bit of adjustment, then the car would get loose, so it’s very fine, the tuning. It was quite exciting to drive.”

It was during this portion of the Daytona 500 that Villeneuve really looked like he belonged, despite his comparative lack of experience in this equipment.

“What was nice was that they didn’t seem to mind I was racing with them. At some point, they realized I was okay to race with and they kept me with them. That was my main worry, that I would just be pushed aside and then never be in a draft. But they seemed to be okay with that. I guess I’d done some NASCAR before, at Talladega, and done well. And what I did in the Indy 500 and Formula 1, it seemed to be well respected there.”

According to Villeneuve, the warm reception wasn’t limited to his time on the racetrack.

“I had some chats with the other drivers and team members, while at Daytona, and that was nice. And before the race, Mr. Ford (William Clay Ford Jr., executive chair of the Ford Motor Company) came to meet me and say ‘hello.’ That was a special moment.”

Asked if he connected with Jeff Gordon, at Daytona, Jacques said he didn’t, but that they’ve had a long-time association that was almost a lot more involved.

“I didn’t see him on that weekend. But yes, it was interesting because when we did BAR (Formula 1 team), the first driver we called to come and drive with me was Jeff, and we discuss it for a long time. Then ultimately, he chose NASCAR. And he made the right choice,” chuckled Villeneuve.

Even on the TV broadcast of the race, you could tell the NASCAR community was pleased to welcome JV to their big event.

“It’s nice because… you know, I’m 50, and in Europe that normally doesn’t get respected very well, at least in racing. And when you look at sports, in North America, it seems that once you’ve achieved something, the respect stays, and people want to see you fight and are quite positive about it. That was fun.”

Another positive memory of his Daytona 500 experience was that he was able to share it with several family members, including his two-week-old son, Gilles.

“Another nice feeling was that I had had my partner, Giulia, my two elder kids and our baby son there. He was two weeks old, and we were all in the motorhome, at the track, living the American dream, basically,” he laughed.

Jacques grew up at racetracks, and that has continued with his own family. When he raced in Europe, his wife Giulia was his spotter.

And as soon after the 500, they went to Bahrain for the Formula 1 season opener.

“I was at races when I was little, but I wasn’t as young as him,” said Jacques, of young Gilles. “He’s two months old and he already he has a bunch of stamps on his passport. It was good to be there with two of my other kids, as well, to share the experience. They’ve only seen

Despite some early setbacks which limited his time on track, Jacques Villeneuve said he enjoyed his first experience in the Daytona 500, at the 2022 event. Photos Courtesy of NASCAR / Getty Images and Bill Burns

InsideTrackNews.com 13

SPEEDWEEKS 2022

In his first attempt at the Daytona 500, Villeneuve finished 22nd in the No. 27 Woodie’s Wash Shack Mustang. Photo Courtesy of NASCAR / Getty Images

me as a TV commentator; not as a racer, so it was good that they saw that part of me as well. I was I was happy to share that.”

In the race itself, Villeneuve’s drafting adventures and pit road spinout weren’t the only notable moments.

“It was quite a hectic race because there was a car that crashed in front of me, and we just managed to not crash with the others.

That was good.”

At Daytona, the speed difference between drafting in a group and driving around alone is significant. A pack of cars can lap single cars in approximately 15 laps.

“The most frustrating moment was – I think it was (A.J.) Almendinger – at some point, we were together, and he decided to overtake me and just took my air out, instead of just staying calmly there (in line). We ended up both losing the draft, then losing a lap and then another lap. I thought he would have had the experience to know not to do something like that. You know that’s not going to go well for both of us, so why do it? Come on!”

In big league racing, it takes experience to make sure everything is in order. Even if you have a great car and driver, sometimes the little things – like the wrong type of pit sign – can mess you up.

“On the last pit stop, I went through a pit box, one too early,” continued Villeneuve. “Just to show how we weren’t prepared, the pit sign that we had was a tiny, tiny Netherlands flag, with no lights on it. It was night by then and I couldn’t see it because all the other ones were big, with numbers and lights. So, I was trying to figure out where my pit box was. And I turned in a little bit too early and crossed it with two wheels, and got to drive-through penalty, so I lost another lap.”

In the end, Villeneuve’s No. 27 Woodie’s Wash Shack Mustang came home in 22nd place, three laps down to winner Austin Cindric.

14 Inside Track Motorsport News

“Ultimately, it was a very good result for us. We made the show, and it was good to be there competing with the big guys, it’s the top level of that form of racing. You have Formula 1 and then you have NASCAR. You also have IndyCar, but NASCAR is the Formula 1 of North America.”

Asked if he has plans or opportunities to participate in more Cup Series races, he replied, “I hope so, and that this isn’t a one-off. And I hope the opportunities don’t just come at road courses, even though there are a lot more road courses races than there used to be. This (Next Gen) car is more like a GT car, and brakes a lot later, maybe 20 feet deeper than the old cars used to, on road courses. It drives very differently. The aero platform needs to be very stable, so you don’t run the car ‘soft’ like you used to.

“It’s more of a European car, a little bit. Well, not surprising. It was designed by Dallara. It would be fun, even on a road course, like Elkhart Lake. I love that track. But ultimately, if you want to do NASCAR, you need to do ovals. And ovals are fun… a lot of fun.”

At the time of the interview, Villeneuve hinted that he might be taking part in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series race at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, in August, although that deal wasn’t signed yet.

“I’d like to do more Cup racing, but it’s tough because it needs a budget. There are some discussions because that race did a lot of good. But probably the next one I might do is Three Rivers (NASCAR Pinty’s Series race at the GP3R, in August). That’s always a big race.

The other thing that recently piqued Jacques’ interest was the announcement by Rick Hendrick that he’s exploring a Le Mans 24 Hour effort with a NASCAR Next Gen car.

“Oh, yeah, I would love to be part of that. That would be great because, you know, I finished second at Le Mans and I’ve raced NASCAR, so it would be a perfect fit. That would be amazing.” IT

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SPEEDWEEKS 2022 WHITE HITS THE BEACH, BUT THE BEACH HITS BACK Story by J. Wally Nesbitt ike many Canadians, Sun Peaks, BC’s Jason White packed his bags and flew off to Daytona Beach for a week in February. Unlike most people though, Jason was immediately put to work on his arrival. His reward was a seat in the Friday night race aboard the Reaume Brothers No. 33 Toyota in the NASCAR Truck season opener, followed on Saturday afternoon with another 80 laps of Daytona in the No. 10 Fast Track Racing Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards feature.

“Normally, I just show up and climb into the truck and go race,” said White. “This year, I came down a week early to go to Mooresville and help the Reaume team. They were prepping a Cup car for Jacques Villeneuve, trying to get Natalie Decker up to speed for the Xfinity race and they were working on two trucks, one for me and the No. 43 for Thad Moffitt, as well. There was not a lot of time for sightseeing.”

Starting 33rd in the Powder Ventures Excavations Tundra for the February 18 truck race, White bided his time, avoiding trouble until he found himself within the leading top five trucks as the field took the white flag.

“This was the first time in the four years that I’ve been here that I was confident that I could run in the top five. I had a good, long-run truck,” said White. “But, like usual, there was a big wreck with five to go and we ended up with a green-white-checkered dash to the end.

I got a good start and took a hell of a thump from Matt DiBenedetto to push me forward. When I looked up, I thought that Ty Majeski was blowing up, there was a lot of smoke, so I went up the track, not knowing that the No. 44 was already above me. Three-wide doesn’t work in the turns at Daytona and I hammered the wall hard, probably the hardest hit I ever took.”

A disappointing 20th place was White’s finishing position, one lap down to the leaders. Admitting to being “a little bit sore” as he climbed aboard the Fast Track Chevy less than a day later, White’s pain was erased once he saw the green flag. Forced to start from the back of the pack because he had slowed on the backstraight to reset his steering wheel during the pace lap, White ran out a rather “un-dramatic” race in the ARCA Menards season opener, eventually taking the checkers in 17th place, one position behind fellow Canadian Amber Balcaen (No.10 Ford).

“The race just never developed, I was surrounded by guys who couldn’t draft, they were always side-by-side. There weren’t many yellows, so I never had the chance to work on any kind of strategy.

I brought the car home without a scratch on it, but I know we were easily a top ten car.”

White plans to do one more NASCAR Truck race in 2022, at Talladega, and will fill his schedule by appearing in the Avion RS-1 Series at Area 27, Penticton Speedway and in Saskatoon.

“I haven’t chased a ride yet in the Pinty’s Series. We’ll see what comes available for the western races, but right now the goal is to get ready for Talladega.”

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ROUGH RIDES FOR BALCAEN AND LABBÉ Daytona and the ensuing handful of races have not overly kind to a pair of White’s fellow Canadian racers.

For Winnipeg, MB’s Amber Balcaen, she qualified her No. 10 Rette Jones Racing / Icon Direct Ford in 22nd spot in the ARCA race on the Daytona Super Speedway and avoided trouble to cross the line in 16th place and on the lead lap. Three weeks later at Phoe16 Inside Track Motorsport News

(Top) Jason White bounced back from a rough ride in the NASCAR Truck season opener to finish 20th in an ARCA race the following day. Canadians Amber Balcaen (middle) and Alex Labbé (above) were also in action at Daytona. Photos by Patrick Sue-Chan, AmberBalcaenRacing.com and AlexLabbeRacing.com

nix Raceway, Balcaen managed to qualify her Ford in 25th spot, but a Lap 56 crash ended her day on the back of a wrecker.

Alex Labbé, the 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion, failed to put the No. 90 DGM Camaro into the 38-car Daytona field in qualifying, but rebounded over the next three races. At Auto Club Speedway, Labbé finished in 24th spot (qualified 19th), ended his Las Vegas appearance one lap down and in 15th place (qualified 24th) before closing out the western swing with a 19th place result (qualified 23rd) on the Phoenix oval. IT

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NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES Cathcart Returns while Watson and Bergeron to Make Full-Time Debuts

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n February, veteran driver Bryan Cathcart announced that he’ll be returning to the NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) as a full-time competitor, in 2022. The Peterborough, ON resident is a former Rookie of the Year Award winner and last competed on the circuit in 2016. In addition to racing, Cathcart has been a long-time supporter of the series’ racers, supplying haulers to many of the competitors.

In a press release announcing his return, it notes that Cathcart stepped away from driving for a few years to focus on his family and business. Now that his children are a bit older, he’s looking forward to returning and they’ll enjoy the racing season, together, as a family.

Cathcart will be driving a car prepared by team owner Jim Bray (Bray Autosports), who recently celebrated his 89th birthday. A former racer himself, Bray is one of the few Canadians to have raced in the Daytona 500 and is a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.

“I’ve known Jim forever; he is such a fixture and supporter of NASCAR,” said Cathcart. “And we get along so well, I want to get back into the series and strengthen his team as well.”

Talking about Cathcart, Bray said, “I don’t know anybody who doesn’t get along with Bryan Cathcart. He’s always positive and enthusiastic and we’ll get the best result we can at each race.”

Bray’s team didn’t have a DNF in 2021 and Jim is hoping to build on that record.

“We think there are even better results possible and that’s what we’re looking for this season.” – With files from Todd Lewis / TL Sports Ent.

BRANDON WATSON Brandon Watson, one of the most successful short track racers in Ontario in recent years, has committed to a full season of NASCAR Pinty’s Series competition in 2022, driving for Wight Motorsports.

The Stayner, ON racer made his NPS debut last season, subbing for the injured Mark Dilley at Flamboro Speedway. He finished sixth in the race. He also took part in all three races during the season finale at Delaware Speedway, collecting two top-five results including a runner up finish.

Watson and WMI have worked together last year at Florida’s Snowball Derby. He’ll 18 Inside Track Motorsport News

(Left) Brian Cathcart last raced in the NPS series in 2016, on his ‘Last Kick at the Can’ Tour. He’s returning in 2022 and will drive for Bray Autosports. Photo by Paolo Pedicelli (Top, right) Brandon Watson is turning his focus to the NASCAR Pinty’s Series this season and will drive full-time for WMI after several solid outings in the series, last Fall. Photo by Peter Anderson (Above, right) J.P. Bergeron (l) will drive for Dave Jacombs’ team this season. Mario Gosselin (r) will support the effort by working on the vehicles. Photo courtesy FestiDrag Development

race his traditional No. 9 under the RGC Sports Group banner.

“I’m excited to team up with WMI and join the NASCAR Pinty’s Series full-time,” said Watson. “We had some success last year and I think we can do even better this season. The road courses will be a learning experience, but with some practice I think it’ll be a lot of fun and we can do well.”

Discussing Watson coming onside at WMI, team principal David Wight said, “I think it’s easy to see why we wanted Brandon to join us full-time. You could see him improving with each race. With a little more seat time, in testing, and a full season of racing, he’ll be challenging for wins, no doubt about it Don’t let Brandon’s low-key personality fool you. He’s a fierce competitor.”

– With files from Todd Lewis / TL Sports Ent.

‘BERGY’ TO DRIVE FOR JACOMBS Jean-Philippe Bergeron, from Saint-Donat, QC, will pilot a (Dave) Jacombs Racing car, full-time, in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS), this season. ‘Bergy,’ as he’s known, has experience driving late Models in his home province. He’s also competed in Pro Late Models and ARCA Series races in the US. Most recently, he took part in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, during Speedweeks.

“’Bergy’ is ready for another step in his career,” said Martin D’Anjou, CEO of Festidrag Development and Bergeron’s agent. “He has proven himself to be a very talented driver with a strong sense of discipline. We considered several avenues for the next step, and everything pointed towards the NASCAR Pinty’s Series for 2022.”

Jacombs Racing is a multi-championship winning NPS team. Bergeron will drive the team’s No. 1 Ford.

“I had a chance to see Jean-Philippe perform at the World Series in New Smyrna and I was very impressed. He is the kind of driver every team dream of having. We are going to do everything we can to give him the best car we can at every race,” said Dave Jacombs.

As with Brandon Watson, ‘Bergy’s’ biggest challenge in joining the NPS is a lack of experience on road courses. “I’ve already started working on my right turns on iRacing,” said Bergeron. “As soon as the weather allows, I will get all the track time I can, to gain experience and improve myself to be competitive.”

Legendary Quebec racer / team owner Mario Gosselin is also joining the team to support Bergeron, preparing cars, in addition to his DGM Racing duties, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with former NPS champ Alex Labbé. – With files from FestiDrag Development IT

CAPITAL CITY ICE RACING CMP Runs Winter Series for Second Season in a Row Story by J. Wally Nesbitt or the second consecutive year, Calabogie Motorsports Park took on the responsibility of preparing the dormant Capital City Speedway oval for winter competition after the ice racers outgrew the original parking lot site at the Calabogie road course.

Three race events were scheduled this year for classes designated as All-WheelDrive Street Stud or Rubber, and FrontWheel-Drive Rubber Tire class. Due to the continuing cold conditions, a fourth, nonpoints date was added as a Family Fun day.

“We were truly surprised, and very happy, with the turn out this year. I think a lot of it had to do with the great weather conditions,” noted Ice Race Director Greg Van Dalen. “We had over 40 cars and 75 drivers who took part in the action over the three weekends, and I think everybody went home happy.”

At the conclusion of the three-date schedule, champions were crowned in each class.

The closest points battle was seen in the AllWheel-Drive Rubber division, as the driving tandem of Colin Wolfson and Doug George guided their No. 76 Subaru Impreza to the title over the No. 14 Impreza of Dakota Downey and James Pardy. In the year-end

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tally, the top-five finishers were separated by a mere 75 points.

In the Front-Wheel-Drive Rubber class, the season belonged to ‘Super’ Dave Morralee.

A veteran of ice racing, Morralee got his start in 1992 on the frozen expanse of Lake Superior near his hometown of Thunder Bay, ON. Stepping out of the driver’s seat for several years, Morralee resurrected his racing this year with his No. 62 2010 Hyundai Accent. Rekindling his passion for the sport, and “eventually getting into the ice racing groove,” Morralee made a successful Capital City debut, notching one race victory and five runner-up results on opening day. Over the remaining two race dates, his Hyundai would never finish lower than second as, on a dozen occasions, it carried him into the winner’s circle. The season concluded with a mixed pack shootout with five Street Stud cars, ten AWD Rubber entries and a pair of FWD Rubber cars going for the win in the Fun Family Day finale, “and I beat them all,” laughed Morralee.

Ken Baird was the overall champion in AWD Street Stud. And if that name sounds family in the Ottawa Valley area, it’s because Baird has spent many years racing at Capital

Photo Courtesy CMP

City on the asphalt while expanding his range by entering a variety of Pro Stock, CASCAR, ACT and Pro Truck events. Drawing on his experiences in an effort to defend his 2021 title, Baird started the year aboard his No. 21 Subaru before switching to an Audi A4 for the final two events.

“That Audi could be a handful because it was turbocharged,” noted Baird. ‘You had to know exactly when the turbo was going to kick in to keep it from getting away from you and powering into a bank or another car.”

Finding success in both marques, Baird concluded the season by carrying his record of 15 race victories to his second consecutive championship, finishing a solid 70 points in front of runner-up J.P. Walsh and Greg Kierstead (No. 35 Subaru). Lending his Subaru to fellow road racer Steve Greiner for the final two events, Baird was pleased to see his protégé earn fourth place in the year-end scoring. IT

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InsideTrackNews.com 19

I NEWS

HURRICANES KEEP ROARING Ontario Outlaw Midgets and Pro Sprints Gearing Up for Busy 2022 Season Story by J. Wally Nesbitt ollowing the disbandment of the Hurricane Midgets in 2016, two similar, but technically distinct, series were created to replace the Southern Ontario touring series.

Remaining true to Jack Swanson’s original simple design concept were the Ontario Outlaw Series, while Chuck Priestley’s slightly more technically enhanced (larger engines / suspension-enabled) Ontario Pro Sprints also appeared on the province’s short tracks. Despite the mechanical differences in their rides, it was a pair of former Hurricane Midget veterans who topped the scoring charts in each of the divisions in 2021.

Richard Woodland has been a stalwart of the Hurricane and Outlaw Sprint Series since 2004, racing his own No. 48 MCI / BW Towing Midget while also wrenching on his brother Brian’s No. 84 car, his contributions allowing Brian to win “way too many” series championships.

With Brian’s retirement in 2019, Richard was able to focus on his own racing effort and this year rode a record of six heat wins, one feature race win and only one finish off of the podium (a fourth) to capture the 2021 Outlaw Midgets crown.

“We were consistent all year, we did our homework and didn’t have a bad night. That was the secret this year,” noted Woodland.

“We weren’t sure that we could do this, the competition is very strong in the series. To finally get a championship was a very emotional experience for me.”

Well known for his generosity of time, skills and experience at the track, Wood-

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(Above) 2021 Ontario Outlaw Midget champion Richard Woodland. Photo by Dave Franks

land’s championship was put in jeopardy because of this trait.

“I have a really good back up car, it has everything in it that my primary car does,” explained Woodland. “I put Larry Lawson in that car and he won a couple of heats, won a feature at Sauble and had five top four finishes. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown him so many of my tricks!”

Also coming from the Hurricane Midgets ranks, but opting for the Ontario Pro Sprints route, was James Stanley and his familybased Stanley Motorsports organization.

“My very first Hurricane I bought from Richard in 2012,” revealed Stanley. “We’ve been racing with each other for years!”

A member of the OPS series since 2016, Stanley battled throughout the 2021 schedule with Adrian Kemps (No. 31K), Gary Triska (No. 58) and Tyler Cullen (No. 43), and only a late season surge allowed the driver of the No. 57 Southfield Farms / Kreator Pro Sprint to ascend to the top of the scoring.

ONTARIO SPORTSMAN SERIES UNVEILS TITLE SPONSOR With Files From Greg MacPherson aving struggled with car counts over the course of the pandemic, for 2022 the OSS has a new management team in place, a new title sponsor and a new attitude that is determined to expand the involvement and exposure of the Southern Ontario tour.

Maurizio Cochi is the new GM of Operations, while Adam Martin is the new Technical/ Race Day Director. Moving into the Media/ PR and Social Media Director position is Mark Hall.

“I can’t think of a better way to start our revitalized effort than to name a new title sponsor,” said Hall. “And we’ve accomplished that with One Step Auto Centre / Automotive Fluids.ca coming on board to get us rolling.”

With the primary intention of increasing the car count in the OSS, Hall noted that there are numerous cars sitting parked in shops that will easily fit the 2022 regulations.

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20 Inside Track Motorsport News

“It was a come-from-behind year for me, I dug myself a deep hole early,” admitted Stanley. “In the very first race, I was black-flagged for jumping a restart, and in the second race of the year I broke a throttle cable. I’ve never had one of those break before. Being way back in the points, we thought the championship was gone so we changed our mindset and decided to focus on race wins.”

Rolling up four feature race victories and multiple heat race wins, Stanley moved to the points lead over Kemps following backto-back wins at Flamboro Speedway and secured the 2021 crown with another win at Peterborough’s Autumn colours finale.

“I actually had my car sold before the Flamboro races [Stanley is moving to the Can Am Midgets tour in 2022] so, for everything to come together and to finally get this Pro Sprints championship, felt pretty amazing. After five years in the Pro Sprints, it’s great way to move on, with this title under my belt.” IT

“These cars we’re racing are virtually the same cars that ran in the CASCAR Sportsman Series all those years ago, not much has changed at all. And we know that there are lots of them still out there, as are spare parts and body panels. All someone needs to do is drag them in out of the weeds, freshen them up, drop a 604 or 602 Crate Motor in it, and they’ve got a cheap ride for the year.”

A ten-date calendar has been finalized for the 2022 Ontario Sportsman Series tour, with double appearances arranged for Full Throttle, Flamboro and Delaware Speedways, and single stops set for the Sunset and Peterborough ovals.

Taking a truly bold step, the OSS cars will also mount up some special rubber and twice head to Merlin, ON and the clay track of Southern Ontario Motor Speedway, too.

“We’d heard the Pinty’s series was going to race the dirt at Ohsweken, and we thought, why can’t we race on dirt,” concluded Hall. “I think it will be something special for us.” IT

I NEWS

APC / QWICK SERIES UPDATES Story by J. Wally Nesbitt ince 2015, the APC United Late Model Series tour has become the destination of choice for many of Southern Ontario’s Pro Late Model competitors. Evidence of the success of the tour can be found in the roster of past champions, including Dale Shaw, Andrew Gresel, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Matt Pritiko, Jo Lawrence, and the series’ only two-time champion Brandon Watson.

A solid rules package that has been effective in keeping costs under control and a nice variety of tracks on the calendar has also contributed to the series’ success. In the nine-stop 2022 schedule, the series will make two visits each to Sauble, Sunset, Flamboro and Delaware Speedways. June 18 will see the Pro Late Models also race at Peterborough Speedway for a single Saturday night event.

“I think that the variety of tracks we run adds to the level of competition,” said series founder Luke Ramsay. “Most of our drivers have their home track on the tour, so the local drivers show up thinking that they might have a certain advantage over their rivals when we visit. As well, all our races are one-day affairs and almost all our drivers live within a two-hour drive of any track. It makes it very convenient for everyone.”

There will be a new champion crowned at Delaware Speedway in late September as the reigning series winner Brandon Watson will focus his attention on a full season of NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) racing. Last year’s runner-up Treyton Lapcevich will also race on the NPS tour and plans to run some

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(Above) The 2022 APC season concludes at Delaware Speedway. Photo by Dave Franks

Super Late Model events south of the border but may have room left for some APC appearances.

“A couple of guys have moved on this year, but we’ve also gained a couple,” noted Ramsay. “Shawn Chenoweth is coming back after taking a year off and we’re looking at Kyle Steckly and Rick Walt to come on board for a full season.”

Expanding the APC-supported racing umbrella in 2020 was the Quick Wick Super Stocks. Last year, 52 Super Stock competitors scored points over the five-date circuit, with perennial front runner Lane Zardo capturing top spot in the year-end rankings.

“We hit the next level with the Super Stocks last year,” said Ramsay. “We had huge fields, and at some races we had to send drivers home due to field limits.”

One appeal of the Super Stock tour is the short, five race calendar.

“Super Stocks are the bread and butter of the short tracks,” said Ramsay. “The track

owners need these guys to be on their Saturday schedule whenever possible. We run five races, at Flamboro, Peterborough, Sunset and two at Delaware, under the Qwick Wick name, but we also score the drivers on their home track points standings. That, in effect, makes up a sixth date counting towards the championship. The home track scoring was what kept the championship so close last year.”

An early look at the registered Super Stock roster sees Zardo returning to defend his crown alongside 2021 runner-up Trevor Collver. Other familiar entrants include the likes of Jason Parker, Gerrit Tiemersma, Carson Nagy, Randy Rusnell, Nic Ramsay and Andrew Ferreira.

“This will be the first full season for many of the drivers and we’ll have the most interaction with the fans that we’ve had in two years,” concluded Ramsay. “I know that everyone’s excited to get back to the track, from both sides of the fence.” IT

DEL FREIBURGER RETURNING TO JUNIOR LATE MODELS IN 2022 Story by J. Wally Nesbitt ollowing in his grandfather Marvin’s footsteps, in 2021 Del Freiburger (right) clearly illustrated that talent is hereditary. At 11 years of age and with just four years of racing experience, the Walkerton, ON resident enjoyed an impressive 2021 campaign aboard his No. 37 Chevrolet Impala Junior Late Model. Freiburger finished in second place in the year-end, Full Throttle Motor Speedway Junior Late Model (JLM) scoring, narrowly edged out for the title by Bentley Webber due to a missed race. However, he was virtually unbeatable in the track’s ‘Championship within a Championship,’ the run for the Qwick Wick trophy. In the six-race Qwick Wick series, Freiburger was able to capture five feature victories, missing out on the clean sweep by losing to Marissa Carter in the final event.

“We had a bad wreck at Sauble Speedway the week before and had to get out our backup car,” explained Del’s father, Ben. “It was our first night in the second car and it took us a race or two to get the setup to work to Del’s liking. But he adapted his driving to make the car work enough for him to hold on to the point lead.”

With his Qwick Wick trophy in hand, Freiburger was also named the ‘Most Sportsmanlike Driver’ in his class and was then voted by the fans to have the ‘Best Appearing Car.’ Freiburger will return to the ovals this year in his recently repaired JLM to challenge other rivals at a variety of tracks.

“Our home track is Varney (FTMS), that track seems to suit Del’s style, but we also plan to get in some JLM races at Sauble and Sunset Speedways,” said Ben. “We’ve also just purchased a Mini Truck, so when it’s time for Del to move up, we’ll be ready.” IT

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Photo Courtesy Freiburger Racing

InsideTrackNews.com 21

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CANADIAN WINS FORMULA WOMAN PRIZE Ottawa’s Erika Hoffmann Earns Scholarship to Race in 2022 British GT Cup Story by J. Wally Nesbitt ttawa, ON’s Erika Hoffmann out-paced more than 1,000 international rivals in the UK-based Formula Woman scholarship pursuit to secure a ride in the British GT Cup series.

“I’m not normally a very emotional person, but there have been a lot of tears shed over this win,” admitted the 26-year-old.

Four drivers were chosen to fill two seats aboard a pair of DTO Motorsports-prepared McLaren 570s GT4 cars, with Jodi Sloss (Scotland), Anushriya Gulati (India) and Sara Misir (Jamaica) joining Hoffmann for the seven-race GT Cup series.

For Hoffmann, the application process began in May 2021 with an online assessment, as the Formula Woman judges were looking for true amateur drivers, young women that they could mentor and mould into championship quality competitors.

Fitting the necessary requirements, Hoffmann met her Canadian assessors in October 27 and was challenged with a battery of tests that included simulator training, reaction testing, technical knowledge as well as fitness and mental health evaluations.

Sufficiently impressing the judges, Hoff-

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mann then flew to England where she joined 75 fellow Formula Woman hopefuls to begin the final elimination process.

“I flew into England on February 27 and March 2, we were on track and in the classroom for three very gruelling, long days,” recalled Hoffmann. “One of our tests was a karting enduro and I happened to win my round. That set up a bus trip to Sweden for a final shootout. The final test was on ice. They were looking for someone who had intuitive car control, could feel what the car was doing under them and who had the awareness and the ability to adapt. I had the least experience of any of the girls, so really I didn’t feel any pressure. I just went out and did the best I could while focusing on the experience.”

Her best was obviously more than good enough as Hoffmann recorded the fastest time of the final ten.

“The worst part was waiting for the news.

One by one, we got our results and when I found out that I’d made it, I called home. I’d forgotten that, in Ottawa, it was 3:30 a.m.!”

Hoffmann will join her teammates in England for seven race events this year, each of the weekends featuring two sprint races and two endurance contests that require a

SOUTHERN ONTARIO MOTOR SPEEDWAY UPGRADES Story by J. Wally Nesbitt aking lemonade after being dealt a handful of lemons, Henry Kroeker – owner of Southern Ontario Motor Speedway (SOMS) – is now ready to unveil a newly-refurbished facility for the loyal dirt track fans.

In August 2019, a fire destroyed the canteen and scoring tower of the former South Buxton Speedway. With plans set for rebuilding the amenities, Kroeker was then subjected to the fallout from the pandemic when work and racing was once again put on hold. In a bold move, his entire plan was overhauled, with not only the buildings and infrastructure receiving attention, but also the track itself, with a new configuration awaiting the dirt racing competitors.

“I think this place now is what Henry envisioned when he first purchased the track,” said SOMS Promoter Craig Smolders.

“After the fire, we knew we needed to rebuild the essentials, but with the delay because of COVID-19, we decided to go to work on the entire property and started with a massive clean-up and then a huge construction effort.”

Race fans, who were able to return to the Speedway last July, were greeted with new grandstands, a fully functional canteen, new safety walls and catch fencing and a revamped track lighting system. For the supporters and sponsors of the track five new VIP booths were completed, with a new scoring tower and a larger starter stand readied for SOMS staff. However, the most notable

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22 Inside Track Motorsport News

Erika Hoffmann’s rookie British GT Cup season kicks off in April. Photo Courtesy jakobebrey.com

driver change. The British GT Cup races on legendary tracks like Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Donington, Oulton Park and Snetterton in a schedule that runs from April 9 to October 8, 2022.

“There will be a lot of work to get ready for the first race, I’m working hard on my fitness and doing as much simulator work as I can to learn the tracks,” concluded Hoffmann.

“The Formula Woman program is a huge career stepping stone that will give me the chance to learn and develop as a racer. This is an opportunity that I could never have imagined and I’m not going to waste it.” IT

change was in the 0.53-km track itself.

“We changed the configuration by taking the dogleg out of the front straight. We now have a true oval,” said Smolders. “We increased the width of the racing surface and greatly cranked up the banking. I guess the only setback will be for the drivers and teams. They will have to throw out all their old setup details and start fresh.”

Relying on a proven roster of racing classes, visitors to the Merlin, ON facility this year will once again be able to cheer for their favourite Late Model, Modified, Thunder Stock, Mini Mod and Mini Stock drivers, while also getting to enjoy visits from the Southern Ontario Sprints, Ontario Sportsman Cup, Ontario Legends and Nostalgia Car tours.

“The car counts for the home classes look strong,” said Smolders.

“We have 25 Late Models registered, about the same number of Mini Mods and the Thunder Stock class numbers are amazing.”

To further enhance the family aspect of the speedway, the track will host a Fan Zone every Friday night, with interactive games and activities plus merchandise vendors, and will provide a Junior Fan Club attraction for the Saturday night visitors.

“I’m sure Henry could never have envisioned the situations that we’ve been put through over the past three years. It’s been a long time coming, but Southern Ontario Motor Speedway is going to be a fantastic destination for any dirt track fan for the foreseeable future,” concluded Smolders. IT

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I NEWS

SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD CELEBRATES MILESTONE Nova Scotia Track Celebrating its 35th Anniversary Season in 2022 Story by Tara Foster t the beginning of March, Scotia Speedworld release its 2022 racing schedule.

The upcoming season will mark the track’s 35th anniversary of hosting some of the best racing action in the Maritimes and beyond.

The 2022 season will kick-off on Saturday, May 21 with the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour season opener. Sunday, May 22 will be opening day for the CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series.

Schedule highlights include the return of the Monster Trucks, who are slated to appear August 5-7.

The newly formed Maritime Allstar Sportsman Series will make its debut appearance at Scotia Speedworld on Saturday, July 16, while the popular East Coast International Pro Stock Tour will make four appearances and will be supported throughout the season by the Maritime League of Legends, East Coast Mini-Stock Tour and the Hot Rod Classics Vintage Race Cars Series.

Tickets for Monster Trucks and the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour will be available in advance online and at the gates on event day. On sale dates will be announced soon.

Tickets for the CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series will be available at the gates on race day only.

For more information on its 2022 schedule, visit scotiaspeedworld.ca.

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(Above) Legends cars will be a part of Scotia Speedworld’s season finale on September 23-24.

Photo Courtesy Scotia Speedworld

2022 SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD SCHEDULE May 21

May 22 May 27 Jun. 3 Jun. 10 Jun. 17 Jun. 24 Jun. 25 Jul. 1 Jul. 15 Jul. 16

East Coast International Pro Stock Tour plus Pro Stock Tour, Mini Stock Tour season openers CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series Season Opener (All Divisions Racing) CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series (All Divisions Racing) Toursec Thunder & Lightning Twin 50s (All Divisions Racing) INEX Qualifier – Bandolero (All Divisions Racing) CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series (All Divisions Racing) Shriners Classic Sportsman 50 (All Divisions Racing) East Coast International Pro Stock Tour plus Pro Stock Tour, Maritime Legends Kiddie Rides (All Divisions Racing) CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series (All Divisions Racing) Maritime Allstar Sportsman Series

MARITIME PRO STOCK TOUR TITLE SPONSOR RETURNS Story by Tara Foster n late February, the Maritime Pro Stock Tour announced East Coast International Trucks will return for their second season as title sponsor for the stock car series. The 2022 season schedule features 12 events in three provinces.

East Coast International Trucks is an authorized International® dealership with locations in Moncton, NB, Dartmouth, NS, Millbrook, NS and Charlottetown, PEI. They carry a large selection of new and used trucks and trailers and offer one of the largest inventories of truck parts in Atlantic Canada. All their locations are Cummins-certified and service all-make trucks and trailers. Their ‘Idealease’ division provides truck leasing and rental solutions, and all their locations offer in-house financing and insurance.

“Our team remains committed to the Tour and we look forward to another year at the tracks with the staff, the fans and the race teams,” said David Lockhart, President of East Coast International Trucks, Inc. “We’re excited to have East Coast International back as our title sponsor. The East Coast International team is top notch as is their

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24 Inside Track Motorsport News

Jul. 29 Aug. 5-7 Aug. 12 Aug. 13

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sep. 2 Sep. 9 Sep. 16 Sep. 23 Sep. 24

(Sportsman Series, LG, LI) Cd.n National Autism Foundation ‘KidsRace’ (All Divisions Racing) Monster Trucks Sportsman 100 (All Divisions Racing) East Coast International Pro Stock Tour plus Pro Stock Tour, Maritime Legends, Vintage Hot Rods CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series (All Divisions Racing) CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series (All Divisions Racing) Kiddie Rides (All Divisions Racing) Toursec Thunder & Lightning Twin 50s (All Divisions Racing) CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series (All Divisions Racing) CARSTAR Weekly Racing Series Finale (All Divisions Racing) East Coast International Pro Stock Tour plus Pro Stock Tour, Maritime Legends, Mini Stock Tour season finales IT

product line-up and we are looking forward to the 2022 season,” said Ken Cunning, Maritime Pro Stock Tour General Manager.

The 2022 East Coast International Pro Stock Tour season is slated to kick-off at Scotia Speedworld on Saturday, May 21.

For more, visit maritimeprostocktour.com. IT

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RACE CITY REUNION AT DINOSAUR DOWNS Carol Douglas the Driving Force Behind Upcoming June 4-5 Weekend Story by Robert K. Rooney ace City Motorsport Park claimed to be ‘Canada’s Finest Motorsport Facility.’ A complex that featured a high-banked, halfmile paved oval, a full-length dragstrip and a 2-mile road course located on the outskirts of Calgary, AB, Race City was the high-profile centre of Western Canadian racing. When it closed in 2011, motorsport in the region changed forever. According to Carol Douglas, spending weekends at Race City was how she and her husband spent more than a decade’s worth of summers.

“When Race City closed, we said, ‘What are we going to do on the weekends?’” said Douglas.

Fortunately, Dinosaur Downs Speedway just outside Drumheller had just opened.

Douglas and her family first went there as fans, but she is now the volunteer who handles communications for the track. She’s not alone, she said. Many of the volunteers who make things work at the Drumheller track gained their experience at Race City.

Douglas waited for years for someone to put together a Race City reunion to preserve the memories and relationships that meant so much to her and many others. Finally deciding that it was going to be done, it would have to be her that got it started. Douglas created a Facebook page for the Race City reunion in 2019 and Dinosaur Downs agreed to host the event.

COVID-19 intervened, of course, and the event planned for 2020 was postponed to 2021, and again to 2022. The scope of the event has widened somewhat to embrace the communities that enjoyed the tracks that preceded Race City – Stampede Speedway and Circle 8 Speedway.

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Dinosaur Downs Speedway will celebrate the history of Race City in June, 2022, and will feature contemporary racing classes and a vintage class for Model Ts, like the one running demonstration laps in 2020 pictured above. Photo by Carol Douglas

The weekend of June 4-5 has been selected for the event. This will be a normal race weekend on the dirt at Dinosaur Downs, with I.M.C.A. Canada Modifieds and the track’s Claimer and Hobby Stock divisions. Fittingly, Race City was the first and biggest venue for I.M.C.A. and the Claimers are a direct descendent from the Claimer class that originated there. Indeed, quite a few competitors in the two classes bear names that appeared regularly in Calgary.

Another blast from the past is the fourth class that will compete at the Race City Reunion weekend. Some years ago, a group of enthusiasts decided to restore and recreate some of the Ford Model T-based race cars that competed in the 1920s and again, briefly, in the 1940s. Originally an exhibition class, Douglas says the group came to Dino-

NORTHERN BC TRACKS GETTING TOGETHER Story by Robert K. Rooney ne of the disappointing aspects of oval track racing is the unnecessary and counter-productive rivalries between tracks in the same region. All too often promoters and clubs refuse to look at the bigger picture and only consider their own short-term interest – even if it is counter to their long-term interest.

The clubs running three tracks in Northern British Columbia have laid that kind of thinking to rest. The Prince George Auto Racing Association, Gold Pan Speedway in Quesnel and Thunder Mountain Speedway in Williams Lake have agreed to adopt a common set of rules for their regular classes as well as coordinating their schedules.

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saur Downs with a request.

“They said, ‘We don’t want to just do demonstrations. We want to be a race class,’” added Douglas.

Prior to the afternoon races, the exhibit hall at Dinosaur Downs will host a meet-andgreet for former racers, officials and fans.

“I’ve got a whole whack of things for display – photos, posters, different artifacts and clothing,” said Douglas.

There will also be a Show and No Shine, for race cars of every era.

“People will be able to come and camp if they want and we’re putting in a central fire pit, so the meeting and greeting can go on after the races, too, concluded Douglas.

“There are lots of pieces yet to put together, but I think the outlook for this year is that we’ll be able to do it.” IT

According to PGARA President Jamie Crawford, “the three tracks don’t have one single overlapping date and you can race from the start of May to the end of September every weekend.”

The classes involved may use different names, but consist of an entry-level compact class, Mini Stocks with more horsepower and modified suspensions and fully race-prepared Pro Minis which run race tires, as well as Street Stocks. The Street Stocks will even have a series consisting of a racing weekend at each track as well as an outing to Hythe Motor Speedway in Alberta.

Each club will continue to bring in special shows such as WESCAR, the Big Rigs or sprint cars. The difference is that if one track has an event, the other tracks will be dark. The result should be larger car counts, better attendance and better media coverage. IT

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FORMULA 1 PREVIEW NEW CARS, NEW RULES AND DRIVER CHANGES BRING FRASH INTRIGUE AFTER CONTROVERSIAL 2021 ABU DHABI SEASON FINALE

Story by Jeff Pappone ith change happening on almost every front in Formula 1 this year, predicting the 2022 season’s outcome requires healthy skepticism, some educated guessing, and a bit of luck thrown in for good measure.

The rules for 2022 mark the biggest regulation change since the sport entered the hybrid era eight years ago, all aimed at levelling the playing field and enabling drivers to battle wheel-to-wheel more often.

“The most visible change will be the switch from 13-inch to 18-inch tires with covers,” said Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali on a February conference call to discuss the sport’s 2021 fourth quarter results. “This, along with the other changes to the regulations, has the goal of reducing the aerodynamic wake coming off the cars with the aim of allowing for closer racing and more overtaking.

We hope to see new drivers moving up the field to challenge for podiums more regularly.”

Interestingly, Domenicali then highlighted that the 2021 championship came down to a winner-take-all season finale in Abu Dhabi but failed to mention any of the fallout from the controversial race, which ultimately tarnished the sport’s image and cost race director Michael Masi his job.

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To recap, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, leading comfortably on his way to driver’s title No. 8 until a late accident involving Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi brought out the safety car. Long story short: Masi threw the regulations out the window and conjured new rules that clearly advantaged Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who easily passed Hamilton on the final lap to become world champion.

The outrage from fans combined with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s (FIA) clumsy handling of the situation gave Formula 1 a massive black eye that it may wear indefinitely. Many long-time fans vowed to never watch a grand prix again. Going into 2022, the FIA assigned Masi to a different role and decided that former DTM race director Niels Wittich and World Endurance Championship race director Eduardo Freitas would alternate as Formula 1 race directors.

For his part, Hamilton took a break from the spotlight and, despite rumours that he may retire, he seems more than ready to go after a record eighth title he was denied last year in Abu Dhabi.

“I always evaluate all my options, but I did make a commitment to the team earlier on in the season and, ultimately, I love what I do,” said Hamilton. “I love being a part of a team, I love working with every-

one towards a common goal and I feel I’m at my best, so why do I need to leave? I think every year is exciting. In previous years it was an evolution of the previous year’s car; in this one it’s completely brand new and you’re kind of just trying to get a close eye to see what is different – why certain teams have chosen a certain route.”

Although pre-season testing can be deceiving because teams often conceal their true speed, clearly each team grabbed the all-new 2022 car regulations and ran with them in several different directions. Most appeared to take a similar approach to the front and rear wings, but the middles of the cars vary, especially the sidepod.

There’s more bulbous ones like on the Red Bull; longer, sleek designs like Aston Martin’s and then there’s Ferrari’s swooping, concave iteration. Mercedes attracted the most stares when it showed up at the second test in Bahrain with pretty much no sidepods whatsoever.

While the first race or two usually gives a pretty good idea of the pecking order, that may change this year with all the variables at play. Plus, the opening three venues, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia may not offer a good reflection of each team’s ultimate pace.

“In all honesty, there’s still an awful lot to understand.

It’s a completely different animal and it wants to be tamed in a different way. That’s driving the car, but also operating, in terms of setup,” said Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel. “Everyone is coming across similar challenges and that’s part of the game.”

‘Porpoising’ remains one thing that most teams need to solve unless their drivers love being life-sized bobbleheads. Previously seen in Formula 1’s ‘ground effect’ era four decades ago.

This phenomenon is caused by the downforce compressing the suspension as the speed increases and ultimately creating a stall under the car when the gap between the floor and the track gets too narrow.

The sudden loss of downforce releases the compression, which ends the stall and restarts the process.

The resulting compression-stall loop causes the car to bounce again and again and again like it’s driving on a giant washboard. McLaren seemed to suffer the least from porpoising, and Red Bull appeared to have mitigated it efficiently at the end of the second test, which may give them an early advantage.

“I’m sure it’s something everyone will get on top of.

It’s a topic because it’s very visible, but ultimately, there will be solutions there between the setup and aero development where you discover how to manage it,” said McLaren technical director James Key. Early indications point to Mercedes and Red Bull staying at the front, along with a resurgent Ferrari. The Scuderia’s strong showing in testing confirms what Mercedes chief technical officer James Allison told Inside Track Motorsport News last year, when he predicted that it might be the team to watch in 2022. At the time, Allison suggested that the new sliding scale system that allotted additional computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel time to Ferrari combined with its vast resources created a “scary” combination.

With Formula 1 promising the new rules will shrink

Mercedes (opposite page) and Red Bull (top) are still the favourites, but Ferrari (middle) and McLaren (above) look poised to claw back the deficit to Formula 1’s incumbent frontrunners. Photos Courtesy Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren

InsideTrackNews.com 29

FORMULA 1 PREVIEW the performance gap between the have and have-not teams, Canadian Latifi feels that the sport needs to deliver change in the pecking order sooner than later.

“I think it is very important that the field closes because that’s what ultimately everybody wants to see.

[Fans] want to see closer racing, more fair racing,” said Latifi. “It might not be right from the first races – maybe not even from the first year – but time will tell when we start racing.”

That said, Latifi believes the new car ticked the “follow other cars more closely” box, although his 2021 Williams suffered from a clear weakness in that area and may not offer the best comparison. The thing that really stood out for Latifi is car’s increased weight.

“Probably the first thing I noticed is that you feel like you’re driving a heavier car – you feel like you have more mass to slow down, more mass to accelerate, more mass when you’re in the corners, and when you go over the limit both understeer and oversteer.

It’s quite fascinating to see some of the most brilliant minds in this form of engineering and aerodynamics working within the same box of rules and the kinds of differences in philosophies that these engineers and design people come up with.”

Change also occurred on the driver front, with George Russell moving into the Mercedes occupied last year by Valtteri Bottas. Russell’s empty seat at Williams went to former Red Bull driver Alex Albon, while Bottas dropped into an Alfa Romeo cockpit.

Alfa Romeo gets a second new face in rookie Guanyu Zhou, Formula 1’s first Chinese race driver. Antonio Giovinazzi departed Alfa Romeo after 2021 for a reserve role at Ferrari, while Kimi Räikkönen retired.

In a last-minute deal, the Haas Formula 1 Team signed its former driver Kevin Magnussen to replace Nikita Mazepin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. The team also split with its Russian title sponsor Uralkali, owned by Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, Nikita’s father.

The 2022 schedule also changed just before the season began, with Formula 1 terminating the Russian Grand Prix contract and confirming that “Russia will not have a race in the future” in response to its war in Ukraine. Both Qatar and China will take a one-year hiatus in 2022, the former to build a new Formula 1 venue, while the latter’s ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions made its grand prix a non-starter.

On the other side of the equation, the Miami Grand Prix becomes Formula 1’s highly coveted second US race in May. After a trial in 2021, sprint race qualifying returns in Imola, Austria and Brazil, although the original plan for six sprints got pared by half due to wrangling with the teams.

Canadian fans should note that the race at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, QC goes a week later than usual on June 19. With Formula 1 changing the race weekend schedule and the potential for COVID protocols to be in place, no details about the Canadian Grand Prix promoter’s planned activities were available at press time. IT 30 Inside Track Motorsport News

Haas F1 (top) has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in the offseason. Aston Martin (middle) has been steady, if unspectacular, in pre-season testing. Nicholas Latifi (above) has noticed the heavier weight of the new cars, but beleives passing will be improved. Photos Courtesy Haas F1 and Formula1.com

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(Above) Scott McLaughlin celebrates in St. Petersburg’s victory lane after earning his first career IndyCar win in the 2022 season opener.

IndyCar IS BACK SERIES SOPHOMORE SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN WINS SEASON OPENING ST. PETERSBURG GRAND PRIX

Story by Mary Bignotti Mendez hen a new race season starts everything is all new and shiny, from drivers’ uniforms to exciting paint schemes. Each driver starts with a clean slate, feeling they absolutely have the ability to win. The reality is there can only be one winner.

For 2022, the NTT IndyCar field of 26 drivers represents 15 countries, with an average age of 30 (13 in their twenties, eight in their thirties, and five over 40). The drivers, however, are still driving the 2012 Dallara-spec chassis with Firestone Tires, powered by either a Chevy or Honda engine. Over the past ten years, people have moved from team to team disseminating information, which has equalized the competition.

Earning his maiden victory in the 2022 season opener, three-time Australian Supercar champion Scott McLaughlin won from the pole at St. Petersburg by holding off a challenge from Alex Palou, the 2021 IndyCar champion.

“I’m really proud of everyone’s effort last year,” reflected McLaughlin, the 2021 Indianapolis 500 and series Rookie of the Year. “Once we figured out what I like in the car, we qualified better and showed improvement. I went to tracks I didn’t know, so you waste the first session. I’d find something in the race worth one or two tenths, which would have made a huge difference for qualifying. Last season

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was a foundational year to lay the groundwork for a long career at Team Penske.”

At the season opener, Will Power finished third, followed by Colton Herta and Romain Grosjean, the latter two now teammates at Andretti Autosport.

“We had one of our worst seasons last year and a very disappointing Indy 500,” said Power, now in his 19th season. “We could never find consistency. There's been a lot of reflection and development to try and understand why and definitely have turned up with better cars. Certainly, a different philosophy. We’re right in the window and it's showing on the track.”

After the long five-month offseason, teams observed how they measure up against their competition and determined if their bench testing and simulation work was in the right direction. Teams must strategically use only four annual track test days, limited to control expenses and promote a level playing field among well financed and low budgeted teams.

With two drivers on the podium, it looks like Team Penske will be a formidable team again, having dropped their fourth driver, Simon Pagenaud, after seven seasons. Two-time champion Josef Newgarden remains. McLaughlin’s victory gave Team Penske their 223rd win (including 18 Indianapolis 500 victories) and 286 poles.

(Top, left) Josef Newgarden will be looking for his third title in 2022 in a resurgent Team Penske. (Top, right) With increased investment from McLaren, Pato O’Ward could be a contender for the IndyCar title. (Above, left) Veteran Will Power started his season strong with a third place finish in St. Pete.

(Above, right) Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is looking to move up the field this year. Photos by Neena Channan/ImagesByNeena.com

“Every lap matters during the season,” said Newgarden, the 2017 and 2019 IndyCar champion. “Just didn’t have the performance at the end of last season. I’m at my prime and very motivated to improve this year. There’s been quite a bit of shifting people around.

Our strength is in the team. It doesn’t matter where people are put.”

Of the ten full-season committed teams, Chip Ganassi Racing (119 wins) returns with its same four-driver lineup of Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and Jimmie Johnson as Palou’s teammates.

“I’m eager to get more oval experience to learn car adjustments and sensations,” said seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Johnson.

“I feel I’ll be more competitive on ovals. Speeds are much faster than Cup cars, so you have to adjust your eyes. I want to stop thinking and react.”

Also unchanged is Arrow McLaren SP (seven victories) with Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, finishing 12th and 17th, respectively at the season opener. Canadian engineer Gavin Ward left Penske, where he was Newgarden’s engineer, to become Technical Director at Arrow McLaren SP, thus allowing Craig Hampson, the engineer that aided Sebastien Bourdais’ four titles, to work directly with Rosenqvist. This team could be a title contender as McLaren expanded its ownership to 75 percent, joining founder Sam Schmidt and Canadian partner Ric Peterson.

“My goal is a shot at the Indy 500 and we are pushing hard for the championship this year,” said O’Ward, who earned two 2021 victories. “We had one test day at Sebring to see if our simulation during the off season would correlate. It could also be wrong and you can’t

make decisions without testing. We hope to roll off the truck better at certain tracks.”

Andretti Autosport (68 wins) remains a four-car team by adding Romain Grosjean and Canadian rookie Devlin DeFrancesco, replacing Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe, respectively, to join Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta.

“Most of the teams are at the point where the rules have been stagnant for so long that there's not much to find,” said Herta.

“There are some outliers at some tracks, but I never feel like anybody has a car that's more than a tenth better than the second-place car.

It's always really close between teams.”

“IndyCar is a top series with top cars and drivers where the driver can make the difference,” said Grosjean, voted most popular driver in a recent fan survey. “When I came to IndyCar last season with Dale Coyne, I didn’t know if I would like the car, the series, or America. I feel really welcomed at Andretti Autosport. On paper I have all the ingredients to fight to the front. I’m excited this year to compete in all the races.”

“There are some great rookies this year (six, inclusive),” said Toronto, ON native DeFrancesco, who ranked sixth in the 2021 Lights championship. “Rookie of the Year would be quite a nice target. My goal is to be fighting with my teammates from the middle to end of the season. All have such great experience and different backgrounds to help me learn faster. High speeds on ovals are my strength and I enjoy street courses. The car is easy to drive with better brakes and more sophisticated geometry than the Lights car.”

InsideTrackNews.com 33

IndyCar IS BACK

(Top, left) Connor Daly is returning to a full-time IndyCar schedule this year. (Top, right) Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has expanded to three cars for the 2022 season. (Above, left) Dalton Kellett will be moving into a leadership role at A.J. Foyt Racing, teaming up with two rookies. (Above, right) Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco is racing in a four-car Andretti Autosport team. Photos by Neena Channan/ImagesByNeena.com

Ed Carpenter Racing (eight wins) added Conor Daly as the full-time teammate to Rinus VeeKay, with team owner Carpenter contesting the ovals in a third entry. The Bitnile title sponsorship for Daly resulted from a fortuitous meeting in Las Vegas while there celebrating his 30th birthday.

“It’s been a while since I have had a full season ride with one team,” said Daly, who starts his ninth season since 2013, which includes only four complete seasons. “I have a feel for what I want from the car. It will be nice not to have to take stuff from one locker to another.”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (29 victories) expanded to three cars by adding Jack Harvey (who left Meyer Shank Racing) and Danish rookie Christian Lundgaard to join Graham Rahal.

“We’ve been so close to winning so many times the last two years,” said Rahal. “We have not had the luck. As drivers, we compare really well. Jack is extremely capable and Christian needs time to understand. Everybody is super motivated. We’re lucky to find the people we’ve added to our team. We’ve had the third-best finishing average of the whole field, so we just need to keep up that average and qualify better.”

“I race to win,” said Lundgaard. “I don’t race to finish second or third. Graham is a strong racer and I want to learn from him. I’ve practiced on my home simulator (iRacing) on all tracks. I’m part of the Alpine Academy to develop as a Formula 1 driver. Behind the scenes we learn how to analyze data and how to adapt quickly. I have to learn everything on ovals to be quick and consistent. It’s a long learning process.”

Dale Coyne Racing (six wins) signed Takuma Sato, winner of six races including the 2020 Indy 500, joined by the 2021 Indy Lights runner-up, David Malukas.

Meyer Shank Racing expanded to a two-car team with Helio Cas34 Inside Track Motorsport News

troneves, winner of his fourth Indianapolis 500 last May, and familiar ex-Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud. This duo could surprise as Castroneves attempts to be the only driver to win five Indy 500s.

“We have to go through the process of finding the sweet spot for road courses,” said Castroneves. “Glad to have Simon on the team to understand what we need.”

A.J. Foyt Racing (44 victories) expands to three cars with Canadian Dalton Kellett joined by the 2021 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood and Tatiana Calderón, both rookies.

“Track position is so important at road and street courses,” said Kellett from Stouffville, ON, now in his third season. “If you start at the back, it is tough to do pit stops with the front runners. I’m working on qualifying to get the most speed out of the car in one or two laps.

Have to be up to speed right away to bank a lap. Then get everything out of the car the next lap.”

“I have a lot to learn this year – saving fuel, tire management and pit stops,” said Calderón, the only female driver this season contesting the road courses. “I want to compete where the best drivers are. The IndyCar is a big, quite heavy car. I have to work and train harder than the men. I’ll have to learn step by step. As long as we improve, I’ll be happy.”

Rookie Callum Ilott joined Juncos Hollinger Racing as a one-car team. Ricardo Juncos manages the team staffed by many of the ex-Carlin crew and partnered with Brad Hollinger to handle the business side.

“In the years I've been in this series, it's the toughest it's ever been,” said Power. “The parity is so close. No one has an advantage. We've got the absolute everything out of this car you can possibly get. It's come down to the smallest of details. You cannot really predict who will be on pole, who will win and who will be in the mix of the championship. It's the best open-wheel racing product in the world.” IT

I NEWS

(Above) Super Production Challenge powered by Nankang returns to GP3R in 2022 on August 5-7. Photo by Paolo Pedicelli

SUPER PRODUCTION CHALLENGE Series Announces New Title Sponsor Nankang Tire With Files From SPC fter a successful 2021 season, and with an ever-growing number of participants, the Super Production Challenge (SPC) series is undergoing a new and important evolution in 2022. From now on, SPC will be known as the Super Production Challenge powered by Nankang thanks to a partnership with the Taiwanese tire manufacturer, who is now the exclusive supplier of tires for the series.

The 2022 SPC season begins in and May with a record number of drivers registered, and organizers wanted to maintain the affordability and sustainability of the series for its teams and drivers.

“Welcome to Nankang and Nankang Motorsport International” said SPC series promoters. “We are very proud of this three-year contract with Nankang, which is already involved in various major motorsport events and championships, including the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the BMW Compact Cup, the CityCar Cup in England and in a multitude of drift events”.

For the organizers of the Super Production Challenge, the new partnership guarantees accessible and exciting races for at

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least the next three seasons, with identical Nankang AR-1 tires for all drivers depending on their category and regardless of weather conditions.

“We would like to thank BFGoodrich, which has been our tire partner for the past seven years – in particular, its director Peter Calhoun – as well as Touchette Motorsports and Manuel Solis for their support. The Nankang company has clearly proven to be the best in terms of the product to offer our drivers.”

Nankang tires will be distributed by Perry Performance & Competition, who is also returning as an associate partner for the Rookie of the Year award.

“We immediately subscribed to this partnership because it offers competitors an affordable and quality tire,” said Carl Wener of Perry Performance & Competition. “It allows us to continue to be involved as a company that supports motorsport series. We are increasing our partnership with the series to keep participation costs accessible.”

The 2022 championship will see the series kick off at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, ON as part of the annual

Victoria Day SpeedFest on May 20-22. Two weeks later, the series will head to Calabogie Motorsports Park, southwest of Ottawa, on June 4-5. The season will continue with three events in Quebec, starting on July 9-10 at ICAR in Mirabel, then August 5-7 at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières (GP3R) before returning to ICAR on August 27, as part of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series weekend. The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Calabogie and GP3R events will be tripleheaders. ICAR will host two races on August 27 while the July 9-10 ICAR date will feature two or three races, bringing the season total to 13 or 14 races in 2022.

“We expect to see around 40 drivers on the starting grid at each event, including at least 20 in the Production class,” said SPC co-promoter Dominic St-Jean.

Three categories of cars are on track at the same time in the Super Production Challenge powered by Nankang – the Super Production class (300 hp cars), Production (220 hp) and Compact (100 hp).

“Everything is in place to have a truly exceptional season. I think motorsport fans will be thrilled with the races in our series,” concluded Dominic St-Jean. IT

AGAINST THE WORLD

JUNE 16-19, 2022 42ND VARAC VINTAGE GRAND PRIX Watch the ‘2022 Vintage Grand Prix’ tab at VARAC.ca for details and updates RACE GROUPS FOR: VINTAGE - PRE 1962 • HISTORIC - PRE 1973 • • CLASSIC - PRE 1999 • FORMULA CLASSIC - HISTORIC SINGLE SEAT RACE CARS •

I NEWS

CASC-OR OFFICIALS HYPED FOR NEW YEAR With Pandemic Restrictions Loosening, Series Looking Forward to New Normal Story by J. Wally Nesbitt he brightest news emerging from the CASC-Ontario Region offices as the season opener looms is that the pandemic restrictions appear to be lifting, allowing for a return to semi-normal conditions for the 2022 campaign.

“Although the past two years have been better than I could have hoped, I am truly excited for the 2022 season,” admitted Ray Arlauskas, CASC-OR Race Director. “Now that the uncertainty regarding COVID-19 seems to be getting under control, I have noticed an increase in interest surrounding regional racing, both from the drivers, teams and spectators.”

From the CASC-OR annual general meeting, the newly elected president is Ted Michalos, the former VARAC Vintage Grand Prix organizer, while Mike Nilson has been appointed as the Head Scrutineer. After many years of service, Office Administrator Debbie Johnston has moved on to other ventures, with Jennifer DiFrancesco named as her replacement. Also on board this year is Samantha Parsons, who will handle the social media duties in an effort to increase awareness of the Ontario regional road racing scene. One position remaining to be filled is that of Podium/Awards Co-ordinator.

This year, CASC-OR competitors will be able to enjoy seven race weekends shared between three facilities (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park five times and both Shannonville and Calabogie once), the calendar including the annual Father’s Day Weekend VARAC Vintage Grand Prix.

In preparation for the racing activities, Shannonville Motorsports Park will host Spring Fling on April 28-30, the three-day Shannonville Racing Academy event allowing for testing and tuning, but also providing an opportunity for aspiring regional racing drivers to obtain their CASC-OR licenses. Overseen by Regional Coach Paul Subject, Chief Instructors Ken Pavri and John Burnet from Brack Driving Concepts have been chosen to lead the team of coaches and instructors.

Pavri and Burnet will also assist Chief Instructors Robin Buck and Peter Lockhart at the FEL Motorsports Driving School, this test and tune event running April 1-3 on the CTMP Driver Development Track.

These dates are primarily reserved for potential and existing FEL sports car and

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(Above) CASC-OR’s 2022 schedule features seven race weekends across three Ontario tracks.

Photo by Richard Coburn

Radical competitors.

There are no major changes in the rules and regulations for 2022.

The only potential alteration will be the combining of the Formula Libre and VARAC Formula Classic divisions, allowing for larger open-wheel fields on regional racing weekends.

2022 CASC-OR SCHEDULE casc.on.ca May 07 BEMC-CTMP Bowmanville, ON Jun 04 CASC-Shannonville (SMP) Shannonville, ON Jun 17 VARAC Vintage Grand Prix-CTMP Bowmanville, ON Jul 23 BARC-CTMP Bowmanville, ON Aug 06 VARAC-SMP Shannonville, ON Aug 20 OSCC-Calabogie Motorsports Park Calabogie, ON Sep 17 BEMC-CTMP Bowmanville, ON Oct 01 CASC Celebration-CTMP Bowmanville, ON VARAC TO HONOUR MG MARQUE AT 2022 VINTAGE GRAND PRIX Story by J. Wally Nesbitt lthough there has been some semblance of Vintage Auto Racing Association of Canada (VARAC) activity over the past two years, with the pandemic restrictions lessened, organizers of the 42nd VARAC Vintage Grand Prix (June 16-19) are hoping to enjoy the biggest event in the club’s history.

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“We are estimating that we will have between 275 to 300 race cars at this year’s VGP,” said VARAC Vintage Grand Prix president Peter Lambrinos. “Already, we’ve had more than 60 entries from the US, with people coming to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) from as far away as California and Florida. And I’ve seen entries from the Maritimes and from as far west as Calgary and Edmonton as well.

“I know that CTMP is a bucket list destination for many vintage racers, and I guess they’ve decided that 2022 is the year they put a checkmark beside that event.”

The VARAC Vintage Grand Prix will be returning to its previously full weekend schedule, with multiple races for the Classic (1973-1997), Vintage Production (19411961), Historic Production (1962-1972) and Formula Classic and Historic Single-Seater classes.

“We’ll have everything from ‘tiddlers’ to muscle cars and some real exotics on track this year,” said Lambrinos.

The creations from the Morris Garages (MG) will be honoured as the feature marque this year and will celebrate with an ‘MG versus the World’ race on Saturday.

One reason for the expected high numbers of MG cars is that marque aficionados will be enjoying the MG Nationals in Peterborough one week later.

Also, on the on-track docket are the US-based Formula 2000 racers with up to 20 cars expected, and the local Toyo Tires F1600 Series that will run a trio of points-paying contests.

Off of the track, the activities are equally as numerous and entertaining.

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“The Field of Dreams car show is back this year, as is the Mini Meet North,” said Lambrinos.

“On Friday night, we will have our banquet in the CTMP event centre, followed by live music. Music by the Mudmen is on tap for Saturday evening, accompanying the Paddock Crawl.”

This year, Peterborough’s Publican House Brewery will provide the liquid refreshments and guests won’t have to search very hard to find some delicious wings, ribs and sub sandwiches being served.”

The VARAC Vintage Grand Prix is the obvious highlight of the vintage group’s annual calendar, but the competitors will also enjoy racing action at each of the CASC-OR Regional Racing weekends, plus the Peter Jackson Races, which is VARAC-members only one-day event taking place on August 6 at Shannonville Motorsport Park.

“We’d like to think that COVID-19 is now in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to get back to some sense of normality and have some fun.

These cars are not meant to sit still. It’s time they went racing,” concluded Lambrinos.

BC HISTORIC MOTOR RACES RETURN Story by Brent Martin n March, the Vintage Racing Club of British Columbia (VRCBC) announced that the 33rd running of its annual marquee race weekend, the British Columbia Historic Motor Races (BCHMR) will be held on August 6-7 at Mission Raceway Park Road Course in Mission, BC. The first BCHMR was held in 1981 at the famous Westwood track in Coquitlam, BC. After several years, it was moved to its current home at the multi-purpose racing complex in Mission. The BCHMR is the largest

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(Left The 2022 VARAC Vintage Grand Prix is on June 16-19 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

(Right) The 2022 BC Historic Motor Races take place on August 6-7 at Mission Raceway Park.

Photos by Richard Coburn (l) and Brent Martin (r)

vintage race event in Western Canada and a significant one in the Pacific Northwest, with typically 100 vintage and historic racing cars and several thousand spectators in attendance.

For 2022, BCHMR organizers plan to again feature the Hagerty Formula Festival for the very quick open-wheel racing cars, the very popular combined races for the vintage sedans and sports cars that many fans remember from their younger days, as well as a race in the Pacific Challenge Cup for Formula Vees. BCHMR organizers are also planning another edition of the popular One Hour Enduro.

The BCHMR is always popular with classic car enthusiasts. A big car display will be featured in a special spectator area, known as The Field of Dreams, creating a unique show of its own. Also adding to the overall festive atmosphere will be the many sponsors’ booths offering everything from automobilia and artwork, to automotive product displays.

The food concessions, informative track side

commentary and excellent grandstand viewing, all make this an entertaining weekend for families as well as motorsports enthusiasts.

The VRCBC is a non-profit club of enthusiasts that organizes a series of racing related activities and events, including the annual BCHMR weekend. The purpose of the VRCBC is to encourage the restoration, racing and exchange of information concerning vintage sports and racing automobiles. The Club’s objective is to encourage participation, sportsmanship and display of these vehicles in their natural state – on the racetrack. For more information on the VRCBC, including how to become a member, visit vrcbc.ca.

The VRCBC is working on a full lineup of interesting racing cars, racing celebrities and fun activities for the 2022 BCHMR. For business owners interested in reaching B.C. Motorsport enthusiasts through advertising and sponsorship opportunities, or for more details about the event, visit bchmr.ca. IT

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DREAM RESULT CANADIAN TEAM PFAFF WINS GTD CLASS AT THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

Story by Jeff Pappone ith about six hours left in January’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, Pfaff Motorsports realized the biggest prize in North American sportscar racing sat just under its gas pedal.

The calculations showed that, if all went according to plan, its No. 9 Motul Porsche 911 GT3 R would catch the GTD Pro leader with about two hours to go in the gruelling race and give it an opportunity to fight for the class victory. From there, a bit of luck and some hard driving just might deliver glory.

“We knew we were going to catch them because we could see that we were quicker and our pitstops were faster,” said Steve Bortolotti, Pfaff Motorsports general manager and the man behind the success of its distinctive plaid Porsches. “After the final pitstop, I remember saying to the guys on the intercom ‘I guess we can be race fans now because there’s nothing we can do.’ It was going to be what it was, and if we crashed, so be it. We kind of sat back and watched.”

With that final stop in the books, Pfaff’s Mathieu Jaminet took over for the final two-hour stint and began a tooth-and-nail battle with KCMG Porsche’s Laurens Vanthoor, who coincidentally drove Pfaff to the 2021 IMSA GTD championship along with Canadian teammate Zach Robichon.

Things soon got more than a bit physical, with Jaminet and Vant-

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hoor trading paint on several occasions. With six turns to go on the final lap, Jaminet snatched the lead at the international horseshoe corner with a late braking move on the inside, hoping to hold off his rival to the line. Instead, Vanthoor attacked at the Le Mans chicane and the two cars slid onto the grass after some serious door banging. Jaminet recovered quickly as his rival spun, giving the Pfaff outfit its maiden Rolex 24 victory.

“For me personally, and I believe for the team too, it’s my greatest achievement. Especially the way it happened,” said Jaminet. “We started the season on top, so for sure people will look at us more closely now, but we all know how to deal with pressure and keep on delivering for the rest of the year.”

The 2021 GTD title and the Rolex 24 win confirms Pfaff Motorsports’ growth into one of the top sportscar teams in North America. They are the early team to beat in the GTD Pro class. Last year, Pfaff scored a victory in another of North America’s most prestigious sportscar races, the 12 Hours of Sebring. Previously, it took home the 2018 GT World Challenge America championship and three Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada titles.

Not bad for an operation that began as a partnership with another team before it moved in-house and into a back corner of Pfaff’s body shop in 2015, as the then 25-year-old Bortolotti’s “passion project.”

From there, it got bounced around from Pfaff location to Pfaff location, before taking up permanent residence in the full-fledged race shop it inhabits today in Concord, ON. Amusingly, while Frenchman Jaminet and teammates Matt Campbell, of Australia and former Formula 1 driver and two-time IMSA prototype champion Felipe Nasr of Brazil sprayed champagne atop the podium and admired the specially made Rolex watches that go to each Daytona 24 class-winning driver, the guy who played a central role in crafting Pfaff’s success got a swab up his nose as his reward.

That’s because after more than a bit of post-Daytona 24 screaming – and some partying thrown in for good measure – Bortolotti’s hoarse responses raised suspicions when he arrived at the Canadian border.

“I got flagged when we got home because the border guard thought I was sick because I lost my voice,” said Bortolotti. “I was trying to explain this crazy race to him, but the border guard just looked at me stone-faced and said, ‘You’re going to get a rapid test.’”

A few weeks after the Rolex win, Pfaff signed a new title sponsor, North American automotive retailer Lithia & Driveway, and will add its online platform, Driveway. com, to the cars for the rest of the season. Although it might be easy to assume the Daytona victory attracted new interest, the deal was in the works before the dramatic win.

“We were in conversations with Lithia & Driveway when we entered the 2022 season — it’s a partner with Pfaff on the automotive retail side, but at that time Driveway.com wasn’t really launched yet, and we couldn’t really hit the ground running,” said Bortolotti. “Sure enough, we had an amazing race at the 24 Hours of Daytona and it sparked up the conversation.”

The win in Daytona came after a hugely successful, but bittersweet, 2021 where it took four wins and six podiums in ten starts to win the GTD title but had to let both Vanthoor and Ottawa’s Robichon go to move into the GTD Pro class this year.

To his credit, Bortolotti ensured that he gave his departing full-time drivers as much notice as possible, so they could find seats elsewhere. Although the outside world had no idea of the changes ahead, the team and drivers knew that they would be going their separate ways well before the November season finale.

“I told everyone just before the race at Lime Rock Park [in July],” said Bortolotti. “We already knew what we were doing this year, so I didn’t want them to not have any runway to make plans for their own careers. Then, we all kind of rallied together and wanted it more than anything.”

After winning the biggest race of the year, the team already set its sights on repeating as IMSA champions, especially after kicking off the season with the GTD Pro class points lead.

“Obviously, the Rolex 24 is a big win on the bucket list for any driver and now that we’ve been able to tick that off and start our year strong, I think we can be up there for the championship contention,” said Campbell. “It’s a long season and that was just a start, but it’s a great start.” IT

(Opposite page) Pfaff earned the GTD class win after titanic late-race battle between incumbent driver Mathieu Jaminet and former Pfaff driver Laurens Vanthoor. (Top, left to right) Australia’s Matt Campbell, France’s Mathieu Jaminet and Brazil’s Felipe Nasr celebrate their win in the No. 9 Pfaff Porsche 911 GT3 R on the Rolex 24 podium.

Photos by Neena Channan/ImagesByNeena.com

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CASC-OR ICE RACING 2022 SEASON WRAPS UP AFTER FIVE EVENTS AND 18 RACES Story by J. Wally Nesbitt he all-too-brief CASC-OR ice racing season ended on March 5, but not until five events consisting of 18 races had been completed, with ten drivers securing class championships.

A delayed start to the campaign due to government regulations meant that on-track action didn’t begin until the first weekend in February, but the competitors and organizers made up for lost time, the schedule successfully playing through until the season’s final day when the track was lost due to warm temperatures.

“Once we got rolling, it was a good season for the ice,” said Ice Racing Director Brad Elkins. “Our numbers weren’t quite as robust as in past seasons, but we were pleased with the numbers we got, considering that we didn’t race at all last year. We averaged between 65 and 75 cars each weekend and had a top showing of 79 one day.

“The competition was stout, proven by the fact that we had different winners in different classes each weekend. We had 20 starters who came on board as rookies, and we had a very nice mix of men and women in each class. As far as ages and experience goes, Alex Drummond joined us this year and he is only 16 years old, and we had veteran drivers racing here who were in their late 1970s. It was a really nice cross-section of people.”

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As usual, the classes were split into Rubber-To-Ice and Street Stud divisions, with further designations determined by transmission configurations.

Taking top spot in the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) Street Stud class was 17-year veteran racer Larry Laycock. Aboard his No. 157 2003 Subaru Impreza wagon, the Brooklin, ON resident enjoyed an almost perfect campaign, rolling up a record of eight wins, a similar number of runner-up results and a pair of third-place finishes.

“This success has been years in the making,” said Laycock. “I finally got the combination of car, tires and driver working properly. This car is a basic, simple piece with the factory 2.5-litre motor in it. I did weld the centre diff for this year, but the biggest difference came when I splurged on the Black Rocket rally tires. Those changes, plus modifying my driving style, so that I didn’t abuse the tires, gave me the edge over (point runner-up) Jim (Carrell) and Michael (Bos).”

Incorporating take-away points, in the final rankings, Laycock outscored Carrell by 58 points, with Bos a further 665 points behind.

While Laycock was laying siege to the SS4 class rankings, Elaine Willis, in Front-Wheel-Drive Rubber-To-Ice, had a much tighter battle on her hands, edging Robin Doiron by a single point on her way to the Class 2 title.

At the conclusion of the 2022 CASC-OR Ice Racing season, ten class championships, two overall titles and a rookie of the year award were awarded. Photos by Richard Coburn

Brought into the Ice Racing fraternity by her father George McCullough many years ago, Elaine is a multi-time class champion who has also enjoyed successful racing Formula 1600 and Formula 2000 cars on asphalt.

“That was dad’s philosophy. If you wanted to race in the summer, you had to learn to race on ice,” said Willis. “It is surprising how those car control lessons translate from ice to road racing.”

At the wheel of her No. 38 Toyota Trofeo, Willis finished every lap in the talent-laden field, recording seven race victories and adding to her point total with a combined 13 top five results.

“This is probably the most popular class in CASC-OR,” said Willis.

“There were 26 drivers who scored class points this year and everyone found someone to race with every weekend. As far as the championship went, Robin forced me to bring my ‘A’ game every lap.

She never let up. She never gave me a chance to catch my breath.”

While these veterans were having their way with their class rivals, an ice racing novice was getting his education the hard way.

Gary Magwood, a former open-wheel champion on asphalt and a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, for some reason decided to come out of retirement and, at the age of 80, slid behind the wheel of a Zack Wenzel-prepared Honda Civic to turn his first laps on ice.

“It was a pretty bare-bones car, not very handsome, but it had a roll cage and the engine was done up a bit,” said Magwood. “But this car had earned championships before, so I figured it could give me a

decent ride as well.”

In what he described as ‘Car Curling,’ Magwood discovered that “with a lot of coaxing, gentle brake and throttle inputs, it was feasible to get the Civic around corners,” but that understeer is a force directly connected to throttle input.

“I was amazed at how little traction there was, even on ‘tractionized’ tires. The ice gets polished after only a couple of laps,” said Magwood. “It was like racing in slow motion, a lot like drifting on ice.

Things did go better when Zack put me out on studded tires, but it was another lesson to learn to avoid using the brakes, to drive by combining steering input and throttle control.

“Racing on ice is probably the least expensive, most hard-to-gethurt form of motorsport anywhere, concluded Magwood. “And boy, is it fun.”

2022 CASC-OR ICE RACING CLASS CHAMPIONS RUBBER TO ICE: FWD Class 2: No. 38 Elaine Willis // FWD Class 12: No. 123 Graham Lane // 4WD Class 4: No. 22 David Galos // 4WD Class 14: No. 188 Billy Last // OVERALL: No. 22 David Galo.

STREET STUD: RWD Class SS 1: No. 85 Jen Gray // FWD Class SS 2: No. 101 Jose Peixoto // AWD Class SS4: No. 157 Larry Laycock // RWD Class SS 11: No. 51 Nuno De Jesus // FWD Class SS 12: No. 137 Alex Wenzel // AWD Class SS 14: No. 67 Dan Demers // OVERALL: No. 191 Jose Peixoto.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: No. 157 Alex Wenzel. IT InsideTrackNews.com 43

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CANADA HEADS UP – SHOOTOUT SERIES Series Heads into Fourth Season with Returning Champions and New Classes Story Courtesy of CHU he start of a new season also marks the fourth year of the Canada Heads Up – Shootout Series (CHU) presented by Speedwire Systems, Maxima Racing Oil and Nash Competition Engines. The CHU continues to impress as the fastest growing heads-up drag racing series in Canada. CHU classes are filled with the quickest street style-bodied cars, trucks and bikes there are.

CHU events are known for their standardized schedule and front man Ian Hill’s efforts of working with the track staff to present a full card of classes that get done racing in a reasonable time. A typical CHU event starts Friday morning when the gates open for pre-event shakedown testing. On Friday night, the barbecues and big family-style meals are always present at different pit spots as the Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP)-managed Friday Night Test and Tune night takes over. Once the track has been prepped, Saturday mornings begin with the start of qualifying.

CHU events typically offer three rounds of qualifying.

Eliminations begin Sunday and are usually done by 5 p.m. Through the support of many international and local businesses and racers, CHU weekend champions can look forward to guaranteed payouts for most classes and big cheques for the weekend event champions. The racers pay into a points fund before their first event and this money goes directly back to the racers for payouts for the five-race series’ points championship.

CHU organizers expect continued growth through the 2022 season, not only with the popularity of the series, but bringing the series back to Toronto Motorsports Park for all five races, which has many racers excited about their “home field advantage.”

New classes added to the schedule in 2022 include 4.20Pro Mod, 5.0 Warriors, Low9s Bike, 7.0 Index and 7.50 Index. The series has dropped a few of its less popular classes like 235 Outlaws, Mod and Top ET. With these changes, the series will now focus on 15 classes per weekend from Super Street and KOTS bike to Junior Dragsters.

Spectators and fans of the series can look forward to the return of all the 2021 champs. Pro10five’s Nick Agostino, Super Street’s Ed Szram, EZ Street’s Vine Malao, Street275’s Jeff Biro, SWB Bike Damian Tong, KOTZ Bike Jesse Vanbetlehem, Index champions John Stornelli, Mike Thompson and Jay Lightheart and Junior Dragster Champion Cole Ferri.

With all the series’ dates to be run at TMP in 2022 marks the first time in six years that all the Street Car Shootout-originated series will be run at one track.

Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, ON will be the place to be this year to see the quickest and fastest street-style car and bike shootouts north of the border.

“The series is really coming together quickly this year. We start our season off with our large display booth at Motorama at the end of April. May will be interesting for sure as many of our racers start to get their programs in line with early season testing; June follows, with Race 1!” said CHU Series Director Ian Hill.

“Our Board of Directors put together some great rules updates that we hope will continue class parity as well will help keep the events running smoothly.

The number of new racers contacting us for event info has been amazing. The 2022 season will be another great year for Canada Heads Up!” IT

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2022 CANADA HEADS UP – SHOOTOUT Jun. 11-12 Toronto Motorsports Park Jul. 16-17 Toronto Motorsports Park Aug. 6-7 Toronto Motorsports Park Sep. 10-11 Toronto Motorsports Park Oct. 15-16 Toronto Motorsports Park 44 Inside Track Motorsport News

SERIES SCHEDULE Cayuga, ON Cayuga, ON Cayuga, ON Cayuga, ON Cayuga, ON

The Canada Heads Up – Shootout Series will be welcoming back all their reigning champions in 2022, including Super Street champion Ed Szram (top) and SWB Bike champion Damian Tong (middle). Paul Silva Performance’s Ford Mustang will also be returning in 2022 (above). Photos by Blake Farnan

ianhillracing.com

(Above) Major open-wheel series like Formula 1 and IndyCar have adopted a bar around the driver’s head as a safety measure from flying debris.

Safety Advances FROM CORK HELMETS TO HALOS, SAFETY HAS COME A LONG WAY

Story and Photos Courtesy of Tim Miller otorsport is well into its second century and is constantly evolving in all technical aspects. While every facet of a race car has been modified in the quest for speed, perhaps the most important aspect of all this has been in the field of safety.

Auto racing can still be dangerous not only for the driver but for spectators in some situations, but the percentage of injuries and deaths today has dropped significantly from 100 years ago. Or even 20 years ago. The evolvement of safety in racing can be put into three areas, the car itself, driver protection, and the actual racing facility and its environs.

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Racetrack Evolution

The evolution of North American racing took a different path from the racing in Europe and Great Britain. With few paved roads, horse racing tracks at fairgrounds were used in Canada and the US. These were dirt-covered and oval shaped and were the mainstay of North American racing for decades. There were some exceptions, such as the brick-paved Indianapolis track and about 30 board tracks which

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had their heyday until the early 1930s.

Dirt racing is still prominent in motorsport, but the tracks are much safer than those of 100 years ago. Gone are the wooden fences that could spear a driver if he got off course and smashed into them. The surfaces are well-prepared now, as grading machines flatten out the corner ruts and soak the track with water to keep down the dust.

The brick-covered Indy track provided a rough ride for decades and the 2.5-mile surface was eventually paved over. After World War II oval pavement tracks began to appear in North America.

These tracks, built in various lengths, provided safety for the drivers and spectators with walls (usually concrete) lining the track surface.

Still there were many incidents where race cars would climb the walls in an altercation or crash into the lower tiers of the spectator stands before the advent of strong safety fencing. Around 2000 the SAFER (steel and foam energy reduction barrier), also know as a soft wall, were installed on most NASCAR and IndyCar-sanctioned tracks where if a car lost control it would crash into this padded wall and lessen damage to both car and driver.

Paved roads on the Continent were plentiful in racing’s early years, and cars were raced on them between cities and towns. While the chain-drive Fiats and Mercedes-Benzes of the area would tear around the country roads, spectators lined these roads to watch.

With no crowd control, an errant car could cut a deathly swath through these spectators, often with deadly results. While this human devastation was horrendous, organizers of the event had no way of recouping their financial backing with paid admissions, unlike the race events in North America where spectators would pay at the gate and then sit in relatively safe bleacher seating.

By the 1920s there were many purpose-build road courses in Europe which lessened the human carnage and paid for the purses.

This continues to this day on the continent, but with safety barriers around the course and no spectator access to the racetrack.

Road racing in North America followed European roots at first, running events through towns and cities on public roads. By the end of WWII airport landing facilities built during the conflict were deemed superfluous, and road racing clubs and groups used these concrete-paved runways for racing. Many early drag strips were also set up on a former air base.

What followed next were road circuits planned and built which offered elevation changes, a strong mix of curve and straight sections, and a pit area for servicing cars. Today’s circuits have been built in this manner, although the hay bales on the corners have been replaced with proper steel guard rails.

Race Car Evolution

From the wooden-framed, skinny-tired cars of 100 years ago which were not much more than stripped-down street cars, the racing car in all types of motorsport has gone through many transformations. Many of the changes have been through trial and error, research and development, along with studying and using facets of the aircraft industry. Many advancements in race car technology such as light alloy metals, anti-explosion fuel cells, and streamlining all started in the aircraft industry. Safety advances were part of this.

One shudders now at the old images of drivers sitting upright in cars with no harness restraints, roll over protection, or steering columns that could impale a driver. But a driver’s biggest fear was fire, a common occurrence that took the lives of many drivers. With a metal tank holding gasoline sitting behind the driver, even a small tap from another car could create an inferno.

By the 1960s fuel cells were developed which contained a bladder which greatly reduced the risk of fire in a crash. Fuel cells are mandatory in just about every type of racing today.

Another airplane-inspired feature for racing cars has been the advent of disc brakes. Early race cars had rear-wheel brakes only which did not allow sufficient stopping power. Today’s cars use high-performance disc units for maximum stopping power.

Roll bar and roll cage protection are now built into a race car, not an afterthought as in years previous. Early cars offered little protection with either no roll bar for the driver or a thin piece of tube tacked on to the car’s frame. Nerf-type bars help in open-wheeled competition, while full roll cages found in full-fendered cars provide maximum protection.

There are many more safety features that have allowed race cars to be safer for both the driver and spectators. Some of these include window nets on the driver’s door in stock car racing, the “halo” bar across the front of the driver’s cockpit in Grand Prix and IndyCar racing, and parachutes to slow cars down in drag and land speed record racing.

(Above) A driver getting buckled up in his dirt track car. Just about everything in this image has been modified and updated for driver safety.

Driver Safety

While track and car safety is obviously important, the most important gains have been made in personal safety. Note the accompanying photo of the driver buckling up in his old coupe in the early 1950s. One cringes at the lack of personal safety equipment we now know. He is wearing a helmet, but no face shield.

His denim clothes would offer some protection, but the attire is certainly not a fire suit as is mandatory today. And the cuffs on his jeans could get caught in the pedals.

The car is stripped inside, but there are still a lot of red flags. The seat appears to be of aircraft manufacture, and the army surplus seat belt is fastened to hooks in the floor with chains. The roll bar is of dubious construction, there is a thick wire welded to the dashboard to hold the car in second gear which could greatly impale the driver in case of a smash, as would the large steering wheel.

Today a race car driver is one with the cockpit, enclosed in a safety cocoon in his fire suit with full head, hand, and face protection. Perhaps the greatest advancement in safety over the past two decades has been the HANS (head and neck restraint) device, a lifesaver which keeps the driver’s head and neck solid with his body and from jerking around upon impact.

While we admire the drivers of old photos and film working away in their cockpits with only a cloth hat and goggles and no roll bar behind him, the odds of injury or death in motorsport today are thankfully much lower. IT InsideTrackNews.com 47

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THIS, THAT & THE OTHER

By Ernie Saxton

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WILL NASCAR GO STREAMING?

ASCAR President Steve Phelps appeared on The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast recently to discuss a variety of topics. Most notably, the three discussed NASCAR’s next media rights contract. While the current deal ends after the 2024 season, NASCAR is set to begin exclusive negotiations with current broadcasters Fox and NBC at the beginning of 2023 according to Phelps.

Phelps is anticipating an “eight- to tenyear” contract on the next deal. It’s certainly not set in stone, but it does follow the eightand ten-year deals that began in 2007 and 2015. And given the deals signed by the other ‘big four’ leagues, an eight- to ten-year contract is right in line with them.

A portion of the NASCAR fanbase has been concerned with how the next rights deal will look. With more and more sports leagues embracing streaming, it would be insane for NASCAR to totally ignore that.

Last year, Senior Vice President of Media and Productions Brian Herbst revealed that streaming would “play a larger role” on the next deal and that may very well be the case.

Although Phelps indicated that while he sees NASCAR within the direct-to-consumer streaming world, it’s important to find a balance, and broadcast TV is still a priority due to the sport being sponsorship dependent.

“It’s very important to make sure that we have significant eyeballs,” said Phelps. “The team model is very dependent on sponsorship, so whatever partner, we need to make sure over-the-air is an important part. We’ve got a little bit of time there to continue to see what happens in the cable universe.

We’re obviously making the switch in the second half from NBCSN to USA, broader distribution, I think the migration of the sports properties over there particularly by the time we get there will be in good shape.

We’ll have to see where that goes. Do I believe there’s a world for us in direct-to-consumer? I do. The question is, ‘What’s that balance between over-the-air, cable, and direct-to-consumer?”

Phelps later elaborated that he “doesn’t think there will be a radical shift” in the next rights deal as their inventory differs from a stick and ball sport and doesn’t exactly 48 Inside Track Motorsport News

work with a streaming-first deal, but some digital companies could be involved more as a supplement to the overall TV deal as more and more people (particularly younger people) embrace streaming. For example, Netflix’s docuseries on Bubba Wallace that just launched.

Phelps also talked about how he wished ESPN would provide more coverage to NASCAR but understood, using the NHL as an example, that ESPN is going to provide more coverage to the sports properties they have the rights to.

Who knows, the promise of more coverage on other ESPN shows could be a carrot that Disney dangles at NASCAR if they choose to get in on negotiations.

I feel comfortable in saying that I don’t think the new TV deal will bring the kind of money that the last one did, but then again you just never know what is going to happen.

FOX SPORTS KILLING NASCAR A friend sent me this, so he could share his frustrations with FOX. The header was “FOX Sports killing NASCAR.” “The Fox broadcast (Daytona 500) missed virtually all the action in real time,” my friend said. “They were busy with some show-nothing bumper cam or boring in-car cam, switching to pre-recorded tape. In addition, the commentary lacked any ‘bringing out the action’ coverage. Cars were sliding, bouncing off walls and crashing at almost 200 mph.

We should have experienced that. Instead, we got coverage so ‘jumpy’ that it made it almost impossible to follow your favorite driver.

“We missed literally all the action that happened in real time. It was like watching a football game and the cameras never showed the touchdown when it happened.

They were too busy showing some fan in the stands. We did eventually see what we missed several times...on replay. Fox Sports made the Daytona 500 look like a boring race when it was not.”

LARSON-ELLIOTT FALLOUT Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson spoke with the media at Las Vegas and reported he had a positive meeting with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase

Kyle Larson (No. 5) and teammate Chase Elliott had a team meeting after their coming together at Auto Club Speedway. Photo Courtesy of NASCAR

Elliott after an on-track incident between the two in California.

With 11 laps remaining in the race, Larson was in the middle of Turn 1, making a pass on Ford driver Joey Logano, driving a lane below. Larson said he didn’t see Elliott go a lane higher at the same time, making it three-wide. Larson veered toward Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet, which hit the wall and was damaged. Elliott continued, but eventually spun out and brought out the final caution with nine laps to go, forcing Larson to have to beat the field on the ensuing restart with three laps remaining. Perhaps that was the goal of Elliott.

“I got to talk to him and went over what happened from each of our vantage points,’’ said Larson. “It went well, honestly better than I anticipated. He’s a great teammate.’’

Their private conversation came after a mid-week talk with long-time team owner Rick Hendrick, who has a history of settling differences among his talented driver lineups. A decade ago, he was mending fences with another pair of his champion drivers – Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

“Rick (Hendrick) called a meeting with all four teams and just kind of reiterated his expectations with us drivers,’’ said Larson.

“It’s good to get those reminders every now and then and continue to race good in the future with each other. I’ll catch-up more with Chase (Elliott) in a little bit and we’ll be good.”

Larson’s spotter, Tyler Monn, took to social media after the race saying it was his mistake for not letting Larson know Elliott was outside him.

“I was worried more about the No. 22 (Logano) and not the No. 9 (Elliott). It was a late call on me it had nothing to do with Kyle (Larson),’’ said Monn. IT

Speed with Purpose

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InsideTrackNews.com 49

I OPINION

GET A GRIP

By Mary Bignotti-Mendez

POWER BLUES

Will Power (right) had some choice words regarding lapped traffic at the St. Pete GP. Photo by Neena Channan/ImagesByNeena.com

T

he first NTT IndyCar race at St. Petersburg resulted in Scott McLaughlin’s maiden win in his sophomore season for Team Penske. The Kiwi held off the 2021 champion, Alex Palou, followed by teammate Will Power, but it also provided the opportunity for Power to beseech the officials to use blue flags to move back-markers out of the way.

Palou, who tried to challenge McLaughlin in the closing laps, admitted he didn’t have the speed to get by, stating, “I didn’t really like that they (slower cars) were – especially the last three laps – that they didn’t let us pass. You never want a race to be dictated by the slow cars.”

And post-race, Power explained, “We keep telling IndyCar, and they just keep saying, ‘oh no, we don’t? Sorry, we forgot.’ I’ve been on this for ten years. When every driver in the drivers’ meeting says we need a blue flag rule, why isn’t there one?

“We would have been all right today with our strategy but got caught out with the yellow flag. Something else I’ve been on about for a decade is not closing the pits under yellow because it would have been so nice to 50 Inside Track Motorsport News

be able to pit [during the caution for David Malukas on Lap 25 of 100].

“When you get to my age, you say how you feel. I just like to point out the problems that could be fixed so easily within the series with just a little change. I’m in my 17th year of IndyCar, so I’ve seen it all. You have a pretty good grasp of what would make the racing better. You try to tell them (the officials), ‘I’ve got a great idea, it’s called blue flags when someone is a lap down and they’re racing the leader that’s battling for a win.’”

Power was held up by Jimmie Johnson, who was already a lapped car. Power pitted later, which gave him more fuel, lapping several tenths faster a lap to catch the leaders, who were on the same two-stop strategy saving fuel.

Caught behind Johnson for the closing laps, Power lost over a second, or more than 100 yards.

Still upset after the race, Power denied he was swearing or saying much on his team radio, and then sarcastically added, “Oh, Jimmie looks like he’s trying to get a bit of (TV) coverage here. It’s a good battle

between him and I. I hope the TV is getting that sponsor for him.”

Power has a point because Carvana, Johnson’s sponsor, does a lot of advertising on NBC, but I doubt commercial considerations came into play. The Australian also suggested that Honda drivers work together, which did appear to be the case when Canadian Devlin Francesco, driving the Honda-powered No. 29, held up Chevy-powered leader McLaughlin, allowing Honda-powered Palou to close within a car length.

I have to agree with Power that had the officials asked Johnson and DeFrancesco to move over, it would have greatly improved the intensity and excitement for fans watching the podium battle. The decision to use the blue flags is in the hands of the Race Director, who evidently wanted the overtaking driver to earn that position.

Section 7.2.5 of the INDYCAR Rule Book states, “Blue [flag]– signifies that an approaching car is attempting to overtake.”

It further states when ordered by IndyCar, “Command Blue,” it directs a lapped car to give way if at least one lap behind the race leader’s lap. Also in section 7.7, declaring restart rules after a caution, describes how cars between the leader and pace car are waved by to line up at the rear, especially when there are less than 15 laps remaining.

If IndyCar has these policies, then why weren’t they activated by giving Johnson ‘Code Blue?’

With every driver running the spec Dallara chassis and the engine manufacturers being so close after ten seasons running the same 2.2-litre engines, the cars are essentially equal, making passing very difficult. This is why two enhancements were employed, the use of the alternate (red) tire, which has more grip initially but falls off sooner than the primary (black) tire, to produce a difference between the cars. And there’s ‘Push-toPass,’ increasing the horsepower by at least 60 for a short duration. The only problem is the driver ahead can use his Push-to-Pass to defend, cancelling out the extra speed of the approaching driver.

Apparently new this season, the officials can disable the Push-to-Pass on lapped driver being overtaken. I hope for the racing’s sake the officials utilize this and blue flags. IT

InsideTrackNews.com 51

I OPINION

TOMAS TALES

By Erik Tomas

W

DIGGING FOR AUDIO GOLD

hen I first started working in radio in Toronto in the 1980’s coming out of Niagara, one of the things I noticed right away in the big newsroom at CFTR, now CityNews 680, was this huge audio archive of key newsworthy people and events.

This sound was stashed away on big reelto-reel tapes and was replayed with great effectiveness when the event or people re-surfaced in the news.

Over the 30 years of Raceline Radio, I have assembled and maintained a similar audio archive, and over the course of this season as we celebrate our anniversary, I will replay clips of some of our headlining stars and newsmakers.

A victim of the ridiculously rapid development of sound storage and reproduction, the medium of a majority of our archive is the audio cassette. Archaic compared to today’s digital domain, the audio cassette was the common way of recording and preserving Raceline Radio shows and guest interviews.

Over time, even stored properly, cassettes deteriorate. The thin and narrow magnetic tape inside becomes stiff and brittle and tends to stick to itself. The little reels inside don’t revolve very easily anymore and that can wreak havoc with playback speeds.

With the tape’s tendency to drag, all of a sudden we all sound like Darth Vader!

But that’s just part of the playback predicament. Just finding a good quality cassette deck or machine to play back the archive cassettes as I convert them to MP3 files to edit and air has been a massive thrash. Especially machines that have the vari-speed function I need to speed up and “un-darth-vaderize” people.

To the rescue, thank God, was ‘Stylin’ Audio Guy,’ our long-time friend from our Raceline Motorsport Television days. Colin Van Hattem and his Noizemaker Productions came through with a lovely Yamaha deck loaner that plays back my ancient cassettes just fine. Van Hattem wins our Most Valuable Player Award!

The “Gold” mentioned in the title of this edition of Tomas Tales starts with cassette No. 1: our very first show from May 7, 1992 featuring NASCAR TV pioneer Ken Squier and Canadian IndyCar hero Scott Goodyear, 52 Inside Track Motorsport News

1992 Indianapolis 500 runner-up Scott Goodyear of Toronto, ON was instrumental in helping get Raceline Radio up and running 30 years ago, participating in the show’s demo tape prior to etching his name in the history books, losing the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history to fellow Racline Radio guest Al Unser Jr. Photo Courtesy of CMHF

who was instrumental in putting Raceline Radio on the air, helping us with our demo tape. This is the show where Squier – the dean of racing announcers – paid us a tremendous compliment when he thought our racing radio show concept was “right on the nickel!”

Later that same month, Goodyear and Al Unser Jr. would give us the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. Our timing was as close to perfect as you can get.

Our guest list over 30 years is far too long to rhyme off here, but we’ve been fortunate to have the sport’s greatest people on our show and continue to do so.

From three generations of the Andretti clan: Mario, Michael and Marco, Rick Mears, Al Unser Jr. Bobby and Graham Rahal, Danny Sullivan and Helio Castroneves in

IndyCar, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip of NASCAR fame, Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Lewis Hamilton, Sir Jackie Stewart and John Surtees from Formula 1, John Force, Kenny Bernstein, Matt Hagan, Tony Schumacher and Warren Johnson from The NHRA, to Steve Kinser, Brett Hearn, Alan and Danny Johnson, Pete Bicknell and Stewart Friesen from the dirt track side, and short track legends like Junior Hanley – they’re all huge parts of our history.

Hearing our original theme music, Allan Davis’ intro and the late John Massingberd’s voice starts a flood of good and emotional memories we will share with our Network audience this season!

Let me push “play” for ya! ET

CANTON RACING PRODUCTS: KENNE BELLE SUPERCHARGER TANK

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anton Racing Products’ Kenne Belle supercharger tank for 20052010 Mustang Cobra 2.8 Supercharger kits is an upgrade from the plastic tank to a more durable and ascetically pleasing tank for your engine bay. This tank is built for durability, with 0.100” thick aluminum, TIG-welded construction. This tank features a stock Ford threaded neck that takes a stock cap of Canton Racing Products’ 81-236 Scalloped Aluminum performance cap. This tank installs into the stock kit tanks mounting location, includes inlet and outlet ports and has a 2-qt capacity.

Fore more information, visit cantonracingproducts.com.

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• Improves your engine aesthetics with a high-performance tank.

• Includes both inlet and outlet hose fittings and Canton logo.

• Two-quart capacity.

• Includes threaded neck that will take a Ford stock cap or Canton Racing Products’ 81-236 cap. IT

54 Inside Track Motorsport News

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InsideTrackNews.com 55

MARCOR AUTOMOTIVE: ITEKT WINDSHIELD PREMIUM HYDROPHOBIC NANOTECHNOLOGY PROTECTION

Y

our car is one of the biggest and most important investments in life. So why not protect your investment and provide it with the required and deserved TLC while ensuring your own safety and security? During testing, we discovered that our revolutionary iTEKT Windshield hydrophobic liquid glass protector helps to ensure water, oil and dirt will not stick to the glass while providing additional benefits for you and your vehicle: • Water repellent up to one year.

• Helps to repel dirt, snow, ice and insects.

• Twenty percent superior shatter and scratch resistance.

• Improved visibility during harsh weather conditions, • Easy, 15-minute application.

• Flawless, streak-free finish.

ITEKT windshield does not use silicone, oil, grease or other harsh chemicals. It is the most effective, durable but environmentally friendly liquid glass protection on the market today.

Mainly made of sand (silica (SiO2)) compressed at the molecular level, ITEKT uses the power of science and nanotechnology to design a unique liquid glass formulation that has been laboratory tested and proven to act as a natural shield. When applied, ITEKT’s innovative liquid glass coating fills the pores and perfectly combines with the windshield, leaving a flawless finish that is completely invisible to the naked eye and touch. After drying, this coating will generate an electric charge, which helps to repel water, dirt, frost, etc., so you can drive safely, reduce the use of washer fluid, and protect you and your family.

“My experience with the iTEKT windshield protection product has been remarkable.

From its ease of application, physics-defying results in rain and snow, to the long-term longevity and durability of the product on my vehicles; this stuff works!” said Kevin Silva, Corporate Account Manager at WeatherTech Canada.

For more information, visit marcor.ca/ product-lines/itekt-3/. IT

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56 Inside Track Motorsport News

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MOTUL CLASSIC LINE OF LUBRICANTS

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otul, founded in 1853, has introduced its new Classic Line of lubricants specifically formulated to meet the needs of established and emerging collector car markets. As with all Motul lubricants, the Classic Line is engineered for performance and trusted by the best, from motorsports to street machines and daily drivers.

All Motul Classic Line lubricants feature an additive package with high-zinc (ZDDP) and molybdenum (moly) for reduced friction and increased power. The synthetic-base oils and adapted detergent levels of each Classic Line formula are suited to the metals and gasket materials common to each era of vehicle manufacturing; and advanced additives ensure Motul Classic Line lubricants meet or exceed API standards.

The high-adhesion properties unique to the Classic Line provide for excellent cold flow properties to prevent engine wear during start-ups and to coat and protect engine internals and running gear during prolonged storage.

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10W40 to meet the needs of forced induction engines common to the decade, and Modern Classic Nineties 10W30 to meet the demands of high-revving engines with more modern valvetrains. Both Modern Classic oils are the first products to offer high ZDDP and moly for “rad” era collector cars. or the new 2100 Classic Oil 15W50, Motul revised its legendary 2100 oil to better lubricate and protect naturally aspirated and forced induction engines with flat tappet cams common to the vehicles in the 1970s and beyond.

Designed for (hot rods, muscle cars, and all classic vehicles produced after 1950, Classic Oil 20W50 uses an additive package that is fortified with high ZDDP (~1,800 ppm) and moly for improved protection for flat tappet or high-lift cams and high-performance engines with tighter tolerances and older elastomer gaskets; the medium detergent level also makes Classic Oil 20W50 an appropriate break-in oil for newly refurbished engines.

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InsideTrackNews.com 59

TWO-STROKE

ENGINES

D

espite my entire career being firmly anchored in the suspension and chassis corner of the automotive world, back in the dark ages, when I finally did graduate with an engineering degree, my dilemma was trying to decide between two completely different, unrelated paths. The first was structures engineering (no not that civil nonsense but rather aircraft, automotive and agricultural stuff), specifically in the emerging (at that time) discipline of the Finite Element method. The second, and a true passion of mine, was the mechanical design aspects of internal combustion (IC) engines, with a side order of the associated thermodynamics, and more specifically two-strokes. When I raced dirt bikes and snowmobiles in the mid-1970s and wrenched my buddy’s 125cc Honda road racing bike later that decade, it was all about two-strokes. The subject of my undergraduate thesis in 1983 was: The Design and Development of a Speed Sensitive, Variable Tuned Length, Two-Stroke Exhaust System.

I figured that it was going to have the Japanese motorcycle industry beating a path to my door (Suzuki Canada did sponsor the research). But it all faded into the background when I started racing with four wheels, and now the only time I deal with internal combustion engines is when we bolt them into the cars that Multimatic has developed. But I still have a high IC count in my life, somewhere in the region of 35 at the last audit (including chain saws and weed eaters…those being two-strokes, running castor oil to invoke the racing of my youth while trimming the weeds).

That lost passion aside, my interest was reinvigorated by a book that I recently read. Stealing Speed by Mat Oxley is touted as “the biggest spy scandal in motorsport history” but I had never really taken it seriously, once thinking it was a work of fiction (the cover art conveys that sense).

However, because it was a gift, and the cover notes were intriguing, I cracked it open on a recent Saturday lunchtime to get a feel for the story and writing style. I closed it at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning having devoured the entire thing in one go; fully proving that it was the quality of the other four books that wasn’t letting me finish them for the past months, not my ADD. Stealing Speed is ostensibly the story of the East German motorcycle rider Ernst Degner who road raced for the famous MZ brand on their legendary two-stroke bikes in the late 1950s and into the 1960s, but then escaped to the west in 1961 during the weekend of the Swedish Grand Prix. The defection was a political defeat for the GDR as Degner was leading the 125cc World Championship at the time and the commies were making a big deal out of the fact that their technology was beating the efforts of the filthy capitalists, like Sochiro Honda. But it became an even more massive disaster when it transpired that he had left with all the tuning secrets of the MZ two-stroke brain trust. His defection story and the intrigue surrounding it makes for as good a read as any cold war spy fiction, but the stuff that really had me turning the pages was the technical aspects of the tale.

As I already pointed out, I’m a dyed in the wool two-stroke guy. Why on earth would anybody want an engine that only gives power from each cylinder every other revolution of the crankshaft, completely wasting one entire round trip of the piston? As an illustration, Figures 1 and 2 compare the Pressure-Volume (PV) diagrams of four-stroke and two-stroke engines respectively. To get an understanding of a thermodynamic PV diagram check out my rather rudimentary explanation of the Otto cycle in ITMN 23.01, an article entitled Engine Woes, or watch https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=VngNTJTwtKY, a brilliant animation that

60 Inside Track Motorsport News

(Above) Stealing Speed is about East German motorcycle racer Ernst Degner, a controversial figure in the rise of the two-stroke engine in motorcycle racing.

FIGURE 2: Pressure-Volume (PV) diagram of a two-stroke engine.

FIGURE 1: Pressure-Volume (PV) diagram of a four-stroke Engine

would have taken a few pages to describe in words. Note the completely wasted horizontal lines in Figure 1, representing the exhaust and intake strokes occurring at or below atmospheric pressure; only power consumption (“negative work”) associated with that shit. The two-stroke diagram is all positive work (represented as the area within the curves) which although not quite as big as the four-stroke (less efficient) it occurs every time the crankshaft goes around once!

And why would you want to have a machine with so many moving parts: valves and their springs and retainers and associated stuff; camshafts and their drives; rockers and their adjusters; and on occasion pushrods, all just to get the air/fuel mixture in and out of the cylinder? And in addition to all the associated complexity and weight, this rotating and reciprocating mess of unnecessary components is regularly the limiting factor in achieving peak engine speed. The faster an internal combustion

engine spins the more power it makes (if it continues to produce good torque) and the limitations of the valve springs regularly cap the “redline” of a four-stroke. So, why not just get the air/fuel mixture in and out of the cylinder through some simple holes punched around the periphery of the bore (“ports”) and limit the moving parts to three: crankshaft, connecting rod and piston. Job done; all you need. Check out Figures 3 and 4 illustrating the basic mechanical configurations of single cylinder four-stroke and two-stroke engines. A fair old difference in complexity!

Of course, I’m being a bit facetious because there are numerous downsides to the two-stroke, but not as many as widely believed. Up until the 1950s they were (correctly) considered no more than a cheap and (very) dirty and smelly small displacement approach to powering a motorcycle or scooter. As a point of clarification, I refer exclusively here to gasoline powered engines as two-stroke diesels are a different animal. In the fifties massive breakthroughs were made in the secondary design features of the two-stroke that made it way less “dirty”, a fair bit more expensive and, most importantly, capable of approaching its potential of being twice as powerful as a four-stroke of equal capacity, as it should be due to making power on every stroke rather than every other. The ultimate two-stroke racing engines were realized during the 500cc era of GP motorcycle racing when they were rumoured to be making as much as 240 hp back in the early 2000s (480 hp/litre…an incredible specific power output even by today’s standards). Ultimately that “arms war” was curtailed by the introduction of MotoGP in 2002 with its 990cc four-stroke specification that was ultimately adopted to protect the riders from the savagery of the two-strokes, that formula having curtailed the careers of Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey.

So, although the conception of the two-stroke can be traced back to 1881 and a Scottish engineer by the name of Clerk, it was still considered a totally second-rate approach to transforming gasoline energy to mechanical power right up into the fifties. This was since despite its basic concept of producing a power stroke at every rotation of the crankshaft, promising higher specific power output than a four-stroke, the devil was in the details, and they took seven decades to sort out. It suffered, and still does to some extent, from poor thermal efficiency. This is a measure of how much of the energy stored in the fuel gets converted to mechanical energy at the crankshaft (gasoline contains somewhere around 9.3 kWh/litre…the equivalent of about 8kg of TNT…a wonderful way to store “safe” energy in my estimation!). Internal combustion engines, independent of how many strokes they require to get a useful one, are notoriously inefficient, with thermal efficiencies of 20 percent or less, and two-strokes are a few points behind four-strokes because of how they transfer the incoming air/fuel mixture and outgoing burnt gases.

The four-stroke does everything in a fully organized and methodical way as illustrated by Figure 5 (as used in my previous Engine Woes article), other than the actual combustion (that is just chaos in any IC engine). The piston goes down with the intake valve open to draw in the fresh stoichiometric (look it up) air/fuel mixture, it then heads up with the valves closed to compress the mixture and fires the spark plug creating a high-pressure explosion in the combustion chamber, which in turn drives the piston down on its “power stroke”. When it gets to the bottom of this important quarter of its cycle the exhaust valve opens, and the rising piston pushes all of the burned gases out to atmosphere…and then whole process then starts again. Suck/squeeze/bang/blow!

A two-stroke operates more like my personal approach to all things, go fast and do lots of stuff at the same time with less organization.

Figure 6 shows how a two-stroke (an early ‘piston port’ configuration) operates. A key novelty (the ‘enabler’ in my estimation) is the use of the back side of the piston as a pump to pull and push the air/fuel mixture into the crankcase and then onto the combustion chamber. As the piston rises it creates a vacuum in the crankcase pulling in the fresh air/ fuel mixture through an inlet port (which is opened and closed by the skirt of the piston, in this configuration). When the piston reaches the top of its stroke the spark plug fires and drives it down (same as a four-stroke).

As the combustion pressure dissipates, the top (crown) of the piston

FIGURES 3 & 4: The basic mechanical configurations of single-cylinder four-stroke and two-stroke engines.

FIGURE 5: How a four-stroke engine transfers incoming air/fuel mixture and outgoing burnt gases.

opens an exhaust port (a hole in the side of the cylinder), out of which the burnt gases escape to atmosphere. At around the same time the skirt of the piston closes the inlet port which allows the back side of the piston to start building pressure in the crankcase, which is full of air/fuel mixture.

A slight bit more downward motion and the piston crown uncovers the transfer port, which connects the crankcase with the cylinder, and the fresh air/fuel charge rushes in as the exhaust gases are still making their way out. The piston then changes direction and starts its upward exhaust/compression/intake stroke (yeah, a little bit of all of that). Once the transfer and exhaust ports are closed by the piston the air/fuel charge can be properly compressed and fired (remember the backside of the piston has again been pulling fresh mixture into the crankcase during that upward stroke).

So, all kinds of action cleverly happening at the same time. But it requires some pretty weird shit to make it all work. Like the crankcase can’t have any oil in it to be used as a fresh air/fuel pump. How do the bearings and cylinder bores stay lubricated you ask? By mixing lubricating oil in with the gasoline being the answer, which sounds like a bit of a last-ditch attempt to make the whole thing work. How does the incoming fresh mixture, from the transfer port, not flow out of the exhaust along with the escaping burnt gases? That would be the obvious next question.

Unfortunately, the answer is, some do, and before a guy named Walter Kaaden (more on him a bit later) came on the scene a whole lot of it did,

InsideTrackNews.com 61

which made the thermal efficiency total shit. And then the combination of oil in the exhaust gases and a load of unburnt air/fuel mixture escaping during the “overlap” of the transfer and exhaust ports (open at the same time) led to the “dirty” reputation (smelly and polluting). And finally, the more astute reader will ask a further question as to how can this simple little machine, with all the ports being opened and closed simply by the piston, possibly create enough charge pressure in the air/fuel mixture to result in a meaningful BMEP (brake mean effective pressure) in the cylinder. The answer is, until a guy named Walter Kaaden came on the scene it didn’t. So, the dirty little two-stroke was okay for mopeds but couldn’t be taken seriously for almost 70 years.

Back to Stealing Speed and the technical aspect of the story. Walter Kaaden was a rocket scientist…no bullshit. He was one of the clever guys working for the Nazis at Peenemünde during the second world war (side by side with Wernher Von Braun) creating what are presently being referred to in the Ukraine as lethal defensive weapons (except the German stuff wasn’t defensive). Walter worked on a nasty little machine known as the V1 which was an early variant of the cruise missile (flew a load of explosives to London, where it ran out of fuel and tried to kill my dad, who was in town at that time) as well as a wire guided version called the Hs293. But it wasn’t the ordnance that Kaaden was interested in, it was the novel pulsejet engines that drove them that occupied his time on the edge of the Baltic Sea. And it was the physics of pulsejets that ultimately led Walter to the answer of how to make a two-stroke cleaner and more powerful.

When the war ended Von Braun headed to America for a better life and the space program (as wells as a bit of work on intermediate-range ballistic delivery systems). Walter on the other hand, went home to Zschopau in what had become East Germany, under Russian control.

The Americans offered him a deal, but he just wanted to go back to his “normal” life. Zschopau had been the home of DKW, which manufactured engines for the Luftwaffe and motorcycles for the Wehrmacht during the war, but despite avoiding being bombed by the RAF the Russians soon stripped the place clean. DKW had been well known for its two-stroke motorcycles pre-war and that business slowly returned in the late 1940s along with a change of company name to IFA. When Kaaden wasn’t running the wood business that he started upon his return home he was constantly refining and riding a pre-war DKW RT3 two-stroke motorcycle. When the Russians finally shut down Walter’s business (it was a little too capitalist for their liking) he was picked-up by IFA to run their nascent racing organization. And the rest is history!!

IFA in Zschopau began their post-war motorcycle production with the RT-125 two-stroke, which had been their bestselling machine prior to the hostilities. Walter Kaaden made it into a racer by increasing its power from 4.5 bhp to a whopping 9 bhp by clever porting and the implementation of his friend’s (Daniel Zimmerman) rotary valve intake approach which overcame the deficiencies of the piston port arrangement. But it was ultimately Kaaden’s understanding that a two-stroke engine was not a pump, like a four-stroke, but rather a resonant device like a wind instrument, that really got things going. And although he is not credited with inventing the “expansion chamber” exhaust (that nod goes to DKW engineer Erich Wolf), it was Kaaden, who properly implemented it to create the IFA racers, known as MZs, which ultimately began dominating Grand Prix motorcycle racing in the late 1950s, ridden by their superstar factory rider, Ernst Degner. As the next decade began the MZ 125 two-stroke, replete with rear facing expansion chambers, rotary valves and Kaaden developed booster ports, reportedly made 25 bhp (200 horsepower per litre!) with a diminutive 400 rpm power band (those bikes required lots of gears). These bits and pieces are all the secondary design features that I made earlier reference to; they make a two-stroke work properly. No exaggeration, without an expansion chamber a twostroke would be just a smoky shitbox; so how does it operate? Truly like a resonant wind instrument, using shock waves to help the exhaust port do its job, just like a pulse jet engine in a V1 “buzz bomb”.

So finally, to the magic of the two-stroke exhaust pipe, my true focus

62 Inside Track Motorsport News

FIGURE 6: How a two-stroke engine (an early “piston port” configuration) operates.

FIGURE 7: An expansion chamber is made-up of a header pipe (1, into which the exhaust port dumps the burnt gases), a diverging (expanding) cone (2), a straight chamber (3), a converging cone (4) and a tailpipe (5).

of this article (yeah, it took some preamble) and a personal obsession of mine some forty years ago. Referencing Figure 7, an expansion chamber is made-up of a header pipe (1) (into which the exhaust port dumps the burnt gases), a diverging (expanding) cone (2), a straight chamber (3), a converging cone (4) and a tailpipe (5). It’s generally configured to get the burnt gases out to atmosphere like a normal exhaust, but more importantly its shape is used to reflect shock waves that resonate in the pipe (at the speed of sound). When the piston opens the exhaust port there is a rapid expansion of the combustion gases which sends a positive shock wave (A) off down the pipe (much faster than the exhaust gas) which when it reaches the diverging cone, a portion is reflected as a negative pulse (B). If the length from the port to the cone (L1) is properly chosen that negative shock wave arrives back at the exhaust port while it is still open and helps pull the burnt gases out of the cylinder (“scavenging”). What’s left of the original shock wave continues down the pipe and arrives at the converging cone to be reflected as a positive shock wave (C) which, again if the length (L2) is correct, helps push escaping fresh air/fuel mixture back into the cylinder just before the piston closes the exhaust port (“charging”). If that returning shock wave is sufficiently strong and accurately timed (difficult because the speed of sound changes with exhaust temperature) it can increase the charge pressure in the combustion chamber, in a similar way to a turbo or supercharger…driving BMEP and thermal efficiency up into a four-stroke range…but on every stroke!

And too the end of the story. When Degner escaped to the west, he carried with him a bag full of MZ cylinder barrels, rotary valve housings and expansion chambers, and for £10,000 he took it all to Japan and helped Suzuki jump from the very back of the grid in Grand Prix racing to a 50cc World Championship in 1962! The £10,000 was conditional on him being able to make 22 bhp with their 125cc race engine (previously struggling in the mid-teens), he famously beat that target by ten percent.

But he died a lonely and unhappy man at 51. Stealing Speed comments that the Stasi always got their man. IT

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