Inside Track Motorsport News - Volume 27, Issue 05

INSIDE: OLD TIME STOCK CAR RACERS REUNION IN HAMILTON

INSIDE

■ STOCKS: COLE BUTCHER WINS

ANOTHER OXFORD 250 ■ ROAD RACING: CTMP HOSTS LABOUR DAY SPRINTS

■ ROAD TRIP: BONNEVILLE

SPEED WEEK ■ LOOKING BACK: PHOTOGRAPHER ALLAN DE LA PLANTE

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November / December 2023 | Volume 27 | Issue 05 Photo by Blake Farnan

660 Sportsman Nationals

60 Grand Bend Motorplex plays host to this growing tour Ontario Short Track Update APC Late Model Series Steckly, Lawrence and Fitzpatrick Earn Wins........................................... 20

Qwick Wick Super Stocks Lane Zardo Wins Late-Summer Feature at Sunset................................ 22

OSCAAR Modifieds Former Champion A.J. Emms is on a Roll.................................................. 24

OSCAAR Hot Rods Tyler Hawn Scores Pair of Wins in Mid-Season Action......................... 25

Brighton Applefest Shootout Weekend Raabe Joins the Three-Time Applefest Shootout ‘Wins’ Club............ 26

Southern Ontario Sprints Westbrook Wins at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway..................... 28

Ontario Sportsman Series Redemption... The Intimidator Returns to Victory Lane...................... 29

A Round-Up of Several Ontario Touring Series....................................... 30

Northern Crate / Sprint Car Nationals Ohsweken Speedway’s Annual Fall Celebration.................................... 32

Western Stocks: Roy Ross Memorial I.M.C.A Canada’s Most Prestigious Event................................................... 33

Atlantic Stocks: O’Blenis Hits the Jackpot Pit Stop Strategy Makes the Difference..................................................... 34

Cole Butcher Wins Another Oxford 250 Nova Scotia Racer Recovers From Penalty to Win................................. 35

Stock Car Veterans Get Together Former Ontario Racers Look Forward to Monthly Meetings............. 36

FEL Motorsports Looks Ahead to 2024 More Events and Two-Race Weekends for SCC and RCC..................... 48

Road To Racing Stepping Up New Organization Aims to Support Canadian Talent.......................... 54

The Inside Line

Great Canadian Race Weekend

Greg MacPherson: NASCAR Makes News.................................................... 4

Delaware Speedway Hosts Three-Day Extravaganza........................... 10

Shifting Gears

CTMP Labour Day Sprints

James Neilson: Bad Boy Bernie........................................................................ 8

Ontario Track Home to Annual End-Of-Season Showcase................. 38

Looking Back

GP3R 2023

Dave Mathers: Allan de la Plante................................................................. 66

NASCAR Pinty’s Series Headlines Summer Classic................................ 44

Canadian Connection

Bonneville and Back

John Waldie: Late Summer Canadian Drag Racing News................... 68

Howard Cohen Documents his ‘Bucket List’ Trip to The Salt.............. 50

Dirt Trackin’

Western Canadian Drag Racing

Jonathon Howe: Mike Bowman’s Magic Month..................................... 70

2023 Season Reaches a Climax..................................................................... 62

Technically Speaking Larry Holt: Resonance...................................................................................... 84 TIME INSIDE: OLD

STOCK CAR

N RACERS REUNIO

Kenny U-Pull Victory Lane Late-Season Race Winners’ Gallery............................................................. 78

IN HAMILTON

Treyten Doubles Up!

Photos by Greg MacPherson (New NPS champ Treyten Lapcevich in action at Delaware Speedway) and Steve Traczyk (FEL SCCC champ Jack Polito on track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) INSIDE WINS COLE BUTCHER 250 ANOTHER OXFORD CTMP HOSTS SPRINTS LABOUR DAY

■ STOCKS:

■ ROAD RACING:

■ ROAD TRIP:

SpeedShop Spotlights: Turn1 Sim Racing, Racetronix, Kemp Motorsports, Purity Gas and the PRI Tradeshow....................... 71

BONNEVILLE

SPEED WEEK PHER BACK: PHOTOGRA PLANTE ALLAN DE LA

■ LOOKING

InsideTrackNews.com 3

I OPINION

THE INSIDE LINE

By Greg MacPherson

CANADA: NO NASCAR FOR YOU Kennedy, who dangled a carrot about maybe going to Canada, or Mexico, down the road.

“As we think about international venues in general, we still are bullish about finding our way either north of the border – whether that be in Montreal or Toronto or another market – or south of the Contrary to rumours, NASCAR won’t be bringing one of its National border down into Mexico. tours to Montreal, or CTMP, in 2024. Photo by Greg MacPherson / ITMN As we’ve mentioned in the past, we want to bring our rior to NASCAR releasing the schedules NASCAR Cup Series there at some point. for its three National touring series, in We think it’s important for us to get outside early October, there was much speculation of the United States with our series in some that the Cup Series would be heading to way, shape or form, so that’s something Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2024. we’re going to keep our pulse on as we think As well, many assumed that the Craftsabout 2025 and beyond.” man Truck Series would be returning to Kennedy continued, “… timing is always Ontario’s Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for critical to a lot of these venues, and we want the Labour Day event that had been so poputo make sure that the market is ready for lar prior to it being knocked off the schedule the NASCAR Cup Series, that the timing

by COVID. makes sense for the industry and the sport, Leading up to the announcement, Dale and hopefully we’ll be able to move in that Earnhardt Jr. – arguably the most popular direction at some point.” and influential personality in NASCAR – told As for the Truck Series not returning Sirius XM NASCAR Radio that he loved “the to CTMP, there’s no clear indication as to idea of going to Canada in any way, whether whether the track even wanted the race it’s Montreal or anything… to get in front of back, or not. For anyone who has attended our fans up there, across the border.” the Truck races there, the place is jammed Earnhardt, you’ll recall, played a significant to the point of being the best attended race role in the rejuvenation and return of North on the entire schedule, including the FebruWilkesboro as a NASCAR track, after sitting ary event in Daytona. dormant for more than a quarter century.

But for the past few Truck-less Labour When Dale Jr. talks… people listen.

Day races at CTMP, the headline NASCAR So, there was surprise and disappointPinty’s Series has also drawn impressive ment when a scan of the 2024 Cup, Xfinity crowds of campers and race day walk-ups, and Truck series schedules revealed that no possibly turning the considerable added Canadian venues were included. At all. expense of bringing the Truck Series into In a ZOOM press conference following the something that wasn’t necessary for the announcement, NASCAR’s Sr. VP of Stratsuccess of the weekend. egy and Innovation, Ben Kennedy, discussed The reaction of Canadian fans was mixed. the sanctioning body’s schedule news, Some were hoping to see these series and including the lack of Canadian content. their stars in action on Canadian soil. But If a Montreal Cup Series race in 2024 others asserted that the homegrown tours – was virtually a ‘done deal,’ as many close including the Pinty’s Series, FEL Motorsports to the sport had been openly discussing tours and others – are preferrable. for months, it was only briefly addressed by

P

4 Inside Track Motorsport News

NASCAR is in the business of selling races to promoters who will pay top dollar for them. And with the history of huge crowds produced by past Nationwide (now Xfinity) and Truck Series races in Montreal and at CTMP, respectively, it makes sense that NASCAR’s big three National touring series should on track in the ‘Great White North’ at some point in the future.

SPITERI STEPS DOWN Prior to the recent NASCAR Pinty’s Series finale at Delaware Speedway, Tony Spiteri announced that he had stepped down as the GM of NASCAR Canada. He’d been in the role for approximately one year. Prior to that, he was prominent in the sport for well over a decade as the face of Pinty’s, a major series supporter that ultimately became its title sponsor.

Saying that he didn’t want his news to distract from Treyten Lapcevich’s title celebration, Spiteri wasn’t in attendance at Delaware. Contacted by Inside Track, Spiteri offered the following statement regarding his resignation.

“After spending the majority of three decades in motorsports, the time comes to step away from the day to day. This last year as General Manager of NASCAR Canada has given me incredible insights into the daily operations of the business. I am grateful for all the progress we have been able to make in both the domestic and international series.

“A few weeks ago, I advised NASCAR of my decision to leave the company at the end of the 2023 season. I will always be grateful for the learnings at NASCAR. As I make my transition out of the day to day, I am excited to see all that the sport can achieve. I am confident that the NASCAR Canada team will continue to drive the business to new heights. I sincerely look forward to enjoying a race or two from the grandstands with the greatest fans in sports, in 2024.”

Speaking personally and on behalf of Inside Track, Tony was always a great supporter of Canadian motorsports and those involved in the industry. We thank him for all his efforts and wish him success in his future endeavours. IT

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6 Inside Track Motorsport News

BEMC LATE SUMMER TROPHY RACES

On September 16-17, the British Empire Motor Club (BEMC) played host to the 69th annual Late Summer Trophy Races, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, northeast of Toronto. Many classes were in action at the CASC-OR sanctioned event. In this photo, Ted Michalos (No. 23) leads the Vintage / Historic field into Corner 1. Photo by Richard Coburn / CoburnPix.com

InsideTrackNews.com 7

I OPINION

SHIFTING

GEARS

By James Neilson

BAD BOY BERNIE

W

hen Bernie Ecclestone recently wiggled his way out his latest legal battle by pleading guilty to tax evasion and paying the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) more than £653m in back taxes, the circumstances of which seemed ironic to me, given his complicated legacy in Formula 1.

In the 1970s, as owner of the Brabham team, Ecclestone witnessed firsthand the old school ways the then in power Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) ran Formula 1.

Feeling their management of the sport to be unprofessional, and holding the series back, Ecclestone established the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA), and the two sides duked it out in the early-1980s, finally reaching a truce with the first ‘Concorde Agreement,’ between organisers and the teams.

This battle proved to be very lucrative for Ecclestone, who managed to the obtain the commercial rights to Formula 1 and helped grow the sport internationally over the next several decades.

His forward thinking was the catalyst for Formula 1’s rise to international prominence, but now an old school way of doing business has cost him more than half a billion British pounds.

The crux of the case revolved around a meeting with HMRC investigators in 2015, where Ecclestone withheld declaring more than £400m held in a Singaporean trust.

Essentially, Ecclestone found himself in hot water because he answered a question regarding his international finances without actually knowing the answer, allegedly due to running his businesses with essentially handshake agreements.

I can’t help but think this type of business practice on the part of, for example FISA, would have made a younger Ecclestone’s blood boil, but here we are.

It’s a common theme among many of the people in power today, they simply outstay their welcome for far too long.

From spearheading the massive growth of Formula 1 in the 1980s, to getting cast aside by then new Formula 1 owners Liberty Media due to his resistance to the massively popular Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive,’ and his comments stating Formula 1 doesn’t need young fans since they “can’t afford” Rolex watches, Ecclestone became the dinosaur he spent his heyday fighting.

From a trailblazer who fought ‘The Man’ and won, to a guy who in 2022 said he would “take a bullet” for Vladimir Putin... ....And why was a 92-year-old still in charge of a billion-dollar company? Look around the world right now, we are paying the price for septua-, octo- and nonagenarians like Ecclestone not knowing when to quit, move on, enjoy retirement, and let new generations mould the world that they will grow old in.

Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character once said, “a man’s got to know his limitations.” That quote is especially prescient these days.

The sad part of all this is Ecclestone is a true visionary and a living legend in the motorsport world. He created the blueprint for how to take your series from the grassroots to a global, professional organization, but it’s so hard to give him his laurels when every year he says or does something that makes you go, “wait, what?” IT

8 Inside Track Motorsport News

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GREAT CANADIAN RACE WEEKEND DELAWARE SPEEDWAY HOSTS THREE-DAY EXTRAVAGANZA

By Bryce Turner he Great Canadian Race Weekend at Delaware Speedway played host to three days of championship celebrations, including finales for two of the top touring series in the country.

T

NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES The 250-lap Pinty’s Fall Brawl headlined Sunday action, on September 24, with the NASCAR Pinty’s Series concluding its 14-race season. Treyten Lapcevich entered Delaware in position to clinch the championship at the start-finish line, but still had some work to do in chasing single-season records.

“It’s a really nice feeling, knowing that we only have to start the race to win the championship,” said Lapcevich. “But at the end of the day, we want to go for the win…we’ve been able to work on the car throughout these longer events and always be there at the end. Just staying patient again, that’s the game plan.”

For defending champion Marc-Antoine Camirand, he entered the finale with more points, wins, podiums, Top-5 finishes, Top-10 finishes, and a better average finish, through 13 races, than he had in the 13 races on last year’s schedule, but was about to finish runner-up in the standings.

“I’m happy for (Lapcevich), he deserves it, he works hard,” said Camirand. “We’re not going to win the championship this year, but with the season that we had, I’m really proud of what we did.”

Kyle Steckly started on pole, with 22 Racing teammate Lapce-

10 Inside Track Motorsport News

vich joining him on the front row. Before the drop of the green flag, Andrew Ranger pulled to the pits with a flat tire, continuing a season worthy of ‘unluckiest driver of the year’ honours.

Lapcevich led 15 laps after an early caution, before Steckly took the top spot and drove away. Multiple drivers encountered issues during the green flag run, including L.P. Dumoulin making an unscheduled pit stop and Camirand becoming the race’s first retiree, with an engine issue after 41 laps.

Donald Theetge ran towards the front early, before quickly dropping back and nearly being caught by the leader; he was spared by a Lap 54 caution, for Brandon Watson slowing with a flat tire. Steckly continued to lead after a pair of restarts, in dominant fashion, before his race came to an abrupt end, with a mechanical issue on Lap 99.

Lapcevich inherited the top spot and led through the mid-race break. The incoming champion was challenged on restarts, but was able to pull away on the long run. Two of his challengers had issues with 86 to go, when Kevin Lacroix got into the back of Theetge in turn one, sending Theetge around. Lacroix was handed a stop-and-go penalty for the incident.

Both Theetge and Lacroix worked their way back through the field, while Ranger also found himself back in the mix. D.J. Kennington, who had five wins and a 2.5 average finish in 10 prior Delaware races, found himself in contention as well. But in the end, it was Lapcevich who controlled the lead en route to a record-tying seventh win of the season.

“Hated to see Kyle drop out there with the rear-end issues, I know

it was going to definitely be a battle between me and him right down to the wire,” said Lapcevich. “We started off a little bit rough, we were having a little bit of problems with the brakes and they were cold, made some good adjustments at the halfway break…to win seven races is just a big hats off to the whole crew.”

It was also a sentimental win for Lapcevich and family, following the passing of his ‘Grandma Jingles,’ Vera Kohler, on the Friday evening. Treyten described his grandma as a ‘badass,’ reminiscing on social media about the “most challenging easter egg hunt in Pennsylvania.”

Theetge, Kennington, Ranger, and Lacroix rounded out the topfive. Noah Gragson and Amber Balcaen were among drivers making one-off appearances, with Gragson finishing 10th and Balcaen 17th, with a DNF.

APC SERIES The APC Series late model tour headlined Saturday action at Delaware, with the Castrol Great Canadian 200, on September 23, representing both their championship race and the longest distance event of the season.

Shae Gemmel and Josh Stade led early, before points leader Kyle Steckly took the top spot. J.R. Fitzpatrick moved to the lead on Lap 16, with Steckly settling into second, before a caution on Lap 47.

The two leaders worked together on the restart, with Steckly taking the lead from the outside line before Fitzpatrick ultimately re-took the position.

“We both had really fast cars and we wanted to keep it clean and save our stuff,” said Steckly. “We were working together a bit on the restarts so we could get single file and get out front. He’s a great competitor, really fun to race with and he had a great car.”

The dance continued between Steckly and Fitzpatrick during a string of first half restarts, with the same result. Fitzpatrick held the top spot at the halfway break, when teams were taken down pit road to fuel their cars. Some teams then decided to come back in for an optional tire change, including championship contender Jo Lawrence.

The top of the leaderboard remained the same until a caution, with 60 to go, when the frontrunners made their tire stops, allowing those who had previously pitted to cycle ahead. Ray Morneau and Brandon Watson battled for P1 on the next few restarts, while Fitzpatrick and Steckly worked their way through the field.

With 49 to go, caution for a crash on the frontstretch. Danny Benedict and Connor Pritiko made contact in turn four, with Benedict wiggling and slowing. That started a chain-reaction wreck, which included D.J. Kennington sliding hard into the inside wall, with a fireball coming from his No. 28K. “It’s the first time I can honestly say that in racing; that I got in a wreck and I don’t know how it happened,” said Kennington. “I got in the outside wall after I tried to get around (other cars) and a big fire, looked like it was just power steering oil that went all over the headers, and had no brakes…the car’s in bad shape but I’m fine.”

After a short red flag delay, the race resumed with Morneau in front. Fitzpatrick continued his run from 15th, after the tire stop, to take the lead with 45 to go. Meanwhile, Steckly had a harder time getting through traffic and fell back behind Lawrence with 25 to go. Steckly continued to ride in fifth and sixth, staying close enough to Lawrence to secure the championship, as Fitzpatrick went on to the win.

“This car was just on rails, we’ve been great the last three weeks, but today, that thing was just unbeatable,” said Fitzpatrick. “I was nervous because the guys made the pit call on when to take tires

(Facing page) 2023 NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion Treyten Lapcevich won the race, thereby securing the championship in style, at Delaware Speedway. (Above) Kyle Steckly (22) ran a consistent pace in the APC Series finale, the night before at Delaware, to secure that series’ title.

Photos by John Larsen (facing page) and Steve Traczyk (above)

and I was like ‘man, I think we should stay out,’ but we did what they wanted and it was beneficial.”

Fitzpatrick came up short in his APC Series title defense, but was crowned the first-ever NTN Triple Crown champion, for the most points in the three extra-length races – 150-lap events at Sunset and Sauble speedways, plus the 200-lap finale. He was also fresh off of a Flamboro Speedway track championship.

“It’s been a great year; if we take one parts failure away, we would’ve had a shot at the (APC Series) championship,” said Fitzpatrick, who finished six points back. “I’m so happy for Kyle and Scott (Steckly), they’re the greatest people I know and that’s just the beginning, he’s going to win a lot more.”

Morneau, Lawrence, Jake Sheridan, and Steckly rounded out the top-five in the race.

“I was a little bit nervous, with all those cars in between us,” said Steckly. “We got back up there and, once we were in a safe spot, I just didn’t want to risk anything and we just saved our stuff and made sure nothing stupid happened…I’ve always wanted to win a championship and to win a championship in a series like the APC Series is definitely a huge deal.”

More NASCAR Pinty’s Series and APC Series championship coverage will be included in the next edition of Inside Track.

InsideTrackNews.com 11

(Clockwise from top left) Qwick Wick Super Stock Series champ Carson Nagy, OSCAAR Modified race winner Shawn Chenoweth and OSCAAR Hot Rod feature winner Tyler Hawn. Photos by Chris Culos Jr. (Nagy) and Dave Franks (Chenoweth and Hawn)

GREAT CANADIAN RACE WEEKEND

QWICK WICK SUPER STOCK SERIES

The Qwick Wick Super Stock Series concluded its season on the Friday night, September 22, where Lane Zardo entered with a slim points lead over Carson Nagy. Meanwhile, Carson’s brother Hudson Nagy joined the super stocks for a one-off appearance, in place of Coltin Everingham, who asked Nagy to run his number.

Hudson and Ryan Dyson led the field to green for 50 laps, with Hudson pulling away at the start. Carson moved up to third before passing Dyson near halfway. The race went caution-free, with Hudson recording his first series win and Carson finishing runner-up to claim his first series championship.

“I didn’t see much of (Carson), other than my spotter saying ‘he’s right behind you,’” said Hudson. “Looking back, he was catching, so he wanted it, but we just gained a huge lead off the start and we were able to keep it. Celebrating with him in victory lane was awesome, with both cars out there…all year, he’s been bugging me, telling me how much better he is than I am. So, I had to show him up a little bit these last few weeks.”

Dyson, Shawn Chenoweth, and Brad Collison rounded out the topfive, while Zardo finished eighth.

“We had a really good car,” said Carson. “Everything was going in our favour, Lane was struggling a bit, (which was) too bad, wish it was a closer battle…we’ve never been close to having one of these opportunities of racing for a championship and I’ve never really points raced before. It was something different and it means a lot.”

12 Inside Track Motorsport News

OSCAAR MODIFIEDS AND HOT RODS

The two OSCAAR series raced at Delaware on September 23. The Hot Rods were up first, where Tyler Hawn took the lead on Lap 3 of 30, leading the remainder of the way for his third straight win.

“Our car was tight and we found a few things,” said Hawn. “We ran the V8 Stock class last night to do some testing, because we had brake issues, and I had to go to McColl’s to get some parts this morning. We changed some parts before practice today and it worked out for us, the car came to us. Steve McCaw gave me a good clean run; just had a lot of fun today.”

McCaw finished runner-up in his first race since experiencing a medical emergency at the track in July. Rick Spencer-Walt, Jerry Broom, and Rob Bromley rounded out the top-five.

In the 40-lap OSCAAR Modifieds feature, it was Shawn Chenoweth who took the lead on Lap 9, holding the position through a pair of restarts to score the victory. Chris Milwain, T.J. Edwards, Ryan Dick, and Bryan Batty completed the top-five.

“Andy (Kamrath) got talking and I ended up buying the modified back off of him that I sold him a few years ago,” said Chenoweth. “I got my first run back in it. The last time I drove it, at Peterborough, I won, and I won tonight. You couldn’t ask for a nicer car to drive, that thing’s a missile and it does everything you want it to do.”

The Great Canadian Race Weekend also featured the local V8 Stock and Bone Stock divisions on the Friday, with a Bone Stock Special preceding NASCAR on the Sunday. IT

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NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES MIDWAY POINT CONCLUDES WITH ANNUAL WESTERN CANADIAN SWING

14 Inside Track Motorsport News

By Bryce Turner he midway point of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) season saw Canada’s top stock car division hold its annual Western Swing, which started with a 300-lapper on a Saturday night, July 22, at Edmonton International Raceway.

Marc-Antoine Camirand entered as the defending race winner, where his victory in 2022 helped extended the streak to five of seven seasons where the Edmonton winner went on to claim the series championship.

The driver of the No. 96 Chevy was strong out of the gate and led the entire way for the ninth flag-to-flag win in series history.

“We unloaded the car and, as soon as we hit practice, the car was crazy fast and really consistent,” said Camirand. “I got the pole; it was my first pole ever on a (paved) oval, so really proud of that. During the race, the car was so good…we have a really good setup (at Edmonton), I love those little kind of tracks, traction out is really good and our car was working really good out of the corner.”

Points leader Treyten Lapcevich spun for the first of three cautions; he recovered to finish second, while L.P. Dumoulin rounded out the podium.

The Western Swing then moved to Saskatoon’s Sutherland Automotive Speedway for a pair of mid-week 125-lap races on July 26. Continuing the battle of who can dominate better this season, Lapcevich held the lead for the entire first race to join Camirand as one of the now seven drivers with flag-to-flag wins.

“I thought, as the race went on, I was going to burn my tires off and these guys were going to be able to get up to me a little bit,” said Lapcevich. “But I think it worked out in our favour, with not too many cautions, I think that definitely helped for us and we were able to stay out front, we had a good green flag run to the end and got it done.”

Lapcevich’s victory also made it nine different winners in nine Saskatoon races, since the start of the double-header format in 2017.

Donald Theetge and Camirand completed the podium.

In the second Saskatoon event, Lapcevich led early before Alex Guenette took the top spot, on Lap 17. The driver of the Ed Hakonson Racing No. 3 Chevy stayed up front for 34 circuits before Lapcevich regained the position; the Grimsby, ON driver went on to win the caution-free race, followed by Alex Tagliani and Dumoulin.

“We kind of set ourselves up to be good on the long run,” said Lapcevich. “(Guenette) was a little better than us right out of the gate and (Theetge) was a little better than us as well, but I think after Lap 30 or 35 the car kind of came to me; just stayed patient and we were able to get them back there.”

The series then visited Trois-Rivières, QC for the prestigious Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. A recap of that race can be found in our annual GP3R coverage.

Next on the schedule were a pair of weekday dirt races at Ontario’s Ohsweken Speedway. The first 100-lap event was held on a Monday night, August 14, with Ken Schrader on pole.

The veteran Missouri driver was in a No. 22 Chevy entry out of the 22 Racing stable.

Schrader and Tagliani led early before Lapcevich took control of the race. Schrader ran a close second throughout the contest, which was split into three segments to allow guaranteed cautions to work on the cars.

Also different for Ohsweken is that caution laps didn’t count.

On Lap 79, Lapcevich got tangled with the lapped car of Mike Goudie, allowing teammate Schrader to move ahead; Lapcevich ultimately finished fourth. Schrader went on to become the first non-Canadian to win an NPS race.

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“(Lapcevich) was ahead of me all night and we did work together on restarts; he helped me by letting me have the outside and I promised him that I’d let him be leading,” said Schrader. “When he got caught up and they had their problems, I said ‘okay, it’s time to go to work.’”

Schrader, who has 763 Cup Series starts dating back to 1984, also became the oldest winner in NPS history at 68-years-old, beating the previous record held by Theetge at 51-years-old. Kevin Lacroix and D.J. Kennington rounded out the podium.

The series’ 200th race was scheduled to take place the following night, but rain postponed the milestone to August 16. The event was also Kennington’s 200th start; the two-time champion won the pole for the inaugural series race and started on the front row for this event, alongside polesitter Lapcevich, who was only 3 years old when the series debuted in 2007.

Another youngster in the field was Kyle Steckly, who was 2 years old in 2007. Steckly made his impromptu dirt debut subbing for Schrader, who had another racing commitment that day. He said that they first discussed that possibility when racing together in an APC Series event the weekend before.

“We had Kenny in one of our late models and he said ‘if it gets rained out Tuesday, you’re hopping in the car Wednesday,’ so then they’re all joking about me going home to do the rain dance,” said Steckly. “Helping Stewart (Friesen) last year, then Kenny this year, I’ve got dirt experience working on the car and being around, but I’d never got to drive anything on dirt.”

Steckly became the youngest crew chief to win an NPS race, with Schrader’s victory, and was now starting from the rear as driver, due to late changes. He says that he used the practice session to learn the track and how to drive on dirt.

“Going to the back was another crazy thing and I had a ton of fun coming from the back,” said Steckly. “Nobody was really running the bottom but I got to run the bottom there and get past everyone… (finished) a close second, which was a lot of fun and shows how strong our team was there. 22 Racing dominated the Ohsweken dirt races this year, so really proud of that.”

Lapcevich controlled the early portion of the race. On Lap 85, it was déjà-vu for the driver, who was slowed by a lapped car, allowing Steckly to move ahead. But this time around, Lapcevich was quick to take back the lead, going on to win for the sixth time this season.

“We lost the lead for a moment there, I was a little bit worried but we had a really good car,” said Lapcevich. “We were kind of able to use the lapped car again to work right back by Kyle, so luckily all that kind of worked out. The 22 Racing guys just gave me a really good car that night, I was pretty much able to stay out front and not look back.”

Andrew Ranger notched his first podium of the season, finishing third. There were also career-best finishes in the race, with Steckly’s first podium, J.P. Bergeron’s first Top-5 (fourth) and Glenn Styres’ first Top-10 (tenth).

A busy stretch for NPS continued on August 26, when the series ran on the airport road course of Circuit ICAR, north of Montreal.

Camirand started on pole and led most of the early laps, before Tagliani took the spot on Lap 20.

The winners of the previous two road/street races would battle again with 5 to go, when Camirand made contact with Tagliani in turn one, sending Tagliani around. Camirand went on to win, ahead of Alex Labbé and Tagliani, but was quick to apologize after the race.

“I pushed hard, I was a bit quicker, and on corner one, I braked a little bit deeper and I stuck my nose in,” said Camirand. “(Tagliani) gave me some room, but at the end he chopped me a little bit, so it’s

(Facing page / top) Marc-Antoine Camirand (No. 96) won at Wetaskiwin, AB’s Edmonton International Raceway to open the NPS western swing. (Facing / bottom) Points leader Treyten Lapcevich won both midweek features in Saskatoon. (This page: top to bottom) Ken Schrader’s win on Aug. 14 at Ohsweken was the first ever by a non-Canadian in Canada’s NASCAR series. Treyten Lapcevich (No. 20) returned to his winning ways, on Aug. 16. Schrader and his crew chief, Kyle Steckly, in Victory Lane following the first Ohsweken race, on Aug. 14. Photos by Perry

Nelson (Camirand and Lapcevich helmet), John Larsen (Schrader), Peter Anderson (Lapcevich No. 20 and Schrader & Lapcevich).

InsideTrackNews.com 15

NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES

kind of a 50-50 (racing deal), so I talked with him after, I apologized to him, I took the blame and he was alright.”

Camirand compared their battle to the past, when they raced go karts against each other.

“It was a pretty good battle between him and me,” said Camirand. “I do have a lot of respect for Alex, what he’s done in his racing career. I would’ve liked to pass him really clean, because the battle was so intense between the two cars; good thing that he finished third.”

The penultimate race of the season saw the series return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park; a full recap can be found in our Labour Day Sprints coverage. The season was scheduled to conclude at Delaware Speedway.

200TH RACE FOR D.J. KENNINGTON When the 100th NPS race was held in 2015, three drivers held the distinction of having competed in every event. For the 200th NPS race, only D.J. Kennington could say as much. The St. Thomas, ON driver joined the series in marking start number 200 at Ohsweken Speedway. With the event being postponed a day by rain, Kennington still had that upcoming milestone weighing on his mind.

“I never actually think about a streak or anything like that, but even the day before, I’m watching what I eat and everything else, just because I didn’t want anything to happen to miss that 200th,” said Kennington. “It’s just an accomplishment for my race team, for my family mainly, to put up with it for that long. It’s a lot of weekends away, it’s a lot of late nights in the shop.”

Kennington says that the emotions were a little bit higher when arriving at the track, thinking about those long nights and everything that he put in to get to that point. He also noted the importance of others, including primary sponsor Castrol being on board for all 200 races.

“To have the sponsorship, to have the people behind you, to be able to be at every race, it means a lot to me,” said Kennington. “I’ve met so many fans, so many people across the country… I love the sport, I love what I do, and heck, who knows, maybe we can get 200 more.”

A video was played, during the driver’s meeting, in recognition of Kennington’s milestone, something that came as a surprise to D.J., who was then asked to address the crowd.

“Like I said in my little speech there, I’m sure I’ve made a lot of people upset and I’m sure we’ve had enemies, but in the long run, when this racing thing’s over, I just want to be thought of as a good racer and a gentleman racer,” said Kennington. “Just remembered as being a good person, because that to me is the most important thing.”

Kennington ran towards the front for most of the 200th race, before needing to pit with a flat tire. He came from behind to finish fifth for his 112th career Top-5 finish. IT

16 Inside Track Motorsport News

(Top to bottom) Marc-Antoine Camirand (No. 96) won on the tarmac at ICAR, north of Montreal.

Camirand and Alex Tagliani on the post-race podium.

The Aug. 16 race at Ohsweken was the 200th in series history. D.J. Kennington (No. 17) is the only driver to have participated in every one of those races.

Photos by Paolo Pedicelli (top and middle) and Peter Anderson (Kennington)

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JUNIOR FARRELLY MOTORSPORTS

GETS TO WORK BERNE WORKWEAR PEAVEY MART WITH

AND

Racing Roots, Achievements, and the Perfect Partnership In the heart of the Ontario racing scene, where the roar of engines and the smell of burnt rubber blend with a passion for speed, Junior Farrelly and his Junior Farrelly Motorsports team have taken the circuit by storm. This year, Junior Farrelly Motorsports made a thrilling partnership debut with Berne Workwear and Peavey Mart, solidifying a connection that’s as natural as a perfectly executed pit stop.

However, the ultimate dream for Junior Farrelly Motorsports is to conquer the APC Late Model Series Championship and eventually make some starts in the NASCAR Pinty’s Canadian series. It’s a testament to his unwavering determination and commitment to pushing the limits of his partnership with Berne Workwear and Peavey Mart.

Racing Roots and Achievements

When Junior Farrelly Motorsports teamed up with Berne Workwear and Peavey Mart, it was a match made in racing heaven.

The partnership officially kicked off in March, thanks to the diligent efforts of Paul Harbour from Berne Workwear, who saw the racing enthusiast community as a key demographic for their brand. This collaboration not only brings the names of Berne and Peavey Mart to the racecar but also extends across Ontario and Canada, with a strong racing presence within a 3-hour radius at tracks in London, Hamilton, Sauble, Barrie and Peterborough.

Junior Farrelly’s journey in the world of racing began in 1989 with go-karting, and by 1996, he was already steering his way through late models, a passion he’s held onto ever since. His deep-rooted love for racing runs in the family, with his dad racing even before he was born and his sister trying her hand at go-karting. Racing isn’t just a hobby; it’s part of the Farrelly DNA. Farrelly’s impressive career has seen multiple top-five finishes in the APC United Late Model series, where the competition is fierce with 20-25 cars vying for the win. Last season, they clinched the Late Model Championship at Full Throttle Speedway, a testament to their prowess on the track. Junior has also earned accolades such as “Best Appearing Car” and “Most Sportsmanlike Driver,” highlighting not just his driving skills but also his commitment to the sport.

The Perfect Partnership

The partnership isn’t just about branding. It’s a dynamic collaboration that involves store appearances, trade shows, and extensive promotion of Berne products at Peavey Mart and on social media. Junior Farrelly Motorsports’ dedicated crew members are fully decked out in Berne Workwear, from work gloves to pants, making them walking billboards for the brand.

The partnership is still in its early stages, with both sides learning each other’s preferences and strategies to ensure a seamless fit.

Junior Farrelly Motorsports competes in the APC United Late Model series, a traveling competition featuring five tracks and nine races across Ontario. Their race cars, custom Chevrolet Impala SS, adhere to strict template body regulations, ensuring fair play. The engines are all GM factory-sealed crate motors, each delivering 450 horsepower, eliminating the need for costly customizations and leveling the playing field.

Despite the fierce competition and the full-time demands of racing, Farrelly also works at Toyota Motor Manufacturing during the day. Racing is his passion, and the Farrelly family’s roots run deep in the sport.

Building a Winning Team

Running a successful race team isn’t just about the driver; it’s about the entire crew. Junior Farrelly Motorsports typically operates with 4-5 team members who handle everything from car setup and maintenance to serving as spotters during races.

A spotter communicates with the driver via radio, providing crucial information about track conditions and competitors’ positions. It’s a team effort that requires precision, coordination, and unwavering support.

Junior’s favorite garment is a Berne hoodie.

Growing the Partnership and Brand

Paul Harbour from Berne Workwear emphasizes that their partnership with Junior Farrelly Motorsports is about more than just branding; it’s about building a community. Racing enthusiasts relate to the brand’s “Let’s get to work” ethos. They are hardworking, dedicated, and always on the move, much like Berne’s target audience.

The partnership extends beyond the racetrack, encompassing appearances at shows and events, including REV national TV coverage along with live race streaming on G-Force TV and Racing America. It’s a win-win situation, with both parties committed to providing value to each other. Berne Workwear’s high-quality products have already gained loyal supporters among racing fans, and their goal is to spread the word even further.

Peavey Mart, a relatively new brand in Canada after finalizing their rebranding from Tractor Supply Company in the spring of 2021, complements this partnership perfectly. Racing enthusiasts are already familiar with the store and its offerings, making it a natural fit for the collaboration.

Looking to the Future

For Junior Farrelly Motorsports and their partners, this journey is just beginning. They aim to explore new opportunities, improve their programs, and expand their presence in the racing world. With the racing season running from May to September, the partnership remains active throughout the year, consistently promoting and growing together.

In the world of racing, where precision and performance matter most, Junior Farrelly Motorsports, Berne Workwear, and Peavey Mart are a powerful trio, proving that collaboration, hard work, and a shared passion can lead to victory on and off the track.

The future is bright for this dynamic partnership, and race fans can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Showing off a Berne jacket and toque.

I NEWS

APC UNITED LATE MODEL SERIES

Steckly, Lawrence and Fitzpatrick Earn Wins at Sauble and Sunset Speedways

By Bryce Turner with files from Ashley McCubbin he second half of the APC Series season began with the late models visiting Sauble Speedway, on August 5. Junior Farrelly started on pole, following the re-draw, and held the top spot in the early running. On a Lap 19 restart, Kyle Steckly took the lead.

Steckly controlled the point until the final third of the 150-lap race, when Josh Stade made the pass on a restart. Stade stayed ahead for 14 laps before Steckly returned to the lead. The battle went down to the wire, where Stade stayed side-by-side on a late restart before settling into second; contact with Danny Benedict then sent him spinning, collecting others.

The race was ultimately shortened, due to track curfew, with Steckly winning; J.R. Fitzpatrick, Andrew Gresel, Chase Pinsonneault, and Shawn Chenoweth rounded out the top-five. Steckly’s first victory at Sauble

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20 Inside Track Motorsport News

made him the first driver with multiple wins this season.

“We had a really good car that night,” said Steckly. “It’s a tight little bullring, it creates some really great racing…it’s hard to pass there so it creates some aggressive racing but I think it puts on a great show for the fans.”

The Milverton, ON driver followed his win with a pair of third-place finishes, coming at Sunset and Sauble speedways. As the only driver with a top-five finish in each of the last three races, Steckly is finding momentum at the right time.

“The crew’s been great, we’ve been really consistent, which was a big struggle for us last year, in our rookie season, we were really up and down,” said Steckly. “I’m proud of our team bringing a fast car to every track we go to and a lot of solid results. We’ve been kind of starting to points race here, getting closer to the end of the year.”

The Sauble swing is a place where the championship battle comes into focus, with the track hosting two of the final four races.

Last season, a penalty against Steckly in the penultimate race helped increase the lead of eventual champion Fitzpatrick. This season, the Sauble races helped give Steckly the points advantage.

“Last year, in the second-last race, we were really close to J.R. and I ended up getting sent to the back with about 20 to go in the race and it hurt my points battle a lot,” said Steckly. “Anything could happen and every point matters for sure…a lot more comfortable this year, being in the lead instead of chasing, so we can be a bit smarter and not take as many risks.”

Steckly holds a slim five-point advantage over Jo Lawrence entering the finale at Delaware Speedway, with Jake Sheridan (-10), Fitzpatrick (-12), and Stade (-16) close behind.

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SUNSET SPEEDWAY Making the late-race pass following a restart, Jo Lawrence scored his first APC Series victory of 2023 at Sunset Speedway, on August 12.

After missing out on the pole by a mere 0.004 seconds to Josh Stade, it was clear that Lawrence had speed in the No. 78.

That showed in the event as he climbed his way forward, after starting just outside of the top-five with the invert, breaking into the top-five at the quarter mark of the event.

He kept the top-two within striking distance over the long run, making his move when the action broke out, taking over the runner-up spot with 27 to go.

It looked as though Lawrence was going to come up short on his bid for the win before the yellow flag waved for Chase Pinsonneault going around in turn four, following contact from Erik Della Riva. The restart was all Lawrence needed, taking the lead with four laps to go en route to the victory.

The finish marked heartbreak for Stade, as the polesitter led 86 laps but finished runner-up, with Kyle Steckly rounding out the podium. Jake Sheridan rebounded for fourth,

(Facing page) J.R. Fitzpatrick won the APC Late Model Series race at Sauble Speedway, on August 26. (Top) Kyle Steckly won earlier in the month at ‘The Beach.’ (Above) Jo Lawrence (78) scored a dramatic victory at Sunset on August 12. Photos by Dave Franks (Fitzpatrick and Steckly) and Steve Traczyk (Lawrence)

after not being able to post a lap in time trials due to mechanical woes. Blair Wickett finished fifth after starting on the front row.

SAUBLE SPEEDWAY Next up was a return to Sauble Speedway, on August 26. Following the handicapping system, Cory Luciano and Pinsonneault started the 100-lap feature on the front row.

Pinsonneault was able to take the lead from Luciano on the break and set sail for the first 17 laps of the race.

Fitzpatrick made some early moves before gaining the runner-up spot; on Lap 18, he was able to poke his nose out front during a restart, clearing Chase the next lap. The

defending champ started to show just how dominant his car was, as he set sail and opened up a lead of well over two seconds before the second and final caution of the night, on Lap 54.

Fitzpatrick took the outside on the restart, giving up the bottom to Shae Gemmell, while Steckly and Lawrence filled spots on the outside row as well.

When the green dropped, it was more of the same for Fitzpatrick; he would lead the remainder of the affair to become just the second multi-time winner of the season. Gemmell held off a furious charge from Steckly to claim the runner-up position, with Lawrence and Stade rounding out the top-five. IT

InsideTrackNews.com 21

I NEWS

(Above and bottom) Lane Zardo (36) survived a penalty and a chaotic race to win the August 12 Qwick Wick race at Sunset Speedway. Photos by Steve Traczyk

QWICK WICK SUPER STOCKS Lane Zardo Wins Late-Summer Feature at Sunset Speedway

By Bryce Turner with files from Ashley McCubbin he Super Stocks raced at Sunset Speedway on August 12, where the drama began on a restart with 28 laps remaining, in the 50-lap event. Gerrit Tiemersma restarted on the inside of Lane Zardo, with Shawn Chenoweth on his back bumper.

Chenoweth pushed Tiemersma hard into turn one, sending Tiemersma and Zardo up the track, with others collected.

“I don’t care about you having to get somebody back, but when you get somebody back at the front of the field, it’s a big disrespect to every other driver that’s behind you,” said Zardo. “If I’m going to go by somebody else’s math, that means everybody behind that incident, that got involved, owes the perpetrator the same move, and you can’t race like that, we can’t go after each other’s heads.”

Zardo was deemed as being involved in the wreck, sending him to the back of the field, a move that he disagrees with.

“If I’m an involved car, that means I either stopped, I spun out and did a 90-degree sideways turn, I left debris on the race track or I insinuated the incident, which I did none of the four,” said Zardo. “My door got dinged and I went up a few lanes, but I never came to a stop and there wasn’t anything I could see that would actually make me an involved car.”

The driver admitted that he needed to be

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calmed down initially, but he was then able to make some three-wide moves on his way back to the front, with the win feeling back within reach when Brandon McFerran and Carson Nagy wrecked while battling for the lead, with 6 to go; Zardo was running fourth.

Zardo took the lead on a restart with two to go, snapping a seven-race losing skid in the QWSS. The driver, who won twice at Sunset in local action this year, was quick to thank Brian MacDonald, Kenny Grubb, John Saunders and Andy Schmidt for their work on the car. While happy with the win, Zardo would like to see the success transfer to

other tracks.

“Really haven’t been able to get a win all year at Delaware, missed our shot at Peterborough…same as Flamboro,” he said. “With my grandfather’s picnic table, in memory of him, up at the beer gardens, it felt pretty cool to have a beer with them before I got out in victory lane but it didn’t quite scratch the itch because I have some more work to do at these other tracks.”

Gord Shepherd, Chenoweth, Tiemersma, and Trevor Collver rounded out the top-five.

Zardo led Nagy by a mere three points entering the finale at Delaware Speedway. IT

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I NEWS

OSCAAR Modified racer A.J. Emms enjoyed a solid mid-season run, including this August 19 victory at Sauble Speedway. Photo by Ashley McCubbin / OSCAAR

OSCAAR MODIFIEDS

Former Champion A.J. Emms Goes On a Mid-Season Hot Streak

By Bryce Turner with files from Ashley McCubbin .J. Emms is on a hot streak in the OSCAAR Modifieds, with the 2019 champion winning multiple races in a season for just the second time in his nine-year career.

The streak began at Full Throttle Motor Speedway (FTMS), in a race that was postponed a week to July 22. The 40-lap feature saw an early battle between Brad Pearsall and Dale Reinhart. The pair got side-by-side for the lead and got hooked together, opening the top side for Norman Newman. T.J. Edwards made his move at the same time, passing the trio underneath to take the lead.

After a pair of cautions, Edwards got a good restart, with Emms slipping into second. The top four drove away before a caution, with four laps remaining. The final restart saw Edwards get the advantage, crossing the line first; however, following technical inspection, the No. 34 was disqualified. Emms was credited with his eighth series victory, followed by Newman, Gary McLean, Reinhart and Brent McLean.

“We always want to finish first on the race track, that is the goal and that’s what we strive to do, but at the same time, we also understand that victories can be very hard to come by,” said Emms. “We were very competitive at the end and did show

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24 Inside Track Motorsport News

strength, we just weren’t quite in a position to make it happen on the track.”

Emms says that FTMS is a place close to his heart, as he’s raced locally there and considers it a real drivers track.

The series then visited Peterborough Speedway, on August 5. Emms started on pole and began to build his advantage, extending it to a half-track lead before the caution came out, with two laps to go. The restart saw Chad Strawn challenge for the lead, but he was unable to find a way by.

Emms scored the victory, ahead of Strawn, Jason Keen, Newman and Bryan Batty.

“With the crate engine package, momentum is very important, and having the lead, we were able to establish that momentum,” said Emms. “We did have some really strong competitors behind us, with the built engines, which do excel on a restart, so I definitely had to make sure that we were on top of our game.”

Emms says that his car historically handles really well at Peterborough and that it’s another important place to win, with the track’s history and the momentum and confidence it provides ahead of the Autumn Colours Classic.

Next up was Sauble Speedway, on August 19. Emms started on pole and, despite a mid-race yellow flag, was able to maintain the

track position throughout. He led all laps en route to his third consecutive victory, ahead of Keen, Edwards, Reinhart and Batty.

“I think racing’s a game of inches, not feet; we do have things a little bit all over the place and they accumulate to tenths on the race track,” said Emms. “I know my crew works really hard and they’re continuing to get better, as am I, so I think a lot of little things accumulated to those victories.”

The three wins came after the team decided to skip two races at Delaware Speedway, due to Emms’ work schedule and having a six-month-old son at home, making things too difficult logistically. Though it didn’t consciously change his approach, an exit from the points battle may have still had an effect on those victories.

“Growing up, I was taught that if you win every race, you win the points,” said Emms.

“I think the monkey is off our back in terms of just really getting out there and going for wins, because that’s what we want to achieve this season is to win races and I think that’s been a benefit to us, not having the points championship to necessarily worry about.”

The OSCAAR Modifieds season would conclude with three major events – the Great Canadian Weekend, Frostoberfest and the Autumn Colours Classic. IT

I NEWS

OSCAAR HOT RODS

Tyler Hawn Scores Pair of Wins in Mid-Season Series Action

By Bryce Turner with files from Ashley McCubbin he middle stretch of the OSCAAR Hot Rods season began at Full Throttle Motor Speedway, with a race that was postponed a week to July 22.

Cole Weber earned the pole position following the invert of the top-eight qualifiers. It wasn’t an opportunity he took lightly, pacing all 30 laps en route to victory lane. He did not win it easily though, as his No. 9 hot rod was challenged on a series of consecutive restarts, by a variety of competitors.

Rob Wark wound up parked on top of Travis Farrow, after contact, with eight laps to go. Sent to the back of the field, Wark avoided the two incidents that followed, on the ensuing restarts, making a couple of passes in the closing stages to score the runner-up finish. Kyle Woods, Ed Peterson, and Ryan Cowan rounded out the top-five.

Next up was Peterborough Speedway, on August 5. Starting from the eighth position, Rick Spencer-Walt took second with just 10 laps on the board. On Lap 20, caution when Bill Clarke went up in smoke, with Nick Clarke and Matt Spry tangling together as they slid in the fluid.

Spencer-Walt got a good restart on the high side, taking the lead and driving away to the victory. Tyler Hawn held on for second, followed by Rob Bromley, Steve Book, and Cowan.

On August 19, the series visited Sauble Speedway, where Hawn wasted no time working his way forward, taking the lead on Lap 7.

He did not look back from there, as he weaved through lapped traffic en route to the win.

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(Above) Tyler Hawn was a regular visitor to OSCAAR’s Hot Rod Victory Lane during the middle of the 2023 season. Photos by Steve Traczyk (above) and Rod Henderson / CanadianRacer.com

“I love Sauble Speedway, it’s one of my favourite tracks to go to,” said Hawn. “We worked really hard on the car all day, made lots of adjustments, trying out some different things. The car just kept getting better and better.”

Bromley, Book, Farrow and Matt Hopkins completed the top-five. Hawn says that his team is really big on preventative maintenance and noted the amount of time they spend in the shop.

“We put four hours a night in the car minimum, every night, even if we’re off a weekend,” said Hawn. “Our program is a lot like J.R. Fitzpatrick’s, where you see him make lots of posts about the work he does on his car, me and my crew are the exact same. We go through everything, every week, because we don’t want to show up to the race track struggling.”

Next up for the series was Brighton Speedway, the lone dirt race on the calendar and the only race that is standalone from the OSCAAR Modifieds. It was also an event postponed by nearly a month, taking place on September 9.

Hawn worked his way through the field methodically to take the lead with just four laps on the board. Pacing the final 16 laps, he pulled away to the win, parking his 1966 Pontiac Beaumont in victory lane.

“We did a little bit of chassis adjustment before we made it to the race track and it worked out all day,” said Hawn. “The car was really good. I was watching a lot of dirt racing videos, trying to see how different lines and stuff like that work, and we had a good day.”

Brandon Crumbie kept his impressive hot rod dirt podium streak going, making it three in a row, with a runner-up, as he filled in for Jeremy McLean. Connor Ellis, Book and Cowan rounded out the top-five.

Hawn missed the Brighton race last year and got dirt tires for this year, through Steve Book. He says that he showed up with essentially the same set-up as his previous race, at Sunset Speedway.

“A lot of teams, they have a neutral set-up and they go back to that set-up after every track; we don’t,” said Hawn. “We do our bolt checks and we go over the whole car every week and do our gear change and all that, then we see how the car is in practice and we just go from there.”

The Hot Rods would conclude their season with races at Delaware, Flamboro and Peterborough speedways. IT

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Cody McPherson won a pair of DIRTcar Sportsman main events during Brighton’s Applefest Weekend. Photo by Rod Henderson / CanadianRacer.com

BRIGHTON APPLEFEST SHOOTOUT WEEKEND Raabe Outduels Rudolph to Join the Three-Time 358 Modified Applefest Shootout ‘Wins’ Club With files from Brighton Speedway righton Speedway hosted its 18th annual Applefest Shootout Weekend on September 22-23. In all, more than 300 cars were in attendance during the two-day event which drew competitors from across Ontario, as well as some from Quebec and upper New York state.

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman, Late Models, Canadian Modifieds, Thunder Stocks and 4 Cylinders were all in action at the eastern Ontario dirt oval.

When the action started on the Friday night, 33 Thunder Stocks were whittled down to 25 cars for a 20-lap feature event.

Jason Fontaine led early, with Brock Gregory – who started fourth – chased him down.

On lap 18, Fountaine suffered a mechanical issue and Gregory assumed the lead. He survived a late race restart and held on to win. Tyler French, Justin Ramsay, Josh Black and Jim Lampman rounded out the top five.

The spotlighted of the Friday night card saw a field of 31 DIRTcar Sportsman take the green flag for a 35-lap feature. Jordan Cosco led the field early only to see Bobby Herrington take the top spot, on lap 12.

The two were eventually challenged by Cody McPherson. On lap 21, McPherson passed Herrington for the lead, one that he wouldn’t relinquish on route to ‘taking home the apples’ on Night One of Applefest. Herrington, William Racine, Cosco and Xavier

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Andrews were the other top-five finishers.

In other Friday Applefest action, the Mini Stock Duel on the Dirt combined feature event saw 29 competitors in the pits, with 28 of them making the starting field. Jason Tolton led the first 20 laps with Carter Rhodes and Caleb Severin challenging for the lead. Rhodes made a pass to take the lead on lap 21 and finished ahead of Severin, Tolton, Cole Abrams and Ryan Hillar.

The Northeast Late Model Alliance field saw 24 participants complete their heat races and a 10-lap Dash For Cash on Friday night. Kyle Sopaz took home the purse for the Dash, followed by Brandon Mowat and Steve Baldwin.

The Canadian Modified / UMP Dash for Cash went to Ron Wadforth ahead of Adam Turner and Doug O’Blenis.

A field of 24 DIRTcar 358 Modifieds joined the evening’s card for hot laps and a Dash for Cash. The 10 ten fastest 358s raced for the payday which saw Jonathan Ferguson take the checkered flag. Gary Lindberg and Kyle Dingwall followed him across the line.

DAY TWO Saturday was Day Two of Applefest and everyone in attendance was pleased to be greeted by sunny skies.

The first feature of the night was an annual Comp 4 / Mini Stock challenge where

the best drivers the track’s two 4-Cylinder divisions are in action. With 34 cars signing in, the drivers had to race their way into the show through heats and a B-Main to earn a spot in the 24-car starting field.

Caleb Severn started on the pole, with Friday night’s winner Carter Rhodes on the outside. Severin took the early lead, but Rhodes nabbed the spot on lap 3. Tom Bailey, who started third, moved to second on lap 8 and started to apply pressure to Rhodes, before ultimately passing him with two laps to go in the 20-lap chase. Rhodes held for second ahead of Terry McClelland, Travis Lamarche and Aiden Fletcher.

Next up, the DIRTCar Sportsman drivers took to the track for Night Two of their double header. Youngster Brennan Moore started on the pole and drove the race of his life, holding off seasoned veterans like Bobby Herrington, Gabriel Cyr and Friday night’s winner Cody McPherson.

Moore did an outstanding job but on the last lap – while being pressured hard

by McPherson – Moore slipped up just enough to give McPherson an opening on the bottom, allowing the St. Catharines racer to sweep the weekend and take his sixth career Applefest Weekend win. Moore finished second, followed by Cyr, Herrington and Shane Steams.

The Canadian Modifieds were up next. At the finish of their 25-lap feature, 2023 sea-

I NEWS closing in on Sandercock as the laps wound down, the track’s alltime Late Model feature winner leader was not to be denied as he carved through traffic en route to the win.

Lambert finished second, with Sopaz third. Rinaldi limped his damaged car to a fourthplace finish, ahead of Bradley Rayner.

The final feature of the Applefest Weekend was Duel in the Dirt 40-lap Main. The fatherand-son duo of Doug Anderson and Kyle Anderson led the field Chris Raabe (No. 01) won his third 358 Modified Applefest Shootout. Photo by Rod Henderson / CanadianRacer.com to the green.

The two battled side-by-side Alliance Great Crate Race was up next with son champion 40 Ronnie Wadforth made for four tours of the track, during the first ten 24 cars starting the Main Event, all vying for the trip to Victory Lane, after besting Leslie laps. Doug took the lead on lap 9, but was the $4,000 top prize.

Mowat and UMP driver Joe Brosseau, who quickly challenged on the high side by 2023 Nathan Rinaldi and Ryan Lambert started were second and third, respectively.

Brighton Speedway champion Justin Ramsay. on the front row with Rinaldi jumping out to Ramsay moved to the front on lap 11 and the early lead. Charlie Sandercock, the 2022 358 MODIFIED SHOOTOUT continued to hold off Doug Anderson until lap GCR champion, quickly moved from his That set the table for the main event, 15 when Jason Fontaine joined the battle for fourth starting spot, to second, by lap 4 and the 75-lap DIRTcar 358 Modified Applefest the lead. The three-way scrap lasted for 11 started to apply pressure to Rinaldi.

Shootout. With a record high event car laps, until Fontaine asserted his dominance On lap 13, while Rinaldi and Sandercock count of 33 cars in the pits, the field was on lap 26. were maneuvering through lapped traffic, a reduced to 30 starters via the time trials, The next few laps featured some threetangle in Turn 3 left Caley Weese spinning heats and B-Main. right in front of Rinaldi. The leader made con- wide action, at which point the lead trio was Jonathan Ferguson started on the pole, joined by Peter Reid, who started the race tact with Weese’s car, causing heavy body alongside 2018 Applefest winner Gary in 14th spot. With Reid stuck to the bottom damage. But because Rinaldi did not stop, Linberg. Ferguson set a torrid pace from the line, Ramsay running the middle, and Fonhe was awarded the spot back. drop of the green flag and led the first 48 On the next restart, Sandercock continued taine up top, the three-wide chase continued laps. But all the while, Chris Raabe and Eric until the last lap when the three emerged to apply pressure to Rinaldi and eventually Rudolph were making moves towards the from the final turn. took the lead on lap 17 of the 40-lap event. front.

With no contact made, Fontaine edged Two laps later, during a restart, Lambert Between Raabe (two) and Rudolph (three), our Reid and Ramsay at the line. Tyler also made his way past Rinaldi to take they have a total of five career Shootout French (started 17th) and Jeff Humphries second, leaving Sopaz and Rinaldi to battle wins. Raabe made a pass to take the lead on (started 20th) came home fourth and fifth, third until lap 23. lap 49 and Rudolph slid past Furguson two respectively. IT Although it looked like Lambert was laps later.

Through the final 25 laps, Rudolph could get to Raabe’s back bumper but could not get around the Napanee, ON native who went on to win his third career Applefest Shootout and the $5,000 winner’s cheque. With the victory, Raabe is now tied with three victories in this prestigious event.

Rudolph settled for second, ahead of Linberg who was as low as seventh during the race but fought back for a podium result.

Kyle Dingwall charged from ninth to fourth, and Ferguson rounded out the top five.

The Northeast Late Model Charlie Sandercock (No. 57) won Saturday’s Northeast Late Model Alliance Great Crate Race at Applefest.

Photo by Rod Henderson / CanadianRacer.com

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SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS Westbrook Wins at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway With files from SOS Media (SOMS), Brent Otchere (Ohsweken) and Steven Petty (Ransomville) ylan Westbrook took his fourth Southern Ontario Sprints win of the season on July 29 at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway. Despite heavy rain in the days leading up to the event, the Chatham-Kent area track surface was smooth and wide, and a large crowd filled the spacious grandstands.

Westbrook drew the pole position and led flag-to-flag for the win on a track that he says has quickly become one of his favourites.

Ryan Turner, Shone Evans, Liam Martin, and Mitch Brown rounded out the top-five.

Next up were races at Ohsweken Speedway, as part of the local 360 Sprint Cars division. Eric Gledhill and Cory Turner started on the front row to begin the 25-lap A-Main, on August 14. Turner was able to get around Gledhill and lead the first seven laps. NASCAR Truck Series regular Stewart Friesen quickly entered the top-five, after starting in 11th, while Mike Bowman swept into the lead on Lap 7.

Friesen hunted down Turner for the second spot, eventually overtaking him.

Bowman took advantage of their battle and extended his lead further, picking up the victory. Friesen, Turner, Westbrook, and Matt Farnham completed the top-five.

On August 16, Brown started on pole, alongside Nick Sheridan. Despite Sheridan’s best efforts, he only led the first seven laps before Bowman moved up from his row three starting spot to claim the lead. Friesen slotted into second, setting chase to Bow-

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(Middle) Southern Ontario Motor Speedway feature winner Dylan Westbrook.

Photo courtesy Dupuis Media Productions

man; however, Bowman opened the margin by over four seconds.

Bowman won in dominating fashion, with Friesen, Farnham, Martin, and Cory Turner rounding out the top-five.

The series then went stateside to race at Ransomville Speedway on August 18.

Martin and Westbrook were on the front row for the WNY Sprint Car Founders Night feature, honouring Dave MacLeod, where it was Westbrook taking the lead. On the third restart, Westbrook took off, as Farnham

MIKE BOWMAN ON A TEAR

By Bryce Turner ong-time dirt modified racer Mike Bowman made the transition to full-time sprint car racing this season and didn’t take long to get up to speed. Bowman won six of seven races in the Action Sprint Tour (AST) West to claim the championship.

Three of those wins came with a Glenn Styres Racing chassis.

The new partnership opened the door to 360 sprint car opportunities, which included Bowman competing in and sweeping the AST and Southern Ontario Sprints races at his home track of Ohsweken Speedway in mid-August.

“I got to the lead fairly early in both of the 360 races and just tried to hit my marks and not waste time in lap traffic,” said Bowman. “When you’re running good and you’re winning, you’re not

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grabbed second on Lap 13. Farnham would hit the turn two wall to bring out the caution on Lap 18. Brown took second on Lap 20, before Westbrook came to a stop, in turn one, to bring out the caution on Lap 23. The restart saw Brown in the lead, before Martin took the spot on Lap 26. Martin would win his first race on American soil, followed by Brown, D.J. Christie, Ryan Turner, and Kyle Phillips. Westbrook left the track with a 32-point advantage over Ryan Turner in the championship standings. IT

thinking about what’s behind you as much…I battled Nick Sheridan for the lead and that’s about the most fight we had in the two days.”

Bowman says the biggest challenge of a double-duty race night is the lead-up to feature time, but that running features back-toback is a bit of an advantage, as he’s already dialed in. He’s also found a couple of benefits in his move to sprint cars.

“I like the consequences of making contact on the race track… guys aren’t afraid to get into you or muscle you in a modified, whereas in a sprint car, you really need to go out there and run fast and clean,” said Bowman. “From a maintenance standpoint, me being a family guy with two young kids, it’s nice to have a car that we can get through and turn around in a night, even on a doubleheader.”

Bowman now sets his sights on the AST National Tour, which has four races remaining. IT

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(Above left) Tim Tolton returned to OSS Victory Lane at FTMS. (Above right) Cory McAllister and crew celebrate after his win at Sunset.

ONTARIO SPORTSMAN SERIES

Photos courtesy of OSS

Redemption... The Intimidator Returns to Victory Lane at Full Throttle Motor Speedway

By Cam Harris he steam coming from Tim Tolton’s ears following late race contact on July 29 at Peterborough Speedway was evident – following a ‘move’ and win by Brendan Patrick. And while the agony of defeat was still raw on August 12 at Full Throttle Motor Speedway (FTMS), the motivation to win was higher than ever.

Tolton had not had a lot of success, in 2023, with his Black Magic Team prior to Peterborough, as mechanical issues had plagued Tim and the team’s ‘guest’ drivers Billy Zardo and Rick Bastien.

But at Full Throttle, the No. 3 car settled for outside pole to start the race and was out front at the end of the first lap. So far, so good.

Not long after, Chad McGlynn’s championship lead evaporated as the 2021 series champ experienced smoke emanating from the No. 8 car, resulting in an extended trip to the pits.

The field behaved itself all the way to lap 45 at which point the No. 12 car of Mark Patrick went around in Turn 4. After the restart, it was Cory McAllister – the winner of the June race at FTMS – who slid by and into the lead.

Simultaneously, the battle for the top-five got interesting, as Brendan Patrick spun off the nose of Michael Hryniuk Jr. Chad McGlynn tried to limit the damage by heading

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back out on track before Michael Hryniuk Jr. went around, sustaining damage.

Sean Mangin had climbed his way back through the field, but sadly the Brimstone Games Dodge had a mechanical failure leading to another caution. McAllister, who had led for a stretch, also had to climb his way back, as after a flat tire forced him to the pits and restart from the back.

As the laps wound down, Tolton was out front while five others battled behind. Brad Robinson, Connor James, McAllister, Ollie Ferguson and Hryniuk Jr. were all in the fight.

In the end, it was the Black Magic Racing Monte Carlo pulling into Victory Lane to register Tim Tolton’s third career OSS win, and his third at Full Throttle.

SUNSET SPEEDWAY On August 26, Cory McAllister put on a dominant performance at Sunset Speedway in the 100-lap OSS feature race. The event was presented by Akal Steel, N2Y Tire & Performance, and Learn-to-Trade.com.

The Durham, ON pilot of the No. 71 took to the track and scored maximum points (106) for the evening. He won the pole and led every lap on his way to the checkered flag. The result was enough to boost him ahead of Chad McGlynn in the standings.

McGlynn struggled all night at Sunset, before finishing eighth.

Connor James, the series’ points leader, made his way up from fifth to second by the midway point. James, racing with a heavy heart in memory of his late friend Allan Lankin. He was the only competitor to finish on the lead lap, with McAllister, at the end of lap 100.

Sadly, the night ended early for Richmond, ON’s Doug Cathcart, who had mechanical troubles resulting in his first DNF in several seasons.

Another driver who had a tough night was rookie phenom Ollie Ferguson, who struggled all night with the handling on his No. 55 Tile Plus, MBRP Exhaust Camaro.

Tim Borne made his OSS debut in the familiar No. 2, piloted over the past two seasons

by Todd Sheppard. Borne struggled with speed before eventually retiring, also with mechanical issues.

After taking the win, McAllister blew the car’s gears and had a small fire, leaving him to walk to Victory Lane.

In his series return, Shawn McGlynn worked his way from seventh to finish third, battling hard with Brad Robinson for the final podium spot. Sunset track favourite Billy Zardo impressed, taking his No. 3 from ninth to third in the first half of the race, before he lost brakes and finished seventh.

Leaving Sunset, Connor James retained the points lead, by five points, heading to the next race at Sauble Speedway. IT

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(Left) Alex Cuzzilla with Tanis Maebrae after winning the inaugural OMRS Maebrae Memorial Classic on Sept. 2 at Peterborough Speedway.

(Right) Dawson Drimmie (centre) is joined by second and third place finishers Jordan Latimer (left) and Adam Cuthbertson (right) following his Aug. 26 Canadian Legend Car Series win at Peterborough . Photos by Melissa Smits / OneNine Marketing (Cuzzilla) and Jessica Blair – Follow Me Photography (Drimmie)

ONTARIO SHORT TRACK UPDATE A Round-Up of Several Ontario Touring Series ONTARIO MODIFIEDS RACING SERIES

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he Ontario Modifieds Racing Series (OMRS) raced at Peterborough Speedway on July 22. Local driver Chad Strawn, who competes in the track’s Renegade Trucks division, took the lead at the start of the 20-lap feature. The Newcastle, ON driver stayed up front en route to victory, ahead of John Baker Jr. and defending champion Alex Cuzzilla.

The OMRS then visited Flamboro Speedway, on August 5, where Baker Jr. swept a pair of races. He took the lead on Lap 7 of the first race, while coming from behind, after the invert, in race two, taking the lead at the halfway mark. Cuzzilla and Tyler Bouillon each had finishes of second and third.

Returning to Peterborough on August 12, Bob Franks led early in the OMRS event.

Cuzzilla moved up from a fifth-place starting spot to take the lead at halfway, going on to record the victory, ahead of Baker Jr. and Franks.

Next on the calendar was the Bill Pickford Memorial, which took place August 26 at Flamboro. The second annual event honoured one of the OMRS’ founders and former racer Bill Pickford. Baker Jr. took the lead on a late restart to grab the first feature win, while Bouillon went flag-to-flag in the second feature, the drivers earning a co-win for the title event.

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On September 2, the series returned to Peterborough, where Cuzzilla grabbed the win, ahead of Rick Warnes and Baker Jr. The OMRS announced before the event that the race date would become the Maebrae Memorial Classic, in honour of former competitor Robert Maebrae, who passed away last November. The OMRS season would conclude with its first-ever appearance at the Autumn Colours Classic.

CANADIAN LEGEND CAR SERIES The Canadian Legend Car Series held two recent race dates at Peterborough. On August 19, a pair of races were held, including one that was postponed by rain in early July. Jordan Latimer led early in the first feature, before Parker Traves took the lead with eight laps completed. The defending champion took the win, followed by Dawson Drimmie and Latimer.

Adam Cuthbertson and Matt Haufe led early in the second feature, before Traves took the spot on a restart. Traves went on to win, ahead of Drimmie and Matt Boyes.

On August 26, the Legends returned to the 1/3-mile oval, where Latimer led early, ahead of Traves and Drimmie. A restart, just past halfway, gave Drimmie the opportunity to move ahead, the driver grabbing his first main event win in over a year. Latimer and Cuthbertson completed the podium.

GREAT LAKES LEGENDS A stacked field of 34 cars made the trip to Sauble Speedway for the sixth race of the Great Lakes Legends season, on August 5. Parker Traves recorded the win, ahead of Jade Franklin, Jordan Latimer, Mitchel Wright and Greg Rudzik. Defending champion Kenny McNicol finished 10th. Racing was scheduled to continue at Sauble the following day, but was rained out.

The series then visited Grand Bend Speedway on August 19, where Rudzik became the second driver with multiple wins this season, joining runner-up finisher McNicol.

Joe Adams, Shawn Sliter and Austin Arnel rounded out the top-five. McNicol led Adams by 13 points in the standings, with two races remaining.

ACTION SPRINT TOUR The Action Sprint Tour started its schedule transition from the East and West divisions to the National Tour as the summer progressed.

The East Tour was rained out at Can-Am Speedway on July 21, before visiting Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 23. Mathieu Bardier and Jeffrey Weare combined to lead almost every lap, but it was Lee Ladouceur who passed Bardier on the last lap to take the win. The driver of the No. 51 continued

his dominance when the series returned to Cornwall, on August 20, winning for the fifth consecutive race.

In the West Tour, it was Mike Bowman who set the pace during races at Ohsweken Speedway on August 14 and 16. Bowman took the lead on lap four of 25 to win the Monday event, lapping up to the fourthplace car. He then used a restart to chase down the early leader on the Wednesday, pulling away to the victory. The West season concluded at Merrittville Speedway on August 26, where Bowman made it six wins in seven races.

Similar to DIRTcar in the U.S., the Action Sprint Tour regional schedule led into national competition, with the National Tour kicking off on July 22 at Brockville Ontario Speedway. Bardier moved up from a midpack starting spot to take the lead on Lap 6, holding off a late charge from Ladouceur, in lapped traffic, to grab the victory.

Next up was a return to Brockville on August 19, where Adam Turner held the top spot through a string of cautions. On Lap 21 of 25, it was Matt Billings who took the lead, going on to record his first career series win. Billings carried the momentum into Brighton Speedway, on September 2, where he climbed from a third-place starting spot to take an early lead en route to the victory.

The tour returned to Brighton the following day, where Andrew Hennessy, from nearby Picton, ON, recorded a popular victory, his first in the series. Billings held a 16-point lead over Turner in the National Tour; the drivers who dominated regional action, Ladouceur and Bowman, were third and seventh respectively.

OUTLAW MIDGETS The sixth race of the Outlaw Midgets season took place on July 29 at Sunset Speedway. NASCAR on TSN announcer Dave Bradley, running a part-time schedule, started on pole and stayed ahead through a pair of cautions, leading all 25 laps in the win. Mikey Homewood and Warren Mahoney completed the podium.

Next up was a trip to Peterborough Speedway, on August 5, where Homewood started on the pole. Homewood stayed up front for the first half of the race, before Larry Lawson took the spot. Homewood then took advantage of a caution, getting a good restart to claim his first series victory; Rob Harrison and Derek Millman rounded out the podium.

A busy stretch for the Outlaw Midgets continued at Sauble Speedway, on August

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Mike Homewood earned his first career Outlaw Midgets win, in August.

Photo by Melissa Smits / OneNine Marketing

12. Nick Spiez took the lead on the opening lap, going flag-to-flag for his first win of the season. Harrison and Fred Homewood completed the podium. Mike Bradley led the standings, with four races remaining.

ONTARIO OUTLAW SUPER LATE MODELS Following a pair of weather cancellations in July, the Ontario Outlaw Super Late Models visited Delaware Speedway on August 11. J.R. Fitzpatrick joined the field and played spoiler over series regulars, grabbing the win. The next race saw defending and multitime champion Glenn Watson visit victory lane, on September 2 at Sauble Speedway.

Watson has two wins in the last three races, following a slow start to the season, with a new car. Fitzpatrick’s points went to early season winner Dario Caprichio, whose ride he borrowed. Watson and Caprichio led the title battle, with two races remaining.

CAN-AM TQ MIDGETS The Can-Am TQ Midgets made their only stop at Grand Bend Speedway on July 22, where James Stanley got the lead from polesitter David Miller after the second restart to claim his second straight victory.

The series then visited Sauble Speedway, on August 5, where Junior Farrelly started on the pole and led early; Farrelly had a busy weekend, also competing in APC

Series and Legend Cars. Dominique Smith took the top spot after a restart, before being passed by Daniel Hawn on Lap 18, with Hawn going on to record the victory.

Following a rain out the next day, at Sauble, the TQ Midgets travelled to Sunset Speedway on August 19. Hawn took the lead after the fourth caution, winning at his home track. Hawn’s hot streak continued at Flamboro Speedway, on August 26, where he took the lead early en route to his third straight victory; it was also his fourth win in the last six races. Hawn led Cory Whittam by 14 points entering the finale at Flamboro.

ONTARIO PRO CHALLENGE July and August saw three race nights for the Ontario Pro Challenge. Tim Norris and son Mike Norris split wins on Night 6, at Full Throttle Motor Speedway, where a runner-up result for Travis Majuery saw Tim handed his first finish outside the top-two this season.

Nights 7 and 8 saw the series at Flamboro Speedway, where Tim and Mike split victories on August 12 before Mike and sister Emma Norris took the wins on August 26. IT

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(Left) Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Ryan Turner were the big winners at the Sept. 15 Northern Crate Nationals. (Right) Mike Bowman (middle) won the Northern Sprint Car Nationals on Sept. 16. Hafertepe Jr. (right) and Liam Martin (left) were second and third, respectively. Photos by Peter Anderson

NORTHERN CRATE / SPRINT CAR NATIONALS Mike Bowman Shines at Ohsweken Speedway’s Annual Fall Celebration

By Brent Otchere he second annual Northern Crate Nationals took place at Ohsweken Speedway on September 15, where the 30-lap A-Main featured Mack DeMan and Mike Bowman on the front row for the Action Sprint Tour event.

DeMan set the pace and quickly encountered traffic by Lap 5. Bowman was close behind and applying pressure, finally making the pass in heavy traffic after 18 laps. Johnny Miller ran a steady pace in the low groove and overtook DeMan for second, with only six laps remaining.

Bowman held a steady line through the constant traffic, enjoying a six-second advantage over Miller in the closing laps. With no one else to contend with, Bowman sailed across the finish line, picking up the victory and $5,000 grand prize. The win makes Bowman a two-time champion of the Northern Crate Nationals; he’s the only driver to win the prestigious event. Miller, DeMan, Brett Stratford, and Matt Billings rounded out the top-five.

For the 360 Sprint Cars, a pair of guaranteed starting spots in the Northern Sprint Car Nationals were available to the winners of the NSCN Twin 15’s. Sam Hafertepe Jr. started on pole for the first main and rocketed out in front; it was the Hafertepe show the rest of the way, as he drove a flawless race through traffic, crossing the finish line with a 4.4-second advantage over second place Darren Dryden.

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Ryan Turner and Nick Sheridan brought the field to green for the second Twin 15.

Turner set a blisteringly fast pace during the opening laps, quickly asserting himself as the driver to beat.

Sheridan smelled a chance at the lead, as Turner picked his way through traffic; he began to close the gap, but time ran out, as Turner picked up the win.

Dave Bailey and Ryan Beagle made contact during a green-white-checkered finish in the 20-lap Thunder Stock A-Main, with Bailey taking the win, ahead of Kyle Wert, as Beagle dropped to fifth. Kyle Rothwell cruised to victory in the 15-lap Mini Stock A-Main, ahead of Fabio Olivieri.

NIGHT TWO The 19th running of the Northern Sprint Car Nationals took place at Ohsweken on September 16, with the highest payday in track history up for grabs. Hafertepe started on pole for the 35-lap A-Main.

A red flag was thrown before the first lap was completed, due to Jason Barney flipping on the backstretch; Barney climbed out unharmed. Jordan Poirier made a bold move to take the lead after a complete restart, while Bowman and Hafertepe battled for second.

Poirier encountered traffic by Lap 5, which slowed him down and allowed Hafertepe to claim the lead.

Sheridan brought out the second stoppage of the race, as he came to a halt with significant damage, after bouncing off the

frontstretch wall. Hafertepe restarted well, but Bowman was close behind and found a new line that was much faster, overtaking Hafertepe a few laps later.

There was no stopping Bowman once he took the position; he led the final 15 circuits to pick up the Northern Sprint Car Nationals win – and the $30,000 grand prize – in his first outing in this prestigious event.

Hafertepe, Liam Martin, Dylan Westbrook, and Poirier completed the top-five.

In the Action Sprint Tour, Tom Pellezari and Steve Murdock brought the field to green for the 25-lap Crate Sprint Car A-Main. Murdock enjoyed a healthy lead in the opening laps, before a caution for an incident between John Verney and Pellezari.

Murdock held off Billings for two laps after the restart, before Billings assumed the lead. Bowman started 15th and could be found charging through the field, eventually battling Murdock for second. Billings was out of reach for Bowman, with only two laps left and victory in sight, before Cameron Thomson made hard contact with the frontstretch wall to bring out the yellow flag.

The caution gave Bowman the chance he needed, with a green-white-checkered finish, but Billings was not to be denied; he defended against Bowman brilliantly, by driving a very fast and defensive line, which choked off any advances by Bowman. Billings secured the victory, while Bowman settled for second. Murdock, Mack DeMan, and Andrew Hennessy rounded out the top-five. IT

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WESTERN STOCKS: ROY ROSS MEMORIAL 47 Mike Clarke Wins I.M.C.A. Canada’s Most Prestigious Event For a Third Time Story by Robert K. Rooney or many years, I.M.C.A. Canada has had more licensed drivers competing in more sanctioned events than any other oval track organization in Western Canada. For 27 of those years, the most prestigious trophy available to an I.M.C.A. Modified competitor has been the one awarded to the winner of the Roy Ross Memorial 47.

Roy Ross was killed in a crash at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary. To honour his memory, his family and I.M.C.A. Canada created a race that, for the better part of three decades, has attracted the top pavement Modified teams to race in Ross’s memory.

Part of that memory is remembering and sharing the passion and joy that racing gave Roy Ross. The feature race is 47 laps because that was the number that the Roy Ross race cars wore.

This year Mike Clark of Grande Prairie put his name on the impressive Roy Ross Memorial trophy for the third time, winning the August 19 race at Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin.

Once just a very special date on the I.M.C.A. calendar, the Roy Ross race is now the culminating event of the Annugas Goldbrick 447 Championship – essentially a mini-series. Each of the three I.M.C.A.-sanctioned paved tracks holds one qualifying race.

The first was at Medicine Hat Speedway on May 27 and, despite being a long way from home, Clark was the big points earner at the end of the night. His home track – Hythe Motor Speedway – was the site for race two and Clark acquitted himself pretty well there, too, although Keaton Pylypiuk, also of Grande Prairie was the overall winner. With two strong races to his credit, Clark didn’t have to work his No. 92 too hard in the EIR edition of the Goldbrick 447 held immediately prior to the Roy Ross 47. It was just as well, as the car was off the pace and Pylypiuk won again, leading flag to flag.

Ultimately, when everyone’s best two results were calculated and their worst thrown out, and his crew made adjustments to the car, Clark would start the big race on the pole. He was flanked by Justin McTavish – also a former Roy Ross 47 winner. At the green, Clark made no mistakes and took the lead with McTavish and 2012 winner Jamie Krzysik right behind. On lap 5, Krzysik got

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(Middle) 2023 Roy Ross Memorial winner Mike Clark. Photo Courtesy EIR

past McTavish and was running a strong second when his car broke on lap 17, putting McTavish back into the runnerup spot, from where he pressured the leader for the rest of the race.

Justin`s father, Barry McTavish, who won one of the early Roy Ross races in 1997, started seventh and had his No. 23 as high as fourth at the halfway point.

Unfortunately, Barry was caught up in a crash on lap 31 that also eliminated Jason Bujold and Tyler Knowles.

At the finish, Clark took the chequers a mere couple of tenths ahead of McTavish’s No. 14. Pylypiuk marched forward from fifth at the start to finish third with Tyler Knowles all the way up from row seven at the start to take fourth. Chase Guidolin was fifth.

CANADA 200 Although Western Speedway on Vancouver Island is no more, one of the track’s biggest races lives on. On September 2, a fine field of Late Models assembled at Saratoga Speedway, located between Courtenay and Campbell River, to keep the Reg Midgley Canada 200 tradition alive.

The 2023 version of the race was solidly in line with that tradition as the podium was occupied by the last three winners of the Western Speedway Canada 200. Rory

Smith, winner in 2021 and 2018, took the win. Korbin Thomas, who earned his fourth 200 trophy last year, was runnerup and 2020 winner Brandon Carlson was third.

Thomas timed-in quickest of the 21 entrants, just ahead of former Western Speedway GM Daryl Crocker. The two would start from row four while three-time winner Dave Hemrich and Kyle Cottam were up front at the green. Unfortunately for Hemrich, right from the start his orange No. 33 showed no interest in staying on the bottom and Cottam had his No. 4 in the lead immediately. Smith took over before lap 20, but only lasted a couple of dozen laps before being tagged and turned. He had to restart his No. 16 all the way back in ninth. Thomas, too, had his troubles. At one time the black No. 5 was as far back as 11th, but before the halfway point he was back challenging Cottam for the lead.

Smith was on his way back, too, and seized the lead just after lap 100. He would not cede control again. Cottam fought Thomas for second but then fell back through the field to finish sixth. Although Carlson also had his troubles in the first half, he battled back, got to second and was just overtaken in the last few laps. Mike Haslem finished fourth behind Smith, Thomas and Carlson with Kirt Rompain fifth. IT

InsideTrackNews.com 33

I NEWS

Dave O’Blenis and crew celebrate an almost $19,000 payday in the Pro Stock 250 at Speedway 660.

Photo courtesy Mike Francis

ATLANTIC STOCKS: O’BLENIS HITS JACKPOT Pit Stop Strategy Makes the Difference at Speedway 660’s Big Money Labour Day Special

By Denver Matchett n Sept. 3, New Brunswick’s Speedway 660 played host to one of the greatest runnings of the track’s legendary Pro Stock 250. The race culminated with the one of the most successful drivers in the facility’s history stealing a dramatic win in the closing laps.

Dave O’Blenis used a restart with three laps to go to muscle his way around Ryan Messer for the victory. Messer held off defending race winner Ashton Tucker in a photo finish for the second spot. Dustin Tucker and Robbie MacEwen had stellar performances to round out the top five.

A capacity crowd was on hand to witness the thrilling victory. O’Blenis waited until the last possible moment to stop for his tires, pitting from the lead during a lap 212 caution. Messer had shown the way for the entire first half, with MacEwen in tow.

MacEwen would be one of the first drivers to

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pit, doing so just before the halfway break.

Messer stayed out and fended off a challenge from Dustin Tucker for the Modern Electric Halfway Bonus, before pitting during a lap 140 yellow for his tires. It was at this point that O’Blenis assumed the lead for the first time all race.

O’BLENIS STAYED OUT After making several early pit stops, Ashton Tucker worked into the top three and showed himself to be a contender, and he pitted around lap 170 for his fresh rubber.

But as everyone else pitted, the O’Blenis team held steady at the front.

Following a lap 212 caution – during which O’Blenis finally pitted for new tires – Messer and Tucker were out front and continued to wage a war for the win, with Tucker showing the way. All the while, O’Blenis was battling his way through

EAST COAST INTERNATIONAL PRO STOCK TOUR: PROUDE WINS MODERN PUMPS & METALS 150

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n Sept. 9 at Antigonish, NS’s Riverside International Speedway, Springvale, PEI racer Greg Proude returned to the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour in style, picking up the victory in the Modern Pumps & Metals 150.

Proude took the lead on lap 96 but had to hold off many hard charging competitors for the win. Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS) was door-to-door with Proude coming off the final turn but had to settle for second.

34 Inside Track Motorsport News

traffic, to get back up front.

Another yellow on lap 235 was just what O’Blenis needed. Restarting third, he got around Tucker on the restart as Messer vaulted back out front. Initially, it looked like Messer would still hang on, but one final restart with three laps to go set up the restart of a lifetime, which O’Blenis used to secure the win.

Leading a total of 75 laps during the 250-lap chase, O’Blenis scored a winner’s cheque for $18,750. Messer earned a solid payday, having led 153 laps (including the halfway bonus), while Ashton Tucker secured some lap money, leading 22 laps.

MacEwen, Messer, and Cory Hall claimed heat race victories, earlier in the day. Canadian NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star Stewart Friesen had an impressive result in the works, running near the top-five, but a broken axle cut his race short. IT

Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS) kept his cool, despite his helmet blower shutting down during the race, to finish third. Jarrett Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) had another solid showing with a fourth-place finish. Chris Reid (Fort McMurray, AB) led the most laps on the day en route to a fifth-place finish.

Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake, NS) and Naugle won their heat races, while Proude won the Kenny U-Pull Hard Charger Award.

Canadian racing legend Gary Elliott (Truro, NS) was the Fast Eddie Racewear Lucky Dog, while Danny Chisholm (Port Williams, NS) was the top rookie finisher in the race. IT

For the second year in a row, Nova Scotia’s Cole Butcher has won the prestigious Oxford 250.

Photo by 3 Wide Media Productions

COLE BUTCHER WINS ANOTHER OXFORD 250 Recovers From Penalty and Being Sent to the Back Earlier in the Race

By Luke Trottier ole Butcher has transcended the label of ‘Rising Star’ and has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Super Late Model universe. The Nova Scotia native recently set his sights on the 50th Oxford 250, a race steeped in heritage and competitive spirit.

Coming from a racing family, Butcher’s climb in the racing world has been nothing short of remarkable. And he has an impressive list of role models.

“My dad was probably my biggest inspiration,” said Cole, after winning the Oxford 250 for the second year in a row. “He’s a hard worker; he used to race before I was born, and loves the sport. Then you have Kyle Busch, Junior Hanley, Scott Fraser, Jim Hallahan.”

Asked if he envisioned achieving so much success, as a racer, Cole replied, “Oh no, not at all. We just did this for fun… and it’s still for fun. But we’re very, very serious about what we do. We’re involved and we race all over North America.

“It started with the family, and we kept getting better, and it grew from there. Around 2016, I never thought I would be racing all over the States or winning the Oxford 250.

There’s the dream of maybe someday going to NASCAR, maybe not, I don’t know. It is what it is, I’m kind of old right now, so if we get there, we get there. If we don’t, we don’t.”

Racing under Donnie Wilson Motorsports,

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Butcher underwent a change of equipment that appeared to many to be seamless, but it didn’t come without its challenges.

Butcher continued, “Transitioning from a Pro Late Model to a Super Late Model took me a number of races, probably a year or so. The horsepower is such a big difference.

About 2-300 horsepower difference, so just managing your tires, your throttle, everything, that was probably the biggest challenge.”

The Nova Scotian has consistently finished strong in big money races like Florida’s Snowball Derby and events on the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series. Notably, he also holds second place (as of September) in the National ASA Tour points standings, trailing only Ty Majeski, a NASCAR Truck Series standout.

STELLAR IN PASS ACTION In the PASS series, Butcher’s performances for his No. 53 family-owned Butcher Racing team have been stellar. Since his return in 2022, he’s earned multiple wins, including back-to-back championships in the Oxford 250, making him the first Canadian to accomplish this feat.

The 50th running of the Oxford 250, on August 27, was a roller-coaster for Butcher.

Starting near the rear, he showcased his talent and aggressive driving to win the second heat race, thereby securing a front-row start in the main event.

Seven laps into the 250, a collision with Jimmy Renfrew Jr. resulted in a penalty that

sent Cole to the back of the pack. However, a strategic tire change and an excellent pit stop saw him re-enter the top-10, later in the race.

“I just knew I made a mistake. Going to the back was not the ideal situation, being that early in the race, and with there being so much ‘lap leader’ money on the table.

“Going to the back definitely wasn’t a good thing,” Butcher continued. “I was nervous for multiple reasons: getting wrecked, or any incident that was out of my control. Luckily enough, we were able to come away with the victory. Luck was definitely on our side.”

The racer credits his pit crew for playing a big part of getting him back into contention.

“Having a great pit crew that got us out of the pits – we probably gained five or six positions on the last pit stop. That was probably one of the biggest reasons we were able to win.”

Over the final 70 laps, Butcher’s car dominated the field. He took the lead with 30 laps remaining and finished almost two seconds ahead of his closest rivals, Joey Doiron and D.J. Shaw.

This victory was a culmination of teamwork and individual skill. Despite some mechanical setbacks, including clutch issues and an engine change pre-race, the team demonstrated that racing is not just about individual prowess but a collective effort. The win stands as a testament to what can be achieved when skill, strategy, and teamwork align perfectly. IT

InsideTrackNews.com 35

I NEWS

Above: Photos from the May get together at Randy Slack’s race garage. Below: Racing on the dirt at Ancaster Fairgrounds, in the ‘50s.

Photos by Bill Mehlenbacher (above) and from Tim Miller (below)

STOCK CAR VETERANS GET TOGETHER Former Ontario Racers Look Forward to Monthly Meetings

By Tim Miller his past February, a group of individuals – most of whom were senior men – gathered in Hamilton, Ontario for this first time in three years. And most of them were beside themselves with excitement.

Every month, a few dozen former oval track racers meet up in the dining room of the Hamilton Police Association building for a bite and to talk about old time racing. The February meeting was special as it was the first one in three years, due to the pandemic.

And they were ready to play catch-up.

These men, mostly in their 70s and 80s, plied the dirt and asphalt ovals around Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula. Most of them drove at the long-gone Speedway Park on Hamilton Mountain, including Lorne Overholster and Larry Woods, who have organized this monthly event for several years. Overholster also manages a Facebook page about the history of local racing with a wealth of photos.

First on the agenda for this first meeting of 2023 was a tribute to drivers who passed since the last time they met. Then it was on to bacon and eggs and swapping photos and telling tales about driving their late 1930s Chevy coupes on the dirt.

But Al Banyard goes back even further, and talked about his exploits with a Flathead-powered Ford coupe (almost all race cars were Fords) on the Ancaster Fair-

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36 Inside Track Motorsport News

grounds in the early 1950s. Wayne Ready, a regular at Speedway Park, dug out a feature article on his racing from an International Harvester house publication, dated 1965.

Other photos passed around included a great shot of the late Eric Brandt with his 1937 Ford Coupe at his Locke Street garage in Hamilton. Other racers present, such as Don Deagle, Jack Hollis and Bill Daniels, spoke about the racing, certainly, but beating up each other and their cars on the track was only part of the talk. The drivers chatted about about how the cars progressed in

technology over the decades, flat-towing to the tracks, and how paltry the payouts were.

The get-togethers have returned to monthly events, (last May’s was special as the meeting was held at Randy Slack’s race garage and graciously catered by the Slacks) and all the racing veterans look forward to the Wednesday meetings. This is a big social event for them, and while they may scoff at the suggestion, their meetings at the Police club are a part of the sport’s history.

But they’ll tell you they were just out there having fun. IT

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CTMP LABOUR DAY

SPRINTS

By Bryce Turner he NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) and two FEL Motorsports season finales headlined the Labour Day Sprints at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), the last of five major events on the track’s 2023 calendar.

L.P. Dumoulin started on pole for the 51-lap NPS event, on September 3, with Marc-Antoine Camirand joining him on the front row.

Despite having a better statistical season, in most categories, over his 2022 championship campaign, Camirand entered CTMP needing a strong performance to stay in the title hunt.

Camirand took the lead on the opening lap, while Dumoulin kept the margin close. On Lap 11, Dumoulin took the top spot. The various pit strategies synonymous with CTMP soon began, with Alex Tagliani and Andrew Ranger among the early takers, a couple of laps before Camirand and D.J. Kennington.

Dumoulin and Kevin Lacroix both pitted on Lap 16, allowing points leader Treyten Lapcevich to take the lead and a bonus point that came with it. Two circuits later, Lapcevich pitted, with Alex Labbé inheriting the lead. Labbé looked to be staying out as long as he could, after losing spots early.

On Lap 32, caution for Dexter Stacey’s car stalled just off track.

Labbé and Larry Jackson pitted under caution, giving Ranger the lead for a restart with 14 to go.

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38 Inside Track Motorsport News

ONTARIO TRACK HOSTS ANNUAL END-OF-SEASON SHOWCASE

One lap after the restart, Tagliani took the top spot.

Ranger’s horrible luck then continued, as his motor blew entering turn ten, creating a fireball in the back of his #27 Chevy and sending him spinning. Gary Klutt and Wallace Stacey received heavy damage in the chain reaction, with a line of oil left on the track. Ranger now has a 13.8 average finish, with four DNFs and eight finishes off the lead lap, in 2023.

After a short red flag delay, the race restarted with 8 to go.

Tagliani led the field to green before Lacroix took the lead. Dumoulin gained spots behind him, moving into second with 4 to go. Dumoulin made a late charge, going side-by-side through turns eight and nine on the last lap, but Lacroix held on to win by 0.117 seconds.

“We’ve all seen what happens here, I’ve been in the (opposite position) a few times, so I could prepare myself to be the victim,” said Lacroix. “Thinking about moves like this, because it’s always something that happens, getting moved around in the last corner, so I gave him the chance to come side-by-side so he’s not behind me.”

The victory snapped a 14-race winless skid for Lacroix, which included DNFs in the last two road/street races. In creative fashion, Lacroix celebrated by doing a dance on the track, where he got to the ground and circled the checkered flag.

“It was a new way of doing donuts when you have traction control,” said Lacroix. “It happened when (Camirand) won at Chaudière, I

Kevin Lacroix (opposite page) won the NASCAR Pinty’s Series feature at CTMP’s Labour Day Sprints, and was joined in victory lane by the FEL’s Jack Polito (left, in GT4) and Dean Baker (above, in TCR).

Photos by Ed Gatner (Lacroix and Polito) and Neena Channan (Baker)

made a joke about it but it got a little bit serious…I couldn’t do any donuts so I did the Homer Simpson donuts kind of thing.”

Dumoulin’s runner-up finish extended his winless streak to 31 races, dating back to CTMP in 2021.

“We all want to win but I want to win the proper way,” said Dumoulin. “In the last corner, it would’ve been super easy to just drive into him and get the win, but that’s not the way we are.”

Camirand completed the podium, while Lapcevich finished sixth.

Lapcevich is in position to clinch the championship by starting the finale at Delaware Speedway.

SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP CANADA (SCCC) The SCCC presented by Michelin concluded its season with three races at CTMP. Jack Polito started on pole in the GT4 class, leading flag-to-flag for the GT4 and overall win in race one, on September 2.

In the TCR class, Dean Baker started on pole, two spots ahead of Justin Di Benedetto. Di Benedetto entered the weekend with a mathematical chance at the championship, following a GP3R weekend where he won two of three races.

Di Benedetto kept it close in the early laps before a mechanical issue sidelined him on Lap 10. Meanwhile, Richard Boake lost a couple spots at the start of the 40-minute timed race; he recorded the fastest lap while moving from seventh to third, passing Baker on Lap 25 for the TCR win.

The second race saw a similar script for the GT4 class, where Polito went flag-to-flag for the win. In TCR, Baker and Di Benedetto traded the lead early, with Baker taking the position for good on Lap 14. Di Benedetto and Boake rounded out the class podium, with Boake coming from 17th on an early restart to finish fourth overall.

“We went to roll off, out of the pits, but it wouldn’t go into gear, so we scrambled…left the pits, caught back up, started from the back and just started picking them off,” said Boake. “We needed three more laps and we probably could have won it.”

In the weekend finale, on September 3, Polito led all laps for the win, while the caution flag was another dominant factor. On Lap 8, Boake and Di Benedetto made contact while battling for second in class, sending Di Benedetto into the tire wall in turn eight. The race

briefly went back to green before Quinn Attrell got into the turn one tires, the race ending under caution.

In the GT4 class, Polito won the championship, with nine victories in 12 races.

“No words to be spoken, it’s a really good feeling,” said Polito. “I just had such an amazing team, with such an amazing ride…I had the best of the best and I really am appreciative of that. I just can’t thank anyone enough; it’s been such an honour to get to race this series and drive this car.”

Baker won the TCR championship, with all four of his class wins coming at his home track. He said that his Baker Racing team is a small group that puts in a lot of effort, with this title coming as a surprise.

“When we started the season, our goal was to get on the podium, and on the first weekend we had two first places and a third place, so we started to realize right away that we actually had pace and we had a good group around us,” said Baker. “If you had asked me in May if we were going to be here right now, having this conversation, I would’ve laughed in your face.”

Trevor Hill won all three races in the TCA class, which was new for this season. He also took home the championship.

“It’s good with this new class, I’m happy for our team, we were able to come out in front with the Honda, hopefully this just keeps growing for next year,” said Hill. “We thought (TCA) was a great place to get more young people into it…we bought two cars to enter to help fuel it. I just think another entry level below TCR is what we need.”

EMZONE RADICAL CUP CANADA (RCC) The RCC presented by Michelin also had three races to conclude the year. The first two races were held on September 2 and saw Kenny Riedmann pass points leader Jake Cowden for the win; both passes came within the final 11 laps of the timed races.

“The first race, I got lucky and (Cowden) did go a little wide in a corner and I was able to make the pass,” said Riedmann. “(Second) race, he wasn’t making any mistakes, so I knew I had to make a forceful move and I did it into (turn) 5b, which is kind of my favourite passing spot from back when I was racing Superbikes.”

InsideTrackNews.com 39

CTMP LABOUR DAY

SPRINTS

The victories were Riedmann’s first in a car, with this being his second season in the RCC. “I’ve got a total of nine weekends in a car right now,” said Riedmann. “Track knowledge helped a lot from the bike to the car, I’ve raced at all these tracks on the bikes before, but the amount of corner speed that these things carry is the biggest difference, that’s been the hardest thing to get used to.”

In the finale, on September 3, Riedmann led for nearly the entire race before Cowden made a last-lap pass to win by 0.475 seconds.

Riedmann said that it was the most fun he’s ever had in a car during a race, while Cowden noted that it was his favourite battle this season. For Cowden, he also won the championship, with seven wins in 12 races.

“It feels amazing,” said Cowden, noting the competition and comradery as things that stand out from this season. “I have so many people who helped me get here and I can’t thank them enough… everyone in the Radical series is awesome, it’s friendly, it’s fun and there’s some great racing.”

TOYO TIRES F1600 CHAMPIONSHIP Logan Pacza continued his hold on F1600, winning two of three races at CTMP. Despite there being one weekend left on the schedule, he was able to clinch the series title. The different feeling between race wins and championship is something that stood out to him.

“You’re not really thinking about the progression of the race as you go through it, you have to be very in the moment because there’s so many things to pay attention to,” said Pacza. “With this, it’s been building up for a long-long time, so the revelation of the fact that it happened isn’t as strong as a race might be, but it’s definitely a satisfying accomplishment.”

40 Inside Track Motorsport News

(Above) Logan Pacza won two of the three F1600 events at the Labour Day Sprints. (Inset) The Nissan Sentra Cup was also in action at CTMP. Photos by Ed Gatner (main) and Neena Channan (inset)

Pacza finished runner-up in the second race, which ended under caution, with Callum Baxter leading. Pacza and Baxter are teammates at Britain West Motorsport; Pacza said that they strategically swapped the lead under green on Lap 6, leap frogging each other to build a gap on the field. Running for a team of Britain West’s calibre also stands out to him.

“I don’t know what state I’d be in now if I wasn’t in that sort of environment,” said Pacza. “I have a teammate that can push me to my absolute limit and a team that has tons of resources that I don’t have, knowledge base and stuff like that, that I can just soak in. I think I’d be much less developed if I didn’t have them behind me.”

Pacza has 12 wins in 15 races so far this season.

NISSAN SENTRA CUP The Nissan Sentra Cup held a pair of races. Valérie Limoges led flag-to-flag for the win in race one, while Alexandre Fortin dropped back from second to sixth in the closing laps, with a blown fourth gear slowing him down on the straightaways.

Fortin, the championship points leader, bounced back to win the second race. Limoges led a lap on a restart, but was involved in a turn five wreck, while running second. Daniel Fortin slid through the grass on the inside of the turn, hitting the right-rear of Limoges and sending her spinning.

The race returned to green, with Alexandre Fortin winning by 0.685 seconds over Simon Vincent.

“I got caught at the restart, lost a position, but gained it back at turn three with a great move,” said Fortin. “It was a challenge because I think the flagman gave the start a bit early, so I wasn’t prepared with that, but the second time we managed it and could get away.”

Fortin had a 67-point lead in the standings, with two races to go. IT

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Ralph Luciw and Honda were synonymous with one another during his long and storied career in Canadian motorsports. Photos from Tim Miller

RALPH LUCIW PASSES AWAY

Former Racer Was a Driving Force in Canadian Motorsports for Many Decades

By Tim Miller ne of Canada’s most prominent contributors to racing, Ralph Luciw, passed away recently.

While he was not a household name, Luciw was instrumental in presenting perhaps the most successful showroom stock race series in the country. With both racing and marketing in his blood, Luciw launched the Honda/Michelin Challenge Series in conjunction with Honda Canada in the mid-1970s.

For this and other efforts in working behind the scenes and presenting racing to fans, Luciw was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2014, and the following are excerpts from an interview at the time.

“I was quite surprised,” Luciw said at the time after learning of his induction. “I was not expecting this at all. It is actually quite humbling when you consider who is on the list. It is a great honor and privilege.”

Luciw (pronounced “Lucio”) resided in a pastoral area near Uxbridge, ON, a far cry from the board rooms of several public relations firms where he provided his marketing expertise.

But motorsport was in Luciw’s DNA, and before he became a media representative for several road racing series, he tried his hand at competition.

A Regina native, he came to Toronto with

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42 Inside Track Motorsport News

his family, and it was a part-time job at a movie house where as a teenager he became interested in fast cars and competition.

“I was a part-time usher at the Kingsway Theatre and the owner was into racing,” related Luciw. “He got me interested and it was through him I went racing.”

At first Luciw rallied and road raced a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and then he stepped up to a Porsche (“at least me and my bank manager did”) and was quite successful in hillclimbing events in Ontario and New York State.

While he was part of the VW marketing team, he borrowed a Formula Vee race car from a New York racer as part of a race-related VW display. As an entry-level circuit car, a Formula Vee was comprised of an engine, drive train, and chassis from the Beetle. Using the borrowed car as a guide, he built his own around 1960 considered the first Formula Vee in Canada.

He raced the FV, but soon felt his calling was in the promotion and operation of races. Meanwhile his day job consisted as a communication officer and public relations specialist for several auto makers and their advertising agencies. Eventually Luciw, working with Honda Canada, produced one of the most successful and longest race series in the country, the Honda/Michelin Challenge Series.

While he was involved with the Can-Am, Bulova/Formula Ford, and Rothmans Porsche series, as well as the Canadian Grand Prix when it was held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport), Luciw was the heart and soul of the Honda/Michelin Series. Using showroom stock Honda Civics, this series began in 1975 and had a 17-year run with an estimated 400 sportsman racers during its tenure. The series was a stepping-stone for some road circuit stars in Canada, including Frank Allers, Marc Dancose, Richard Spenard, and Jacques Villeneuve Sr. And while Luciw headed up the series, he was quick to point out the assistance from others on his team, especially Fran Matsumoto, who worked at all the record-keeping and money issues while he kept the racers happy.

“Fran was instrumental,” Luciw said about her work. “The series would not have run as smoothly without her. I am indeed grateful for her help.”

Since 1994 Luciw was involved with the CMHF, including a stint as a board director and as an administrator when the CMHF had its own building displaying prominent Canadian race cars and related material in Toronto. He also was involved with the annual CMHF induction gala, and was on the current CMHF Board as an Honorary Board Member. IT

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GP3R 2023 NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES HEADLINES LATEST EDITION OF SUMMER CLASSIC

By Bryce Turner he annual Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières saw a renewal of a busy on-track schedule, mixed with a festival atmosphere of off-track activities. With racing action beginning on the Friday night, the unique street course event saw some thrilling races that included a long-awaited victory in the 60-lap NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) headliner.

The Sunday afternoon NPS race, on August 6, saw Marc-Antoine Camirand start on the pole; the driver from nearby St-Léonard D’Aston, QC started alongside hometown hero L.P. Dumoulin. It didn’t take long for a ‘hold your breath’ moment, as the first lap saw a scary wreck between a pair of contenders in turn two.

Kevin Lacroix had a brake failure entering the turn, forcing him three-wide between Andrew Ranger and Dumoulin in front of him.

Lacroix’s No. 74 Dodge shot over top of Ranger’s No. 27 Chevy, with both cars crashing into the tire barriers. The back half of Ranger’s car was torn apart, but both drivers were able to walk away.

Alex Tagliani, Alex Labbé, Treyten Lapcevich and L.P. Montour took turns leading between Laps 11 and 20, as everyone made their mandatory fuel stop. Gary Klutt cycled to the lead, before Dumoulin took the spot on Lap 25; both drivers had pitted early, with Dumoulin also having damage from the opening-lap wreck.

A multi-car wreck brought out the third of four cautions on Lap 31, which started when Labbé and Justin Arseneau got together battling side-by-side through the Duplessis Gate at turn three. Dumoulin and Camirand battled for the lead on the next two restarts, with Dumoulin also trying to save fuel.

Camirand took the lead for good on Lap 39, staying up front for the final 22 laps to grab his first series win in the prestigious event.

Camirand entered with a record 14 victories on Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières weekend, but was winless in nine prior NPS starts at the circuit.

“I live about a half hour away from the track so it’s always a little more pressure, even if I won many times over there, we didn’t win in the big series,” said Camirand. “It was so close last year, with a couple laps to go, I had a slow leak in the tire; but this year, we showed up stronger…the car was crazy fast in practice, we set a

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track record in qualifying and, during the race, the car was amazing.

I’m really proud of my team and finally we won that big race.”

The Daytona 500 is considered a ‘championship’ in NASCAR, with the marquee event holding a weight similar to the season-long Cup Series title. Similarly, the GP3R is a huge event on the NPS calendar, with significant attention in Quebec. Camirand said that he ranks his 2022 series championship higher on his list of career achievements, but admitted that the GP3R win is a really close second.

Dumoulin and Tagliani rounded out the podium. It was an eventful race for Dumoulin, but returning to the podium, after a wreck last season, was still a welcome result.

“We decided to roll the dice (on fuel) and see how many yellows we would have,” said Dumoulin, noting that he was short shifting.

“It’s really challenging to bring the car back up front that way…(then) on one of the restarts, I was P1 and (Camirand) was P2 and he ran away from us, so I was not too pleased with that restart, but brough it back P2 and very confident we could’ve probably fought for the win if we didn’t have all those incidents.”

FEL SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP CANADA The FEL Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC) had three races on the streets of Trois-Rivières. The first was held on the Friday evening, August 4, where the headlights of the SCCC cars offered most of the lighting under the night skies.

Nick Galante started on the GT4 and overall pole, making a return to the series after running in the Indy Toronto event. An early caution was brought out for a wreck involving TCR cars, where Justin Di

(Opposite page) Marc-Antoine Camirand emerged victorious in NPS action at GP3R, and the touring stock car series was joined by the Super Production Challenge (above) at the historic temporary street circuit. Photos by Paolo Pedicelli

Benedetto slid sideways, starting a chain reaction that saw Tom Kwok spin into the wall, collecting Jocelyn Hebert.

“Unfortunately, I kind of did the same mistake the year prior and I guess I didn’t learn it,” said Di Benedetto. “The TCR cars being frontwheel drive, the rear tires are like trailer tires, they don’t generate any rear temperature, so it was just a bit too much speed for the track conditions.”

“We were facing the pit-in wall, which was a bit of a ‘heart in mouth’ moment, then just hit the throttle and powered out,” he continued. “I thought our weekend was going to end there and managed to save the car.”

Galante continued to lead after the restart of the 40-minute timed race, but with points leader Jack Polito in close pursuit. On Lap 18, Polito took the top spot, with Galante now staying close behind. Polito led the final nine laps to win by 1.098 seconds.

“I was hanging onto (Galante), applying pressure…I wanted him to make some mistakes so I could possibly have a chance at getting into the lead,” said Polito. “We got to the end of the backstraight and I was right with him and there was a slight second of hesitation, whether he wanted to get in between a car or not for the backstraight, and I was there.”

L.P. Montour won in the TCR class, with Di Benedetto finishing second, the drivers finishing third and fourth overall. Eric Kunz recorded the TCA class victory in 13th overall.

The second and third SCCC races of the weekend took place on August 5, making it three races within a span of 24 hours. Demi Chalkias started on pole for the second event, with Galante on the outside of row one. On the start, Polito dove to the inside of Chalkias entering turn one, with Galante passing on the outside.

Polito slid in front of Galante exiting the turn, allowing Chalkias to

briefly take the lead, before Polito returned to the front. On Lap 3, an early caution came for a wreck between Ed Killeen and Connor Attrell. Polito stayed ahead on the restart of the 30-minute timed race, with Galante in second.

On the last lap, Chalkias and Ron Tomlinson wrecked, while Dean Baker slid into a runoff area elsewhere. The race ended under caution, with Polito winning and Galante second.

Di Benedetto grabbed the TCR win in third overall, while Trevor Hill took the TCA win in 15th.

“I started third and I had a really good start, so I was like ‘alright, I’m going to see what I can make of this,’” said Polito. “There was a bit of room on the inside, Demi let up, so I was like ‘alright, let’s go three-wide’ and my brakes were a little cold but I made it stick...I had such an amazing time at GP3R, it was literally one of the best experiences I’ve ever had racing GT4.”

The third race saw Polito start on pole before being passed by Galante heading into turn one, with Polito slow getting up to speed.

On Lap 4, Montour had brake issues, running into Marco Cirone, with both cars spinning hard into the turn one tire barriers.

Galante stayed up front on the restart, with Polito staying close behind as the laps wound down in the 30-minute timed event. Galante went on to win by 0.488 seconds over Polito. Di Benedetto recorded the TCR win in third overall, with Kunz grabbing the TCA victory in 11th. Four cars were unable to start due to damage from incidents earlier in the weekend.

“Those two wins were pretty special,” said Di Benedetto. “GP3R is a track that, all the times I’ve run it, something’s always happened.

Going into it, especially after the Indy (Toronto) weekend, it was just ‘let’s go for wins, let’s go for podiums.’ We had almost a perfect weekend.”

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GP3R 2023 CHEVROLET URBAN CHALLENGE The Chevrolet Urban Challenge offered another unique spectacle, as dirt modified cars, made to roll around banked ovals, tackled the flat left-and-right turns of the street course.

NASCAR regular Raphaël Lessard started on pole, with fellow NASCAR driver Alex Labbé behind him. Lessard controlled the early portion of the race, before Labbé took the lead on a restart with 8 to go. However, Labbé was handed a two-position penalty under the next caution, for short shooting a chicane during the green flag run. Lessard pulled ahead on the restart, with 2 to go, grabbing the victory, ahead of Samuel Charland and Labbé.

F1600 The Quebec-based F1600 Canada held a trio of races; Callum Baxter won two of the events, while his Britain West Motorsport teammate Connor Clubine won the other.

“Race one, I was just able to get by for the lead about five laps in and I was able to pull a gap,” said Baxter. “Race two was a little bit more difficult, I was battling with my teammate Connor Clubine and he beat me out on the last lap, and race three, I was able to hold off and lead every lap for the win. It was a great weekend; I would’ve liked to sweep but I’m really happy with two wins.”

Baxter is one of the few drivers who run in both F1600 Canada and the Ontario-based F1600 Championship, where he missed only the Vintage Grand Prix, which was held on the same weekend as the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

“It’s pretty difficult, it’s a very busy summer, but I’m really enjoying it,” said Baxter. “My plan is to try to go further in racing so I think it’s been a very good experience this summer…GP3R and Montreal, those are my two favourite races; it’s great racing in front of all the fans that are there and all the fans coming through the paddock and you get to meet a lot of new people.”

NISSAN SENTRA CUP In the Nissan Sentra Cup, Alexandre Fortin won both races, battling with championship challenger Simon Charbonneau in the two events. Fortin won the season opener, before Charbonneau won three straight races entering the GP3R. Both of Fortin’s wins came after starting in fourth.

“It was an amazing weekend, we started a bit farther back than we thought because we had a little bit of a problem in qualifying,” said Fortin. “We had to work for it and that’s what makes a good race.”

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(Top to bottom) Nick Galante (FEL), Callum Baxter (F1600) and Olivier Bedard (SPC) all won races during the 2023 GP3R weekend.

Photos by Paolo Pedicelli

SUPER PRODUCTION CHALLENGE In Super Production Challenge action, Olivier Bédard claimed overall and Super Production class victories in all three races.

Sylvain Laporte, Yannick Lupien and Marc-André Bourdages each picked up a Production class win; and Mario Berthiaume took the Compact win in the first two races, before Zack Lalonde won race three. IT

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(Above) Additional events are one thing to look for on the 2024 FEL Motorsports calendar. Photo by Steve Traczyk

FEL MOTORSPORTS LOOKS AHEAD TO 2024 More Events and Two-Race Weekends for Sports Car Championship and Radical Cup Canada

By Bryce Turner ith the 2023 Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC) and Radical Cup Canada (RCC) seasons in the rear-view mirror, FEL Motorsports is hard at work preparing for 2024.

This season saw a number of firsts for FEL, including a condensed schedule, featuring three races per weekend, across four weekends. Canadian Tire Motorport Park bookended the calendar, which also featured stops at the Indy Toronto, GP3R (SCCC only), and Calabogie Motorsports Park (Radicals only).

“I would say the number one highlight of the year was the Honda Indy,” said FEL Motorsports manager Jessica Benevides.

“The event as a whole was excellently executed, all of the races went really well. We were able to live stream one of them and we had that collaboration with the Radical Cup North America, which was also great.”

Another highlight for Benevides was the Calabogie event, which broke a record for the largest Radical car count in Canada, with 21 Radicals on the grid. While the Indy Toronto field was larger, that included two series. Also new for 2023 was the addition of a TCA class in the SCCC. “TCA was a huge hit this year, we brought out some amazing talent,” said Benevides.

“I think the TCA class really did what it was supposed to do and that was to bridge a gap a little bit. The TCA class is a much more affordable entry, it’s a way for younger, or

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maybe even a little less experienced, drivers to get up into the professional racing scene.”

Benevides admitted that they would’ve liked to see a larger variety of manufacturers in the TCA class. Looking ahead to 2024, the variety of cars is something already being talked about for GT4.

“Right now, everything is rumours… that’s how it always has been this early in the off-season, before any financial commitments have been made,” said Benevides.

“We heard that the GT4 field is supposed to grow. We know that BMW has GT4s that have been allocated for sale within Canada.

We’ve heard of people interested in purchasing Porsche GT4s for next year. Then we also know that Multimatic and Ford have the new Mustang GT4.”

2024 SCHEDULE PLANNING As for next year’s schedule, Benevides says that a decision was reached with teams to return to a less condensed calendar. She says that having three events per weekend was a bit chaotic and that they’ll go back to two races per weekend, with 40 minutes per race, for 2024.

Having fewer races in a weekend will mean more events. While work on the schedule is ongoing, the interest exists for further expansion outside of Ontario.

“We know for sure that we’ll be going back to GP3R, we have a three-year contract with them,” said Benevides. “We had a meeting with teams on the last weekend and

there was definitely interest in doing a US race. There was also interest in extending into Quebec for another race for both series. Going to GP3R is not enough; since the beginning, we always wanted to engage Quebec teams, so we’ll be looking at how we can do that in 2024.”

Another change for next year is additional prizing. Benevides says that there will be a draw for teams that have attempted to participate in every race, where the winner will receive their full-season registration back.

FEL holds draws, with various giveaways, at each weekend, with prizing being a point of emphasis for president Chris Bye. Benevides says that they’d like to see a consistent car count of at least 20 cars per race in each series. With FEL acting as an entry level into professional racing, affordability is something that they’re stressing to potential teams and drivers.

“The question I’m usually asked the most is ‘is it cost comparable to a full season of karting?’ and the answer to that is ‘yes, it is,’” said Benevides. “We are going to be posting our pricing and our schedule within the next couple of months and, at that point, we’re going to be pushing pretty heavily to try and see what the interest is from the karting community and trying to get more kids moving up.”

Teams, drivers and fans can follow FEL Motorsports on social media, or subscribe to their e-mail newsletter, for the latest information. IT

I NEWS

(Left) In mid-September, Targa Newfoundland returned after a four-year hiatus. The six-day event visited several regions, starting and ending in St. John’s. (Above) Targa officials with the trophy recipients and competitors.

Photos by Ralph Saulnier

TARGA NEWFOUNDLAND RETURNS After a Successful Return, Attention Turns to 2024 Edition

By Chris Langdon ollowing a four-year hiatus, Targa Newfoundland returned in September, with an event that travelled from St. John’s, to St. Bride’s, to Leading Tickles and several locations in between.

The six-day road race concluded on September 21 as competitors, organizers, officials and fans returned to the provincial capital, St. John’s.

Once there, attention quickly turned to 2024 as everyone involved anticipates continues regrowth for this popular event.

In all, competitors covered close to 2,000 km of the island’s roads during the challenging test.

The Targa 1 Division, consisting of vehicles that have not been fully race-prepared, was conquered by long-time Targa competitors and previous winners John Hume Sr. and Craig MacMullen of Ontario and Nova Scotia, respectively, in their Team Hume Media Inc. 2013 Mini GP.

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Their success was further fueled by the addition of world-renowned rally driver, YouTube personality, and Motor Trend contributor, Randy Pobst from Ohio.

The Targa 2 Division, comprised of competition-prepared, rollover-protected vehicles, saw Savage Rallysport’s entry, driven by Dave Wallingford of Ohio and Leanne Junnila of Alberta, take top honours in their bone-rattling, fully prepped 2017 Ford Fiesta.

Rounding out the winners of the competitive divisions, Satish Gopalkrishnan and Savera D’Souza, both from New Jersey, took home first place in the Grand Touring (GT) Division, in their 2023 Mercedes Benz GLA 45 AMG. The GT Division is a time-speeddistance (TSD) event where precision takes precedence over speed.

“Our primary goal this year was to deliver a safe and entertaining event for competitors and spectators alike,” said Targa President Joe Dowden. “I’m happy to say

we’ve successfully delivered on all fronts. The drivers and their navigators have returned home, but we’ve already received commitments to the 2024 event.”

Looking ahead to next year, Targa 2024 will run during the edge of the tourist season in mid-September. The 22nd running is scheduled from September 12 to 19, 2024, beginning with a two-day drivers’ school before heading out to explore other areas of the province.

“Our welcome in the towns and villages of the province is reminiscent of Targa’s heyday,” continued Dowden. “In every community we visited, no matter the size, spectators showed up in droves to volunteer, view the action, and to mix and mingle with competitors during the daily lunch stops and nightly car shows.”

While entries for the 2023 running of Targa were less than the regular numbers seen in events prior to 2019, organizers are viewing the event as a total success. IT

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I NEWS

(Above) The highlight of Howard Cohen’s road trip was making it to ‘the salt.’ But he made several stops along the way, including a visit to the Museum of American Speed (bottom) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photos by Howard Cohen

BONNEVILLE... AND BACK

Howard Cohen Documents his ‘Bucket List’ Trip to The Salt

By Howard Cohen he Bonneville Salt Flats are a vast expanse of salt located in western Utah, near the Nevada border, where car enthusiasts gather annually to try to set new land speed records. I have always wanted to experience Bonneville, and this year I finally made it.

To get to Bonneville, I took the road trip of a lifetime. I left Toronto, Ontario and headed towards Tulsa, Oklahoma to drop off my partner Julie so she could visit family and friends. After two das on the road – driving from Ontario through Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and into Oklahoma – brought us to Tulsa.

After a few days spent visiting, I was back on the road heading north through the plains of Kansas to Lincoln, Nebraska where I visited the Museum of American Speed.

Rather than heading straight to the ultimate destination, I always try to make some stops along the way.

The Museum of American Speed is an extensive history of racing in mid-America, offering everything from Quarter Midgets to Stock Cars, dirt track cars, land speed

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record cars and more, all mixed in with the history of racing engines in all shapes and sizes. It’s topped off with a display of historic custom cars from Hot Rod and show car builders like Darryl Starbird and Ed Roth.

My next stop was the soon-to-be-built Corvair Museum in Hastings, Nebraska. This is a new venture, just recently approved as a museum and in the process of funding and building a permanent home. With the number of Corvair vehicles on site, this will be an excellent museum when it’s complete.

BREATHTAKING EXPERIENCE From there, heading west across Nebraska along Interstate 80 is a breathtaking experience. The western part of the state is a mixture of wide-open spaces with hundreds of mountains and flat-top hills.

There were so many flat-tops, in fact, that it looks like giant aliens made a golf course with hundreds of raised greens, each one more magnificent that the other. Every turn of the road and each crest of a hill brought new panoramas.

Driving west through Nebraska and Wyoming was another example of how vast and

beautiful the natural countryside is. Wideopen spaces are topped by wide-open skies, flowing hills crested with clouds, endless straight roads extending to the horizon. The cars and trucks look like far away ants. It’s easy to lose all sense of distance with these magnificent vistas.

Crossing into Utah brings a different expanse, first of rolling hills through Salt Lake City, and then of the flat lakes – wet, muddy, dry and salty – as far as you can see, on the drive to the Nevada border and the wonder of Bonneville Salt Flats.

The popularity of Bonneville Speed Week reaches around the world, drawing competitors, media and spectators from as far as Italy, Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, France, South Africa, Canada and the United States.

I’ve wanted to see Bonneville for many years, since I first read about it in the 1960s. One thing after another stopped me from going… until this year. A lot of planning had to happen first. I contacted the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) organizers about press credentials.

Then I had to find a place to stay, which took almost a month and many phone calls just to find basic accommodations. Then, I had to figure out how to get there. I chose to drive the 3,500 kilometres.

With Speed Week scheduled to start on August 5, I arrived the day before. Excessive water on the course and in the pit area caused a delay of three days until the time trial course was dry enough to run.

Until then, vehicle inspection took place at the old Wendover airport, the same airport that hosted the Enola Gay in WW2. Monday was set aside so that teams could set up

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(Above) A group of Canadians built and campaigned the Tachmen Yolo, at Bonneville. (Below) The course is busy with a wide variety of vehicles, attempting high-speed runs. Photos by Howard Cohen

their pits in an area away from the actual time trial site. The pits were very wet with standing water several inches deep and laden with endless potholes.

The drive to the start of pits from the paved road was about two miles, also through standing water and thousands of potholes… and speed limit of 5 MPH. Navigating this route was worse than any car rally road I had ever driven on, and made me feel like a 007 martini… shaken, not stirred.

Everything in the car bounced, no matter where or what it was. Driving to the far end of the pits, about another three miles, I stopped my car to take photographs and talk to the competitors.

They came from all parts of the United States and Canada but also from much further including Europe, South America and Australia, towing their vehicles or having them shipped, all with the sole purpose of trying to set a new straight line maximum speed record, a lifelong goal for many.

Plodding through the salty lake water was another experience I hope not to have again, and it was infinitely worse for the car owners and teams. They had to set up tents and canopies, attempt to anchor them to the mushy ground, unload cars, motorcycles, trucks, streamliners, as well as their equipment, tools and parts. Despite the sub-optimal conditions, they all seemed to be happy to be there. And so was I. It’s difficult to explain the feeling of being somewhere you have read about, seen pictures and videos of, and the feeling of accomplishment having realized a lifelong dream. It is even more difficult to explain how far everything was from wherever I stood, no matter where I stood.

The mountains closest to the salt flats are about three miles away, while the mountains to the south of Wendover are 25-50 miles

away. On Monday morning, I drove up to the top of the mountains by the salt flats.

As far as I could see, there was salt. Miles and miles of never-ending, eye-glaring salt, covered with hundreds of little dots, which were actually the racers getting ready. The vastness of it all is stunning.

CANADIAN CONTENT Looking for some Canadian content at Speed Week, I came upon one very interesting car. It was a belly tanker that had been converted into a race car. A belly tanker is often an old WW2 airplane tank that is just big enough for an engine, a driver and some sort of home-made chassis and suspension.

In this case, the car was built by Bert Heath, a member of the Tachmen Car Club based in Georgetown, Ontario. Bert now lives in Kansas City, Missouri where he has his own business and remains a Canadian citizen while being a resident of the United States.

Bert’s crew consisted of Mike Morris, Don McQueen and Rollie Guertin. Don was part of the Tachmen crew that worked with ‘Dizzy’ Dean Murray, the producer of the legendary Motion car shows at Toronto’s International Centre, when it started in the

mid-’70s. Rollie is well known as one of the premier pinstripe artists in Canada.

This was a rookie run for Bert, as he had to prove to the SCTA governing body that he and the car were capable of running safely on the salt and that the parachute would deploy properly.

The Tachmen Yolo is a 1940 Belly Tanker running in Class XF/GL with a 292 cubic inch Ford Flathead. After the rookie trial runs, Bert was able to get to get up to a top speed of 136.573 MPH, a very good run for a rookie and could have run faster with different gears and more time. Well done Bert and team!

After spending several days at Bonneville, it was time to head home. The road back was not as interesting as the road out, it seldom is. My next stop was Bowling Green, Kentucky to the National Corvette Museum.

I have been a Corvette fan for many decades and have built many scale models of them covering all years, customs and race cars, so the museum was a natural. The Corvette Museum is unique as it features and celebrates only one marque. But it does it very well.

The displays, the signs, the layout and the building are excellent. If you have time, you can book a tour of the assembly line and watch cars coming together. If you order a Corvette, you can arrange to watch it being built and even help, another unique aspect of the museum.

When I arrived back home, my trip took me 10,117 kilometres over 25 days, in nine hotels and motels… and it was worth every minute. Don’t ask about the cost, but I’m happy to talk about the experience and the feeling of joy and accomplishment that comes from doing something I’ve wanted to do for many years. That’s the real value.

What to do next year? IT

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(Left) James Beaton won Sunday’s second Super Touring race. (Right) Callum Baxter swept the Toyo F1600 races at BEMC’s Late Summer Trophy Races. (Below) VARAC Classic racer Reg Akers also won all three of his feature races. Photos by Richard Coburn / CoburnPix.com

BEMC LATE SUMMER TROPHY RACES CTMP Hosts the 69th Annual Edition of This Long-Running Fall CASC-OR Special

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he British Empire Motor Club (BEMC) hosted the BEMC Late Summer Trophy Races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on September 16 and 17. The busy two-day meet was the 69th annual edition of the CASC-OR sanctioned event and featured a full slate of classes.

The Saturday schedule featured practice and qualifying, prior to lunch, for the Formula Libre, F4, VARAC Formula Classic, F1200/ CCS, VARAC Vintage/Historic, Pirelli Super Touring GT1/GT2, Grand Touring GT3-GT5, VARAC Classic/Modern Classic and Toyo F1600 divisions.

The afternoon schedule included six 20-minute races for most of the classes, and a 22-minute session for the F1600s.

Formula Libre racer Mark Boyd (’23 Radical) was the overall winner of the race featuring the Formula Libre (FL), F4, F1200 and VARAC Formula Classic cars. He posted the fastest lap of the race (1:22.651 while coming home ahead of Stephen Sutherland (FL / ’95 Van Diemen) and James Morton (F4 / ’15 Gamma Tercero).

Ted Michalos (VH2 / ’96 Lotus 23B) was tops in Saturday’s VARAC Vintage/Historic race, coming home in front of Ivan Samila (VH / ’70 Lotus Super 7) and Bertrand

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Dupuis (VH3 / ’72 Mazda RX-3).

Leroy Micallef (GT1 / ’22 Ford Mustang) was the driver to beat in Saturday’s Super Touring race. Zachary Mahoney (GT1 / ’02 Pontiac GP) and Dan Corcoran (GT1 / ’08 Chevy Impala) joined him on the podium.

Grand Touring GT3 racers Brad Ranson (’14 Hyundai Genesis), Krystian Palka (’03 BMW M3) and Bryan Rashleigh (’07 Subaru Legacy) came home in that order in Saturday’s Grand Touring race. Thomas Holland was the top-finishing GT4 competitor, while Sarah Lewis was the best of the GT5 pilots in the field.

In VARAC Classic / Modern Classic competition, Reg Akers (Classic B / ’99 Ford Taurus) took the top spot of the podium, besting Marco Beretta (Modern Classic A / ’05 Porsche 996) and Robert Offley (Classic A / ’72 Porsche 911).

Callum Baxter won the Toyo F1600A race, over Conner Janeteas and Cole Janeteas. Dylan McPherson was the top finishing F1600B driver, in seventh overall.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 In Sunday action, Mark Boyd won his second FL / F4 / F Classic / F1200 / CCS race of the weekend, on Sunday morning, coming home against James Morton and Tobias Lutke (FL / ’18 Radical).

In another repeat of Saturday’s results, Ted Michalos, Ivan Samila and Bertrand Dupuis once again finished ‘one, two, three’ in the Vintage / Historic feature race.

The Super Touring race also produced the same

podium finishers as Saturday, as well. Leroy Micallef won again, but it was Dan Corcoran mixing it up a bit by coming home in second, ahead of Zachary Mahoney. Daria Khachi (’04 BMW) was the top GT2 finisher on Sunday. Brad Ranson also backed up his Saturday win with another GT3 victory on Sunday. Bryan Rashley and Krystian Palka were second and third, respectively.

Reg Akers picked up his second Classic checkered flag of the weekend, ahead of Robert Offley and Marco Beretta.

Sunday’s first Toyo F1600 race was also won by Callum Baxter.

Conner Janeteas was second and Antonio Costantino made his first podium appearance of the weekend, in third. Steve Bodrug was tops of the F1600B racers.

After lunch, Mark Boyd (FL / F4 / F Classic / F1200 / CCS) collected his third win of the weekend, beating James Morton and Tobias Lutke to the flag. Bertrand Dupuis scored his first win of the weekend in VARAC Vintage / Historic action, while James Beaton, Leroy Micallef and Zachary Mahoney finished in that order in the final Super Touring race of the meet.

GT3 racers Brad Ranson, Bryan Rashleigh and Allan Lewis (’08 BMW 335i) were tops in the final Grand Touring feature of the weekend, while Aaron Clue (GT4 / ’90 Mazda MX-5) was the top finisher in his class.

Reg Akers bagged another VARAC Classic checkered flag, ahead of Marco Beretta and Robert Offley.

The Summer Trophy Races wrapped up, on Sunday, with Callum Baxter winning another Toyo F1600. As in the morning race, Conner Janeteas and Antonio Costantino were second and third, respectively. IT

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Neil Braun of Road To Racing (right) was at an event prior to the Toronto Indy to encourage support for young Canadian racers like Mac Clark (left). Photo by Greg MacPherson

ROAD TO RACING STEPPING UP

New Organization Aims to Help Canadian Talent Move Up the Racing Ladder

By Bryce Turner first-year organization is providing a new way to support talented up-and-coming drivers, who don’t have the same financial means as others.

Road To Racing is an amateur athletics association that acts as a fundraising platform for selected drivers, where donors can receive charitable tax receipts, while the money raised helps cover the drivers’ racing expenses. The program also has pre-paid scholarships for specific groups, funded through corporate donors.

So far this year, 12 drivers have raised more than $500,000, in total, through the platform. Road To Racing president Neil Braun says the organization has limited resources and that they’re trying to identify those with the drive and talent to reach the next level.

“We’ve set the criteria for the categories and age groups, age limits, then the next step is asking the drivers to submit a resume and an essay that just describes their journey, what their dreams are, what their expectations are for next year, what their budget is,” said Braun. “We have a panel of people who are going to go through those applications and determine who we believe is a good fit for us and who we can really help.”

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54 Inside Track Motorsport News

Braun says that they expect to have at least 30 drivers fundraising through their platform next year. He added that there are other ways that Road To Racing can help drivers, with one of their goals being to increase participation in Canadian grassroots motorsports.

“What we’re trying to do is democratize motorsports and help those elite athletes in Canada, who may need some financial help to get them to move up through the ladder,” said Braun. “With the drivers that we select, we’re working on networking opportunities with high-net-worth donors, helping them create their pitch decks and maybe refine them, do some mentoring with them on the process of moving through the ladder.”

While amateur athletic associations exist elsewhere in sports, Braun says that Road To Racing is filling a void in racing. When Braun sold a property and was looking to donate money to support racers, he noticed that he couldn’t do so as a charitable donation.

With Road To Racing, individual donors get the benefits of a tax receipt, while family foundations or businesses, that are unable to write off a sponsorship, can also benefit from their contributions. For companies that would like to go the sponsorship route, the pre-paid scholarships provide an alternative

to choosing a driver.

“A lot of businesses don’t even know where to start, finding a driver that can fit what they’re looking for,” said Braun. “But we’ve got scholarships for women in motorsports, (which) they can be a title sponsor to, we’ve got another scholarship for Black, Indigenous, people of colour…we find the driver, we vet them, and work with them for that sponsorship.”

The first group of drivers are already benefiting from Road To Racing. Kevin Foster was able to participate in a competition at a racing school in France, where he won a scholarship for a full year of French F4 competition; he has several podiums so far this season. Mario Gil will take part in that same racing school competition.

Mac Clark joined the program to raise funds for his USF2000 efforts in the IndyCar support ladder, where he plans to move up to USF Pro 2000 next season. While Road To Racing has many drivers in open-wheel competition, opportunities exist for those in other forms of motorsports as well, such as driver Jonathan Woolridge competing in an LMP3 class.

For more information on the program, visit www.road2racing.com or e-mail neil@ road2racing.com. IT

I NEWS

NEW F1600 PROMOTER ANNOUNCED Nissan Sentra Cup Promoter Takes Over From Marcel Lafontaine

By Bryce Turner he Quebec-based F1600 Canada series will have a new promoter for 2024. An announcement was made during the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières that Nissan Sentra Cup promoter Jacques Deshaies will take over operations of F1600 Canada from Marcel Lafontaine, who has led the series for 25 years.

Deshaies has a bold vision for the future of the class, where he sees increased alignment with the Ontario-based Toyo Tires F1600 Championship as an important step. Both series race the same cars and have the same presenting sponsor.

“I would like to do a Canadian championship and I think the drivers (will) welcome that,” said Deshaies. “I think, if you do that correctly, the drivers in Ontario and the drivers in Quebec will be happy to race together and to have a big crowd…you have 26 cars (at CTMP), in Trois-Rivières, we had only 15 cars. Just image you join the two series, it’s 40 cars on the grid per race.”

Deshaies says that he’s heard of there being 100 or more F1600s in Canada, but that many are sitting in garages. He would like a championship purse to be created and hopes to convince more drivers to come race, emphasizing the importance of treating them like customers. He says that it’s the job of the promoter to answer questions, take suggestions and create an open dialogue.

“When you race in a series, you like to see the promoter, the guy who takes care of you,” said Deshaies. “It’s not complicated what you have to do and you have to be sure that you will (communicate) after each weekend and during winter…after that, the drivers just know that they are a part of the series.”

Beyond an increased alignment of F1600s, Deshaies hopes to work alongside other entry-level organizations to provide options for young racers, ensuring the longevity of the sport and a quality of competition for the fans.

“I asked (Chris Bye), you and me, we can organize our own grand prix because we have four series and all the series are so different,” said Deshaies. “For the young drivers coming from karting, they have the choice, okay I prefer open-wheel, I prefer sedan, I don’t have this kind of budget, I have a lot of money.”

Deshaies admitted that he’ll have a busy off-season ahead, with his new role officially starting following the F1600 Canada finale at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. IT

T

Jacques Deshaies (above) will take over F1600 Canada operations from Marcel Lafontaine (below), who ran the series for more than two decades.

Photos Courtesy Nissan Canada (above) and F1600 Canada (below)

RACING FOR RARE DISEASES

www.drivenliving.ca

InsideTrackNews.com 55

I NEWS

Visitors to BC’s Area 27 facility will notice the new Chevy ZR2 trucks that are set to challenge new Birds of Prey Off-Road Circuit.

Photos by Patrick Lambie

AREA 27 UNVEILS ZR2 OFF-ROAD ACADEMY Birds of Prey Off-Road Circuit Offers a Challenging Test for Area 27’s Fleet of Pickups

I

n early September, Oliver, British Columbia’s Area 27 announced that the facility would become the home of the ZR2 OffRoad Academy, expanding its partnership with Chevrolet.

The multi-purpose motorsports park, already known for its world-class road circuit has now added an expansion to the property to include a brand-new, all-terrain circuit, called the ‘Birds of Prey Off-Road Circuit.’

In coordination with Chevrolet, Area 27 will offer the new ZR2 Off-Road Academy – which is available to all Area 27 members and members of the public – an experience that is similar to Area 27’s Camaro Driving Academy.

The circuit’s expanding academy fleet will now feature nine trucks, added to the current fleet of SS and ZL1 1LE Camaros and support vehicles.

Program rates are $375 plus tax for drivers and $175 plus tax per passenger, for the introductory half-day experience, with a maximum of 14 participants per program.

The ZR2 Off-Road Academy will provide participants with an opportunity to safely learn various off-road driving techniques in Chevrolet’s 2023 Silverado and Colorado ZR2 editions.

The new ZR2 editions represent the most extreme and capable off-road vehicles that Chevrolet has ever produced. These trucks are loaded with features to take you farther,

56 Inside Track Motorsport News

with greater ease, in maximum comfort.

On top of all the mechanical off-road wizardry, drivers are treated to a multitude of camera angles, inclinometer displays, heads up driving display, Google built-in maps, and terrain-based driving modes to assist in every situation.

Area 27’s ‘Birds of Prey Off-Road Circuit’ and the new Chevrolet ZR2 equipped pickup trucks appear to have been made for each other. In concert with the circuit, the vehicles go over and above in helping drivers to experience the capabilities of these impressive trucks.

OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES ‘Birds of Prey’ presents built-in obstacles and challenges that represent features often encountered in offroad situations. The park environment was engineered to assist drivers as they develop their offroad techniques, and to discover how the various ZR2 technologies make off-roading both accessible and enjoyable.

The ‘Birds of Prey’ circuit includes several natural, off-road

terrain elements, such as a fallen tree crossing, varying terrain including loose gravel, an epic riverbed rock crawl and more.

The course also offers obstacles that take drivers to new heights, including the side-hill angle test and steep hill climb, where participants will demonstrate break-over and descent techniques.

To keep things varied and interesting, the circuit was developed with several routes that vary in difficulty, so there is something exciting for all experience levels. The course includes the vehicle rental, off-road curriculum introduction, expert guidance and refreshments.

For more information, go to Area27.ca and click on the ZR2 Off-Road Academy link, under the Academy menu item. IT

I NEWS

(Left) Glenn Tovey took both 7.0 Index class wins at the Canada Heads Up event in mid-August. Stock Wheelbase Bike racer Damian Tong (bottom left) was the top qualifier and race winner at TMP, while Ralph Aulacino (5.50 Index) earned his first-ever CHU victory.

Photos by Blake Farnan

CANADA HEADS-UP

Moros, Glassford, Devine, Rego Move to the Front, While Tovey Doubles With files from CHU n mid-August, the Canada Heads Up Shootout Series (CHU) returned to Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) for its third race weekend of the season.

Mother Nature tried her best, but the staff at TMP prevailed and managed to present a competitive track for the for the last scheduled Pro category qualifier on the Saturday night. This was after enough rain had fallen, during the day, that one of the racer’s kids was surfing at the starting line.

But eventually, the sky cleared, and the race weekend began, in the early evening.

Pano Moros took out Ricky Carlos in the finals of Super Street from the ‘number four’ qualifying spot. The two veterans have been battling for the points lead all season, and with the win, Moros moved to atop the points lead by half a round.

Rob Orafiamma and his nitrous-powered BBC took the EZ Street win over Jeff Misra’s turbo entry, while also resetting the

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58 Inside Track Motorsport News

EZ Street record to 4.56 seconds. Matt Glassford qualified ‘number three’ and went out in Round 2.

However, his consistency moved him into the top spot in the EZ Street points as Vince Melao went out in Round 2, dropping Melao to second in the standings.

Street275 saw a new CHU winner, in Steph Malais, with his turbo Fox body Mustang. He bested Lance Bisson’s S10 turbo entry in the Final. The victory moved Malais into a tie for first in the points, alongside Sean Devine, who also went a few rounds during the weekend.

KOTS Bike saw Dave Rego take out Jesse Vanbetlehem, causing the two to trade positions in the standings, with Rego leading TMP less than one round’s worth of points ahead of Vanbetlehem.

In Stock Wheelbase Bike action, ‘number one’ qualifier Damian Tong took the win over Nick Kempers. CHU’s Front Wheel Drive Class, Pro24, saw Reno Mobilio take

another win, padding his comfortable lead in the standings, after three events.

Ron Banks took the honoured in the 4.0 Index as Larry Sinke couldn’t make the call.

Lenny Farinacci won 4.50 Index for the second race in a row, beating Dave Bogusat’s 2000 Camaro, boosting Farinacci’s lead to three rounds over Joe McCormick.

Mike Gentile kept up his dominance in the 5.0 Warriors class with his win over Jack Vandewiel. 5.50 Index racer Ralph Aulacino took his first ever CHU victory, beating Sam Furfaro in the Final.

Other weekend winners were: Murray Lonsbary and Ryan Fogan in the 7.90 Index; Darrin Johnston and Mike Dawe in the Low 9s division; Joe Muro and Brodie Brown in the 6.0 Index, Frank Guillaume and Nate Cooper were tops in 6.50 Index; Glenn Tovey doubled up taking both 7.0 Index wins, while Michael Leblanc and Doug Reid scored 7.50 Index honours. Cole Ferri won Sunday’s Jr. Dragster Final. IT

I NEWS

(Above left) Bob Jennings rode his white Mustang to a $10,000 Box win at the recent 660 Sportsman Nationals, at Grand Bend. (Above right) Tim Blyde’s No Box Shootout victory was worth $5,000 to him. (Below) Fred Anger and crew in the Winner’s Circle following Sunday’s Box Main Event.

Photos by Blake Farnan

660 SPORTSMAN NAT’LS AT GRAND BEND Third Annual Event at Grand Bend Motorplex Draws Large Fields in Search of Big Money With files from Drew and Vicki Buchner he third annual 660 Sportsman Nationals were held August 17-20 at southwestern Ontario’s Grand Bend Motorplex. It was the second event of the season for 660, following the successful season opener at Toronto Motorsports Park, two months earlier.

The four-day August event saw racers competing in Box, No Box and Junior Dragster classes. Other than some of Thursday’s Comprehensive Mechanical Services (CMS) Warm-Up races being impacted by wet weather – which saw the remaining Box competitors split the pot – the rest of the event took place under ideal conditions.

The No Box race was completed and saw Joe Cicalo make his first trip of the weekend to the Winner’s Circle with a win over Jason Boyd.

Thursday’s CMS Warm-Up Junior Dragster race was down to the final, at which point the finalists agreed to split and run for the big cheque the following day. In the end, local racer Austin Vermeulen earned the win over New York’s P.J. Marston.

Friday’s action was another Warm-Up

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60 Inside Track Motorsport News

race presented by CMS. The Box winner was Jamie Champ over Dylan Hache. Tom Aretakis Jr. took the win over Andrew Stirk in No Box. And the Junior Dragster winner was Connor Ridler, over Brandon Ferstl.

JENNINGS WINS $10K SHOOTOUT The 32 Car Shootouts were held on Friday evening. ‘Big Cheque’ Bob Jennings captured the win over Dominic Ciancirelli in the southerntruckboxes.com Box $10K Shootout!

The Blu Electric No Box $5K Shootout saw Tim Blyde take the victory over Tom Aretakis Jr. And Zoe Gauld claimed the win over Owen Buchner in the Jr. Dragster $5K shootout presented by Quest Manufacturing and Essex Weld Solutions.

And then things go busy for the weekend.

The Saturday and Sunday main events saw the highest No Box 660 car count to date.

The weather was perfect and the racing was non-stop. Dominic Ciancirelli took the win over Will Steckly in Saturday’s Cheapside Auto Care Box $7,500 Main Event.

Joe Cicalo made his second trip of the weekend to the Winner’s Circle following his

win over Jay Talbot in the Twin Oaks Towing No Box Main Event.

And Jacob Ferstl captured the win over Alexis Grasby in the Jr. Dragster Main Event presented by Western Overhead Door and Essex Weld Solutions.

Saturday’s Main Event races were completed in enough time to offer a Box/No Box Combo Gambler Race. The last No Box car standing was Fort Erie, ON’s Joe Muro after he faced off against Quebec’s Fred Angers, with Angers taking the ‘W.’ The Jr. Dragster Gambler winner was Brandon Ferstl, over Madison DeJong. The day concluded with a racer appreciation dinner, at the track.

Sunday’s Main Event produced the most interesting race of the four-day meet. Fred Angers took his Nova back to the Winner’s Circle for a win – over himself! – in the Cheapside Auto Care Box Main Event.

With five cars left in contention, Angers had two entries remaining at 5 cars. When whittled down to three cars, Fred still had two entries left, so he earned a ‘bye’ to the Final with one of his entries.

With his second entry, Fred took the win over Trevor Deeks in the Semi-Final... setting up a ‘Fred vs. Fred’ Final! No Box Twin Oaks Towing Main Event winner was Brad Gibbs, over Tom Aretakis Jr. Brandon Ferstl and Zoe Gauld found themselves in Jr. Dragster Final, again, with Ferstl taking the win in that class’s Main Event.

Based on the success of this summer’s inaugural TMP and the third annual GBM 660 Sportsman Nationals, planning is already underway for next season’s 660 Sportsman events. IT

WESTERN CANADIAN

DRAG RACING 2023 SEASON REACHES A CLIMAX WITH SEVERAL BIG EVENTS

By Patrick Lambie estern Canadian drag racing fans enjoyed a jam-packed month of August highlighted by some of Canada’s largest and best attended races.

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RAD TORQUE RACEWAY Action got underway at Edmonton’s Rad Torque Raceway with the annual Hot August Night event. Featuring Jet Dragsters, Funny Cars, Pro Fuel Bikes and a West Coast Pro Modifieds promo points race, the event drew a capacity crowd to the facility located north of the city near Leduc. This was despite a weather-driven, one day delay.

Included among the racers taking to the Rad Torque’s quarter-mile dragstrip during Canada’s premiere one-day drag racing event, the Edmonton Police Service Blue Line Racing and RCMP Yield teams were on hand to compete and encourage ‘want to be’ racers to take it to the track.

Of the many highlights of the 2023’s Hot August Night, long-time race fans will undoubtedly remember the return of 80-year-old Terry Capp to the track as the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member thrilled the crowd when he piloted Ron Hodgson’s Firebird down the dragstrip.

Taking advantage of the three-run format of the evening’s main feature performance, the West Coast Pro Modifieds ran a Chicago-style shootout. In that format, all racers run random pairings in both of the first two rounds, with the two lowest average ETs lining up for the third and final rounds.

With consistent eighth-mile times of 3.902 and 3.900 seconds in the opening rounds, Washington’s Garrett Richards earned his way

into the final against BC’s Steve Horne, where Richards would put up a 3.910 second run to take his first Hot August Night win and a $7,300 cheque.

The racing action continued at Rad Torque Raceway the following day with the inaugural running of the Just Send It ‘Doorslammer’ event presented by Pro Power Management.

Headlining the classes, a field of eight West Coast Pro Modifieds ran three qualifying sessions on the opening day with season points leader JR Lazic taking top spot on the ladder with a 3.889 second eighth-mile run at 189.5 mph followed by the previous night’s winner Garrett Richards in second spot with a 3.899 second run at 193.5 mph.

A final qualifying run, on Saturday morning, saw J.R. Lazic maintain the #1 qualifier spot with a new Rad Torque Raceway track record of 3.813 seconds at 194.72 mph run.

While wins in the first two elimination rounds moved Lazic into the

(Above) The Dark Side Racing Top Fuel team, seen here at a previous Rocky Mountain National event, is a frequent headliner of events in Western Canada.

(Left) The RCMP Yield racing team joins other police service teams to promote the benefits of keeping racing on the track.

Photos by Patrick Lambie

62 Inside Track Motorsport News

finals, a red light in the first round saw Richards lose to #7 qualifier Mike Gondzola, who in turn picked up a win in Round Two to earn his spot in the finals. A 3.842 second run gave Lazic the win and extended his dominant lead in the season standings.

Next up, the focus of the drag racing community in Western Canada turned to Saskatchewan International Raceway, in Saskatoon, and the track’s major Southwinds Showdown and Fastest Streetcar event.

This get together saw the track’s regular points series joined by Jet Dragsters, Funny Cars, Alcohol Blown Altereds and Pro Mods.

Following two more points races, SIR crowned its 2023 season champions. Super Pro: Richard Harder, Pro: Janssen Aten, Sportsman: Chantel Hendry, Street Legal: Evan Steffenson and Junior Street Legal: Trace Wasyluk.

MISSION RACEWAY PARK Mission Raceway Park put a cap of the month of August with the Lordco Auto Parts Smoke, Fire and Thunder event on August 24 to 27. With a full lineup of Sportsman and Pro classes, the card was boosted by Jet Dragsters and Funny Cars. Exhibition runs by the Darkside Top Fuel Dragster and racing action with the West Coast Pro Modifieds and Western Canada TF Nitro series also added to the show.

Foregoing a standard elimination format, the eight-car field of West Coast Pro Modifieds offered spectators maximum opportunity to check out the eighth-mile missiles with the full field running multiple time trials on each of Friday and Saturday.

Highlighting the class was Garrett Richards, who capped off his successful month of August with a 3.827 second pass at in excess of 199 mph.

In other Mission Raceway news, Inside Track offers its condolences to the family and friends of track founder Ron Farmer, who passed away in early September.

CANADIANS DOWN SOUTH The influence of Western Canada on the world of drag racing this summer also extends south into the United States where BC natives Justin Bond and Shawn Cowie continue to make headlines.

With three wins in the 2023, Shawn Cowie currently sits in third place nationally in the NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol dragster class. With his last win coming in mid-July at Oregon’s Woodburn Dragstrip, Cowie has his work cut out for him as the season draws to a close. However, his recent form – including a record setting 5.16 seconds at 280.72 mph run at Mission Raceway Park in early September – suggest that the momentum could be ready to swing his way.

The move to a new points system for the 2023 Fueltech NHRA Pro Mod series sees the introduction of a Road to the Championship format which features a points reset after the first six races of the 10-race season.

With three wins in the regular season, Bond was the points leader prior to the reset, and after the first two playoff races, finds himself trailing defending world champ Kristopher Thorne by just 12 points following a final round loss to Thorne in the second race of the playoffs. IT

(Top right) Shawn Cowie seen here after setting the official Top Alcohol Dragster record at Mission Raceway in 2017, continues to run at record setting pace in 2023. (Above) Justin Bond won three of the regular season NHRA Pro Mod races and is now in second place in the Road to the Championship.

Photos courtesy of NHRA (Bond) and by Patrick Lambie (Cowie)

InsideTrackNews.com 63

I NEWS

CANADIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Jean-Sebastien Besner and Yvan Joyal Win Rallye Défi Petite Nation Story Courtesy Carsrally.ca ased in Montpellier, QC, and tracing its roots all the way back to the Criterium Rally, Rallye Défi Petite Nation is one of the oldest events in the Canadian Rally Championship. Featuring a revised stage schedule heavy on spectator access, the 2023 edition provided the full range of conditions, from fast and wide to tight and technical. The challenge attracted 33 teams from across the country and the United States.

Fresh off a win at Rallye Baie-Des-Chaleurs, Joel Levac and Laurence-Fanny L’Estage dominated the first loop of the rally. The proven duo in the ex-WRC Mini won the first six stages, building a lead of over a minute in just the first 50 km of racing. Confident at the first service, it all came apart in front of the fans at the Montpellier Spectator Stages, when an engine problem forced their retirement after SS08.

Defending Champions Jerome Mailloux and Philippe Poirier were not able to capitalize on Levac’s misfortune. A flat tire and subsequent suspension damage took them out on SS04. Rally-Restart rules allowed them to re-join the field after the first leg, but the missed stages and penalties saw them re-start in 26th place. They would eventually fight all the way back up into the points, winning eight stages and finishing 9th overall, but their championship defense took a hit.

Similarly, championship points leaders Alexandre Moreau and Ian Guité struggled early on to keep pace with the fast cars, but just as they had found their rhythm, a roll on SS07 cost them, pushing them down to 19th place. By the end of the rally, a heroic push would see them climb all the way back up to fourth, but the incredible drive wouldn’t be enough to maintain their lead in the championship.

Masters of ‘risk management,’ Jean-Sebastien Besner and Yvan Joyal knew where to push and where to play it safe.

They leveraged the speed and reliability of

B

(Above) Besner and Joyal avoided the misfortune that best their rivals to win the rally.

Photo Courtesy Carsrally.ca

their new Fiesta to good effect, running a completely drama-free event from start to finish. Out of 19 stages, they won four outright and posted the second or third fastest time in all but one of the remaining stages.

Consistency matched with pace earned the veterans their first win in their new car, and the lead of the championship.

Marc-Andre Brisebois and Marie-France Desmarais-Trepanier have been battling bad luck for over a year now. There is no question that the 2021 Championship Runners-Up have the speed for top finishes, and it finally all came together for them on the stages of Rallye Défi. Running smooth and fast from start to finish resulted in a well-earned second place, with Brisebois entertaining the fans at the podium celebration with his skills as a professional Stunt Person.

In only their second rally in Canada, a smooth and steady drive resulted in Americans Arek Bialobrzeski and Aris Mantopolous bringing their custom six-cylinder Subaru WRX to the finish in third place.

Vincent Trudel and Michael Szewczyk B:7.25" All-Wheel-Drive dominated the Production T:7.25" class through most of the event, moving all the way up to fourth S:7.25" overall, until mechanical

T:1.25"

64 Inside Track Motorsport News

S:1.25"

RPM MEET BPM

failure took them out on the second pass of the 42km-long Duhamel stage. This handed the class win to Trevor Pougnet and Ryan Rouleau, the duo in the dark gray Subaru increasing their consistency with every rally they enter.

A similar situation developed in TwoWheel-Drive. Americans Chris Greenhouse and Ryan Scott set an incredible pace from the first stage.

The duo in the Dodge SRT4 dominated most of the stages and opened up a big lead in the class, but a failed alternator belt caused them to limp through the last few kilometers of the rally, costing them time.

Their main rivals, 2021 class winners Francis Belley and Danny Mallette, couldn’t capitalize on Greenhouse’s misfortune, crashing on SS19 after a smooth and fast run through most of the rally.

In the end, the tremendous lead Greenhouse had built through the event meant that he still took home second place, increasing his lead in the championship.

Defending Two-Wheel-Drive Champion Kurt Duddy took the class win, with Danny Hudon calling the notes. Mark Toufanov and David Bell finished third in class. IT

Speed with Purpose

Since 1992, motorsport has provided Multimatic with a high-speed laboratory where innovative engineering, creative thinking and rapid problem-solving have not only led to multiple championships and outstanding race successes but also significantly enhanced the company’s overall approach to product development.

www.multimatic.com www.multimaticmotorsports.com

InsideTrackNews.com 65

I OPINION

LOOKING BACK

By Dave Mathers

ALLAN DE LA PLANTE

(Above left) Allan de la Plante is a world-famous artist whose paintings and photographs have earned him many accolades during his career.

Images by and/or courtesy of Allan de la Plante

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ixty-three years ago, two ‘highly hormonal’ teenagers met during a dance at Alma College, a private girl’s school in St. Thomas Ontario.

A friendship that turned lifelong was struck when I advised the other guy to stay away from the fruit punch. His response was, “Why?” I told him it contained saltpeter and explained it ‘reduces male libido.’ The guy I was educating was Allan de la Plante, from North Bay, Ontario. His date was from Sault Ste. Marie. My date was from Lima, Peru where her father owned a brewery!! Let the story begin.

Our futures took different paths, but at the end of the day, we were both seriously involved in the automotive field, in one form or another. Al de la Plante took a route that very few people would ever be able to emulate.

He embarked on a career that saw him develop into a world-class photographer. In the early ‘70s, he covered the very popular Canada-Russia hockey series for the National Sport and Recreation Centre.

At roughly the same time, he created the First Canadian Gallery of Athletes, a collection of 59 portraits of the top Canadian athletes of the time. It was commissioned by the Bank of Montreal.

His star kept rising when he became a

66 Inside Track Motorsport News

principal Canadian photographer at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, in Montreal.

During the winter of 1976, he joined World Freestyle Champion Greg Athans to shoot Athans’ book ‘Ski Free.’ Since 1970, he had been covering motor racing during the summer and ski racing in the winter.

He called me one day and said he was coming through London (ON). He needed a place to park his motorhome for a few days while he did some shooting. The motorhome, emblazoned with the colours and logo of the Bank of Montreal, had been rented by the bank.

“No problem… come on down!!” The friendship continued.

STRUCK A DEAL WITH VILLENEUVE His motorsports photography was attracting a lot of attention. One very talented up and coming open-wheel star was very interested in his work. That star was none other than Gilles Villeneuve, who was busy making a name for himself in the feeder series to Indy and F1, known as Formula Atlantic. He won that championship in 1976.

At Trois-Rivières during an Atlantic race, Villeneuve soundly trounced soon to be World Champion James Hunt. Upon hearing about this race through Hunt, Teddy Meyer of McLaren recognized this talent and of-

fered him a Formula One ride in a McLaren for the British Grand Prix in 1977. A fiverace deal was struck.

The deal with McLaren fizzled as McLaren felt Gilles was too expensive with his propensity to ‘bend’ cars. Villeneuve was again looking for a ride.

Enzo Ferrari, with an incredible eye for talent, went after Gilles and signed him to drive for the ‘Prancing Horse’ beginning in 1977 at the Canadian Grand Prix, at Mosport. Villeneuve replaced Niki Lauda. Al and Gilles had struck a deal, when they first met, regarding both their futures. Al went along for the ride. He was now recognized as Gilles’ photographer.

In 1978, the Canadian Grand Prix was held on a new circuit on an island in the St. Lawrence River, where it snaked through Montreal. What better way to celebrate this new race circuit than having a French-Canadian driver win the Canadian Grand Prix, albeit in an Italian car?

Linda and I attended that race in our motorhome. I still have nightmares of sleeping under the Champlain Bridge that shook, creaked, rattled and sounded like it was going to crash down on top of our motorhome.

While the race was underway, I caught glimpses of Al moving about getting the best angles for his magnificent photos. The

relationship between Gilles and Al continued until the tragic, untimely death of Villeneuve in the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder on May 8, 1982.

The entire racing community and many, many Canadians were in complete shock and disbelief. Al was in total shock. Through Gaston Parent, Gilles and Allan’s mentor, a book was produced simply and concisely titled ‘Villeneuve!’

Not one to sit still, Al continued with his photographic career and got the rights to document the 1984 Canadian tour of Pope John Paul II. He produced ‘Celebrate Our Faith’ about the Pope’s Canadian tour.

More books ensued, including ‘Flame of Courage the Canadian Firefighter,’ piqued by his work with the Ottawa Fire Department. To research his ‘fire book,’ Al travelled Canada visiting fire halls from coast-to-coast.

That book is considered to be the definitive work about firefighting in Canada and is popular in many countries.

In 1996, Al launched Villeneuve: A Racing Legend. The new book included a fully interactive CDROM that permitted Gilles to tell much of his story. The book achieved the bronze medal in the New Invision Awards for publishing. Soon after the book’s release, Canada Post commissioned two Villeneuve stamps using Al’s images.

Interestingly, Al had discovered horse racing in the early 2000s, and just like that, he became the ‘go to guy’ for exceptional horse racing photos. He also shoots for the BC Lions football team. His timing is unmatched.

He reminds me very much of another photographer and Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee, Dave Franks, who can also walk up to any NASCAR or other race track and be welcomed with open arms. Al can do the same with many sports. What a great legacy this man has stamped onto the ethos of the racing community in Canada!

Al and his wife Angela live in Vancouver and are semi-retired. Although he still gets the camera out to shoot cars, horse racing and pro football. Like me, Al has a grandson involved in kart racing, who he follows when-

ever he gets back to Ontario.

In 2022, Al was finally inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. I was honoured to play a role in his nomination. He also has received many awards, including but not limited to, induction into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame and the 2022 Sovereign Award. The latter is for taking the year’s most outstanding image in the Canadian equine world.

Al de la Plante a man who had a dream and was lucky enough to have actually lived that dream. Even better, he’s still living it. He’s a world-class photographer, author, painter and bon vivant! IT (Left) Allan de la Plante has long had a knack for capturing unique and stunning images. His association with Gilles Villeneuve (above) earned him worldwide attention. De la Plante produced a book / CD-ROM that celebrated the life of the legendary Canadian racer, and his photos of Villeneuve were the basis for two commemorative Canada Post stamps (bottom) honouring the late F1 star. He’s also photographed horse jumping and football (below), among other subjects, during his varied career.

InsideTrackNews.com 67

I OPINION

CANADIAN CONNECTION

By John Waldie

A BUSY SUMMER S

ince last checking in, we’ve enjoyed the heart of the Canadian racing season as many of our homegrown teams have performed admirably, both locally and internationally.

During Ontario’s Civic Holiday Weekend, Grand Bend Motorplex attracted an outstanding crowd of cars and fans for the facility’s 23rd running of the Canadian Nationals. The event featured eight Nitro Dragsters, Nostalgia Funny Cars, Neale Armstrong’s Northern Warrior Jet Dragster, and the spectacular three-engine, Freightliner Jet Truck. The show also included the very colourful Alcohol Nostalgia Flopper show.

The highlight was an incredible Top Fuel matchup pitting the Paton family’s threesecond, 300 MPH Top Fuel dragsters against each other. They were piloted by Todd Paton and local Pro Mod star Spencer Hyde.

They both posted 3.9-second ETs and eclipsed 500 km/h (300+ mph!) using the NHRA 1,000-foot standard. It was a Canadian first in side-by-side action.

BC racer Justin Bond was part of a thrilling Final at the US Nationals.

Photo by John Waldie

68 Inside Track Motorsport News

CANADIANS AT BRAINERD Speaking of speed, in mid-August at the NHRA event in Brainerd, Minnesota, the Mike Salinas owned and driven Top Fuel Dragster recorded a 338-mph speed. The pass was the third-fastest in NHRA history. The car is tuned by Edmonton native Rob Flynn.

At the same event, the KB/Titan Pro Stock team of Canadian Eric Latino and Jim Whitley featured finalists Dallas Glen (winner) and Kyle Koretsky. They field six of NHRA’s top ten Pro Stocks.

Following Brainerd, Pro Mod event winner Jason Lee held a slim championship lead over British Columbia’s Justin Bond, who had led the standings since his Gainesville victory, in mid-March.

And a ‘call out’ to another BC racer, Alcohol ‘hitter’ Shawn Cowie and his Guelph, ON crewman Pat Brown who are still going rounds and in contention for their first Lucas oil NHRA championship.

After their recent NMCA Pro Mod victory at Martin, Michigan Scott Wildgust and Mike Clark were prepping for Sienna Wildgust’s debut in NHRA Pro Stock, with Eric Latino and team KB/Titan. At 17, Scott and Stacey’s daughter would become the NHRA’s youngest professional driver.

Recent events at Empire Dragway in New York featured Canadian Pro Mod participants Kenny Lang, Al Matorino and Jay Santos and Top Sportsmen Kayden and Kevin Wickie, Mike Wagg, Jeff Gable, Wes Goddard and others.

Very special congratulation to Richmond, BC’s Rick McKinney and his Super Stock victory at the recent NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle! Rick’s GT/MA ‘96 Camaro was also the ‘number one’ qualifier in a field that also featured Canadians Darrel Stokes’ ‘64 Chevelle, Darcy Clarke’s ‘64 Savoy, Don Thomas’ ‘04 Grand-Am and Ken Perkin’s Mission, BC Super Stocker. We’re very proud of our coast-to-coast Stock/Super Stock competitors who recently enjoyed a record number of participants and events during their east coast swing!

Popular Canadian Top Dragster racer Tony Positano will be sorely missed.

Photo by Blake Farnan

INDY In addition to the exploits of the big names at the US Nationals, in Indy, there was plenty of Canadian content.

Matt Hartford scored an emotional win in one of the seven Eric Latino (Canadian!) / Jim Whitley KB / Titan Pro Stocks …

Stratford, ON native Kenny Lee saw three of his Quadro family Pro Stocks in the field, with Fernando Jr. advancing to his first Final … In Pro Mod, BC’s Justin Bond qualified ‘number two’ and advanced to the final before defending National champion Kris Thorne won on a hole shot. They ran 5.82 seconds to a quicker 5.77 seconds for a difference of 6/1000ths of a second at the stripe.

The Larry Dobbs / Ryan Stack Alcohol team made the Funny Car field at Indy …

Canadian Stock and Super Stock racers David and Guy Desjardins both advanced in eliminations, as did Venice Perno, and Wendell Howes (in the Hemi Shootout) and son Mark, The Gaffney brothers, Dan Velenoso, Frank Federichi and Charlie Kenopic all made us proud! … Jason Kenny was runner up in Super Comp at Indianapolis.

TONY POSITANO While we were at Indy for the amazing US Nationals, Canadian drag racer Tony Positano died as a result of injuries suffered while competing at Toronto Motorsports Park in his supercharged Top Dragster.

During the pre-race church service at Indy, on the Monday, there was a special tribute in Tony’s memory.

Tony was – without question – one of the most popular and highly regarded drag racers in all of Canada. He will be sorely missed, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends, on behalf of the entire drag racing family. IT

I NEWS

CHECKERED FLAG ATTITUDE, THAT’S NAPA KNOW-HOW. At every NAPA Auto Parts, you will find expert advice and quality parts that will make your day a winning day.

InsideTrackNews.com 69

I OPINION

DIRT TRACKIN’

By Jonathon Howe

MIKE BOWMAN’S MAGIC MONTH I

f you follow Sprint Car racing, you’ve likely heard that Mike Bowman has just had a month for the record books, racing his 360 Sprint Car at Ohsweken Speedway.

Bowman’s transition from 358 Modified racing to Sprint Cars has come a long way in a short time. In 2022, he proved his prowess with nine Action Sprint Tour (AST) Crate Sprint feature wins, including victories at Merrittville Speedway, Humberstone Speedway and Ohsweken Speedway, where he swept both races held while NASCAR took over the 3/8-mile mile oval. So how do you improve upon that? By adding a 360 Sprint Car to the program.

Bowman and his crew still have the Crate Sprint Car in top form as they chase the AST title in 2023. Jumping into the higher powered 360 Sprint Car for 2023 has progressed in a similar fashion. Heading into the two-day Shootout at Ohsweken that once again supported the Pinty’s cars, Bowman had two wins in the 360 in weekly competition at Ohsweken, including the Friday that kicked off Speed Week.

For 2023 there was a new format for the Shootout where heat races were eliminated, replaced by a timed hot lap session that locked drivers into the A main. On the Monday, Mike Bowman qualified fastest in his flight in the Crate Sprint and second fastest in the 360.

In the Action Sprint Tour event on Night 1, Bowman started third and quickly moved to the top spot where he raced mainly unchallenged. The caution free race and the experience with the racing surface led to Bowman lapping nearly the entire field on route to a $5,000 win.

In the 360 Sprint Car feature, Bowman started eighth, and by Lap 7 he was in front of the pack. However, he was not the only driver with plenty of Modified experience, as Stewart Friesen was also slicing his way through the field.

Bowman and Friesen have history, having battled it out in 358 Modifieds around Southern Ontario as well as on the Super DIRTcar Series across the Northeast.

Friesen duelled for second with Cory Turner

70 Inside Track Motorsport News

in a Sprint Car prepared by Glenn Styres Racing. But the battle for second meant Friesen ran out of laps to catch Bowman who made it ‘two for two’ on the night, claiming an additional $10,000.

“This track condition, the super slick stuff, it kind of plays right into my wheelhouse,” Bowman said after Night 1. “We learned so much racing the Modifieds, which is 800 pounds more car, and less tire.”

Mike Bowman has collected some big cheques, recently.

While the experience of running Photo by Peter Anderson Modifieds helped Bowman with the over Ryan Turner. A solid podium finish was track conditions, the experience of enough to clinch the 360 Sprints track chambeing in the Crate feature before the 360 pionship, in his rookie season at Ohsweken. gave him another chance to gain an edge.

‘The Big O’ wrapped its season Sept. 16 with its 19th annual Northern Sprint Car Na“... I HAD SOME LINES PICKED OUT” tionals. With Canada’s biggest 360 Sprint “Having the opportunity to race the Crate Car event set to pay $30,000 to the winner, race right before the 360, obviously I had Bowman had the opportunity to double some lines picked out,” said Bowman with down on his big money win, in August. He almost a chuckle. had already scored $5,000 for winning the A soggy Tuesday pushed Bowman’s quest Crate Sprint Nationals event the day before, for the Sprint Car sweep to Wednesday. In for the second year in a row. the Crate car, he was once again fastest in After winning his heat, Bowman qualified his group before redrawing the sixth starting for the Pole Dash where he was bested spot for the Main.

by Sam Hafertepe Jr., the Texas based Following a red flag on Lap 7, the restart driver who is widely considered the best was the perfect reset for Bowman, who 360 Sprint Car driver in North America made the winning move on Jesse Costa right now, and young guns Nick Sheridan with a slide job for the ages. That made it and Liam Martin who both showed bravery, a perfect ‘three for three’ with $20,000 in bombing it around the outside line. winnings and one feature to go.

Come feature time, it looked as though Bowman began that race in sixth. Nick Bowman might not have the pace, as Sheridan did his best to retain lead but Hafertepe Jr. took the lead back from Jorafter seven laps, Bowman took it away and dan Poirier after the two swapped places on appeared set for the clean sweep. Even with an early restart.

Friesen once again chasing him down, BowA caution near halfway reset the field. man earned the win and the big cheque. In Hafertepe found lapped traffic and Bowtwo days, Bowman won a total $30,000 and man took the lead. He led the final 15 laps, boosted his profile in Sprint Car racing. fending off a late charge from Hafertepe, He took a commanding lead in the AST completing a late summer stretch that saw West standings and closed the gap on the Bowman amass over $70,000 in winnings.

Ohsweken Speedway track title in his rookie “Just unbelievable that we were able to season in 360’s with just a handful of races take the Sprint Car Nationals home,” said a to go. Bowman entered the Sept. 8 season shocked Bowman, after the race. “You just finale at Ohsweken with momentum fully on don’t roll into a rookie season thinking all this his side. After another Friday night victory, the is going to go down.” IT week prior, Bowman held a 23-point margin

TURN1 SIM RACING

T

urn1 Sim Racing is the ultimate destination for sim racing enthusiasts and adrenaline-seeking individuals! With state-of-the-art simulators and cutting-edge technology, Turn1 provides an immersive and realistic experience for beginners and pros alike.

Turn1 Sim Racing is committed to delivering an unforgettable experience, from individual racing sessions to group events. Their sim rigs are an exact replica of a GT3/GT4 set-up, with software that can be adjusted to suit any skill level.

“We can make our pedals as responsive as possible for a beginner, or as realistic as possible for someone who’s been doing sim racing,” said Turn1 founder Andre Robinson. “With the steering wheel and wheelbase, it could be turned to the level where there’s minimal force in the steering wheel or it could be turned up high enough for people who are accustomed to a direct-drive wheel and the force that it exerts.”

Robinson has eight years of sim racing experience. He says that now is the perfect time to get into sim racing, as it’s a sport that is on the rise, providing a safe and cost-effective alternative to other sports. He adds that there are now real-life opportunities and careers for what used to be considered just gaming, including sim racing leagues that award significant prize money and an Olympic Esports Series.

Unlike other gaming centres in the province, Turn1 focuses specifically on sim racing. Located at 33 Quebec Street in Guelph,

Photo courtesy Turn1 Sim Racing

ON, Turn1 is more than just a racing venue, it’s a vibrant community where friendships are forged, rivalries are born and unforgettable memories are made.

Turn1 Sim Racing is open six days a week; reservations are recommended and can be made at www.turn1simracing.ca. The company can also be reached by phone at (519) 780-0003 and through e-mail at info@turn1simracing.ca. IT

SPECIAL THANKS TO FFBC AND RAVENS YOUTH FOR FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT WE'RE EXCITED TO LAUNCH THE PATH TO RACING PROGRAM FOR BLACK YOUTH IN ONTARIO. IN COLLABORATION WITH K1 SPEED IN TORONTO. FOR MORE INFORATION: WWW.BLACKDIAMONDRACING.ORG

InsideTrackNews.com 71

RACETRONIX

L

ooking for a high-performance fuel pump system for your 1997-2003 C5 Corvette? You might want to check out the new, 1997-2003 C5 Corvette High Performance Fuel Pump System from Racetronix.

This system features a new larger, aluminum reservoir for more fuel capacity and improved cooling. A Racetronix Turbine-Tech high-performance fuel pump with integral jet pump is pre-installed.

The integral jet-pump venturi system fills the aluminum reservoir (bucket) to provide reserve fuel so that the pump is always fully submerged. This system prevents fuel starvation during hard cornering and acceleration thereby maintaining factory functionality.

The Racetronix fuel pump system is designed to replace the factory fuel pump reservoir with minimal modification. This system is available with a Racetronix E85 compatible 255 liter per hour fuel pump that can support upwards of 600 HP. An optional 340 liter per hour fuel pump version is available which can support upwards of 700 HP. This system includes plug & play wiring upgrades to maximize pump performance and prevent overloading the factory wiring.

The Racetronix 1997-2003 C5 Corvette High Performance Fuel Pump System is ideal for C5 owners who want to upgrade their fuel delivery system for higher horsepower applications or simply improve their reliability and performance.

For more information or to place your order, please call (905) 477-7014 or visit Racetronix.com. IT

72 Inside Track Motorsport News

Photos courtesy Racetronix

PURITY GAS

P

urity Gas specializes in the engineering, design and project execution of large-scale industrial nitrogen gas generation systems used at manufacturing facilities across Canada and the USA. Nitrogen gas is the most widely used industrial gas in the world and is used extensively in manufacturing, food packaging and metal fabrication applications such as laser cutting.

Purity Gas NITROCENTER® systems reliably produce ultra-pure nitrogen on demand at the user’s facility, for a fraction of the cost of having nitrogen delivered by truck.

In 2023, Purity Gas entered into a partnership with FEL Motorsports to supply the Sports Car Challenge Canada (SCCC) series and the Emzone Radical Cup Canada series with onsite motorsport nitrogen services.

Teams can purchase lightweight aluminum nitrogen cylinders, nitrogen regulators, tire filling and airjack hoses, and other motorsport-related nitrogen components at each event on the FEL calendar.

Purity refills the nitrogen cylinders at NO CHARGE for all FEL teams, utilizing the on-site nitrogen cylinder filling system that Purity brings to each event, and at Purity’s headquarters between events.

The team behind Purity Gas are racers themselves, campaigning their Radical SR3 XX in the Emzone Radical Cup Canada Series.

Learn more at www.puritygas.ca or visit them under the Radical Canada tent, in the paddock on FEL race weekends. IT

Photos courtesy Purity Gas

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InsideTrackNews.com 73

PERFORMANCE RACING INDUSTRY TRADESHOW

R

acing icon Tony Kanaan will welcome attendees to the biggest three days in motorsports business as the headline guest at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show’s annual Grand Opening Breakfast on December 7 in Indianapolis.

An annual tradition for thousands of motorsports professionals from all over the world, the breakfast takes place the morning of the first day of the PRI Show and symbolizes the official start of the threeday event.

“It’s always special to welcome an Indy 500 winner to the PRI Show,” said PRI Trade Show Director Karin Davidson. “Not only is Tony a champion on the track, but he’s also a favorite of race fans all over the country, and we’re excited to have him kick off this year’s PRI Show.”

Joined onstage by veteran commentator and announcer Ralph Sheheen, the two will engage in a free-flowing, fun-informative conversation that is sure to be filled with stories from Kanaan’s race-winning career. Kanaan is an open wheel racing icon with a celebrated 25-year career. Since his debut in 1998, a season in which he won CART Rookie of the Year, Kanaan has captured 17 wins, one IndyCar Series championship, 15 poles and 134 top five finishes.

In 23 career starts in the Indianapolis 500, Kanaan has led a total of 367 laps, including laps in his first seven “500s.” His Indy 500 victory came in 2013, his 12th start at the Brickyard.

Kanaan is IndyCar’s iron man with 389 starts – second only to Mario Andretti – including 318 consecutive starts, a series record.

74 Inside Track Motorsport News

During his 2004 IndyCar Series title winning season, Kanaan became the first IndyCar driver to complete every lap of every race.

He’s won championships in multiple series and events, including Indy Lights, IndyCar, 12 Hours IndyCar legend Tony Kanaan will kick off at Sebring (LMP2) and Rolex the 2023 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show at the annual Grand 24 Hours at Daytona.

7.

Doors to the Grand Open- Opening Breakfast on December Photo courtesy PRI ing Breakfast open at 7 a.m., and the program begins at 7:45 a.m. The breakfast is free to all PRI attendees, but guests are advised to arrive early as seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 2023 PRI Show takes place December 7-9 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. The Show floor opens immediately after the breakfast and will feature more than 1,000 exhibitors showcasing the latest products, services, machinery, simulation and testing technologies, and trailers for the racing industry in a single location.

PRI encompasses all forms of motorsports and attracts attendees from all 50 states and all over the world, including professional race teams, retail shops, warehouse distributors, engine builders, fabricators, dealers, installers, jobbers and media. To register, visit PRI2023.com/Attend. IT

­ ­ ­

InsideTrackNews.com 75

KEMP MOTORSPORTS

K

emp Motorsports is a small, family run business with an office and shop located in Cobourg, Ontario. The company has more than 30 years of automotive experience spanning racing, restorations and car shows.

Add in banking and financing offerings, and Kemp moved beyond being a hobby and transitioned into careers and a great company.

Kemp is Canada’s #1 Motortrac dealer and is a proudly licensed member of P.A.V.E., the trusted licensing organization for appraisers in Canada.

In recent news, Kemp Motorsports is excited to welcome United Race Trailers to its line-up. During a tour of the company, the Kemp team assessed the level of quality and workmanship at United Race Trailers to be excellent.

Even better, United Race Trailers permits Kemp to customize its trailers to suit the needs and wants of its customers. Kemp currently has its exclusive ‘Podium’ edition in stock with some nice, custom bathroom packages in the works.

For information and to view Kemp’s current inventory, visit KempMotorsports.ca. IT

76 Inside Track Motorsport News

Photo courtesy Kemp Motorsports

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InsideTrackNews.com 77

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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY

Del Freiburger won the second Jr. Late Model feature during the Brad Clarke Memorial at FTMS on July 29. That victory came on the heels of a third-place result in the first main.

Kyle Steckly held off J.R. Fitzpatrick and a field of Late Model stars to win the July 30 Gold Rush 123 at Flamboro, along with the $10,000 winner’s prize.

Photo by April Wilson

Photo by Peter Anderson

AUTODROME CHAUDIÈRE

PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY

Kamouraska, QC racer Simon Dion-Viens won the July 28 NASCAR Truck Series race at Autodrome Chaudière. It was his second victory in a row at the track.

On July 29, in his third start of the year, Brandt Graham scored his first career KOD Disposal Late Model feature win at Peterborough Speedway.

Photo courtesy Autodrome Chaudiere / Marie St-Laurent and Christian Genest

Photo by Terri Strawn for Peterborough Speedway

SUNSET SPEEDWAY

OUTLAW MIDGETS

Travis Hallyburton won his first Late Model feature in two seasons during the caution-free July 29 feature at Sunset Speedway. He celebrated the win with his daughter.

The Outlaw Midgets were in action at Sunset Speedway on July 29.

When it was done, Dave Bradley (middle) had taken his first career feature win at the Barrie, Ontario-area oval.

Photo courtesy Ashley McCubbin / Sunset Speedway

Photo courtesy Ashley McCubbin / Sunset Speedway

78 Inside Track Motorsport News

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BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY

Jarrett Butcher from Porter’s Lake, NS turned a late-race pass into a win in the July 29 East Coast Int’l Pro Stock Tour race at PEI’s Oyster Bed Speedway.

When Tim Fuller (middle) last won a Super DIRTcar Series race at The BOS, it was in 1996. The legendary racer finally returned to Victory Lane at the eastern Ontario track on August 2.

Photo courtesy the East Coast Int’l Pro Stock Tour

Photo by Alex & Helen Bruce

OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY

BUD’S SPEEDWAY

Twenty-six Mini Stocks were in the field for the 21st running of the track’s Art Hill Memorial on Aug. 4. It took an overtime finish for Alex Riley to cement the victory in the prestigious race.

Chris Reid (middle) flies from Ft. McMurray, Alberta to Sydney, NS’s Bud’s Speedway to race. The Aug. 5 Sportsman Feature $5,000 winner’s cheque helped pay for some of the travel costs.

Photo courtesy Dale Calnan / Image Factor Media

Photo courtesy Tim’s Corner Motorsports

SUPER LATE MODEL SERIES

FULL THROTTLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

After failing just short of winning in the first three race of the season, SLMS driver Dylan Gosbee finally put it all together, on Aug. 6, to win at PEI’s Oyster Bed Speedway.

Pro Sprints racer Adrian Kemp won features on both August 5 and 6 at Full Throttle Motor Speedway.

Photo by April Wilson / FTMS

Photo courtesy Super Late Model Series

InsideTrackNews.com 79

R U N N I N G O R N OT, W E PAY YO U CAS H O N T H E S P OT

ARS! C Y U B WE $$$$$ $$$$$$

DELAWARE SPEEDWAY

DELAWARE SPEEDWAY

Versatile racer J.R. Fitzpatrick was in action with the Super Late Model Series on August 11 at Delaware Speedway. He and his crew celebrated in Victory Lane.

Veteran racing legend Steve Book won the V/8 Stock feature race at the London, Ontario-area oval on August 11.

Photo courtesy Chris Culos Jr.

Photo courtesy Chris Culos Jr.

SPEEDWAY 660

EASTERN CDN. RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Alex Gallant scored a long awaited and monumental first win of the season in the 5th annual, three-segment Gunslinger 75 Sharp Shooter division race at Speedway 660, on August 12.

On Aug. 12, Ontario’s Catchacoma region played host to the ECRC’s Black Bear Rally. This event was won by Sébastien Clark and co-driver Laliberté, in their Subaru WRX STI.

Photo courtesy Speedway 660

Photo courtesy Black Bear Rally

APC LATE MODEL SERIES

PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY

Former series champion Jo Lawrence took the Aug. 12 APC Late Model Series at Sunste Speedway, south of Barrie, Ontario

Junior Late Model racer Brayden Cappuccitti kept his season-long unbeaten streak intact when he went to Victory Lane following the feature race on August 12 at Peterborough Speedway.

Photo by Steve Traczyk

Photo courtesy Jessica Blair / Follow Me Photography

80 Inside Track Motorsport News

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Dylan Blenkhorn, from Truro, NS scored a huge win and payday ($16,500) by winning the Aug. 12 Summer Clash 250 at Halifax’s Scotia Speedworld. Blenkhorn was two laps down, during the race.

‘Livewire’ Liam Martin from Binbrook, Ontario won the Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS) A Main at Western New York’s Ransomville Speedway on August 18.

Photo courtesy Scotia Speedworld

Photo by Tom Stevens

DINOSAUR DOWNS SPEEDWAY

DINOSAUR DOWNS SPEEDWAY

Drumheller, AB’s Dinosaur Downs hosted two days of racing in mid-August. Stettler, AB racer Tyler Duncan won the Claimers features on both August 12 and 13.

Calgary, AB racer Larry Cramer took the checkered flag in Hobby Stock action on August 12 and 13 at Dinosaur Downs Speedway.

Photo by Carol Douglas

Photo by Carol Douglas

DINOSAUR DOWNS SPEEDWAY

DINOSAUR DOWNS SPEEDWAY

Drumheller, AB resident Mike Hansen won the IMCA Modified feature race on August 12 at Dinosaur Downs Speedway.

The August 13 IMCA Modified race at Dinosaur Downs went to Brian Roode of Brooks, AB.

Photo by Carol Douglas

Photo by Carol Douglas

InsideTrackNews.com 81

CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS

CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS

Ricky Willigar scored his fourth Canadian Vintage Mod feature win of the season when he took the first of two mains that took place on August 12 at Flamboro Speedway.

T.J. Marshall took his seventh CVM win of the 2023 when he took the checkered flag in Feature #2 at Flamboro on August 12. It was his first victory in his ‘new’ car.

Photo by Peter Anderson

Photo by Peter Anderson

CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS

SOUTHERN ONT. MODIFIED ASSOC.

Mike Podd (No. 5) won Feature #1 on September 2 at Flamboro Speedway. T.J. Marshall won the second feature held on ‘Back to School’ night at the Hamilton, Ontario area paved oval.

Shannon Morris (No. 0) won the rain shortened August 12 SOMA feature race at Flamboro Speedway. Dario Cocco, Mark Lucas, Robert Morrison and Cliff Hodgkinson were also in the hunt.

Photo by Dave Franks

Photo by Peter Anderson

SOUTHERN ONT. MODIFIED ASSOC.

RANSOMVILLE SPEEDWAY

Raj Brar (above) won one of the two Southern Ontario Modified Association feature races at Flamboro Speedway on Sept. 16. Clay Morris won the other.

St. Catharines, ON racer Cody McPherson won the Sean Letts Memorial for DIRTcar Sportsman cars on September 1 at Western New York’s Ransomville Speedway.

Photo by Dave Franks

Photo courtesy Tom Stevens

82 Inside Track Motorsport News

SAUBLE SPEEDWAY

SAUBLE SPEEDWAY

The United 8s were in action during the Aug. 26 APC Late Model show at Sauble Speedway. Sauble veteran racer Jason Parker won the United 8s feature race.

Scott Schlueter took the checkered flag at the end of the August 26 Combined 4s feature race at The Beach.

Photo by Dave Franks

Photo by Dave Franks

RACE CAYUGA SPORTSMAN SERIES

RACE CAYUGA SPORTSMAN SERIES

Co-drivers KC Kovacs and Steve Ferstl won the Quick Sportsman Race Cayuga Sportsman Series (RCSS) title for 2023 at Toronto Motorsports Park

In spite of losing the RCSS Bike & Sled season finale, veteran racer Mike Konopacki (above) comfortably won the championship over Jason Stewart, at TMP.

Photo by Blake Farnan

Photo by Blake Farnan

RACE CAYUGA SPORTSMAN SERIES

RACE CAYUGA SPORTSMAN SERIES

‘Wild’ Bill Thompson won the 2023 RCSS Foot Break championship by just 100 points, in spite of losing the TMP season finale to Patrick Police.

Wheel-standing Tony ‘The Bandito’ Valerio was the RCSS Modified champion for 2023.

Photo by Blake Farnan

Photo by Blake Farnan

InsideTrackNews.com 83

RESONANCE

“

(Above) The Porsche LMDH, using Multimatic’s chassis, is coming on strong to end the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, winning two races in a row on the way to the season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Photo by Richard Coburn

Y

et another dispatch written on an airplane (or started on one), due in part to the fact that I’ve been over the Atlantic every week for the past few months, and it’s the only free time I’m afforded. My last ITMN submission included a picture of Mosport (CTMP) taken out of the window of a B787.

A couple of weeks ago I got to the Indianapolis IMSA event from England in a seriously convoluted way; flew London-Toronto, immediately followed (like out of the terminal and into a rental car) by a drive to Chatham, Ontario to grab a few hours’ sleep (don’t ask, was a lack of planning), and then onward to Detroit the next morning to attend the second year of its reimagined auto show (having been rebranded and cleverly moved from the depths of Michigan’s freezing January to a more hospitable September, but missing both 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic) where Ford featured the Mustang GTD as a follow-up to the first unveiling in Monterey. Multimatic plays a key role in that program (no secret) but more on that in a later article, along with how that road version has a deep connection to the GT3 race car.

Then, after a “big night” at the Apparatus Room (highly recommended), it was onward to Indianapolis chasing Harry Tincknell all the way for four hours (or maybe it was more if we stayed to the speed limit). Was a great IMSA Sportscar weekend for the LMDH

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Porsches with Penske finishing one-two and Harry throwing down some top three stats in outright lap time and stint average, having had to drive from the back due to a pit lane infraction for the Proton privateer Porsche. The car is becoming a formidable competitor with a combination of Multimatic, Porsche and Penske development.

I stayed in our old, converted GMC Greyhound bus for the weekend, parked up against the backstraight fence amongst a load of serious enthusiasts. Way better than restaurant dinners and hotel rooms every night, and a good place to do business during the day. Andrew Holt joined me as he works for Multimatic in a manufacturing plant just up the road in Fort Wayne, Indiana (#itsnotthatbad...that’s a real motto, and it truly ain’t so bad). Stayed at his place on Sunday night, finishing off the weekend with street tacos and a bunch of beers before driving all the way back to Toronto on Monday to catch the red eye to London. Wears me out just writing about it.

But I love the Speedway, the awesome sports car racing that IMSA is serving-up and being involved with our at-track support team, who are fully amazing.

I’m now on another B787 and have already thrown down 400 words just covering my recent travel itinerary. So, what of interest have I got to share this issue? A blast from the past. And not specif-

ically race related, but some cool technical stuff that made it to the front of my conscious when I recently found a missing photo album (had written it off as lost). Dark ages stuff. Not quite back to my time working on a Lola T212 in the early 1970s, but a decade later, towards the end of my university marathon. Two specific projects, one the subject of my undergraduate thesis, and the other being Ryerson’s SAE Supermilage/Shell Fuelathon entry. Note that Ryerson has recently been renamed Toronto Metropolitan University…pretty bland, but I don’t disagree that it needed the change for reasons not to be expounded upon in this article. Both projects are wholly engine related. As I have explained in previous scribblings, before ending up specializing in structural engineering and later chassis development, I was a truly committed engine man. And, as I elucidated in my previous piece on two-stokes (ITMN 26.01), those stinky, noisy, recalcitrant versions of the internal combustion engine were my fixation. I won’t repeat all the stuff I hitherto shared around racing (motocross as a rider, road racing as a tuner) but I will expand on my thesis project because I have now found the long-lost pictures which brought the highly ambitious undertaking back into focus.

The title of my research was “The Design and Development of a Speed Sensitive, Variable Tuned Length, Two-Stroke Exhaust System” which pretty much explained exactly what I was up to in the dark ages of 1982 and 1983. Again, for a proper elucidation of the magic of two-stroke engines go back to my previous article on the subject, check out Wikipedia’s description (pretty good), or browse the load of really cool related YouTube videos, and if you are really hooked try and get a copy of Gordon Jennings’ most excellent book Two-Stroke Tuner’s Handbook (where I learned how to design expansion chambers, but not so much fabricate them, which is a pure art).

The true secret of unleashing the real potential of a two-stroke comes from taking advantage of the resonances in its exhaust (not an obscure concept in any internal combustion engine but a critical aspect of a two-stroke) which makes the difference between a smoky little shitbox (the BSA Bantam of the early sixties) and a world championship capable power plant (the MZ, from the same period…latterly Suzuki…read my previous piece for that link). It all comes down to harnessing the concept of the Helmholtz Resonator (and despite that acoustic phenomenon partly encompassing my surname, I will go no further on explaining the science behind it, Wikipedia does a great job of that).

For the basics I will reiterate the explanation of the expansion chamber from my previous article as follows: Referencing Figure 1, an expansion chamber is made-up of a header pipe (1) (into which the exhaust port dumps the burnt gasses), 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 gasses 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 gasses 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 back as a negative pulse (B). If the length from the port to the cone (L1) is correctly chosen that negative shock wave arrives back at the exhaust port while it is still open and helps pull the burnt gasses 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 back 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

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

returning shock wave is sufficiently strong and accurately timed (difficult because the speed of sound changes with exhaust temperature) it is capable of increasing the charge pressure in the combustion chamber, in a similar way to a turbo or supercharger…driving Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP) and thermal efficiency.

Hopefully, I have explained this satisfactorily, for the second time!!

So, how did I improve on this magic resonant device? As explained above, if the positive shock wave is properly organized to arrive back at the exhaust port at the correct time, a kind of supercharging effect occurs, raising the engine’s BMEP and thus power (as well as shoving escaping fresh charge back into the cylinder, reducing unburnt hydrocarbons…a good thing for the environment). The problem is in the timing. The shock wave travels at the speed of sound (fixed once the system settles down at a constant operating temperature) but the port opening timing changes with the speed of the engine.

The higher the crankshaft RPM the shorter the pipe needs to be to get the shock wave to arrive back at the port at the right time.

Expansion chambers conventionally use a converging cone to send a series of shock waves back to the exhaust port, effectively allowing the increase in charge pressure to be spread over a range of engine speeds (so L2 is actually a series of effective lengths ranging from L2a to L2n). The downside of this configuration is that the peak pressure is reduced because the total shock wave energy is reflected back over the length of the cone rather than a single hit.

This leads to one of the primary compromises that must be made when designing an expansion chamber: the angle of the converging cone. Steeper angles return bigger power (due to increased BMEP) but with a narrow power band (hence the peaky response of two-stroke race bikes…in the early days some incorporated up to fourteen speed gearboxes to keep them “on song”). Shallow converging sections offer broader power bands but with less impressive peak numbers.

What I came up with was an actively adjustable rear cone.

Extremely steep angle, almost flat, and perpendicular to the shock wave, the only shape being configured to aid the escaping exhaust gasses outflow unimpeded. The trick was that the flat plate was dynamically located axially in the straight chamber by an electric drive motor, constantly changing the effective tuned length of the exhaust in response to engine speed (∞L2). Figure 2 illustrates the configuration (without actuator and sensor details) of this Variable Tuned Length Expansion Chamber (“VTL” for short). It is similar to the conventional configuration illustrated in Figure 1 other than the converging cone (4) has been replaced by a moving plate (4).

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Figure 3 shows the engine (a 1980 Suzuki 125cc air cooled piece from an RM dirt bike of the period, this being just at the edge of liquid cooling, something that would have made my life a lot easier on the dyno) with the complete experimental pipe on the test “bench”.

The control was fully analogue using an array of resistors to square up the voltages generated by a rotary potentiometer on the “pipe’s” moving element and a tachogenerator driven off the crankshaft. A voltage comparator and op-amp circuit provided a voltage to the moving element’s drive motor, constantly trying to keep the “error signal” (the difference in the measured voltages) at zero. Those that have any knowledge of PID controllers will detect that I did not at that time. A simple dead-band stopped the system from wearing itself out as it tended to be constantly moving, a very busy test rig when working the throttle!

I built a dyno (Figure 4) out of an old Chevrolet Impala spindle, brake rotor and caliper with a master cylinder modified so as to be actuated by a screw thread. A purloined Salter scale was used to measure the generated force at the end of the steering arm and a programmed equation in my TI calculator (I forget the model, because we were all buying the latest version every two months… unless you were one of those weird HP guys…RPN) which spit out the crankshaft torque value for a given constant (relatively) speed at the same location (ignoring losses). All that being analogous to simultaneously spinning six plates while riding a unicycle, as the brake faded almost faster than the master cylinder could be dialed in while the throttle was slowly opened to 100 percent. At steady state (all plates spinning) the moving element of the “pipe” settled down and a power reading could be taken. The final missing piece of data being the crank speed which was measured using a handheld tachometer that had a rubber wheel held to the crank extension (the tachogenerator was only ever a voltage). Everything was cooled (engine, Impala brake rotor and all the other hot stuff) by shop air distributed via copper pipes with squished ends. When running at full bore it was truly frightening. I once tried it on my own, late at night when nobody was there to help, or get hurt, and it didn’t go so well. But we only ever had one serious runaway when the master cylinder shit a seal. I calmly got it shut down (didn’t want to freak the supervising professor out, I was actually terrified) but it got some discussions going in the faculty about letting guys like me loose in the labs.

The bottom line was it made just over three more horsepower than the stock set-up, which showed as 21 on my dyno, Suzuki claimed 27 peak in the brochure, but that was at the crank with the production expansion chamber, whereas my raw torque was at the “dyno shaft” (which included gearbox losses, the dyno chain drive and the ’72 Impala spindle assembly), using the “test exhaust” with a fabricated diverging cone inside it. More impressively it returned the peak over a powerband almost 1000 rpm wider than stock.

It worked! Just needed some refinement and a bit of help with the manufacturing engineering.

I figured Suzuki would jump all over the concept (they were sponsoring it) but other than complimenting me on the quality of the thesis report (my mother typed it for me on a very early word processor) they never actually made comment on the veracity of the invention. I kept the engine and made a road racing bike out of it with another concept that I called the “suspension module” in the rear, the spring and shock being driven by cams (for another time).

The bike never actually got past a ride down the street where the engine finally succumbed to all the abuse I had inflicted upon it during my testing. As happens, more often than not, right around the time of my development work a host of active two-stroke exhaust technol-

86 Inside Track Motorsport News

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

ogies started to bleed into the market. I had conceived the idea of a VTL Expansion Chamber in around 1980 without any prompting from similar technologies (I wasn’t big on state-of-the-art research, more on making stuff and testing it). But when I was proudly finishing things up, a load of novel power enhancing two-stroke exhaust related gimmicks (that is unkind, it was all really clever) hit the market: Honda ATAC (1984 Honda CR125) and Yamaha YPVS (1983 RD350LC… but earlier on the TZ race bikes). The former trying to achieve a similar outcome as me by changing the overall volume of the exhaust using a switchable chamber in the cylinder casing, and the latter being different in that is altered the exhaust port shape/timing. All this technology was ultimately gathered up under the terminology “Power Valves.” I messed with them incessantly on Artic Cat 440 race sleds many years after my foray into inventing such devices.

What did I learn from this highly satisfying technical exercise, undertaken in my last couple of years at Ryerson? Two things: don’t assume that everybody is going to “get it”, and technology moves fast, so if you snooze you lose. I’ve run a little over on this topic and will keep the Supermilage/Fuelathon engine story for another time… not so much novel, but an impressive interpretation of the rules that resulted in a highly innovative, and successful, hybrid engine. Not in the modern sense of that terminology but referring to the cross breeding of a Briggs & Stratton side valve utility piece (dictated by the rules), with a venerable overhead cam Honda 50, and some additional bits from a Fiat 131, Husqvarna chain saw and Hodaka Super Rat dirt bike. Finished second in a field of almost one hundred University’s competing that year. IT

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