INSIDE: SPECIAL SECTION: CAMPING A BIG PART OF THE RACING EXPERIENCE
INSIDE
■ F1: MAX FLIES IN MONTREAL
■ IMSA: CHEVROLET GP AT CTMP
■ GALLERY: KENNY U-PULL VICTORY LANE
■ VINTAGE: VARAC GRAND PRIX
■ INDYCAR: TORONTO INDY
■ STOCKS: SLAUNWHITE WINS IWK 250
There’s one thing that separates first place from the rest of the pack: the finish line. High-performance, race inspired ADVAN tires give you the drive to win.
The eight models in the ADVAN family are born from the same DNA of adrenaline pumping performance to deliver race-ready handling for all driving styles and conditions.
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vehicles and other machines that lit up the Canada Day night sky was really something.
High speeds, big sounds and racing smells are factors common to many forms of racing.
But there’s really nothing like the feeling of being near the Top Fuel dragsters when they light up. I was fortunate enough to be trackside with my camera for a few runs and I’ve never experienced anything like it before.
It hits your chest and assaults your senses. And then it’s over and you do a quick check to make sure everything is still working and in place.
In addition to shooting the Nitro Nationals, Inside Track had a booth in the vendor area that gave us an opportunity to connect with a lot of the fans in attendance.
Despite taking place in soggy conditions, the recent NASCAR Cup Series race through the streets of Chicago was a grand slam home run. The racing world finally found out what fans of the old CASCAR and the current NASCAR Pinty’s Series have known for decades, that stock cars on temporary street circuits are very popular!
This has been proven time and again, in Canada, at the Toronto Indy, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières and, in the past, at the former Vancouver Indy!
The Grant Park 220 wound through some of the most scenic parts of ‘The Windy City’ and attracted NBC’s largest audience for a NASCAR race in six years, drawing a total audience of 4.795 million viewers. Add another 163,000+ people who streamed the race on NBC’s digital platform, and the success is even greater.
A ‘Cinderella story’ victory by the relatively unknown first-time Cup Series participant, Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, added to the spectacle. Who knows what the ratings could have been had the weather been better?
NASCAR is making some creative and winning moves with the venues its visiting.
The popularity of the new facilities will hopefully accelerate the replacement of the sleep-inducing cookie cutter ovals that sprung up when the sanctioning body was in search of huge crowds in new markets, a
few decades back.
Would anyone be surprised to see the return of one of NASCAR’s three major US touring series to Canada in the near future? Bringing the Trucks back to CTMP is a natural now that the issue of producing proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, at the border, is no longer a thing.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one hearing rumblings about the NASCAR Cup Series heading to Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, as early as next season.
The Nationwide races, held at Montreal’s permanent road course on several occasions in the past, drew enormous crowds and produced interesting races.
Another neat thing about the Montreal Nationwide races was how many Canadians would find their way into the fields, often doing double-duty in the Pinty’s Series races.
That degree of Canadian content likely wouldn’t be possible in a Cup race, although it would be amazing to see NASCAR’s biggest names and tour competing in ‘The Great White North.’
Speaking of huge events…
I had an excellent time at the recent Nitro Nationals at Toronto Motorsports Park. I’ve been to several drag races over the years but the experience of the Top Fuel dragsters, jet
We were pleasantly surprised by the number of young people who said it was their first-ever visit to a dragstrip and that they were having a great time.
Kudos to TMP for putting on an event that had so many things to see and do, and to let kids under 15 in for free. It’s a strategy that will surely generate long-term benefits for the facility and racing in general.
Another neat thing they’re doing at TMP is offering in-car experiences – in F2000 cars, exotics and in drag cars – to give people a taste of what it’s like to be on the other side of the safety fence, at the track.
Our own Taylor Thring recently took part in TMP’s F2000 Driving Experience.
And while she has lots of experience in stock cars and karts, it was her first time ever in a single seat formula car. She had a blast and you can read all about it on Page 55.
It’s mid-season and the pages are filled with major events, grassroots results, commentaries and opinion pieces. We even have a special section about camping and RVing at the tracks and how it’s such a big part of the racing experience for so many people.
We hope you’re having a great summer. Continue to check the Canadian Racing Guide online at www.tinyurl.com/ ITMN2702CRG as you plan your remaining outings for the rest of the season. We’re updating it with current ads and content every few weeks. IT
NASCAR fans like stock cars racing in the streets of big cities... who knew? Photo Courtesy of Getty Images for NASCAR
On July 7-9, IMSA rolled into Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the annual Chevrolet Grand Prix. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship was the main attraction and did not disappoint. Pictured above is the start of Sunday’s feature event on the facility’s legendary Grand Prix Circuit. Full coverage of the event begins on Page 32. Photo by Neena Channan Images by Neena
Suchis Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen’s dominance of the 2023 Formula 1 season, I’m going in a different direction for my latest column. In honour of the upcoming ‘Silly Season,’ the nickname for that time of year where Formula 1 teams play their annual game of musical chairs, I’m introducing my own version, dubbed the ‘Silliest Season,’ where I pair the – in my opinion – top ten current Formula 1 drivers with international stars and place them on all ten teams.
Of course, this is ridiculous, but let’s stop and have some fun, because the 2023 Formula 1 season has been anything but that. This is obviously purely subjective, so I would love to hear your thoughts on who the top ten drivers in Formula 1 are, and who you would like to see get a full-season crack in a Formula 1 car, but let’s begin.
First off is Red Bull Racing, where Max Verstappen remains and whom I’ve paired with a fellow dynamic, young prodigy with a racing bloodline – 22-year-old reigning World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä. The young Finnish driver is the youngest World Rally Championship race winner, and learned the sport from his father, Harri, who raced for Seat, Skoda, Mitsubishi and Peugeot. Tremendously gifted, I’d love to see what Kalle could do in a Red Bull.
Next up is Mercedes, where Lewis Hamilton keeps his seat, and is joined by one of the hottest potential free agents in open-wheel racing, 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou. The Spaniard is back on top of the IndyCar standings this season, and is already a reserve driver for McLaren, so let’s pair him with arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time.
Charles Leclerc keeps his seat at Ferrari, too, and I’ve paired him with two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden. The affable IndyCar star is going toe-to-toe with Palou in this year’s IndyCar title race, so let’s see how they fare across the Atlantic in Formula 1 cars.
At McLaren, I’ve paired incumbent Lando Norris with veteran IndyCar star Scott Dixon. The six-time IndyCar champion has accomplished so much in the series, so for a career swansong I’d love to see what he could do in a Formula 1 car. Early in his career the New Zealand native was rumoured to have had interest from both the Toyota and Williams Formula 1 teams.
At Aston Martin, I’ve paired Fernando Alonso with another all-time great who has aged like fine wine, nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. The Frenchman is still quick, winning the Monaco WRC round last year, and this would be a dream pairing.
Rounding out my list of current drivers sticking with their incumbent teams, I’ve placed Esteban Ocon at Alpine with reigning IMSA champion Tom Blomqvist. The Englishman is the son of retired rally star Stig Blomqvist, and made his lone IndyCar start at the Honda Indy Toronto this year.
I’m sending George Russell back to Williams, and pairing him with reigning Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, who is currently a reserve driver for Aston Martin and McLaren. At Haas, I’m gifting them Carlos Sainz and given the team’s American roots, I’m putting reigning NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano next to the Spaniard. Alex Albon moves to Alfa Romeo and is joined by 2022 European Le Mans champion Louis Delétraz. And rounding out my fantasy grid is Oscar Piastri moving to AlphaTauri alongside 2022 DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde. IT
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Story by Jeff Pappone
Abouttwo-thirds into the Canadians Grand Prix and just after his final pitstop, a radio communication between Red Bull’s pit wall and its leading driver Max Verstappen pretty much summarized the Formula 1 action at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2023.
“There’s a bit of a race behind, so people are pushing a lot more than you at the moment,” the team said, making it clear that a cruising Verstappen had more than enough speed in his pocket to fend off any would-be challengers.
In the end, Verstappen doubled his lead on the field in the last 27 laps and crossed the line 9.570 seconds ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes third another 4.598 seconds behind.
“It was not a very straightforward race because the tires were not really getting in their window. It was very cold today compared to Friday and we were sliding around quite a bit. But still, to win by nine seconds, I think shows that we have a great car,” said Verstappen, who equalled the late Ayrton Senna’s 41 Formula 1 victories and scored Red Bull’s 100th Grand Prix win with his sixth triumph of 2023.
“When I was a little kid driving in go karting, I was dreaming about being an Formula 1 driver and I would have never imagined winning 41 Grands Prix. To tie with Ayrton is something incredible, and of course I’m proud of that, but I hope it’s not stopping here. I hope that we can keep on winning more races.”
With Verstappen starting from pole and leading every lap despite Aston Martin and Mercedes adding significant updates to their cars, the Dutchman will keep winning. The reigning two-time world champion left Montreal with a commanding 69-point lead over teammate Sergio Pérez. As of the British Grand Prix, he added two more wins and stretched his lead to 99 points.
Verstappen’s victory also meant that Red Bull remained unbeaten in 2023 with its eight consecutive victories to start the season. McLaren set the record of 11 consecutive wins to start a season in 1988, which Red Bull can match in Hungary after winning its tenth in a row in Britain.
Qualifying did serve up some excitement as Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg took full advantage of the changing conditions and snagged a front row spot on the grid, only to be bumped to fifth after a penalty for driving too fast under a red flag. That put Alonso second and Hamilton third on the grid and set the stage for a good fight for second between the former two world champions, who offered up the ‘race behind.’
Hamilton jumped Alonso at the start for second, but the Aston Martin climbed all over his tail until the drag reduction system allowed the Spaniard to muscle past at the final chicane on Lap 21. When asked about his quick start and pass on Alonso in the postrace television interviews, Hamilton poked some fun at his rival.
“His reactions are a little slow because he’s older now,” said a
laughing Hamilton, loudly right next to the 41-year-old Alonso. “It’s an age thing.”
Canadian Lance Stroll started 16th following a three-place penalty for impeding Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in qualifying but drove a spirited race to climb seven spots to ninth by the end of the 70 laps. The Aston Martin driver pipped Valtteri Bottas by 0.030 seconds for tenth after passing the Alfa Romeo driver on the sprint to the finish line after the final chicane. A five-second penalty to Lando Norris for unsportsmanlike conduct pushed the McLaren driver down to 13th and put Stroll ninth.
Although the Canadian continued to under perform compared to his two-time world champion teammate Alonso, Stroll drove the first six races of 2023 nursing a broken wrist and other injuries suffered in a cycling accident just before the season began. He said he really didn’t feel close to 100 percent in the car until Monaco, something compounded by watching testing from the sidelines.
“I missed a lot of seat time just figuring things out and getting into a groove before the season,” he said. “I’m getting more and more comfortable with the car, and I think every race I’m just kind of understanding more of what I need from the car and its strengths and weaknesses. I mean, every lap in the car helps.”
Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack insisted that Stroll’s determination to be in the car at the start of the season only confirmed what he already knew about his driver, but felt it showed the outside world “a side of Lance that was maybe not known.”
“He’s a fantastic fighter. It would have been easy to stay away three races, and then come back” he said. “But the fact that he really tried hard to get back to the car, despite all the pain – and I can assure you, there was a lot of pain – shows what kind of fighter is. I think it was 12 days after the incident. I’m not sure people are aware of what kind of performance that was, and I was quite happy that he also disclosed the pictures of what he went through.”
The promoter reported a record crowd for the three-day weekend with the 345,000 fans pouring through the turnstiles topping the 338,000 last year. Some of those fans needed to twiddle their thumbs for a few hours on Friday after a glitch in the close-circuit television system halted the first practice session after only four minutes of the scheduled hour and prevented the support series cars from taking to the track. The organizers added 30 minutes to the second practice session to compensate for the lost time.
Although Alex Albon finished a distant seventh in the Canadian Grand Prix, the Williams driver earned his six points after fighting off a menacing gaggle of cars for the final 25 laps on well-worn tires.
Albon made one stop under a safety car on Lap 12 and then went 59 laps on hard Pirelli tires to score his best-ever finish in Montreal and take driver of the day honours for his defensive heroics.
“It was tough. I remember getting the call that there were 30 or 40 laps left and I was like ‘What?’” Albon said with a smile after the race. “It’s not fun to drive around on old tires, but we made it work: The tires were lasting, they were staying cool, and I could afford to push on them. We were just quick enough to stay in front.”
The Williams driver first fended off George Russell until the Mercedes driver retired with brake issues before he put on a defensive driving clinic to keep six cars behind for the final third of the race: Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Lando Norris (McLaren), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), and Pierre Gasly (Alpine). Only 4.436 seconds separated the seven cars at the finish line.
Several aerodynamic upgrades on Albon’s Williams played a key role in helping keep the train behind but they also added to the weight on his shoulders as he delivered the team’s best finish in the first 10 races of 2023.
“We actually fast-forwarded the upgrades, and everyone sacrificed their weekends to get this car ready.” Albon said. “I felt a bit of pressure because I was like: ‘My god, they’re really putting everything into this weekend. And it’s all on my car. Don’t crash it and try and survive.’ I’m just so happy we got points.”
Standing out in Montreal continued the 27-year-old’s resurgence after a disappointing stint with Red Bull Racing. Albon started nine races in 2019 for Red Bull after bring promoted halfway through the season from the “B” team, Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri). He struggled to adapt and failed to match future world champion Max Verstappen’s pace. A year later, he scored only two podiums in 17 starts before Red Bull demoted him to test driver and put Sergio Pérez in the race seat.
“With the Red Bull, I didn’t really understand what the car needed to be quick but, at the same time, I couldn’t get natural driving the car. The car was driving me rather than me driving the car,” he said.
“It’s very hard to judge a driver by one stint in one team, especially if they’re inexperienced, because it’s very hard for them to understand how to get out of that situation.”
A move Williams last year proved to be a godsend. Albon quickly showed he still could peddle a car as he out-shined his teammate, Canadian Nicholas Latifi. The return to form essentially came down feeling much more confident behind the wheel, even though the Williams really didn’t suit his driving style.
In 21 starts last year, Albon delivered points three times with average finish of 13th in the worst car on the grid. As of the 2023 British Grand Prix, Albon scored all of Williams 11 points this season.
Now in his second season with Williams, Albon feels he’s found a home where he can start to exert his influence on and off the track.
“I’m involved very early in the stages of next year’s car and in every upgrade, every update, every week that the car is changing,” he said. “I’m driving that car to make sure we’re focusing on the key areas that the car needs to be improved.”
With ten teams pulling in different directions and a governing body throwing new rules in the mix every few years, life with no competition often gets complicated for Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli.
Not only does Pirelli need to bring constant tweaks to its existing offerings to meet the teams’ expectations and ensure a level playing field, but it also needs to be about two years ahead of major regulation changes.
“It’s difficult,” said Mario Isola, head of Pirelli Motorsport. “We must find a tire that works for all the teams and every season we have to keep developing the tires because the cars are changing, even if the technical regulations don’t change. We always must adapt our tires to the new level of performance the teams expect. That’s the normal situation.”
That happened at the British Grand Prix where Pirelli brought a new tire construction to respond to the increased speed and loading on the tires seen since the start of the 2023 season. Pirelli became the sport’s sole tire supplier in 2011, replacing Bridgestone which served in the same role for four seasons. From 2001 to 2006, Bridgestone and Michelin waged tire competition to F1.
Several major changes in the regulations tested Pirelli’s ability to adapt, including the introduction of the hybrid power unit along with
wider tires in 2014, new tire rules in 2016 which demanded three compound per race, wider tires in 2017, and then the move from 13-inch to 18-inch rims last year.
“Usually, it takes about a year to develop of the tire for the following season,” Isola said. “We start in March, in September define the construction, and in December define the compounds, but if there is a big change it’s useful to anticipate a little bit. With the 18 inches, we started a bit in advance.”
Pirelli will begin working on the specification to respond to the major changes slated for 2026 in the second half of next year, assuming it wins the tender process for the next tire supplier, which should conclude in the fall.
If Pirelli continues, it will start by working with the teams to determine the desired tire characteristics before moving to simulations and data collecting with the teams. Once that’s done, Pirelli designs a model for the teams to test and crunches more data before moving to the development of a physical prototype.
Although the process minimizes the risk of getting things horribly wrong, the results aren’t always perfect. For example, despite the new 18-inch tires meeting its expectations, Pirelli worked on a few tweaks to respond to real-life results.
“The new cars have understeer at low speed because the new aerodynamic package is completely different compared to the older package, where most of the downforce was coming mainly from the wings. We also had a part of the tread where the wear was higher than the rest and that needed an improvement,” Isola said. “That’s why we adapted our 2023 specification. I would say it was 90 percent in line with our expectations, but you always find something that you have to fine tune to get to 100 percent.” IT
TheNASCAR Pinty’s Series visited Autodrome Chaudière, on June 10, for the third race of the season. Treyten Lapcevich started on pole for the 300-lap race and stayed up front until lap 59, when short track specialist Donald Theetge took the spot.
The driver from nearby Boischatel, QC paced the field for 22 laps before Lapcevich returned to the lead. As the first half continued, attrition become a factor for one team. Glenn Styres retired after 122 laps, just ten circuits before Andrew Ranger saw his day cut short, both Wight Motorsports drivers experiencing a rear gear issue.
On Lap 191, Theetge parked his car with the same problem. Another unlucky driver in the race was rookie Thomas Nepveu, who brought out three cautions for spins; the first two spins followed contact with competitors, before brake failure ended his day.
Lapcevich continued to lead until a restart with six to go, where he was lined up beside a familiar foe in defending champion Marc-Antoine Camirand, who had started back in 11th. The drivers are no stranger to tight battles at the finish, which included Lapcevich moving Camirand to win the previous race. This time, it was Camirand who came out on top.
“I knew the car was fast for a long run; at Chaudière, it’s pretty hard to keep the nose clean for the first half and I was able to do that,” said Camirand. “I was surprised that (Lapcevich) took the outside (on the restart) …our car was really fast on the bottom and, with five laps to go, I was able to protect the inside and get that win.”
Lapcevich finished second but became the first driver in series history to lead more than 333 laps in the first three races of a season, with his No. 20 Chevy out front for 521 circuits. The finish looked a little different from his perspective.
“If I took the bottom, I would’ve had to rough him up in order to get by him, because the top was definitely the dominant lane,” said Lapcevich. “I took the top, kind of out of respect. I thought that, since we did dominate the whole race, there might have been a little more respect given there, but he kind of just shoved me in the wall down the backstretch.”
Dexter Stacey was credited with a third-place finish; he started the race with a fractured elbow before being subbed out, with Raphael Lessard taking over at the halfway break. Following the race, Camirand’s team was issued a penalty related to the front trailing arm mounts, which included the loss of 18 championship points.
On June 24, the series returned to Newfoundland’s Eastbound Speedway, following its successful debut last year. Theetge started on pole, with Camirand joining him on the front row. On the initial start, Camirand was penalized for beating Theetge to the line, sending him to the back.
Theetge and Ranger battled early, before Kevin Lacroix took the lead on lap 16 of 250. Lacroix dominated the first half of the race,
while some notable storylines unfolded behind him.
Theetge had the same mechanical issue end his day for the second straight event, parking his No. 80 Chevy after 57 laps, while an engine failure took out D.J. Kennington after 72 laps. For Kennington, his first DNF in 21 races ended a streak of 14 straight lead lap finishes.
Another driver with issues was Ranger, who spent considerable time on pit road with damage, before returning many laps down; he ultimately finished 17th. Lapcevich looked the most vulnerable he’d been all year, losing spots early, with his team working on multiple adjustments for the loose car.
Lacroix continued to lead in the second half, before being passed by Brandon Watson on Lap 149. Lacroix would later pit to change a tire, ultimately recovering to finish fifth. Meanwhile, the adjustments made to Lapcevich’s car appeared to be successful, as the driver quickly worked his way through the field.
Lapcevich took the lead on Lap 182 and held on through three late restarts to win at Eastbound. He became only the second driver in series history to win three of the first four races, with Scott Steckly accomplishing the feat in 2008.
“I think we finally got (the car) right, just at halfway, made some big swings at it,” said Lapcevich. “I could feel that the car was
substantially better than it was, and we were able to take advantage of it. We got lucky with some of the restarts, we were in the right lanes…then it was just getting to the lead as fast as I could and controlling the race.”
Alex Labbe and Camirand battled for second on the final restart, with Labbe edging Camirand by a mere 0.003 seconds. Labbe’s first start of the season came as a substitute for Nepveu, who missed the event due to a prior racing commitment.
Five Newfoundland drivers entered the race, with Sara Thorne recording the top finish (11th), followed by Josh Collins (12th), Brandon McFarlane (13th), Wayne Hanlon Jr. (15th) and Owen Groves (18th).
Next up, on July 14, was the Exhibition Place street course, where the series was the Friday headliner on the Honda Indy weekend. Alex Tagliani started on pole, with Ranger staying on his bumper through the first few laps.
On Lap 7, caution for Stacey stalled on track. The field restarted on Lap 12 and was met by a yellow flag for debris in turn three, when Nepveu also stalled on track, with significant body damage to the leftrear of his car. Although Tagliani was out front, Ranger had beat him to the scoring line on the restart and was credited with the lead.
Tagliani took the top spot back following the next restart. Meanwhile, Camirand worked his way up to fifth, after starting back in 18th. He didn’t post a time in qualifying, while his team addressed a mechanical issue.
The remainder of the race went caution-free, despite multiple drivers having issues. The leaders also had lap traffic to manoeuver, where Lacroix touched the wall on Lap 23 before moving to second on Lap 27, as Ranger steadily dropped to fifth, both while battling with traffic.
A slow-moving and wiggling car bunched up the battle with two to go, as the leaders approached, with Tagliani holding off a late charge
from Lacroix to win by 0.403 seconds for his third victory in Toronto.
“I was very worried about arriving full speed to try to pass (Watson), (if) that car loses that tire, which was basically flopping, so I lifted, but Kevin was flat out,” said Tagliani. “Over that last lap, I just pushed like a qualifier, and I said, ‘I can’t leave Kevin close to me and get the chance to have the bumper’ but it was extremely clean today.”
Camirand finished third, followed by L.P. Dumoulin and Ranger. Lapcevich finished sixth.
“I knew the car was good, so I took my time and (passed cars) oneby-one; I was pretty fast at the end,” said Camirand. “We’ve always qualified around top-three but struggled in the race (in Toronto); today was the reverse, struggled in qualifying but good in the race.”
In the standings, Lapcevich leads by 19 points over Lacroix and 30 over Camirand. IT
Story by Bryce Turner and Ashley McCubbin
has been a long-time coming for one of the hottest drivers in the APC Series. Jake Sheridan entered the year with a best points finish of third, coming back in his 2018 rookie season, and had just one win to his credit. He admitted that it’d been a rough couple of years, where he felt like the team couldn’t catch a break.
But this season has been a different story, especially in recent races. The Mt. Brydges, ON racer recorded the most points of any driver in the last three races and notched his second series victory. A brake pedal problem limited Sheridan to a fourth-place finish at Peterborough Speedway, where he still saw the race as a turning point for his season.
In the next event, at Delaware Speedway, he started seventh and began to move his way forward in the first quarter of the race. However, under a Lap 24 caution, he was one of two drivers to not pick his lane accordingly per the “choose procedures,” which were added to the series in 2023 to resemble the NASCAR national divisions.
“It was the first time we were running that system, with the cone on there and choosing like that, so unfortunately we caught a piece of it and we ended up going to the back,” said Sheridan. “Had a couple of long green flag runs and we had a really good handling race car in (turns) three and four and were able to take advantage of the choose rule on restarts in the rest of the race.”
Sheridan’s methodical climb through the field saw him reach the top-ten just before the halfway mark, before running fifth after 56 laps. The steady climb continued, as the No. 52 Late Model took over second, just nine laps later, and began closing the gap to the leader.
Sheridan reeled in Kyle Steckly, passing him for the lead on Lap 81. Following a late caution, with eight laps to go, he was able to hold off Jo Lawrence for the victory.
“(Steckly) was fast and we had to catch him from about a straightaway back,” said Sheridan. “Most of our passes were under green, so it wasn’t handed to us…(Lawrence) and (J.R. Fitzpatrick) were coming hard, we were able to hold them off. We had a really good piece to the end and to do that, coming from the back, was pretty cool.”
Sheridan’s first series win since 2021 also came at his home track, where he already visited victory lane in weekly competition on opening night.
“That’s a track that means a lot to me and my family’s racing history,” said Sheridan. “To do that there was just extra special. But to be back in APC Series victory lane, especially this year...there’s a lot of competition out there, a lot of good race cars and new equipment out there, so to do that now is just a testament to our program.”
The series then visited Flamboro Speedway, where Sheridan finished second, after recording a season-worst eighth place result at the track in race two.
“To make a good points day out of it was what we were after,” said Sheridan. “We really didn’t do that well the first time around…to tidy that up and to run like that against the field of cars that we did says a
lot. To be up there with (Fitzpatrick) throughout the race was special.”
Sheridan says the key to contending for the championship will be to keep on top of their maintenance program, have the best prepared car possible and pick and choose their battles to get solid finishes. He’s looking forward to the next race, at Sauble Speedway, where he recorded his first career victory and enjoys the track.
The third round of the season saw the APC Series visit Peterborough Speedway. Blair Wickett led early before Kyle Steckly made the pass on Lap 15. The Milverton, ON driver led the rest of the way to score the victory; he now owns a win in each of the three season he’s competed in. Jo Lawrence, Danny Benedict, Jake Sheridan and Shawn Chenoweth rounded out the top-five.
Next up was a Canada Day appearance at Delaware Speedway. Josh Stade led the first quarter of the race before Steckly took the spot. Steckly controlled the race until 20 to go, when Sheridan made the pass, after coming from behind. Sheridan took the win, ahead of Lawrence, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Steckly and Shae Gemmell.
It may have happened a day later than originally scheduled, but it does not mean the excitement was any less for the fans that attended the 100-lap London Recreational Racing 100 at Flamboro Speedway.
Gemmell, a past Grisdale Triple Crown champion, started on the front row and battled for the lead at the drop of the green flag. He took the top spot at lap seven, though he was unable to drive away from the field. He would be challenged for the spot by Fitzpatrick on Lap 30, relinquishing the lead.
The veteran faded to as low as third, but kept himself in the thick of the battle, taking the runner-up spot with just 15 laps left on the board. He then inherited the lead when Fitzpatrick had issues with eight laps to go, holding off Sheridan on the final restart for the victory. Sheridan broke into the top-five at Lap 23, remaining there throughout the race, to back up his Delaware victory with a runner-up finish. Wickett looked to put his mechanical gremlins in the rear-view mirror, as he rounded out the podium, in front of Lawrence and Stade.
The 2023 season has been full of parity, with five different winners in the first five races for the first time in series history. Meanwhile, it’s a non-winner in Lawrence who has a slim advantage in the standings, leading Sheridan by just one point.
Benedict sits third in the standings, seven points back, followed by Steckly and Fitzpatrick, tied at 13 points behind. Gemmell and Stade are also tied, but 22 points back.
The Qwick Wick Super Stock Series began its 2023 season at Peterborough Speedway, where Shawn Chenoweth controlled much of the 50-lap race. Chenoweth led the first 36 laps before his day ended early. Carson Nagy inherited the lead, after running as far back as eighth; he led the remaining laps to score his second series victory. Lane Zardo, Miles Tyson, Gord Shepherd and Chase Pinsonneault rounded out the top-five.
Next up was Delaware Speedway, where Trevor Collver grabbed the lead on lap 5, stretching his advantage with each of the 45 laps that followed. The lack of cautions worked in his benefit as the drivers behind were unable to reel him in, with Collver visiting victory lane.
The battle for second was another story, as it came down to the wire. Nagy made his way to third on Lap 35 and reeled in Chenoweth over the next couple of laps, though he was unable to find a way underneath him. This allowed Zardo to challenge back for the spot.
The persistence from Nagy paid off, as he made his move with a couple laps remaining, passing Chenoweth on the last lap for the
runner-up spot. Zardo and Pete Vanderwyst rounded out the top-five. At Flamboro Speedway, Brandon McFerran started on pole and paced the field for the complete distance en route to his first series win. Notably, it marks his second crown jewel victory at Flamboro after winning Frostoberfest last season. It was also much needed for the No. 56S, after mechanical issues plagued him in the first two events. Zardo, Chenoweth, Nagy and Ryan Dyson rounded out the top-five. Nagy leads in the standings by three points over Zardo. IT
Edwards dominated the June 17
OSCAAR Modifieds feature at Sauble Speedway. Edwards wasted no time making his way to the front; he took the top spot with just a single lap on the board and led the rest of the way, visiting victory lane for the first time in 2023, after wrecking out on the opening lap at Flamboro.
A.J. Emms ran second, with his 11th consecutive podium finish in the series, ahead of Jason Keen, Ryan Dick and Tyler Liscum.
You need to have speed to win on the halfmile Delaware Speedway and that’s what both Edwards and Jamie Cox possessed in the next two races, during the OSCAAR Nationals on the Canada Day weekend.
In the first feature, Edwards utilized patience in making his way to the front. He worked his way to second in the opening 10 laps, before putting himself on the tail of then-leader Dick.
He made his move just past halfway to put the No. 34 out front.
Edwards then led the remaining laps en route to victory, with Dick holding onto second and Marshall Schrenk completing the podium. Newman drove from the back for fourth, with Cox placing fifth.
After several teams put in the late-night
oil, with some working around the clock, most competitors returned the next day. Starting on the second row for the feature, Cox wasted no time making his way to the lead. He then drove away from the field en route to becoming the series’ third different feature winner of the season.
Schrenk put together a solid run to place second. Jeff Showler crossed the line in third, but was disqualified in post-race technical inspection, allowing Bryan Batty, Edwards and Keen to round out the top-five.
Threading the needle through lapped traffic, Dalen Martin picked the right lane to take the lead and win the OSCAAR Hot Rods feature at Sauble.
A full field of 22 cars kept things interesting when the leaders caught traffic; a pair that was battling ahead of the top-two, with four to go, ultimately decided the event. Rob Bromley, who had led all the laps up to that point, elected to go with the bottom lane through turns one and two. Martin chose the outside and was able to power his way to the lead.
Martin scored the victory in the caution-free race, in front of Bromley and Matt Hopkins. Although normally known to carry
the No. 44 on his car, Hopkins ran Connor Ellis’ No. 48 to earn him points, after Ellis was sidelined during pre-event practice.
Tyler Hawn and Steve Book rounded out the top five.
Running on consecutive days at Delaware, it was experience in victory lane for the next two features. A strong qualifying effort, along with the series invert, allowed Martin to start inside the top-five in the first race. He wasted no time making his way forward, putting the No. 26 Mustang out front in the early stages before driving away to the checkered flag.
Steve McCaw threaded his way through traffic for a runner-up finish in his series debut. Hawn, Book and Hopkins completed the top-five.
Despite starting eighth in the next feature, Martin began his march forward just like the night before. He was able to take the lead relatively quickly, once again distancing himself from the field at the checkered flag. But following technical inspection, he had the win taken away.
Hawn’s consistency, as well as holding off Cole Weber’s late-race charge, paid off, as he got the victory. Bromley made it two podiums in three races, while Hopkins and David Rockwood rounded out the top five. IT
(Above) Dalen Martin out-raced 22 fellow OSCAAR Hot Rod competitors to win at Sauble Speedway. Photo by Steve Traczyk
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Though Mother Nature has tried to put a damper on the season, the drivers in the Young Drivers Canadian Vintage Modifieds have been putting on an exciting season so far. As the series enters its mid-season Championship race, let’s take a look back at the year to date.
The season opened with the Hank Franks Memorial, where defending champion T.J Marshall won the first feature, before Quintin Murdoch claimed the victory in Feature #2. On June 3, Ricky Willigar and Marshall captured the checkered flags, before Mike Podd would pull out the broom, as he swept the night on June 17.
On July 1, the series saw the second sweep of the season, with Marshall winning both races that night. On July 8, drivers and teams were ready to hit the track but that’s when Mother Nature poured down.
Marshall, Podd and Willigar sit atop the points standings, with only six points separating the three drivers.
It’s looking like it will be a tight points battle all the way until the end of the season, on September 23. Remaining races for the Canadian Vintage Modifieds are August 5, August 12, September 2, September 9 and September 23, with all events being held at Flamboro Speedway.
Mike Podd’s recent victories came after missing the end of last season with an injury. He was watching an OSCAAR Modifieds race at Flamboro Speedway on August 27 when he was struck by a car that jumped the outside wall between turns three and four; he was thrown into the side of the ambulance parked at pit out.
The incident left Podd with a broken leg, broken pelvis, puncture wound, a small cut to his face and bruises from the neck down. He underwent surgery, which included a rod being inserted in his leg and pins in his pelvis.
Podd says the biggest challenge was getting his mobility back but that he’s lucky that the injuries weren’t worse.
“I’m so grateful that they’ve got quality safety people at the tracks now, they were
On September 9, Flamboro will host its annual Memorial Night/Fan Appreciation Night Corn Roast. The Young Drivers Canadian Vintage Modifieds are selling laps in memory of past racers or people who we race in memory of.
You can follow along with the Canadian Vintage Modifieds by finding us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as our official website www.vintagemods.com, for all the latest happenings.
spot on,” said Podd. “I remember racing with basically a (first aid) guy and a first aid kit at some tracks.
I’m so glad they’ve taken those steps, because that made all the difference.”
Podd was able to resume work in the shop in December and started this season with a newly-acquired car, which had been sitting idle for years.
He had wondered if the accident was a sign to stop racing, but instead, he returned and won twice on the same night for the first time in a while.
“The fact that I could still (race) and do
RACE 1: 1. No. 15 T.J Marshall, 2. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch, 3. No. 84 Jeremy Barton, 4. No. 14 Scott Tonelli, 5. No. 43 Jae Pepin // RACE 2: 1. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch, 2. No. 15 T.J Marshall, 3. No. 14 Scott Tonelli, 4. No. 84 Jeremy Barton, 5. No. 8 Ricky Willigar // RACE 3: 1. No. 8 Ricky Willigar, 2. No. 1 Mike Podd, 3. No. 15 T.J Marshall, 4. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch, 5. No. 5 Jason Keen // RACE 4: 1. No. 15 T.J Marshall, 2. No. 8 Ricky Willigar, 3. No. 5 Jason Keen, 4. No. 1 Mike Podd, 5. No. 84 Jeremy Barton // RACE 5: 1. No. 1 Mike Podd, 2. No. 84 Jeremy Barton, 3. No. 8 Ricky Willigar, 4. No. 14 Scott Tonelli, 5. No. 5 Ian McIntyre // RACE 6: 1. No. 1 Mike Podd, 2. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch, 3. No. 5 Ian McIntyre, 4. No. 15 Jeremy Riopelle, 5. No. 84 Jeremy Barton // RACE 7: 1. No. 15 T.J Marshall, 2. No. 1 Mike Podd, 3. No. 8 Ricky Willigar, 4. No. 14 Scott Tonelli, 5. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch // RACE 8: 1. No. 15 T.J Marshall, 2. No. 8 Ricky Willigar, 3. No. 5 Ian McIntyre, 4. No. 14 Scott Tonelli, 5. No. 57 Joey Woolsey. IT
it competitively meant a lot; that was a bit of a personal accomplishment,” said Podd. “I had two things going on, I had this old car that I was a fan of, that I was able to get back on the track, but as far as accident-related, that was a big deal that the accident didn’t affect my racing.” IT
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Story by Bryce Turner and Cam Harris
When
Connor James announced his return to the Ontario Sportsman Series, you knew it would not be long before the former champion would find his footing. James’ ride for the season came at the last minute, after financial constraints cost him a return to the APC Series.
He picked up the car just before his destination wedding in late April and was looking forward to a more family-oriented and less stressful form of racing.
“It’s just been nice getting back to running our own equipment,” said James. “I missed the days of getting my own car ready and loading it up and driving it (to the track) in the trailer. It’s more of the mental part of things, you yourself doing that, it helps a lot.”
James’ No. 4 Camaro was fast during June 17 time trials at Sunset Speedway, before a mechanical issue resulted in the loss of four positions to start the race, meaning Cory McAllister and Brendan Patrick would start on the front row. McAllister jumped into the early lead over Patrick, before he was passed by James on Lap 48.
“It was kind of nice to let those guys race hard up front, burn their stuff up,” said James. “I was just kind of there to make passes when I needed to and not use my stuff up too much.”
Disaster then struck McAllister on Lap
49, as he spun in turn three, the result of another mechanical gremlin. The early leader grabbed a beverage from a fan in Sunset’s beer garden, then rode his No. 71 back to the pits.
From lap 50 onwards, it was the Connor James show; he held onto the lead, but Patrick kept him honest. In the end, James took the win at his home track, ahead of Patrick, Chad McGlynn, Michael Hryniuk Jr. and Doug Cathcart.
In three races, McAllister had two DNFs and one win. After the mechanical issue ended his night at Sunset, he learned of the severity of the damage. The car was testing his patience, his wallet and leading to lots of time in the shop, resulting in the possibility that he would not make it to the next race. Luckily, an old Kevin Gallant car became available and McAllister was ready to go.
James won the pole for the race, but had his time disallowed following tech, giving Derek McCullough the first-place starting spot. James’ team made an error with the ride height, being too low on the left-front. On the start, McCullough was passed by McAllister, who then battled back-and-forth with McGlynn.
In the closing laps, McAllister found a familiar foe chasing him in the No. 4 of James.
The drivers put on a great show at both Full Throttle and Sunset, but this one was even more exciting. James tried to close the gap enough but was unable to do so and McAllister took the victory.
“This win is dedicated to my crew,” said McAllister. “When we unloaded, we were way off the pace. No one gave up and they went to work…I was getting nervous with all the restarts, but it all worked out. Sauble is close to our hometown (and) it was great seeing tons of fans out!”
James finished second, with McGlynn, Hryniuk Jr. and Cathcart rounding out the top five.
“I really feel like we had the faster car than Cory; him and I were very close,” said James. “On the white flag, (I was) at his door and I couldn’t make the pass. He would never move me for a win, so I didn’t want to do that to him. I’m a respectful racer and so is he.”
James leads the standings by four points over McGlynn and 20 over McAllister, who he’s enjoyed battling with this season.
“The series has been needing guys like Cory to come in, guys with such a positive energy, who race clean and respectful,” concluded James. “I have an absolute blast racing against Cory. It’s cool that he’s right behind us in the championship run…we’re going to some good tracks for him and I know he can knock off another win or two.” IT
Connor James, his crew and supporters celebrate in Sunset’s Victory Lane following the June 17 OSS race. Photo Courtesy OSSthree of the Southern Ontario Pro4 Modifieds (SOMA) season was held at Flamboro Speedway on July 1 weekend. Race director David Hebert had commented before the drivers meeting that the racing action would be fierce, as points leader Robert Mercer was defending his lead, with rookie Dario Cocco and veteran Shannon Morris in hot pursuit. The stakes were high, the VIP tower filled with corporate and major race sponsors, plus car sponsors, many new to racing and enjoying the birds-eye view. SOMA gave them a great show and the guests enjoyed great home track hospitality!
The heat race would set the line-up for the feature. New member and first-time race event driver Liz McFarland finished a very respectful middle of the pack, kudos to you Liz. Another new driver, Clayton Morris, retired early with an engine issue; Clayton looks like a natural and we look forward to seeing more of this young man. Cliff Hodgkinson (the Gorilla), Shannon Morris and Robert Mercer traded positions during the heat, but when the checkered flags waved, Mercer stuck his front bumper past Morris to pick up the win.
The pole position went to Andrew Snyder, with Ken Mercer beside him for the waving green flags; they raced the first couple of corners side-by-side. On Lap 3, Snyder was
Story Courtesy SOS Media with files from Brent Otchere
Ryan Turner has been close to a win in the Gary Cunningham Memorial a few times and finally broke through in the Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS) at Merrittville Speedway.
Turner and Baily Heard started the 25lap A-Main on the front row. The two raced hard for the lead until Darren Dryden spun and was collected by Kevin Pauls. The restart was helpful for Dylan Westbrook, who started in Row 11 due to a flat tire in his heat race. The two-time SOS champ immediately gained four spots and eventually finished eighth.
Heard held the lead until Turner got past him, just before the halfway mark. Mike Bowman got past Heard for the second
challenging high on the outside, got loose in the marbles and hit the wall hard. The safety crew checked him out and released him, but his car was not as lucky. A single-file restart put Ken Mercer, Morris and Robert Mercer to lead the pack to the green flag. Ken led until Lap 17, when Morris tucked the nose of his sleek modified under Ken’s left-rear and made the pass. Morris held on for the waving checkered flags, with Ken and Robert tightly behind.
When the race ended, the drivers all went to the VIP tower and enjoyed the remainder of the racing events.
spot and tried his best to catch the leader, but Turner stayed up front to take the $3,000 victory over Bowman, D.J. Christie, Matt Farnham and Heard.
Westbrook started on the pole and led all 25 laps en route to his third career Humberstone win. Turner finished second, followed by Mitch Brown. Dryden and Farnham raced wheel-to-wheel for the fourth spot, with Dryden eventually prevailing, while Farnham rounded out the top-five. The only major incident of the race came when Shone Evans’ car tipped over to bring out a red flag, but he was able to restart and finish the race.
Bowman has wasted little time getting
Dario Cocco is a 20-year-old heavy equipment mechanic for Astro Excavating Toronto, brand new to oval racing, and is now the owner and driver of a beautifully prepared Southern Ontario Pro 4 Modified race car. So far this season, Dario has had several top five finishes and a heat race win at Grand Bend Speedway. Dario is no stranger to speed and motorized equipment, with a real love for ATVs, motocross and sleds; he is a young man to watch in our BCW Lumber Race Series. There is no doubt in my mind that you will see Dario high on the podium for a feature win! IT
up to speed in Sprint Cars. The local Modified star took his first career 360 Sprint Car win and the $4,010 winner’s cheque at Ohsweken.
Brown started on pole for the race, which honoured both his grandfather Harold (Little Ben 1-10) and Harvey Lennox (Tammy 10). A caution appeared on the first lap and Turner capitalized on the restart, quickly taking the lead, before Brown reclaimed the spot on the following lap. The battle raged on until Turner retook the lead midway through the race.
The second caution was due to Bowman getting tangled with traffic on lap 13. Bowman was able to continue and took full advantage of the restart, claiming the lead and building a gap of over 2.5 seconds. Bowman went on to win, ahead of Tuner, Westbrook, Brown and Christie. IT
It’sbeen a busy start for touring series in Ontario; here’s an update on some of the divisions. The Action Sprint Tour East was the first AST series to take the track in 2023. Mathieu Bardier dominated the 20lap opener at Brockville Ontario Speedway, grabbing his second series win.
A few weeks later, the tour returned to Brockville, where Lee Ladouceur was running double-duty. The driver participated in both a 358 Modified race and the Action Sprint Tour crate sprint car event. He had the fastest car in the AST race and went on to score his first series win.
Ladouceur kept the momentum going, winning the next two races to make it three victories in a row and five consecutive wins, overall, at Brockville.
The Action Sprint Tour West season began at Ohsweken Speedway, where Mack DeMan took advantage of a restart with five laps to go, grabbing the lead and winning by more than two seconds over Lance Erskine, who led early in the race.
The series then visited Merrittville Speedway, where Mike Bowman led the field to green and stayed up front, through a pair of restarts, en route to victory. Bowman and
DeMan brought their early season success to the next race, at Ohsweken, where Bowman took the lead with six laps to go, grabbing the win ahead of DeMan.
Bowman utilized a restart to take the lead in round four, back at Merrittville, and went on to record his third straight win. Bowman holds a 12-point lead over Al Sleight in the west standings, while Ladouceur has a slim four-point lead over Bardier in the east.
Mike Bradley got off to a strong start in the Outlaw Midgets. The Thornton, ON driver scored the victory in the first three races of the season, at Sunset, Peterborough and Full Throttle speedways. He then finished fourth in the following two races, at Sauble Speedway.
Jeff Blackburn initially finished first in the opener, before being disqualified in post-race inspection. He would fare better in his next series starts, where the Newmarket, ON driver swept the Sauble races, which were held on consecutive days. In the standings, Bradley leads Nick Spiez by 18 points.
A pair of drivers got off to a fast start in the Can-Am TQ Midgets. Jeff Blackburn won three of the first five races, with his
victories coming at Flamboro, Sunset and Sauble speedways. The other two wins went to defending champion Cory Whittam, who took the checkered flag at Flamboro and Sunset. Two races were rained out in the early summer stretch, while Daniel Hawn and James Stanley recorded victories in the series’ most recent events.
The Great Lakes Legends Series saw some early season parity, with four different winners in the first five races. Kenny McNicol won the opener at FTMS and returned to victory lane in the third event, at Grand Bend Speedway. Greg Rudzik picked up the checkered flag at Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway, while Jordan Latimer and Cole McFadden won the most recent series races.
The Norris family dominance continued through the first four nights of action for the Ontario Pro Challenge. Defending champion Mike Norris and his dad Tim each recorded a victory on nights one (Flamboro), three (Full Throttle) and four (Flamboro), while Tim and daughter Emma each got a win on night two (Flamboro). Tim has yet to finish worse than second and leads the standings by nine points over Mike. IT
TheCanadian Super Truck Series, supported by Allied Industrial Technologies, is five races into its 2023 campaign and who will end up as champion is anybody’s guess. Dean Braham of Kelowna, BC sits atop the standings with 1004 points, but he is only four points up on Dusty O’Connell of Wainwright, AB. The other Wainwright O’Connell, Kyle, is only ten points out of the lead.
Dusty O’Connell started out the right way by winning the Penticton opener on May 20. His No. 76 was trailed by Kyle’s No. 67 with Braham third in the No. 44. Braham topped time-ins, though, but didn’t fare well in the heat race won by Kyle O’Connell.
The next race was two provinces over, at Sutherland Automotive Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. This time it was Kyle O’Connell’s No. 67 first to the chequers with Dusty’s No. 76 the runnerup. Both O’Connell trucks started in the third row, so had some work to do to get to the front. Dave Vennard of Sherwood Park qualified quickest and wheeled the No. 7 to the win in heat one. Starting the main at the back of the field, Vennard managed to get to third by the finish. Matt Byrd of MacKenzie, AB took the other heat and earned fourth in the main.
Years ago, Roy Wigley of Airdrie was one of the top runners in Super Trucks. The Roy Wigley Memorial was held at Medicine Hat Speedway on June 24. Vennard came forward from row three and won the main over Dusty O’Connell. Braham started last and was third at the finish after timing-in first and winning the second heat. Kyle O’Connell won the first heat and was fourth in the Memorial race.
On July 8 and 9, the Super Trucks were back in BC to race in Prince George. Braham won the first night over Byrd and Vennard. The race on July 9 went to Kyle O’Connell with Braham second and Vennard third again.
The June 17 Western Speed Association round at Sutherland Automotive Speedway in Saskatoon, SK must have been a big hit for nostalgia buffs and might even have triggered a little deja vu. The Lakeview Insurance 150 finished with the No. 55 of Jim Gaunt
under the chequers first – a result that is far from unique in the history of Saskatoon stock car racing.
Gaunt started his day by timing in second and winning his heat race. The quickest qualifier was Tyler Emond of Leduc, AB, a third-generation racer. Matthew Shirley, also from a prominent racing family, timed in third and won his heat race.
Shirley and Gaunt started on the front row for the 150 with Shirley taking the early lead. Veteran Trent Seidel used his position inside the second row to get by Gaunt and spent most of the next 40 laps between a couple of feet and a few inches off Shirley’s back bumper. A car stopped on the front straight brought out a caution that Shirley didn’t need and Seidel went around him into the lead on the restart. By the halfway point, Seidel’s No. 70 was several car lengths ahead and Shirley’s No. 12 was starting to be challenged by Gaunt.
With 68 laps to go, Shirley pulled off the track and there it was, another chapter in the decades-old Gaunt-Seidel rivalry! The two ran nose-to-tail lap after lap as Kevin Dyck of Red Deer tried to enter the conversation. Just a tick behind him, Jared Redekopp of Hague, SK was trying to hold off Emond, who was now in the top five after choosing to
start dead last.
Redekopp’s No. 97 failed with 41 to go and shortly after Gaunt stuck his nose under Seidel. With 35 to go he was by. In the meantime, Emond was looking under Dyck but he could only pull alongside, not get clear. Gaunt began to pull away and Seidel’s weakening machine had a little respite as Dyck and Emond disputed third. Dyck finally got around Seidel on the outside with the end of the race in sight. Emond made his pass on the inside and it took until lap 148 for him to get the spot. Trailing Gaunt, Dyck, Emond and Seidel for fifth was Shantel Kalika of Prince Albert.
With rain causing the cancellation of WESCAR’s first race at Penticton, the tour’s visit to Prince George on June 10 finally got the season started. Jarrett Bonn got started the right way by qualifying quickest with a new track record and winning the first 100-lap race of the year. Joe Cornett-Ching, making his return to the series, didn’t seem to have much rust to knock off. He wheeled his No. 36 to second in the main after winning the A heat. Darrell Horwath nabbed third behind Cornett-Ching. The other heat was won by Cal Bagshaw. IT
Dean Braham of Kelowna, BC leads the Canadian Super Truck Series standings with 1004 points. Photo Courtesy Canadian Super Truck SeriesOnJuly 15, Riverside International Speedway hosted the biggest stock car race on the annual Atlantic Canada racing schedule, the IWK 250. The event is known for huge fields, large crowds and celebrity NASCAR racers.
This year’s NASCAR star was Carson Hocevar, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular who hails from Portage, Michigan. During time trials, Hocevar was the fastest of the 26 racers who took part in the race, won the Dash for the Pole, and looked set to win the race after pacing the field for 212 laps around the beautiful, high-banked Antigonish, NS oval.
But Craig Slaunwhite wasn’t about to let Hocevar walk away with the win. The Terence Bay, NS racer battled hard in the final laps, bided his time and, in the end, got
Canadians Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS) and Cole Butcher (Hantsport, NS) have both taken part in CARS Pro Late Model Tour events in the US this season. MacDonald is doing the full tour, while Cole Butcher – who also competes on the ASA STARS National Tour – has run a couple CARS races, as well.
MacDonald posted his first top 10 result of the season on May 26 at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Granite Falls, NC) and
by Hocevar with 14 laps to go.
Slaunwhite led the rest of the way en route to becoming the 34th champion of the prestigious IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis. Hocevar would end up finishing 13th.
Coming home in second place was Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS) who registered another impressive run. Russell Smith Jr., from Lakeside, NS, rounded out the podium finishers. Greg Proude (Springvale, PE) and Mike Rodgers (Moncton, NB) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Prior to the main event, time trials saw Hocevar post the fastest lap of the 26 participants with a time of 14.364 seconds. After that, the top ten fastest cars were shaken up with a redraw prior to hitting the track for a 15-lap Dash for the Pole.
Hocevar crossed the finish line first in
followed that up with a sixth-place finish at Dillon Motor Speedway (Dillon, SC) on June 10. His best result came July 9 at Wake County Speedway (Raleigh, NC) when he took fourth.
Cole Butcher finished fourth on May 26 at Tri-County and backed that up with another fourth-place result on June 28 at Caraway Speedway (Sophia, NC). On July 15, Butcher made history becoming the first Canadian to win an ASA race since 1992 when he won the ASA STARS
that sprint to claim to coveted pole position for the IWK 250. The remaining 16 cars competed in Atlantic Tiltload Heat Races. Antigonish, NS racers Ryan VanOirschot and Donald Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) claimed heat wins.
In the IWK 250, Brad Eddy (Halifax, NS) won the Kenny U-Pull Hard Charger Award by picking up the most spots on the field. He advanced 19 spots during the 250-lap chase.
Tanton Wooldridge had an outstanding run in his first long distance race and was awarded the Lucas Oil Rookie of the Race Award. Ryan VanOirschot picked up the Fast Eddie Racewear Lucky Dog Award. The race was slowed by eight cautions and took two hours to complete. IT
-From Riverside Int’l Speedway
National Tour ‘Redbud 400’ at Indiana’s Anderson Speedway. John Cadman won an ASA race in 1992. The only other Canadian to reach Victory Lane on the long-running tour was Junior Hanley.
Austin MacDonald is also busy competing in the INEX Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS), in the Semi-Pro Legends Car division. His best result there was a runner-up finish on July 11. IT
-With files from Ian Readey
Story by Mary Bignotti Mendez
Whenthe NTT IndyCar series arrived at Toronto’s Exhibition Place to compete on the treacherous, 11-turn, 1.786-mile course, many wondered if anyone could beat Ganassi’s Alex Palou, who had a 110-point lead with four wins in the last five races (nine of seventeen events).
Driving the No. 45 Vivid Clear Rx Honda, Christian Lundgaard, in only his second start at the Honda Indy Toronto, won from the pole with a commanding lead of 11.789 seconds over Palou when the checkered flag fell on Lap 85.
“The car was awesome, and we were fast all weekend,” said Lundgaard, who led 54 laps. “We proved we had a better car. I did not expect to be this fast. The fuel mileage was just too easy. This team, they do deserve this. If we look at where we were earlier this season and even last year at this point, we were nowhere near this. I can’t thank the team enough for all the progress they’ve made this year.”
Lundgaard, by starting on the alternate tires, managed a three-car gap into Turn 1 over Chevy-powered Scott McLaughlin. The Penske driver started alongside using the primary (harder) tires. It was no contest. And, team co-owner, Bobby Rahal, instructed Lundgaard “not to wait for anybody” once the Green Flag flew.
“There were a lot of drivers on different strategies,” explained Lundgaard. “I started on the green Firestones, the softer tires, and McLaughlin was on the primaries (black tires). The primaries, at least for us, are quite difficult to activate and he was just struggling to build tire temp, The softer tires are always easier to activate and they’re faster. We also had the game plan that we needed to pull away as soon as we could in the first part of the race.”
Lundgaard built up a five-second lead during the first 18 laps before pit stops. He regained the lead from McLaughlin, who led the next 16 laps, pitting on Lap 35 for fuel and the softer tires (during the race drivers must complete at least two laps on both tire types). When the Yellow came out on Lap 42 for Romain Grosjean, who made contact in Turn 10 driving for Andretti Autosport, most drivers pitted for their second and final stop. But McLaughlin was told to continue on his softer tires until they lost grip, making his second stop under green on Lap 61, coming out in 16th place as Lundgaard resumed the lead.
Palou started 15th when he failed to advance out of the first of three tiers in Qualifying on Saturday. The Spaniard admitted he just didn’t get the most out of his Honda powered car before the rain started falling. While he recovered to finish second, he was involved
in the third and final incident on the Lap 45 restart, when Kyle Kirkwood, exiting Turn 10, hit the rear of Helio Castroneves as he appeared to slow, spinning the Brazilian. In avoidance, Palou touched the wall damaging his right front wing.
As the race progressed, that wing became looser, bouncing over the bumps and many manhole covers to the extent the nose section sheered 75 percent horizontally, like a cracked egg. Some questioned why the officials did not call Palou in for repairs.
“We had a lot of pace, saved some fuel, and tires,” revealed Palou, who started on primary tires in the hopes of moving forward. “We could catch the guys up front. Then we had the opportunity to pit on the yellow flag (Lap 44). We thought all the people were going to do it.
“I’m just glad that the front nose was still on the car at the end because I could feel it dragging. I could feel that it was increasing. I thought we were not going to end the race with that nose. I think only the vinyl (the colour scheme wrap) was holding it because there’s nothing else there.
“I was concerned about fuel, which was the biggest problem for our strategy. I was concerned about tires, because with the front wing, I just couldn’t turn left. Toronto is one of those tracks where there’s no way you can do anything to avoid bumps. It was a tough day, but a good one.”
Colton Herta, who also failed to advance from his qualifying group even though he was fastest in Saturday’s practice, finished third after starting 14th on the grid. The American has two poles this season but Toronto was his first podium.
“Happy to finally get a podium as it’s a little embarrassing it took this long,” remarked Herta. “We’ve had good cars all year, but it’s been frustrating so far with how everything has gone. We’ve had chances before to get on the podium and maybe even win but haven’t been able to take advantage of them. Hopefully, we can go right back to having strong performances in qualifying. That just makes your race so much easier when you are able to race at the front. Then a race like this comes around, where we really didn’t think we have a chance of getting on the podium, and here we are.”
There were 16 laps under caution. The first one involved eight cars at the back of the grid on the start between Turns 1 and 2 when Jack Harvey, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Tom Blomqvist went three wide. Also involved were Alexander Rossi, Santino Ferrucci, Benjamin Pedersen, and Canada’s Devlin DeFrancesco. With the track blocked, Graham Rahal, who started 27th after spinning during wet Qualifying, backed up six car lengths to take the run-off through the Princes’ Gate. With that heads up move at the start he worked his way to a ninth-place finish.
“This is the last thing I wanted to happen today,” described Blomqvist, who was driving in his first IndyCar event, replacing the injured Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing. “I was on the outside exiting Turn 1 and had no choice. You are at the mercy of people alongside and they couldn’t make it work. Pretty devastated. The team worked so hard and I’m very frustrated that I didn’t even get one lap in.”
DeFrancesco was caught behind Hunter-Reay when he spun but didn’t make contact. He finished 23rd after a mechanical issue put him out with only ten laps completed.
“I felt good with the car during warm up and was happy with how we ran,” stated DeFrancesco, who has shown improvement at Andretti Autosport in his sophomore season. “We ended up running into some mechanical issues that prevented me from finishing today. I’m disappointed considering this is my home race. The team will
evaluate the issues we were having and address them properly.”
Team Penske’s race strategy prevented front row starter McLaughlin from a podium (finished sixth). Josef Newgarden finished fifth (started 11th), starting on alternate tires, but Will Power fell from fourth to 14th, forced to pit with one lap to go.
“The team gave me a fuel number,” explained Power, on the same strategy as McLaughlin. “I could quite easily make it. The car was really good. The strategy was right, but I had no idea we’d run out. We must review all that (two percent calculation error). If I didn’t make the numbers and attacked too soon, it was my fault. I was trying to run the two guys ahead of me (Kirkwood and Scott Dixon) out of fuel and may not have been watching my fuel close enough.”
Lundgaard’s victory ended a three-year drought for his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team to capture their 30th victory. The Dane now ranks seventh in the championship. Palou has a 117-point lead (417 points) over Dixon (300), followed by Newgarden (291), Marcus Ericsson (275), Pato O’Ward (274) and McLaughlin (258).
“When I raced, I never felt confident about anything,” revealed Bobby Rahal, co-team owner, who won the first Toronto Indy in 1986. “I think the organization is really working well, which we saw at Mid-Ohio. We came out of Indy very disappointed. It was hell. Hardpressed to believe we actually won the race two years earlier. Then we were on the back row, and one guy (Graham) didn’t make it in the race in our car. That shook us to our core. The race that had a bigger negative effect was Detroit because we were not good at all. That’s when we decided to make internal changes and we’re seeing the results of that change.”
In front of a record crowd over the last two decades, there were seven lead changes among four drivers. Lundgaard became the sixth different winner of the season. And Honda has won seven of ten races, leading the Manufacturer’s Championship, 855 to Chevy’s 751 points. Now in his second IndyCar season, the maiden win gave the 21-year-old Danish driver an early birthday present, allowing him to finally shave off his moustache in Victory Circle, having made a bet last December with his best friend, Viktor Petersen, who was in attendance. IT
With Files from IMSA Colin Braun didn’t need to answer questions about whether his No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06 had enough fuel to finish the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
An accident involving Renger van der Zande’s No. 01 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R with five minutes remaining caused the two-hour, 40-minute round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to end under caution Sunday. For Braun, attempting to stretch his final tank of fuel for 75 of those minutes, the finish behind the safety car eased any worries he and co-driver Tom Blomqvist had about running dry.
Blomqvist demonstrated the one-lap speed of the Meyer Shank Acura a day earlier by claiming the Motul Pole Award for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class at the 2.459-mile, ten-turn road course – the second straight overall pole for the Brit at CTMP. This time, he was able to take the overall race victory after finishing a close second a year ago.
“That’s fantastic,” Blomqvist said following his fourth career triumph in WeatherTech Championship competition. “The racing gods
were looking down on us a little bit today. We rolled the dice (with pit stop strategy) to try and go long, and the only way we were going to win that race was if the yellows kind of played into our corner. Thankfully, they did.
“I’m just so happy for the guys,” he added following the No. 60’s first win since the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. “They’ve worked their back sides off all year long, really. This car has been a lot of work. We haven’t had the greatest run of recent races, so to get the pole yesterday and finish the job off today is just amazing.”
The No. 60 Acura dropped from the lead to third place during a round of pit stops under caution just past the halfway mark. The decision was immediately taken to try and reach the finish without stopping again, hoping for at least one more full-course caution.
Circumstances couldn’t have played into their hands any better. After the first half of the race ran caution-free, the second half saw three more full-course yellows after the initial one, giving Braun the ability to strategically manage his hybrid-powered prototype’s energy reserves.
Braun had a five-second lead over Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Racing Acura ARX-06 when the final caution flew.
Albuquerque and co-driver Ricky Taylor finished second, while the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 shared by Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly earned a fourth podium finish in the last five races to close within 10 points of the GTP championship lead.
The win was the 24th in IMSA competition for Braun, an amazing six of which have occurred at CTMP – including last year in the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class.
“I love a fast corner and it’s always been a place that’s clicked for me,” Braun said. “I’ve just always loved this place and it’s got a great rhythm to it. When you kind of get that confidence that it’s going well, you can go out and attack straight away, and when it works, it keeps the confidence high.
“Everybody did a great job,” he noted. “The Acura cars have been fast all week, and our team specifically worked hard. Those yellows played into our favour and I still had a bit of fuel to save, but I knew if I could get a good jump and kind of push hard and build a gap for a lap or two, I could settle in and hit the fuel number. It was a lot of fun.”
For Albuquerque and Taylor, second place was a welcome result in a season in which the No. 10 Acura has had trouble reaching the finish line. Coupled with a tough day for incoming GTP points leaders Alexander Sims and Pipo Derani in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac (who finished eighth at CTMP), the No. 10 Acura duo is third in the standings, just 29 points out of the championship lead.
“Before the race, the theme of the weekend was we need to put together a weekend like we are used to and just get back to normal,” Taylor said. “It just so happened the No. 31 had a bad day, and the points came together. We’re happy about that, and happy to get back on a roll of positive momentum. We’ll take a second place to the sister (Acura) car very happily and try to build on that for Road America.”
Porsche finished fourth through sixth at CTMP, with the customer No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 customer car driven by Mike Rockenfeller and Tijmen van der Helm besting the factory Porsche Penske Motorsport entries.
Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor chased down the leaders Sunday and won the GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class of the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The victory was the first for the team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since March 2022. Before the slump, Corvette had won five of the previous seven season championships in IMSA GT classes.
“It’s perfect,” Taylor said. “The Chevrolet Grand Prix, to be in a Corvette here, kind of our stomping grounds. It’s a classic Corvette victory.”
Taylor pitted from fourth place just 33 minutes into the race. Garcia replaced him and drove the No. 3 car up to second place in just ten minutes and into the lead shortly after that. The two combined to hold the lead to the finish of the two-hour, 40-minute race.
“We deserved this win for a long time,” Garcia said. “We came so close many times. We were really struggling to pace at most of the races. Finally, we got what we deserved.”
The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), co-driven by Patrick Pilet and Klaus Bachler, finished second on the team’s home soil as the race ended under caution.
Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon brought the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 home in third place to keep the GTD PRO points pressure on the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 co-driven by Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth,
who put the car on pole Saturday but finished fourth Sunday.
Barnicoat and Hawksworth continue to lead the WeatherTech Championship GTD PRO standings with 2,110 points. Juncadella and Gounon are currently second, 96 points behind, while Garcia and Taylor closed to within 109 points of the lead with five races remaining on the calendar.
Corvette’s timing was as flawless as its on-track performance. As Taylor and Garcia celebrated their victory in Canada, their teammates celebrated a championship in Italy.
A fourth-place finish in the Six Hours of Monza helped Corvette Racing and co-drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone clinch the championship in the GTE Am class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The victory at CTMP and the championship at Monza were especially gratifying considering news earlier in the season that Corvette Racing will shift its attention toward support of customer teams in 2024.
At CTMP, strategy and a never-give-up attitude were credited for ending the 13-race IMSA slump.
“We made some good strategy calls early in the race and jumped two of the guys,” Taylor said. “Antonio just stayed out of trouble on that last restart and just drove it to the finish. It’s finally great to be back in victory lane. Hopefully this will kind of kick-start the second half of the year for us.”
There were no miracles this time, just victory for Paul Miller Racing in what is becoming another magical season for the team. At the previous race, the buzz focused on a miraculous second-place finish by Paul Miller Racing. This time, a miracle wasn’t required.
Madison Snow got the team’s No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 into the lead
early and Bryan Sellers got it to the finish line first as PMR claimed victory in the GT Daytona (GTD) class.
“It’s awesome,” Snow said. “I think Bryan and I finished third here once before, but the podium has been a little bit elusive for us. Being able to finish on the top step is awesome.”
The team’s third victory of the season padded its lead in the driver and team standings. Sellers and Snow now have 1,974 points, holding a 212-point lead over No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 co-drivers Roman De Angelis and Marco Sorensen, and a 219-point advantage over Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
The No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW previously won this season at Sebring and Long Beach.
In the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen last month at Watkins Glen International, Snow, Sellers and Corey Lewis brought the No. 1 back from a three-lap deficit to finish second.
This time, the road to success was far less bumpy. Snow drove to the lead just 10 minutes into the race, and the two maintained control from there.
“Madison drove a great stint at the beginning,” Sellers said. “The best part is, you really love going out there and mixing it up. They keep you on your toes the whole time.”
The race ended under caution, with the No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 EVO co-driven by Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff finishing second. The No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 co-driven by Mike Skeen and Mikael Grenier finished third.
“I thought it was going to get tough in the last few laps,” Sellers said. “The yellow helped us, again, but I would have loved to battle it out with them.” IT
There was a new race on the Honda Indy Toronto schedule this year – one that saw slower lap times and did not involve motors. That’s because the inaugural Rev & Run saw human horsepower lap the street course for a 5 km dash.
Rev & Run, presented by WeatherTech Canada, was held following the NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) race on the Friday evening. Also featuring a 1 km kids run on pit road, the main event saw a combination of professional and casual runners, along with members of the
motorsports community, complete nearly two laps around the track. The 5 km run was part of the Canada Running Series (CRS) and was officially timed by Enfield Timing.
“The Canada Running Series, they are the premiere running event hosts in Canada,” said Kevin Silva, head of business development at WeatherTech Canada. “Imagine if you’re a brand-new track and you get accreditation for a Grade 2 FIA license…essentially no foot races in their first year get to work with the CRS.”
Matthew Lozano (15:07 elapsed time), Eric Bang (15:25) and Julius Mwangi (15:32) finished on the male podium, while Sarah Donaldson (18:09), Sophia Walter (19:05) and Dana Cantarutti (19:26) finished on the female podium; each podium finisher received a cash prize. Brody Clark, the younger brother of USF 2000 racer Mac Clark, finished 15th overall (16:52).
Rev & Run also raised money for charity, where corporate donations and participant fundraising helped the event reach its goal of $15,000 for the Parkdale Community Food Bank. A big cheque was presented to the charity after the run.
“The Parkdale Community Food Bank historically saw 1,000 visitors a week, that was about two years ago, and now, with inflationary pressures and costs of living going up, they see about 3,000 visitors a week,” said Silva. “(The donation) should take that community through for the next few months, so we’re really happy.”
More than 450 runners were registered, with 422 officially taking part. All participants received a technical running hat and a finisher’s medal, displaying L.P. Dumoulin’s car in front of the Princes’ Gates, plus a race kit featuring swag.
Inside Track Motorsport News sponsored the kids run, which also saw some NPS drivers take part. Rev & Run was well-organized and a unique experience.
Plans are being discussed to grow Rev & Run for next year, including an increased driver presence for the kids run and more participants allowed in the 5 km event. IT
The WeatherTech Rev & Run saw 500 runners compete on the Indy track. (Bottom) Inside Track’s Bryce Turner ran the 5K! Photos by Greg MacPherson
Stories by Bryce Turner
The43rd annual VARAC Vintage Grand Prix (VGP) presented by eBay Motors saw a large assortment of vintage racing vehicles in action at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). As one of the five major events on the CTMP calendar, the VGP weekend also featured a busy schedule of off-track activities.
“Everything went off very smoothly…the racing was great and there were a lot of people who came up to me and complimented VARAC on the job we did,” said VGP director Peter Lambrinos. “No other events they go to have the interactions that VARAC put on for their members.”
On the track, VARAC racing is split into three divisions – Vintage Historic (VH), Classic/Modern Classic (CL) and Formula Classic (FC), which each have multiple classes. VH features cars from pre-1972, CL has models from 1973 to 2006 and FC features open-wheel cars from 1966 to 2000.
For the Vintage GP, the VH and CL divisions are split into groups, which each have three to four races. Group 1 is comprised of VH classes that have lap times under 1:45, while Groups 2 and 3 race together, with VH classes that take more than 1:45 to lap the track.
Group 4 has CL classes with lap times over 1:40, while Group 5 has CL classes with times below that mark, plus VH vehicles weighing over 2,500 pounds. All FC vehicles race in Group 6, while a pair of touring series complete the schedule, with the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship and the VS2 NA Vintage Sports 2000 series. Mazda was the featured marque for this year’s VGP and had a strong weekend, including a pair of wins by Russ Bond in Group 4. Further coverage of the group races, plus the two special races for the featured marque, can be found in the coming pages.
Meanwhile, there were another two special races that took place. The MG-Triumph Challenge was up first, held on the Friday afternoon. It was a Triumph party at the front of the field, where Henry Frye took the win in a 1968 Triumph TR250, ahead of Mark Wheatley and Stefan Wiesen. The leading MG was Nick Pratt, who held second early before finishing fourth in a 1946 MG TC.
The Ludwig Heimrath Open Wheel Challenge was held on the Sunday afternoon and went uncontested, as the 1970 Hawke DL2A, with driver Paul Hollister, was the only car to take the grid. Hollister ran a ceremonial lap around CTMP to mark the event. Lambrinos says that VARAC officials are already looking at a change to avoid a similar situation.
“(Special races) are basically free events that we give the racers to give them more track time,” said Lambrinos. “We used to charge our racers for these events but, six or seven years ago, we chose to make them free to everybody. We’re looking at doing a schedule change so that (Sunday’s outcome) doesn’t happen again and we have better participation.”
For off-track activities, the weekend started with a BBQ and live music on the Thursday evening, followed by the John Greenwood Awards Banquet and live music on the Friday night. There was also the CPS Paddock Crawl, featuring live music and food stations, with BBQ ribs, wings and submarine sandwiches, on Saturday evening.
Earlier in the day, the Mini Meet North gave car clubs, with Austin Minis, Mini Cooper and Cooper S models, an opportunity to run parade laps during the lunch break. And the weekend’s off-track action concluded on the Sunday, with the Field of Dreams car show, featuring a variety of performance vehicles at turn eight.
The car show offered a spectacle for fans during the lunch break,
where a seemingly never-ending line of participating vehicles paced the CTMP circuit. From Mazda convertibles and VW buses to a flatbed truck and a door-less Jeep, the vehicles included a variety of makes, models and eras, resembling everything from restorations to daily drivers.
The car show’s organizer says that this year’s event saw the best turnout ever, with 192 cars in attendance and 100 taking part in the parade laps.
The VARAC Vintage GP (VGP) was filled with competition all weekend long, with about 15 hours of racing on the schedule. Five divisions/series were split into eight groups, with most groups getting four races.
In Group 1 (Vintage Historic A/1/2/3), it was a dominant performance by Steve Gidman, in a 1963 Ginetta G4R. The Scarborough, ON driver swept the three group races, while recording the fastest lap in each event. He also added a victory in the Groups 1, 2 and 3 combined feature.
“Races were great, we had a lovely weekend, the weather’s been fantastic,” said Gidman. “Big crowd out. A lot of American (drivers) came for the first time in a while, so it really upped the field; it put a little bit of challenge on us all.”
Group 2 (VH 4) and Group 3 (VH 5/6) ran together for three races, before the feature show. John Hawkes (1966 Lotus Cortina) swept the Saturday events, while John Styduhar (1962 Triumph TR3B), who recorded the fastest lap in the first race, won the Sunday event. Hawkes also competes in Group 1 and did not start Race 3.
That third event also had a ‘hold your breath’ moment, as Ted Michalos (1961 Austin Healey Bugeye) brought out a red flag when his car flipped upside down in turn nine. Luckily, the Guelph, ON driver walked away unhurt.
It was a challenging weekend overall for last year’s VH2 class champion, who was running three different cars, including a Mazda, the featured marque for this year’s VGP.
“In the Porsche, I broke a camshaft, so the engine’s kaput; the Mazda’s having ignition problems, so it never quite ran properly, so I parked it; then, of course, this one flipped over,” said Michalos. “The right-rear half shaft, which drives the wheels, snapped; (it) caused the car to spin and, when it hit the edge of the track, it flipped over on its top.”
Group 4 (Classic/Modern Classic 2/3/4/5) saw Desmond Tam win the first race, in a 1987 Porsche 951, but it was Russ Bond, in a 1975 Mazda RX3 Fahren, who would become the story of the group. Bond pitted from the lead in race one, thinking he was being black flagged, before being told on pit road that he was not the driver in question.
He worked his way up from 37th to 17th at the finish, while recording the fastest lap. The next race then started with a caution before Bond put on a spirited drive that saw him move from 17th to the lead in just two laps. He recorded the fastest lap once again and pulled away to the win.
The third race didn’t get going, with a red flag for oil cleanup after lap one, while Bond went on to win the feature race under caution. The Uxbridge, ON driver was impressed with a makeshift repair that his team made to the Mazda.
“We have some new guys on the crew and they really worked hard, because we broke a splitter (Saturday) and we don’t have another one, so they made one out of the kitchen table, literally,” said Bond. “They cut the table up and they made me a new splitter. With-
out a splitter, that car won’t turn and we wouldn’t have won today, so really thankful to all those guys helping us out.”
Group 5 (CL/MC B/A/1 and VH over 2500) saw Blaise Csida sweep all four races, in a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix, while Group 6 (Formula Classic) saw a four-race sweep by Stephen Sutherland, in a 1995 Van Diemen RF95. For Sutherland, it was only his second race weekend in his first year of racing; he credited his team and the car’s setup as keys to success.
The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship had a trio of races on VGP weekend. Most of the early season contenders made the trek to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), while F1600 Canada provided a tempting alternative, as a support series at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Callum Baxter, who entered runner-up in Class A points, made the trip to Formula 1 weekend, while Class A points leader Logan Pacza headlined the drivers at CTMP. Pacza led nearly flag-to-flag en route to a race one win, ahead of Sam Baker, before a back-and-forth affair between the two drivers on the Sunday.
Pacza started on pole for race two and traded the top spot with Baker throughout, with eight lead changes culminating in Pacza completing the winning pass with two laps to go. Race three was slowed by an early caution, but still had four lead changes, including a last-lap pass that saw Pacza edge Baker by a mere 0.115 seconds.
“When you’re doing these long races, sometimes, if you’re out in front, they feel like they take forever,” said Pacza. “But when you’ve got someone to fight with the whole time, it goes by (fast)…kind of distracts you from getting tired. Sam raced me hard and clean, everything I would want, so it was a great race.”
Pacza, who made the jump from karting this season, also credited his crew for giving him a car that was “on rails the whole weekend.” He said the decision to run CTMP over Montreal was mainly financial, but that the additional track time at CTMP, compared to Montreal, is also important for development purposes.
The final group in action at the VGP was the visiting VS2 NA Vintage Sports 2000 series. Ben Sinnott won the first three races, before Brent Gernert took the victory in the feature race. The Phoenixville, PA driver was competing at CTMP for the first time.
“It’s a great track, fastest track I’ve ever been on,” said Gernert. “It’s an amazing roller coaster, I had a lot of fun out there and this has just been a fantastic weekend.”
Trophies were handed out to class winners from each feature race. Full results can be found at www.varac.ca.
The VARAC Vintage GP (VGP) celebrates a featured marque each year, choosing from the wide range of vehicles that take part in VARAC events. It’s not unusual to see makes such as MG or Triumph being honoured, but this year, it’s Japanese automaker Mazda in the spotlight. Driver Russ Bond approached VGP director Peter Lambrinos with the idea of Mazda being the featured marque and the organization agreed.
“VARAC welcomed that idea,” said Lambrinos. “VARAC wants to try to be a little bit on the cutting edge when it comes to looking at the vehicles. Everybody does the same thing every year, we wanted to try and look outside of the box.”
There are a pair of special races for the featured marque at the VGP. The first is a battle within the manufacturer, where the All-Mazda Race was a competitive affair.
Bond (1975 Mazda RX3 Fahren) and “Steve Gidman” (1990 Mazda Miata) traded the lead six times, with Bond ultimately finishing
ahead of Gidman and Stephen Di Cesare. After the race, it was revealed to all that it was Steve’s son Matthew taking a turn in the car.
“I thought something was going on because his dad and I have a little hand gesture we share amongst each other,” said Bond. “When I gave Matt the hand gesture, thinking it was Steve, I didn’t get one back, so I thought ‘that was kind of weird,’ now we know why.”
Bond saw a green flag when entering the straightaway on the last lap, after passing a car in turn five. When he realized that he had passed under local caution, he forfeited his position, making Gidman the winner. The Scarborough, ON driver was impressed with the field of cars.
“At the starting grid, it was the best picture of a bunch of Miata’s, the old RX’s, rotaries, four cylinders, turbo cars, naturally aspirated, just the variety of vehicles and drivers is amazing,” said Gidman. “To see all these Mazdas out here this weekend is awesome.”
Eleven cars took the green flag for the race, while eight Mazda’s took part in the Rudy Bartling Nation’s Cup. The event created a ‘Mazda versus the World’ battle, as the featured marque lined up on one side of the grid, with competing manufacturers on the other. The overall honours going to the group with the most cars in the top-10.
Bond raced from a 15th-place starting spot to take the lead on lap six and drove away to the win. Derek Young finished second, in a 1971 Datsun 240Z, after leading the opening laps. With seven Mazda’s in the top-10, the featured marque was victorious.
The event is named in honour of the late road racer Rudy Bartling, whose widow, son and granddaughter awarded trophies to the podium finishers. With a reputation of being an affordable but reliable car, and something different in the vintage racing world, Mazda enjoyed the rewards of a stellar weekend as the featured marque. IT
Withhis beloved Toronto Argonauts out of town, Bryan Rashleigh was able to put his entire July 29-30 weekend’s focus on the BARC Canadian Touring Trophy race event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park where the Caledon, ON resident was hoping to build on his points lead in the Pirelli Grand Touring GT3 class.
Directing his focus and getting his ‘race face’ on is not an issue for the driver of the No. 87 Red and White Subaru Legacy, it’s something that this motorsport veteran been doing for the past 54 years, competing on ovals, ice and road courses all over Southern Ontario.
“My, or rather our (along with my brother) first car was a 1960 Ford that had belonged to a friend of our father,” recalled Rashleigh. “We paid $100 for it, it had an automatic transmission and we put recapped tires on it. In 1969 we hauled it to the old Acton (ON) Speedway and entered it in the Diamond class where my brother decided that I should be the test dummy. Being a newcomer, I got to start on the pole but ended up finishing second last!”
Despite this rather inauspicious start, Rashleigh persisted and when the class was re-designated as Hobby Cars (later Canadian Vintage Modifieds), he claimed the Flamboro Speedway track championship in 1976.
He eventually gave up the driver’s seat to work alongside CVM executives and act as the series’ pace car driver. At the same time, Rashleigh’s day job saw him working for Attrell Toyota where one of his tasks was preparing owner Bob Attrell Sr.’s ice racer. On a trip to Young’s Point (near Peterborough, ON) to watch his boss race, Rashleigh became infatuated with this racing discipline and decided that “I need to do this.”
As luck would have it, Rashleigh was doing a tune-up on a customer’s AMC Pacer and in return was gifted a used Toyota Tercel, a car that he prepared for his own Ice Racing challenges. His second Ice car came courtesy of his former employer.
“Bob Attrell had this car and took it off the road at 6,000 kilometres. He and his son raced the car on ice for several years and then I picked it up in 1989.”
This car became Rashleigh’s long-serving Ice Racing mount, still active to this day on 42 Inside Track Motorsport
the Minden, ON track where it has carried him to ten ‘Rubber-to-Ice’ championships and an SS-II class Street Stud title.
“I’m probably the longest running ice guy currently in CASC-OR,” continued Rashleigh. “The camaraderie has always stayed the same over the years. If someone needs a hand fixing their car, someone is always there. The fun part is the same, the friendships I have made over the years, definitely stay the same, but nothing compares to racing with my two sons and watching them do better than I did.”
While Rashleigh continues to maintain his Ice Racing program, he was looking to expand his motorsport involvement, so he began switching his Tercel between Ice and Road Racing configurations, joining the ranks of the CASC-OR road racing fraternity in 1980. His passion has twice been rewarded with the CASC-OR Wilson Award as the ‘Most Active Driver.’
Over the past four-plus decades Rashleigh has competed aboard this Tercel, and a Sports Racer (1985-1989) before picking up a Corolla GTS from Ken Shaw that had originally been used for Ice competition. In 2010, the Rashleigh Racing effort purchased a Subaru Legacy with Koni Challenge experience, a ride that he continues to race to this day.
“It’s a Spec-B Subaru, all-wheel-drive with a 2.5 litre, turbocharged motor and six speeds,” noted Rashleigh. “It’s a good handling car and has the power to keep up with most of the guys in class. We re-did the motor for more power and moved up to the Grand Touring Sprints GT3 division so I could race against my son, Jonathan.”
Over his CASC-OR career, Rashleigh has captured a pair of GT4 titles and a championship in GT5. An admitted high point of his career came in 2015 when he guided his Corolla to victories in 19 of 24 races and the GT5 crown.
After three rounds of the Grand Touring 2023 campaign, the 71-year-old currently sits atop the GT3 standings, despite suffering a trying weekend at the Canadian Touring Trophy races.
‘I slid off the track in Turn 3 in the wet, on Saturday, and punched the tire wall. I thought we just cut the rad hose, but after we did the repairs, we went to fire it up again and we still had issues, probably with a cooked head gasket. Sunday morning we loaded that car up and hauled it back to the shop. We put the old Corolla on the trailer and brought it back to the track and managed to finish in sixth place in the weekend’s final race. We earned a few points towards the championship anyway.” IT
The Super Production Challenge season continued with triple-header weekends at Shannonville Motorsport Park (June 3-4) and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP / July 7-9).
Past champion Kurt Wittmer started on the Super Production (SP) and overall pole for the Shannonville opener. On the first lap, Owen Clarke took the lead; the Mountain, ON driver is competing in SP this year, after finishing runner-up in the Production class standings in 2022.
Clarke stayed up front until two laps to go, when Wittmer made the winning pass; the Vaudreuil, QC pilot grabbing his fourth straight victory to start the season. For Clarke, it was a mechanical issue that held him back at the finish.
“We found out that we had a fuel starvation issue, so I lost quite a bit of time as the car ran out of fuel,” said Clarke. “It started starving more and more each lap, so I wasn’t able to accelerate, but we were able to get that fixed up overnight.”
In the next SMP race, both Clarke and Wittmer had some ground to make up, with Wittmer starting sixth, before taking the lead on Lap 4. Clarke moved up from a fourth-place start to run second. This time, the roles were reversed, as Clarke took the lead with two laps to go en route to victory.
“It was definitely challenging having
considerably less torque,” said Clarke. “But it was fun to battle with Kurt, it was very clean; unfortunately, we had slight contact, but there wasn’t really any damage. It was a good battle for sure.”
Clarke led flag-to-flag to win the third race at Shannonville. The two victories followed an opening weekend where he had two top fives, but no podiums, at CTMP. He says the straightline speed disadvantage of his Toyota GT86 is a challenge, but noted that it has a good chassis and advantage in the corners.
Next up on the schedule was a return to CTMP, as the only non-IMSA support series on Chevrolet Grand Prix weekend. Todd Chiappino entered the event looking to rebound from a tough time at Shannonville, where the team battled with cooling issues both days before a driveshaft failure took them out of the weekend finale.
Chiappino started second in the CTMP opener, where Charles-André Bilodeau led the opening laps. A caution slowed the field mid-race before Chiappino took the lead on Lap 13; the driver went on to grab the win, while Bilodeau fell back and finished 11th.
“Charles was giving me a really good run out there and I think, at the end of the day, he ran out of tire,” said Chiappino. “Me chasing him, he was obviously pushing, and I was able to get the pass into turn one…I just took
control of the race from there.”
The Everett, ON driver is in his first Super Production Challenge season, with his experience including CASC and Lucky Dog Racing Canada. In the second race of the weekend, Chiappino started fourth and took the lead on lap four, holding the position for the remainder of the race. Bilodeau moved up to second and challenged Chiappino, before a late wreck ended his day.
“It’s taken me a few times to actually get used to the standing starts, how to get the best launch, and that race I had a really good start,” said Chiappino. “(Bilodeau) putting the pressure on me, I was actually running out of tire, he chased me for a good half of the race…battling with him has probably brought out some of the best driving I’ve ever done.”
Chiappino says that his Velocity Motorsports Club team is made up of volunteers from Honda Canada manufacturing associates and credits them for their work in making the car more reliable.
Olivier Bédard grabbed the SP and overall win in the CTMP finale. In the Production class, Sylvain Laporte won the Shannonville opener, before rookie Blake Kelley won the next two races. Alexis Jacques, Laporte and Scott Nicol each recorded class victories at CTMP. In the Compact class, rookie Cameron Nabert won five of six races, with Frédéric Bernier splitting his streak with a class win in the CTMP opener. IT
The FEL Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC) had an eventful triple-header on the streets of Toronto (July 14-16), where a visiting driver battled with series regulars at the front of the field for the second straight year.
Demi Chalkias started on the GT4 and overall pole in Race 1. She swapped the lead early before being involved in a wreck, which led to the race’s only full-course caution.
“I did my best to run away but, unfortunately, in the last corner, there was an incident with two TCR cars, which had one completely perpendicular to the track and it’s blind,” said Chalkias. “There was no yellow that was out at that time, so I made hard contact with them.”
Chalkias was able to continue, finishing 13th, but was left with significant damage that needed repair. She then finished third and seventh, overall, in the following races. The contrast between qualifying and the race one result was not lost on the driver.
“Qualifying P1 for both (Saturday) races was mega for me and it showed that I belong here and that I’m fast,” said Chalkias. “A lot of excitement qualifying, it was very emotional. In racing, the highs are really high and the lows are really low; yesterday was a super big high and today, having contact and losing my lead, was a low.”
Nick Galante took the lead from Chalkias in Race 1 and went on to win. The Monterey,
CA driver knows FEL Motorsports president Chris Bye through IMSA and was able to fit an appearance at Toronto into his schedule, driving for local team VPX Motorsport.
“(Bye) has the greatest team of people, hard-working, heartfelt and it extends all the way down through the paddock,” said Galante. “Even though they’re smaller in numbers… they’re shooting for the stars and I think they’re going to get there.”
Galante sported his familiar ‘Racing to End Alzheimer’s’ livery in the event. Supporting the Alzheimer Society of Toronto for this race, the cause hits close to home for the driver.
“Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s and my aunt just passed away recently from Alzheimer’s,” said Galante. “The (Racing to End Alzheimer’s) founder, Phil Frengs, his wife Mimi is suffering from Alzheimer’s, so he created it in her honour to go do some good for the world and we’re doing it through racing, so it’s a win-win.”
In Race 2, Galante took the lead on the opening lap, before trading the position with Jack Polito in the early running. On Lap 7, Polito dove to the inside of Galante in Turn 1, making contact that sent Galante spinning.
“I tried on the outside of (Turn) One for a number of times and he’d been leaving me
no room whatsoever, he’d been cutting me off, which was fine; that’s racing and I’m going to respect that,” said Polito. “I noticed I’d been getting better runs out of (Turn) 11, so I put it on the inside. I was up on his door and he turned in and that’s what happened.”
Galante was able to get going after dropping to third; the move by Polito caught him off guard.
“I looked in my mirrors going down the front straightaway and I thought he was too far back to make a move, so I ran my regular line, thinking that he wasn’t going to make a move,” said Galante. “I kept it off the wall, kept the clutch in, kept it running. Cars were coming at me, I thought we were going to take one head-on…turned it around Ricky Bobby style and we were able to carry on.”
On Lap 12, a caution bunched the field, allowing Galante to pass Chalkias after the restart, but he was unable to catch Polito, with the series’ points leader taking the win.
For Race 3, Polito was handed a grid penalty, sending him to the rear of the GT4 grid for the start. The final support series race before the IndyCar headliner saw Galante lead the field to green and go flag-to-flag for the victory, with Polito finishing second.
In TCR, Richard Boake swept the three races, with a top-three overall finish in the finale. He noted the difficulty of running on a street course like Toronto.
“You’re always kind of just managing risk,
(Main) Nick Galante (77) won two FEL SCCC races in Toronto. (Inset) Demi Chalkias experienced highs and lows at the Indy. Photos by Neena Channanbut trying to get the most out of the car, I think we did the best job of that this weekend,” said Boake. “I’ve been pretty fortunate to have some good success here, so just building that momentum and doing it in front of the home crowd makes it all sweeter.”
In the new-for-2023 TCA class, visiting driver James Vance swept the three races. Next up on the schedule for the SCCC is the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.
The FEL Emzone Radical Cup Canada (RCC) hosted a historic weekend, where they were joined by their US counterparts for three races on the streets of Toronto.
After some discussions last season, the RCC and the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America (RCNA) were able to join forces this year, creating the car count necessary to put the Radicals on the Indy Toronto schedule. The combined event also meant that four classes were on track at the same time.
“We have 14 Radicals here, which we’re super proud of, but the reality is that with 14 cars, the economics don’t work,” said FEL Motorsports president Chris Bye. “It’s exciting having two different groups out there. It’s challenging because it’s a championship within a championship, so we run on our Michelins and they run on Hankooks. We started with a 30-second split but it was pretty busy out there, with 35 Radicals in the running; it looked like fun.”
The RCC cars are comparable to the Pro 1340 class in RCNA, while their Platinum and Pro 1500 classes have faster vehicles. The RCC field started at the front for the Saturday races, before holding up the rear for the Sunday finale.
Race 1 was run on a wet track and saw some close action, including cars screaming four-to-five-wide towards the first turn on a restart. Unfortunately, cautions limited the
amount of green flag action.
Gavin Sanders grabbed the RCC and overall win in Race 1, before taking the class win and sixth overall in Race 2.
“We were a little bit nervous about the new surface and different sort of track layout, in terms of the bumps… then it went to wet and it was just super unpredictable,” said Sanders. “The second race (was) much drier, much easier, a lot more straightforward. A lot more racing, which was a lot of fun to be doing; it was an entertaining race.”
Sanders won the two SCCC races in Toronto last season, which provided him with some transferrable experience that he could use for the Radicals.
“Track knowledge is a big factor when it comes to street circuits, so it really worked out, it really helped in terms of our immediate pace and making adjustments to the car,” said Sanders. “The race craft also helps in terms of knowing where to pass
and when, what opportunities normally open themselves up. But, with a new car, a very different sort of racing style, it kept me on my toes.”
Sanders was involved in an on-track incident in Race 3, which ended his day early; Owen Clarke took the RCC victory in that event. In the Platinum class, Jon Field grabbed two of three wins, including the overall victory in the middle race. The RCNA driver enjoyed competing alongside the Canadian contenders.
“It’s awesome, they’re great drivers,” said Field. “It was just a lot of fun, very competitive. We had a lot of different types of conditions to deal with this week, so it was exciting.”
Louis Schriber took the overall and Platinum wins in the finale. In Pro 1500, Nick Persing, Gregg Gorski and Danny Dyszelski each recorded a victory, while Ken Savage and Robert Cipriani-Detres (two wins) recorded victories in Pro 1340. IT
Riley made his streets of Toronto debut in a special FEL Radical Cup Canada (RCC) race, where the defending Radical Cup North America (RCNA) outright champion was part of a combined event.
Austin
Riley, whose story of racing with autism has gained mainstream attention, continues to climb the racing ladder. He won the inaugural RCC championship in 2021, before taking his efforts stateside, where his Pro 1340 class title also earned him overall RCNA honours. This season, he’s running in the Pro 1500 class.
“Last season was phenomenal; we dominated pretty much every race, we were unbeatable,” said Riley. “This year, we have a new car and new class, so we’re still adapting to the car…it’s more power, bigger motor and the class is much more competitive.”
The combined RCNA and RCC event provided Riley with the opportunity to race on Indy Toronto weekend for the first time, while also making his first start in Canada since 2021.
“It’s just nice to be back home and back in my home city for a race, after racing in the
US all year,” said Riley. “Just nice to be in front of my home crowd and getting to race on the streets of Toronto.”
In the first race, Riley finished fifth in class and 15th overall, before an impressive performance in the second event that saw him climb through the field to finish third in class and 11th overall. His home podium was met with an extended celebration in the winner’s circle. His father, Jason Riley, didn’t think that he was going to get that result after he was shuffled back on the start.
“There were two long cautions and then, when we did go green, his pace was excellent,” said Jason. “He was running top-three in times. He had five cars he had to (pass) in the last ten minutes and he was able to get them and get back to third-place. He really drove incredibly well, considering all the issues we’ve had today with anxiety and everything going on.”
Jason also noted the importance of the performance, with Austin’s title sponsor in attendance, and said that the amount of support he had in Toronto was phenomenal. Austin was also happy to get a podium in front of his sponsors and his home fans.
“It was a tough race, I pushed hard, I just kept focused and I brought it home third,” said Austin. “I love it here; I’m happy to be at my home race. There’s no better place to get a podium.”
Austin followed up his Saturday performance with another third-place class finish in the Sunday finale, which was good for eighth overall. He’ll now return to racing south of the border, where there are two events remaining on the RCNA schedule.
One of the team’s goals is to raise awareness for autism. They also have an initiative called Mission Twenty, where they’re selling limited edition hats, with proceeds going directly to support 20 racers with autism. Jason says that the moral of Austin’s story is that anyone can be successful at something if they find what they love and work tirelessly at it.
“Austin should not be able to compete at this level with what he has, but his desire to compete, his love for the sport, overcome his disability,” said Jason. “A lot of people have to realize that just because you’ve been dealt a raw hand in life, it doesn’t mean you still can’t win.” IT
Toronto racer Austin Riley scored a pair of third-place finishes in his hometown. Photos by Neena Channan (main) and Greg MacPherson (inset)
Story by Bryce Turner Mark
Wilkins returned to the streets of Toronto for the first time in nearly a decade, as the Canadian sports car champion made a one-off appearance in the FEL Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC).
Wilkins currently races full-time in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (MPC) for Bryan Herta Autosport, driving a Hyundai Elantra N in the TCR class. He won the MPC TCR championship in 2019 and is also a past winner in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The last time Wilkins raced on Indy Toronto weekend was in 2014, when he won a Pirelli World Challenge race. The return home was an exciting opportunity for the driver from nearby Mulmur, ON.
“Just the fans, just the fun of it,” said Wilkins. “The last time I raced here was good, we won, but it was a tight, close race. I think we ended up winning, but by just a fraction, and it’s just fun racing here. It’s as simple as that. It’s been a while, but I’ve longed for more street course races and here’s the chance to do it three times.”
Wilkins entered the SCCC triple-header with the same team and model of car as MPC, but there were still key changes between his two rides. He noted that the braking is different, with the ABS, plus the MPC doesn’t run on street circuits.
Wilkins was fourth-fastest in the combined practice and qualifying session. He gained a few positions en route to a seventh-place finish in the opening race, just one spot shy of the TCR podium, before finishing eighth (fifth in class) and sixth (fourth in class) in the following events.
While he doesn’t get the opportunity to race on street courses very often, the challenge of this type of track is something that he enjoys.
“The most challenging (aspect) is what I like the most, which is the level of precision required,” said Wilkins. “Needing to be up on the limit, but no margin for error. A lot of race tracks these days have a lot of runoffs – you can make a mistake, you can kind of be a little bit sloppier and get away with it. Here you can’t and I like that.”
Wilkins’ SCCC starts came in the middle of a busy stretch for the driver, sandwiched between MPC starts at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Lime Rock Park. He left the Chevrolet Grand Prix weekend in second-place in the TCR standings, just 20 points back. Despite the differences between the series, running the extra event in Toronto is still an advantage for him.
“I think it’s the seat time, the more time you’re behind the wheel, the better, always,” said Wilkins. “The cars are very familiar.
It’s just seat time, it’s always tuning, always trying to find more, always trying to get more out of myself. Learning about the car, the balance, all that. We don’t do very much testing, so this is a bit of a test for us.”
Wilkins’ appearance also came on the same weekend that Michelin and FEL announced a three-year partnership extension. With the relationship between SCCC and MPC, FEL Motorsports president Chris Bye is happy to see a driver crossover.
“Mark and I are good friends; he’s an amazing guy and an incredible driver,” said Bye. “Having Mark here is awesome; to have Bryan Herta Autosport paying attention to what we’re doing up here…and it’s not just them, there’s other teams talking and they’re saying ‘hey, there’s something cool going on up there.’”
By Greg MacPherson
TheNitro Nationals at Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) is billed as ‘The Biggest Event of the Year.’ Whether they mean the biggest event at TMP or on Canada’s drag racing calendar, it’s likely an apt description for both.
This year’s Nitro Nationals took place on the Canada Day long weekend at the Kohler, Ontario multi-discipline motorsports facility. The highlight of the show was the Nitro heavy Saturday night portion of the schedule on the strip known as Cayuga Dragway.
It was a sensory experience like no other.
Packed grandstands and pits jammed with fans, racers and partiers added to the atmosphere of the event. Camping, music, the trackside bar, multiple vendors, and a post-show fireworks display were the cherry on top.
Paton Racing had two of their NHRA Top Fuel dragsters in action, driven by Todd Paton and rising American star Cameron Ferré. They were joined by the Smax Smith racing team and their Top Fuelers.
Also included in the show were some sixsecond, 200 mph Blown Alcohol Funny Cars, Nitro-burning 2,000+ horsepower A/A Fuel Altereds, Hellfire (the world’s fastest Freightliner Jet Truck), Neale Armstrong and his Northern Warrior 300 mph Jet Dragster, Rick Ream’s Hot Rod wheel-standing Fire Truck and several other classes, including some Junior Dragsters who had the thrill of competing in front of a massive audience. IT
A fireworks show followed the conclusion of the on-track activities, which featured a wide variety of racing vehicles.
Our six-race, mid-season schedule for our Canadian competitors began in late May with the PDRA (Professional Drag Race Association) event at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH and a classic first round matchup between Stratford, ON’s Scott Wildgust (top speed of the race 210 mph 1/8th mile) vs. WSOPM (World Series of Pro Mod) winner Spencer Hyde.
On this occasion, the win went to Hyde. Be sure to stay tuned for the next matchup between two of the best up and coming Canadian Pro Mod racers ever!
The Norwalk PDRA event also featured a bevy of Canadian Top Sportsman and Dragsters (including Wes Goddard, Kayden Wicke, Jeff Gable and Tony Positano).
The NHRA’s early-June stop at Epping, NH (although eventually influenced by rain) likewise featured a wonderful turnout of our country’s best Stock and Superstock competitors, notably Number 2 qualifier John Armstrong in Stock, and Bruce Riley in Super Stock.
Our ‘east coasters’ were joined by a bevy of Quebec’s finest. Thank you, guys! Of special note was Dan Mercier’s best-ever Top Fuel qualifying run, in the field’s top half.
On June 9-11, in Bristol, TN, the NHRA Pro Stock dominating KB Titan Racing team returned to the championship trail, and although defending series champion Erica Enders captured her first win of 2023, the Eric Latino / Jim Whitley-owned group (Greg Anderson, Dallas Glenn, Matt Hartford, Deric Kramer, Kyle Koretsky and rookie sensation Camrie Caruso) would still dominate taking
five of the top eight spots in Pro Stock action!
The NHRA action continued in Norwalk, OH (June 22-25), with the Pro Stock driving debut of team principal Eric Latino adding even more excitement.
Although being restricted to what was just one qualifying attempt, his Rob Downing / Dave Connolly orchestrated team – with a very ‘soft tune’ on an engine from Greg Anderson’s group –qualified admirably.
Adding even more drama, Latino executed a thrilling first round holeshot (.01 to.07) on World Champion Erica Enders in Round 1. Despite the visible starting line advantage, an electronics glitch within the crank trigger components ended what could have potentially been Pro Stock’s biggest ever debut.
In Sportsman action at Norwalk, the Alcohol Dragster class continued its remarkable resurgence led by Number 1 qualifier and racing legend Tony Stewart, at 5.19 seconds.
Canada was well represented by Jeff Chatterson and Jeff Veale, as well as Alan Bradshaw in Doug Doucette’s western Canadian entry.
Shawn Cowie was also on hand as he continued his world championship quest with capable Guelph, ON crewman Patrick Brown travelling from Shawn’s native British Columbia.
And lastly, how about the Rob Wendland-led Top Fuel team of Canada’s own Dan Mercier?! Not only qualifying in the 5.7-second zone, but recording their stunning first round victory over Top Fuel legend (and all-around great racer and nice guy) Doug Kalitta!
Coming off a first round elimination in Norwalk, Mission, BC’s Justin Bond still sits atop the ultra-competitive and fast Pro Mod ranks despite challenges from defending World Champions Kris Thorne and Jose Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, back home in Ontario, Toronto Motorsports Park hosted what has to be one of the country’s finest drag racing events, the Nitro Nationals.
A ‘standing room only’ crowd was on hand for the incredible light show on the Saturday night of the Canada Day long weekend.
A pair of Paton Racing’s nitro Top Fuel dragsters were there, along with 2023 Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductee Neale Armstrong’s Jet Dragster and our local Freightliner Jet Truck; the Studebaker Wheel-Stander. AA/GS Gassers and the Can-Am Stock/Super Stocks were also on the card.
Well done, Uli, Neale, Betty, Cindy, Rob, Bill, Stacee and the entire Toronto Motorsports Park crew! And a special thanks to our Canadian drag racing fans for coming out in huge numbers to support!
Across the border, the NEOPMA Pro Mod series led by John Mazzorana and 2023 Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Mehlenbacher put on a great event at Empire Dragway.
Kenny Lane, the 2008 & 2009 IHRA World Champion qualifyied a season’s best fourth, and Al Martorino (also utilizing the new Al Billes / Brandon Pesz PJS engine technology) made the ultra-competitive, 16car field led by Canadian native – and future hall-of-famer (?!) – Melanie Salemi.
Lastly, the Denver NHRA Mile High Nationals (July 14-16) saw another Elite Racing vs. KB Titan Racing Pro Stock final, this time with Troy Coughlin Jr. defeating Dallas Glenn and his Eric Latino-led team.
Please stay tuned as our drag racing season nears mid-year. Both Justin Bond and the KB Titan teams are currently leading the points in the two most exciting classes in NHRA Door-Slammer drag racing! IT
(Above) TMP was jammed for the Nitro Nationals. (Below) Dan Mercier and family, at New Hampshire Photo by Greg MacPherson (above) and courtesy Dan Mercier (below)Just prior to the start of the Canadian drag racing season, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on the grounds of Hamilton, Ontario’s airport played host to the annual Dragstrip Memories Show.
By all accounts, it was once again a huge success. The Museum usually has full displays of its collection of warplanes throughout the huge hangar. But for this event, the planes are moved to one side of the hangar, freeing up space for the car show. Still visible, this layout creates a fantastic backdrop of warplanes, which makes for great pictures.
Word of this event continues to spread, and the main parking lot was filling up fast just after the show opened. Once inside, it was clear that the organizers had done a great job with the car and vendor placements.
The quality of the vehicles was excellent, and the variety was impressive. Everything from full blown dragsters, A/Gas cars, Super Stocks, muscle cars, novelty cars, motorcycles and even a skidoo!
Looking at some of the vehicles, Gary Judges’ beautiful 1957 Ford two-
door post took him five years to build. Originally created as a ‘business class’ model with no backseat, the original 272 V8 has been replaced with a 427 high power, dual quad engine.
Another neat vehicle was in the East London Timing Association (E.L.T.A.) display.
The car is an Altered dragster that Scott Haviland restored as a tribute to his father, Charlie Haviland.
Paul and Patti Shill were also at the show, with their ‘Very Cherry’ Super Stock which races at Toronto Motorsports Park.
As great as the cars were, it was also a great to speak with the owners who are all still very passionate about their cars and drag racing. I would also suggest that if you haven’t been to the Canadian
Warplane Museum, you make a point of visiting it.
Their collection of warplanes is phenomenal, especially the legendary Lancaster Bomber which is one of just two in the world still flying. You can also book short flights in most of their aircraft for an unforgettable adventure. IT
OnJuly 15 and 16, the Canada Heads Up Shootout Series was back in action at Toronto Motorsports Park for its second race weekend of the season.
The day before, during a test session, Nick Agostino nailed a 4.01 second run, straight off the trailer, in his PDRA legal Pro Street 1969 Camaro.
But the action hit a dead stop on Saturday, caused by wet weather, just before the first Pro qualifying session.
But prior to the rain delays, the Sportsman classes were able to get in one round of qualifying and one round of eliminations. But once the rain arrived, the decision was made to call it a day.
Fortunately, Sunday morning arrived with bright and sunny skies and the Sportsman categories were able to start their ‘day two.’
Each index and dial class got through their single rounds of qualifying before heading into eliminations. The Pro categories, as per the rule book, went directly into eliminations with the ladders being built on the current points standings.
Super Street’s seven competitors were led to the final with 2022 series champion Paul Bahwan taking the win over five-time champion Pano Moros. Ricky Carlos and Nick Kokkas made it to the Semis. Carlos left the track maintaining his points lead, albeit by less than a round.
EZ Street’s 13 competitors were led by
Ed McGuinn who was taking part in his first Canada Heads Up outing of 2023. McGuinn took out Vince Melao in the finals, with Ryan Schulze also reaching the Semis. Ryan Schulze is less than one round ahead of Melao in the points.
Street 275 saw 11 competitors in action on the weekend. In the end it was Sean Devine who took the win over Sue Cooper. Steph Mallais made a Semis appearance. With the win, Devine moved to the top of the Street 275 standings and sits just two markers ahead of Jeff Bloem and less than a round ahead of the third-place points chaser Jay Gallant.
KOTS Bikes action at TMP saw David Rego take out Quebec’s Denis Lacroix in the final. Jesse Vanbetlehem sits atop the points, seven points ahead of Rego.
John Poretti took out 2022 champ Nick Kempters in the Stock Wheelbase Bikes (SWB) final. Poretti has a massive ‘five round’ lead over Todd Sills.
In other Canada Heads Up – Shootout Series presented by Speedwire Systems, Sokoloff Injury Lawyers and Headrush Tattoo and Apparel
action, Ron Banks bested Larry Sinke in the 4.0 Index Final. Lenny Farinacci broke single in 4.50 Index. Mike Gentile came out on top of Jack Vandewiel in 5.0 Index, and Dan Morrison beat Robert Galati in the 5.50 final. It was Vasylyy Lukivskyy over Mike Pereira in the 7.90 Bikes class, while Low 9s action saw A. Noriega take the win over Mike Dawe.
Sunday’s Sportsman winners were: Brodi Brown (6.0 Index), Ian Hill (6.50 Index), Glenn Tovey (7.0 Index), Doug Reid (7.50), Mike Shaw (Bikes & Sleds) and J. Knipfil (Junior Dragster).
CHU was scheduled to return to action again August 11-13 at TMP. IT - with files from CHU
By Patrick Lambie
The summer of 2023 is proving to be a scorcher in Western Canada, especially out on the dragstrips in Mission, BC and Edmonton, AB with two of the year’s biggest events of the year kicking off the season along with record setting Pro Mod action.
Drag race fans in British Columbia’s lower mainland received a Canada Day long weekend treat with Doorwarz 11
Since its inaugural running in 2013, Doorwarz has grown to be the premiere event on the Mission Raceway calendar and the 2023 edition did not disappoint with one of the largest fields ever including hometown favourite and current NHRA Pro Mod points leader Justin Bond.
Friday qualifying action was intense with Bond setting the bar high with 1/8th mile Pro Mod track records for ET and MPH with a 3.684 second run at 205.2 mph, only to have Jordan Lazic follow up and increase the ante with a new record 208.82 mph.
Saturday’s Pro Mod action included final qualifying as well as an added bonus of the semi finals and finals from May’s rain interrupted Full Blown Frenzy, which saw Lazic pick up the winners trophy for the first West Coast Pro Modified event of the season.
Sunday Pro Mod action saw a full day with four complete rounds of eliminations. While Bond would go one to take the final win and a $10,000 cheque, the depth of the 16-car
West Coast Pro Modified field meant that he had to deliver his A-game, which included a final round 3.73 second 1/8th mile run at 202.89 mph to defeat Lazic and pick up his first ever Doorwarz trophy.
Other winners at the 2023 edition of Doorwarz included Jordan Brandon in Outlaw X275 and Vanessa Richards in Unlimited Street, both picking up their second successive Doorwarz trophies.
Fan favourite Nate Gagnon took home the win in Top Fuel Harley with a 6.54 second ¼ mile run at 214 mph, while John De Jonge prevailed to work his way through the packed 42-car Door Slammer ladder to defeat Scott Robinson in the final.
Just a few short days later, Western Canada’s drag racing attention turned to RAD Torque Raceway, in Leduc, AB.
The track is 20 minutes south of the province’s capital city of Edmonton, where the 20th anniversary running of the Rocky Mountain Nationals brought together a top-shelf field of Nitro Funny Cars and Fuel Altereds as well as the third round of the West Coast Pro Modified 2023 season.
With this round being run as a West Cost Pro Modified promo points event, where racers get 10 points for each completed run, the potential points haul was substantially less than the four major points events on the 2023 schedule, but the Pro Mod race still drew a ten-car field including cur-
rent season point leader Jordan Lazic.
Following qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday, the final field of eight cars that would head to Sunday’s elimination rounds was set with Saskatoon’s Mike Gondziola narrowly edging out Lazic by less than .03 of a second to relegate him to second and take top stop on the ladder with a 3.852 second 1/8th mile run at 193.63 mph.
Sunday eliminations saw Lazic make his third appearance of the season in the final round, this time lining up against Gondziola, who had successfully struggled through the quarter- and semi-finals.
At the line it was Lazic picking up his second win of the season and, thanks to the ten points per run, extending his healthy lead in the season standings.
Other highlights from the Rocky Mountain Nationals included event wins by Ryan Hodson in the Nitro Nostalgia Funny Car class and an appearance by NHRA Pro Stock star Dallas Glenn who took time out between signing autographs to compete in the Top Dragster class.
The West Cost Pro Modified series will remain focused on Edmonton for the next couple of events, with a second promo points race scheduled for the August 9 Hot August Nights followed by the major points Just Send It event August 11 to 13.
After that, they return to Mission for the Augst 25 to 27 Smoke, Fire and Thunder race and the September 30 to October 2 West Coast Outlaw Shootout IT
Recently,Toronto Motorsports Park
invited me to participate in their F2000 Driving Experience program. During the day, I was able to test two of their single-seat, open-wheeled formula cars on a portion of TMP’s road course.
Following some discovery laps around the course – coached by one of their staff members – the in-class instruction meeting, and some time watching others behind the wheel, I was ready to hit the track for something completely out of my comfort zone.
As a short track racer who was brought up racing karts, I was very excited to try something new. Between my time in a Mini Stock and many years competing in karts, this was an experience I had never been exposed to. In the end, the team at TMP produced an adventure that I’ll never forget.
When you first arrive, facility owner Uli Bieri and his team make you feel at home with personal greetings and an in-class instruction meeting. This time is spent learning about the racetrack, the F2000 cars themselves, and the importance of shifting while on the course.
As you leave the classroom, the team escorts you across the property to the road course. There, we were driven around the track, in a street car, by one of the instructors. Having the opportunity to experience the course as a passenger – while receiving pointers on when to shift, throttle up, locate
the passing lanes, and the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ – made myself and the others taking part more confident about what we were about to experience.
After all the preparation, I was definitely ready to get behind the wheel. Prior to the TMP F2000 Driving Experience, I had not been in a race car since 2019. And I hadn’t been on a road course since my early days in karting.
Shifting during a run was something entirely new to me; it was tricky to get used to as the shifter was a very small H-patterned knob. And it was a tight fit, with very little leg room. When you are used to a full-size stock car, it was somewhat intimidating to be in a race car that size. That said, it didn’t take long to get used to. And after a few minutes on the track, I didn’t want to stop!
After two stints, my TMP USF2000 Driving Experience was done. There was no wiping away the smile on my face once I pulled in.
And I know I can speak on behalf of the others who participated, that they all had a great time, too. Everyone went at their own pace and had a blast.
If I had to compare it to something I’ve done before, I’d say it felt like I was driving a large go-kart. Down-shifting through corners, hitting the marks through the rumble strips, and the speed on the long straightaway
made for a thrilling experience.
The team at Toronto Motorsports Park made a great effort to deliver the best possible experience to each customer taking part. To make the day even more memorable, we all went home with nice certificates recognizing that we’d completed the program, and pictures of us with ‘our’ F2000 cars (there were several in action at a time).
Uli intentionally sets a relaxed tone for the experience. While well organized, it was also quite casual, which makes everyone comfortable, regardless of their racing knowledge or experience.
The main goal was to have fun, while getting a taste of what it’s like to drive some amazing race cars.
In addition to the F2000 Driving Experience, TMP also offers a Drag Racing Experience and an Exotic Dream Car Experience. All include in-class instruction, with technical briefings and ‘discovery laps’ with experienced teachers included where needed. Race suits and helmets are also provided for the F2000 and Drag Racing experiences.
I strongly encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and head to Toronto Motorsports Park to participate in one or all of these programs. The F2000 Driving Experience is something I will never forget!
TMP is located in Kohler, Ontario. For information and booking assistance, go to TorontoMotorsportsPark.com or call 1-866824-RACE (7223). IT
With Files and Photos from CRC
TheCanadian Rally Championship returned to action at the 50th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Rally, round 2 of the 2023 championship. After the most recent editions were hosted in Alberta, the rally made a popular return to the Columbia Valley, BC. The later calendar date meant the teams faced hot temperatures and dusty, rough roads.
A large alliance of teams from Quebec made the effort to tow West for the event, but unfortunately their efforts were largely met with attrition and bad luck. The championship leaders, Alexandre Moreau and Ian Guité were the first to drop, suffering a fuel pump issue on the opening loop. While they were able to fix and continue, they incurred a ten-minute penalty for illegal servicing. By the end of the
rally, they had climbed back to eighth overall, capturing five all-important points to retain the championship lead.
The brother-sister duo of Tanveer and Naila Deen proved the event could change roads and provinces, but they’d still bring their A-game. The 2022 event winners drove a smart weekend, conserving tires and showing some mechanical sympathy through the opening days’ stages. A picture of consistency throughout the weekend, the pair finished ten of 12 stages with top-three stage times, including five stage wins. They successfully descended the Hawke stage for the final time on Sunday, chalking up the win by 35 seconds.
After a back-and-forth battle with perennial rival, Jason Bailey, all weekend, Boris Djordjevic and John Hall emerged from the battle alone with second place secure in hand. Going into the final stage,
Bailey and Shayne Peterson trailed by just over ten seconds. The temptation was too great to ignore and Bailey spun trying to reel Djordjevic in, losing over 12 minutes in the process.
Bailey’s misfortunate also escalated Graham Bruce and Patrick Levesque to the overall podium, making it an Alberta sweep.
A highly experienced rallyist and driver, Bruce has an uncanny ability to put himself in the right place at the end of a rally to capitalize on other’s mistakes.
In two-wheel drive, the expected ding-dong battle between Chris Greenhouse’s Dodge and Nick Wood’s monster Datsun never materialized after Wood’s engine expired on Day 1. Greenhouse and Ryan Scott stayed focused on winning their class, despite sitting in a tantalizing 4th overall much of the rally.
A few close calls kept the team busy at service, but they accomplished what they came to do, with Chris Greenhouse claiming his first Western win ever – Canada or USA. Fellow Americans, Eric Bailey and Jordan Rock, brought their Scion FRS across the line in second in two-wheel drive and 6th overall.
Although not without his own mechanical issues, Vincent Trudel’s efforts to come West from Quebec were rewarded with the Production 4 class win alongside co-driver, Michelle Miller.
The teams of the Canadian Rally Championship were joined by Mexican teams from the NACAM Championship to bring the heat to New Richmond, Quebec at Rallye Baie des Chaleurs.
Celebrating it’s 45th Edition in 2023 with almost fifty entries, the third round of the Canadian Rally Championship presented a classic combination of challenging roads, humid weather, changing conditions, and plenty of attrition. The legendary Camp Brulé and Saut Du 5 spectator areas were packed with fans to watch it all go down despite frequent rain showers.
The road conditions shifted back and forth between slippery mud and dry gravel, but it didn’t slow Joel Levac and Laurence-Fanny L’Estage. The veteran team in the ex-WRC Mini put on a clinic for the rest of the field, leading the rally from stage two through the finish. Despite claiming that their focus was on having fun, the duo drove smooth and fast, avoiding the attrition that hit many of the teams.
Levac and L’Estage were flanked on the podium by two of the teams from the NACAM championship. Battling to bring home maximum points in their series, Ricardo Cordero, Alejandro Mauro, and Miguel Granados swapped positions several times through the rally. Cordero and Granados had the advantage of experience, having finished first and third respectively at Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in 2022. Cordero and co-driver Marco Hernandez came out on top of this battle, earning second place in their Citroen C3.
Granados and co-driver Marc Marti suffered a crash that, while not ending their rally, broke the driver’s concentration. This gave Mauro and co-driver Diego San Juan just enough of an opening to claim the third spot on the podium.
The race to the top of the 2WD standings was just as exciting. After blowing the turbo on their new Fiesta at Rocky Mountain Rally, André and René Leblanc rebounded spectacularly at their hometown rally. Despite getting high-centred and losing nearly a minute in the second loop on Saturday, the 2021 Overall Champions led the 2WD class from stage two, finishing nearly sixteen minutes ahead of fellow local heroes Mathieu Leblanc and Éric Dubé. Olivier Guité and Martin Noel rounded out the 2WD podium in their Fiesta.
Topping the list of teams who suffered this weekend was the Sub-
aru of championship points leaders Alexandre Moreau and Ian Guité. Their hopes of extending their lead ended with a crash on stage two. Heroic efforts from their service crew resulted in a re-start, but Moreau ended the rally taking home only two more points, just enough to maintain a one-point lead in the overall standings.
Likewise, 2WD championship points leaders Chris Greenhouse and Ryan Scott were well on their way to their third podium finish of the year when a bad jump broke a driveshaft on stage thirteen. Finishing fourth in class was not what Greenhouse had in mind, but the points earned keeps him well ahead in his hunt for his first championship.
Special mention needs to be made of Jean-Sebastien Besner. Furious over the failure of his Evo at the Rocky Mountain Rally, he decided to treat himself to a new rally car for his fiftieth birthday, bringing an R5 Fiesta to Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs. Although unable to catch the lead group of NACAM competitors, Besner and co-driver Yvan Joyal showed amazing speed and consistency in their first rally with the new car, taking home fifth place and moving up into second place in the championship, just one point behind Moreau.
With another spectacular Rallye Baie des Chaleurs in the books, the teams will have a break before facing the fourth round of the Canadian Rally Championship at Rallye Défi Petite Nation, September 8-10, in Montpellier, QC. IT
champion. This allowed him to attend one of the banquets down south in ‘stock car country,’ a wonderful recognition.
Steve has also won the Labour Day weekend race, known as either the McKerlie-Millen 200/250 or the Great Canadian Race, three times, a major feat of its own. Over his career, he won more than 200 feature races. Quite a legacy and a record that will probably never be matched or exceeded.
Beginning with the 1995 season, Steve hooked up with local businessman Gerry Findlay. That partnership flourished and continued until Steve retired in 2011, saying that he wanted to help his young twin boys get into racing.
For this Looking Back column, I’m going to look way back to the ‘60s! A man named Vic Robblee, from London, Ontario, built and raced Super Modifieds at Delaware Speedway, Nilestown Speedway and other area tracks.
He didn’t have all the ‘trick’ stuff that the top racers had, but his home-built cars were quite successful. I remember his No. 3 car, built with what looked like corrugated metal siding. It was nicknamed the ‘Boiler Plate Special!’ Asked why he didn’t drive his own car, he jokingly replied that, “everybody else is faster than me.”
Vic had an unfortunate incident with a driver in one of his cars and, as a result, he told his son Steve not to get into stock car racing. Thankfully, Steve didn’t listen. Steve’s mother also didn’t want him to race, and never saw him race.
Vic, however, saw almost every one of Steve’s races. He used to sit in the stands, right in front of the tower at Delaware, and he would walk by me every night heading to the washrooms. My “Vic, where ya going?” line became a long-running joke for years, and he always responded with that great smile and a wave. Now that I’m 80 years old, I fully and completely understand where he was going!
Vic was the manager of the local Canadian
Liquid Air outlet and Steve followed him there, working in the service division of the company. Steve is now retired and spends time working on his son Matt’s race car.
But getting back to Steve, defying his father, he started racing a Street Stocker in 1979, interestingly with his dad’s No. 3, and ran it until 1986. That was the year that I returned from Toronto to buy Motion Lincoln Mercury and reconnected with Delaware. I noticed this young man doing a great job in a Street Stocker. Then saw his last name. I was intrigued.
In 1987, Steve hooked up with Dave ‘Gus’ Alexander and moved up to CASCAR. The dynasty began! I helped them out for a few years, once with a Cougar body, among other things. I had no problem having Motion on the side of a GM car at the start, even though I got a lot of ribbing.
Steve became the man to beat at Delaware, winning nine track championships, as well as two CASCAR Super Series championships. In addition, he won four of the newly created CASCAR Sportsman Series titles and two Lucas Oil Sportsman Series championships.
One of his biggest prizes was becoming the 2009 Canadian NASCAR Hometrack
The boys began racing at Hughie Smibert’s Wonderland Speedway, south of London, a tight little dirt track that featured Micro Sprints and karts. Son Matt moved on from there and began racing in Delaware’s popular Truck division in 2006.
He then advanced to the Ontario Sportsman Series, for what are basically former CASCARs, where he raced for five years. In 2019, Matt moved up to Delaware’s Late Model division, where he has raced fairly successfully for the past five years.
Each race night, you can still find the Robblee crew at the end of pit road, working on the car. A bunch of familiar faces are always found there, including Alexander and John Johnston, Steve’s long-time successful crew chief. Findlay also makes the occasional cameo appearance.
When Steve got married to his second wife, Tracey, he joined up with another racing family, the Hryniuks, from Windsor, Ontario. Her brother Mike was a longtime stalwart in the CASCAR Series. I had nicknamed Mike ‘Hollywood’ years ago, as he was definitely one to stand out in a crowd and was (and still is) a great entertainer.
Mike’s son, Michael Jr., is a standout in the Ontario Sportsman Series. Mike still hops behind-the-wheel of various race cars these days! And in an example of ‘Six Degrees of Separation,’ it turns out that my grandson David Mathers, a rookie racer in the Modified ranks, is dating Tracey’s second cousin Bella.
Steve Robblee started racing a Street Stock at Delaware Speedway. Photo Courtesy Steve RobbleeIt was my distinct pleasure to have my nomination of Steve be successful in getting him inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, in the Class of 2020. There are very few in the Hall more qualified than Steve to be members. A good guy, quiet and well-respected by all his competitors over the years. IT
a team, contested on three different types of tracks: ovals, street and road courses.
“Everyone needs to beat Palou,” explained Will Power, the 2022 champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner. “It’s a very tough challenge to beat him in the championship this year. He is so on point in every respect and not missing a thing. It’s very difficult in this series to be extremely fast, which there are a lot of guys that are, but then being able to do all the disciplines as well, plus the intricacies of fuel save, tire conservation, inand-out laps, and qualifying. It’s bloody hard to have that all nailed, an absolute team effort. He’s doing it.”
several changes in the driver line ups for the 2024 NTT IndyCar season. Many drivers are presently on their second year of a two-year contract and may be on pins and needles waiting to hear if their team is going to retain them for another season. Usually that is decided by August 1 to give the driver and team a chance to find other options while everyone is still attending races.
The breaking news last summer over social media as teams arrived in Toronto midJuly, was regarding the tug of war over Alex Palou, the 2021 season champion, as to whether he would remain with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 or move to Arrow McLaren. McLaren offered Palou a seat in IndyCar and a potential chance at competing in Formula 1. But it seemed his management team had not understood contractually what an option for an additional season meant. Initially, there were dueling press releases less than an hour apart that Palou would be driving for each team, first from Ganassi and then from McLaren. Palou tweeted he was switching to McLaren (IndyCar), which spread like a wildfire through the paddock. It was finally determined after the 2022 season ended, following a law suit by Ganassi in US Federal Court (resolved through media-
tion), that Palou would remain at Ganassi for one more season before switching.
Yet, he is currently free to participate in nonconflicting races or tests with McLaren’s Formula 1 team.
During this very awkward time last season, Palou was no longer allowed to share his teammates’ data. And that restriction likely impacted his remaining eight races and quest for a second title. He ranked fifth with only one victory. But this year, it has been business as usual at his Ganassi home. His crew has been firing on all cylinders with Palou winning his fourth event at Mid-Ohio in only five races and leading the title fight by 110 points at the halfway point. He won the pole at Indy, the fastest of 34 drivers, and had the potential to win the race had another driver not hit his car while in his pit box. As a result, Palou fell to 28th on Lap 98, put his head down, and recovered to fourth place.
I understand the allure of Formula 1, but there are no guarantees that a seat will open at McLaren, and McLaren has also involved Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, all who have tested with the Formula 1 team.
When everything is working so well why would a driver want to leave? It’s truly rare to have that kind of consistent performance with
In May, there were whispers that Palou may remain at Ganassi next season, that is if he continues in IndyCar. Asked if he was really going to take the risk moving to McLaren, a team also capable of winning IndyCar races, he graciously said, “No comment. But it will be known soon, perhaps announced by the end of the season.”
Timing is everything though. And if Palou does leave Ganassi, there will be a number of drivers vying for that seat. And each team, Ganassi and McLaren, are already considering their plan B, perhaps unable to wait for Palou’s decision.
If rumours are to be believed, Team Penske may be the only team with the same driver line-up for 2024. Ganassi may have three openings, Andretti two, Carpenter, Coyne, Foyt, Juncos, McLaren, Rahal and Shank one or two openings each. With two thirds of the field potentially changing, this could turn into quite the ‘silly season.’
Winning is addictive. It’s the best feeling for a race car driver much like a drug and beating your fellow competitors in IndyCar with such tight competition makes landing in Victory Lane all the sweeter. Three times IndyCar has had 11 different winners in recent years. In contrast, it’s easy to predict who will win any given Formula 1 race.
Palou has a big decision ahead. I’d like to see him get his shot in Formula 1 and not be limited to McLaren. Should that happen, when he’s ready to win races again, he could return to IndyCar where I believe he’ll have several opportunities. IT
(Above) Alex Palou’s future is a key storyline to follow next offseason. Photo by Ed Gatner
as an SOS rookie, while young D.J. Christie finished third after battling with Heard in the closing laps.
“Every win is special,” said Turner, who had added incentive to win the Gary Cunningham Memorial. “With the tough competition in the 360 Sprint Car division, they are very tough to come by. This race was extra special due to Al on our crew having worked with Gary as an apprentice for two years.”
While Turner is lucky enough to be in a well-funded Sprint Car ride, he still understands the challenges facing racers in these inflationary times.
The re-vamped Southern Ontario Sprint (SOS) tour has had its fair share of challenges since making its return in 2023. New leadership, new race formats and new key partners have given 360 Sprint Car fans and teams a renewed feeling of optimism. While rain, scoring issues and facility problems overshadowed the start of the season, one night in June at Merrittville Speedway finally got the ball rolling in the right direction.
The Gary Cunningham Memorial is an annual race for 360 Sprint Cars that honours the legendary engine builder and Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Famer. This year’s edition saw more than $14,000 in purse and contingency money distributed, including $3,000 to race winner Ryan Turner. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of the SOS and the Cunningham family.
Gary’s son, Travis Cunningham, pilots the No. 90 360 Sprint Car and co-hosts the Southern Ontario Dirt Show (SODS) podcast. He spearheaded an effort to sell lap sponsorships to add to the already increased SOS purses in 2023.
His inspiration to do so came, in part, from his experience on the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) tour. They run at tracks across New York State, with multiple stops in eastern Ontario and Quebec. It’s common for the ESS tour to pay its drivers $350 USD to start each race.
“I’ve always wanted to increase the purse for the Gary Cunningham Memorial,” said Travis, whose last Sprint Car win came with
power from an engine built by his late father. “The ESS purse is definitely one I used to model the purse for this year’s race.”
That meant that all 23 drivers who took the green flag on June 24 at Merrittville Speedway would leave the track with at least $300 CAD at the end of the night, which was $50 more than for any other event. While it’s a given that racing is an expensive pursuit, one wonders if the series and tracks can do a better job distributing purses to ensure race fans are paying to see fuller fields of cars.
For Cunningham, the blueprint is there to ensure the future success of the SOS tour.
“Lots of lower budget teams look how a race pays from fifth down, and don’t even look at the winner’s share,” said Travis, himself a low budget racer. Spreading more money through the field will help teams break even, financially, on their race night.”
The early part of the 25-lap feature was led by another low budget team, the No. 70 of Bailey Heard. The Niagara Falls, ON driver and his dad work on their race car in a tiny shed in their backyard. From the outside, running a karting operation in there would seem like a tight squeeze, let alone a Sprint Car. But they do it!
Heard surrendered the lead to Ryan Turner around the halfway mark and was ultimately involved in a crash coming to the checkered flag in search of a podium spot.
Former Merrittville 358 Modified track champion Mike Bowman continued to show his Sprint Car acumen, finishing second
“The cost of racing has continued to increase. And the SOS have done a great job increasing the purses. Every dollar helps and boosted payouts with lap sponsorship money throughout the field was a great idea by Travis. It really showed with the turnout of cars.”
Asked if big payouts for top finishers is the direction the series should go in, Turner advocated for ‘spreading the wealth’ throughout the field.
“The heavy payout up front will bring the big names for one or two races a year, but a heavy payout through the middle will build the class and keep the local racers coming back. No one is making money in our class, but it will keep the costs down and help racers to come back week after week.”
There are still plenty of SOS races left on the 2023 schedule – leading up to the Sept. 16 Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at Ohsweken Speedway. Which means there’s still plenty of time for the new management, led by Peter Turford, to continue to have an open dialogue with drivers and teams about how to make sure the series is sustainable and successful.
Timed hot laps and passing points are ensuring racers give it their all in every session they’re on the track. And big purses look good in post-race write ups. Event broadcasts on the GForceTV YouTube channel are helping fans stay plugged into SOS Sprint Car racing even outside the region.
It’s a great time to be a member of ‘Winged Nation,’ and the Southern Ontario Sprints are finally back to lead the pack. IT
(L to r) SOS racer Travis Cunningham, Gary Cunningham Memorial race winner Ryan Turner and Rosemary Cunningham (Gary’s widow / Travis’ mom). Photo by Alex & Helen Bruce
It seemed altogether fitting that young Dane Christian Lundaard won this year’s Honda Indy Toronto, the 35th time the IndyCars roared about Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto. It fit the progression of the event and the historical timeline of The Raceline Radio Network perfectly!
Christian’s boss and Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan team co-owner Bobby Rahal claimed the very first race, then called The Molson Indy, 37 years ago in 1986 when the series was known as CART, an acronym for Championship Auto Racing Teams. Rahal was the hot hand in IndyCars that year. He preceded Toronto winning the 70th Indianapolis 500 and that season’s championship.
That first Toronto Indy was a whirlwind of emotion and excitement!
How incredibly cool was it to have Rahal, Fittipaldi, Mario and Michael Andretti, Rick Mears, Al Unser Jr., Danny Sullivan, A.J Foyt and the rest, the heroes of the Brickyard racing inside Canada’s largest city?
I co-called the Toronto Indy’s from that inaugural in 1986 on the public address system until we launched Raceline Radio in 1992 when we started a long run of trackside coverage right up until just before the pandemic.
Bobby was on with us when I asked him about that first Indy in 1986 and that wild
blind, off camber Turn 11 just before the dash to the start-finish line. He remembered it vividly, saying that turn may have been the toughest on the entire schedule and it “really separated the men from the boys!”
We had him on again when he was interim President of CART just before the war with Tony George’s upstart Indy Racing League and eventual split of IndyCar racing in 1996. We were fearful the approaching sanctioning body storm would leave Toronto out in the rain and forgotten.
Rahal assured us Toronto was what he called a crown-jewel event the drivers and teams loved and that its future was as secure as they could make it at the time.
Thankfully, the only blank spot in the history of the Toronto Indy happened when the two sides eventually reunified in 2008, too late to secure an operative date to stage the Indy on the CNE grounds. COVID caused another gap years later.
Bobby Rahal stopped racing himself in 1998, but stayed involved, forming his own teams that eventually saw his son Graham drive for him. He still does.
Recent hire Christian Lundgaard ended a three-season winless drought for the struggling team with his dominating win this year, putting Bobby Rahal back in victory lane again in Toronto to come full circle.
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It
My Lakeport High School auto shop teacher and friend Nick Seminchuk called a while back to relay the sad news his friend, legendary IndyCar mechanic Jim Dilamarter had passed. Jim was involved when The Toronto Indy was conceived. From Welland, ON, Dilamarter learned his IndyCar chops from the winningest Indianapolis 500 chief mechanic of all time, George Bignotti, the winner of seven Indianapolis 500s starting with Graham Hill’s 1966 win.
When Vel’s-Parnelli Jones Racing was formed, Dilamarter turned wrenches for “Big” Al Unser Sr., who would capture the Indianapolis 500 in his Johnny Lightning Special backto-back in 1970 and 1971. He would also win the 1970 IndyCar championship.
On top of his IndyCar success in 1975, Dilamarter became the Formula 1 Team Manager for Vel’s-Parnelli Jones with driver legend Mario Andretti. Dilamarter’s cars also ran USAC Dirt, NHRA Funny Car and Top Fuel drag racing, off-road racing and Formula 5000. God Speed Canadian Master Mechanic Jim Dilamarter! IT
Woodward Rahal
a lofty place
history
Toronto Indy.
was very gratifying to see him, and his driver, win it again!
is an outdoor sport that usually takes place away from big cities and hotels. As such, racers and fans have long embraced camping as a fun, affordable and convenient part of their racing experiences.
Racing
The culture and atmosphere created by this experience have become beloved traditions for racing fans across the country. Camping and RV companies have responded to the demand by offering a wide variety of products to serve people who embrace the camping lifestyle.
A track that’s well-known for camping is Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Nestled in the forested and hilly landscape of Clarington, Ontario, the huge multitrack racing facility offers countless areas throughout the property for fans and racers to setup their campsites.
“To have the ability to reserve a camping space and park directly beside Turn Two or Three (at the legendary 10-turn Grand Prix Circuit) and literally wake up to race cars driving past your campsite is pretty unique,” said CTMP Brand Ambassador Sam Fellows. “It’s part of the culture for us, part of the history, so it’s something that we pay attention to, and we try to market it all the time. If you’re not going to just come for the day, then consider camping.”
Fellows says that the original way to camp at ‘Mosport’ in the ‘60s and ‘70s was to sleep in a car or station wagon. While
upgrades have elevated the experience over the decades, he says that the main aspect of making the track your home for the weekend remains the same.
Fans camp in a variety of ways at CTMP, ranging from tents to trailers to large motorhomes. There’s often creativity involved, and comparing ‘rigs’ is part of the experience.
“People bring all different types of vehicles and tents and it’s pretty cool to see the way they set them up,” said Fellows. “There’s one guy who comes every year for the Labour Day race and his RV (has) murals of NASCAR and famous cars and drivers. I think he’s had a lot of guys sign the RV and I did it one year, as well.”
Camping and gate attendance totalled about 50,000 people for this year’s Victoria Day SpeedFest, which Fellows says is stellar for that weekend, compared to the usual 7075,000 for IMSA weekend. The atmosphere is also worth noting.
“There’s a family section, I think it’s on the outside of Turn Eight; there’s a playground there, as well, and I think people have an understanding to shut it down relatively early for the kids,” Fellows continued. “There’s a big rivalry at Turn Three between outfield and infield people, which is kind of funny, and they yell at each other in the night (that) ‘outfield is better’ or ‘infield is better.’”
CTMP has multiple tracks, with wash-
rooms and showers, while some camping spots also offer electric and water hookups.
At Nova Scotia’s Riverside International Speedway, there are over 800 campsites for fans to take in a weekend. The grounds typically see their first visitors roll in mid-day on a Thursday, where campers stay for the weekend, even when it’s a one-day show. But for the prestigious IWK 250, the experience is much greater than that.
“When we started this event back in 2006, campers were arriving on Friday and it got to the point where the volume (of vehicles) was so big that we were backed up on the Trans Canada Highway,” said Riverside manager Joan Roué. “So, we decided we would do a tailgate party on Thursday night to encourage people to come earlier. When we did that, we started to open at noon on Thursday and we were getting backed up.”
The track moved back the opening time twice more, to the current 9 a.m. on the Wednesday. Roué says that people are planning their vacations around the camping experience at Riverside on IWK 250 weekend. She noted that there remains a tailgate party on the Thursday night but that fans create their own entertainment for the nearly week-long affair.
“There are people who only see each other year-to-year. You’ll take a drive through the campgrounds and they’re out playing cornhole or various yard or outside games,” said Roué. “We have five different camping sections and there are pods in each section, where they’ll have meals together, potluck meals and bonfires… breakfasts together, all that kind of thing.”
Riverside has dry camping, with no hookups or facilities beyond portable toilets. While Roué says that all spots are good, she notes that fans have the opportunity to renew their locations from the previous year, which leads to some legacy sites.
Another track with a significant camping presence during a major event is Peterborough Speedway. The 1/3-mile oval has 224 campsites that sell out for their Autumn Colours Classic, with an estimated 2,000 people in the campgrounds.
The traditional end to Ontario’s short track racing season takes place on the Thanksgiving weekend and has been a mainstay on many fans’ calendars.
“When COVID hit, some of the comments we saw were people that were 20 or 21-years-old and (said) ‘what are we going to do for Thanksgiving, we’ve always had Thanksgiving at the Autumn Colours, in the campground,’” said Peterborough owner JP Josiasse. “The event is 30 years running, so there are some people who have been born into it and that’s all they’ve ever known.”
Most of the campsites get renewed on a yearly basis, but Josiasse says that eight to ten spots normally become available in late January/early February, with some VIP sites being sold later in the year. He notes that there’s a waiting list for any lastminute openings. While spots may be hard to come by, there are advantages when it comes to location.
“Some people want to be at the top, so they’re close to the pit entrance; if they’re racing, they can run back-and-forth to the camper quickly,” said Josiasse. “The bottom, towards the road, is normally a little quieter. I personally, if I was camping, would want to be at the bottom because I’m backing onto trees, but it depends what you’re looking for.”
Campers can spend the night before and after a regular season race at the track, while Autumn Colours camping opens early Wednesday. There are no facilities, except during Autumn Colours, where there are portable toilets and access to the main tower, which has washrooms with running water.
The culture and convenience of camping at the racetrack is something that stands
out to fans and members of the motorsports community alike. APC Series team owner and sponsor Mike Schmidt regularly camps at the short tracks on the APC Series schedule.
“(Camping) turns what usually is one night of activities into multiple days of being ‘away’ and having fun,” said Schmidt. “When the (London Recreational Racing) gang gets together, it’s a ton of fun and non-stop laughs.”
Schmidt says that late-night campfires and bench races are activities that stand out from the great times they’ve had camping at the track, with family and friends. He also noted the benefits of having a home away from home.
“It’s awesome to wake up at the track, no rushing, (we) can enjoy the morning,” said Schmidt. “Nice to have your own washroom and shower at the track. Can prepare your own food and drinks. Nice to have a place to relax and cool down on a hot day; don’t have to drive home late at night. My wife is much happier to go to the races when the trailer is there.”
Whether a road course or oval, long weekend or nearly week-long affair, camping has become a huge part of the racing experience for fans across the country. IT
Many of us dream of owning a converted van and road tripping across Canada and down south, but the reality is that this may not be very practical. The solution? Buy a couple of crossbars for your vehicle and mount a rooftop tent on!
Go Overland Canada Inc. is a Canadian owned and operated rooftop tent brand based in Ontario. They specialize in making durable, four-season rooftop tents that are made of honeycomb aluminum and can mount onto any vehicle.
A rooftop tent is not just a practical alternative, it’s also a comfortable place to sleep, being elevated from the elements. The tents are waterproof and can withstand the cold, with the winter liner, versus a traditional ground tent.
Go Overland Canada’s most popular mod-
The Explorer RV Club is the largest Canadian National RV club serving all RVers. You’ll find a sense of shared experiences and a feeling of camaraderie and national pride when you join fellow Club members at one of our Rally events or our online community.
Longtime Explorer RV Club members Sieg and Sue Standke discovered these and many other benefits of RVing years ago, when they started their ‘journey(s) of a lifetime’ with a pop-up in 1977. This first step led to our club today!
Wherever your sights are set, whether it’s Canada, the United States or Mexico, an optional (but highly recommended) add-on Emergency Roadside Service plan covers every kilometre of your journey 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. It’s designed to get you, and your rig, back on the road in good shape as soon as possible. This is the kind of plan you need when you’re in a pinch, that gives you peace of mind while being affordable at the same time.
Multiple RV clubs exist on the market, but few have worked as hard or as long to keep building and adding value for members as the fellow adventure lovers and RV enthusiasts at the Explorer RV Club. Community is
el is a wedge style tent, which takes a mere 30 seconds to open and set up, and less than 60 seconds to close down. This means getting to a campsite late at night isn’t such a hassle anymore. The model is called the Journey X.
Their largest rooftop tent is the Xpedition XL, which can sleep three adults, or even four. This is the most popular model for families, especially for parents with children. If you like to sleep in the complete dark, these tents are great for that since the canvas is always our primary focus, but we also want to offer value!
Explorer RV Club offers extensive discounts to products and services through the Edvantage program as well as up to 10 percent off Wayfarer Insurance.
Are you someone who craves the thrill of adventure that you can only find on the open
black-out once the windows are closed.
All Go Overland Canada rooftop tents include ladder, memory foam mattress, universal mounting hardware, anti condensation mat, shoe bag, detachable cold weather liner, and roof racks that mount on the top of the tent.
If you have any questions about their products, reach out to info@gooverland.ca.
The tents can be purchased online at www.gooverland.ca or in-store at Pacific Backroader in Vancouver, BC. IT
road, while keeping all the comforts of home still at hand? Like Sieg and Sue Standke – if you are, there’s no doubt you will find your place in the RV-loving ranks of the Explorer RV Club. You’ll be joining a new family and beginning yet another journey of a lifetime –which is what being an ‘Explorer’ is truly all about. IT
Icon Technologies Limited, a privately held corporation, started operations in 1998. Based in Winkler, Manitoba, ICON Direct specializes in thermoformed and rotational molded plastic products, primarily for the Recreational Vehicle industry.
Key product lines include: AeroShield wind deflectors, air conditioner shrouds,
bathroom and kitchen components and accessories, fender skirts, freshwater tanks, skylights, waste holding tanks and more.
From its inception, the company’s goal has been to provide innovative custom thermoformed solutions to OEM customers. By focusing on that objective, ICON has grown consistently.
It might be said that Icon has two spirits. One is dedicated to helping its customers enhance the functionality and practicality of their OEM products through the use of thermoformed and rotational molded plastic parts. The other is dedicated to supplying quality RV products through a strong international network of RV aftermarket distributors.
ICON’s core competency in thermoforming and rotational molding is complemented by strong abilities in innovative design, manufacturing ideas and low-cost prototyping. This enables ICON to provide complete solutions that greatly simplify its customers’ development processes.
To view their full line of products – including a detailed 156-page online catalog with almost 80 pages of fender skirts to fit almost any RV – go to icondirect.com. The site also has an online store and live chat assistance. IT
As the largest RV show in Canada, the Toronto Spring Camping and RV Show showcases the biggest display of RVs of all shapes and sizes, for any budget, from the largest retailers in Ontario.
Taking place February 29 to March 3, 2024 at Mississauga’s International Centre, the last show of the season is where the best deals are made. Scheduled for when summer and the start of the racing season are just around the corner, the Toronto Spring Camping and RV Show is the perfect place to get ready for your summer camping adventures.
The show invites you to come check out The Big One, where you’ll learn about the hottest trends in RVing, listen to industry experts, plus shop for your RV and camping parts and accessories in the show’s 15,000 square foot marketplace. Showgoers can also enter to win prizes, enjoy live entertainment for the entire
family, including a Kids’ Zone, or take in one of many seminars, covering a wide range of topics. This is the only consumer RV show produced by the Canadian RV Association, which represents the largest manufacturers in the industry. You’ll have no problem finding your perfect RV, with RV dealers, campground owners and manufacturer representatives on-hand all four days.
To learn more about the Toronto Spring Camping and RV Show, visit www.torontospringcampingrvshow.com or check out the show’s social media channels. IT
Afamily-owned business in Ontario’s Niagara region, Right Choice Auto & Leisure is your one-stop-shop for new and used trailers, plus RVs, rentals and service.
The knowledgeable sales staff at Right Choice Auto & Leisure will help customers find the vehicle that’s right for them. They understand that buying an RV or trailer is a financial commitment and will take the necessary time to ensure that the customer gets a vehicle that meets their needs. For instance, if someone is looking to purchase an RV that can pull a stacker trailer, the staff at Right Choice will find an RV with the right amount of power to handle the weight.
When it comes to motorsports, the Super C is a category of RV that’s perfect for pulling race car trailers, with all the gear. Located in the heart of southern Ontario’s short track scene, Right Choice has race teams covered, even selling golf carts.
Another popular category is 24-to-25-foot ‘pull-behind’ campers. Right Choice has an assortment of anywhere from 150 to 200 vehicles on-site at their 11-acre lot, which is open five days a week. Products can also be browsed online at www.rcautoleisure.com.
Right Choice Auto & Leisure is more than just sales, with a five-bay multi-functional shop to service vehicles, including everything mechanical for RVs and trailers. They also have a road technician who can complete some repairs on-site, such as fixing an air conditioner or generator at the race track. This allows teams and fans to continue their weekend, without delaying repairs.
For more information or to contact Right Choice Auto & Leisure, visit their website, call 905-899-7777 or visit their lot at 54029 Wellandport Rd. in Wainfleet, ON. IT
Brennan MacInnis (Glace Bay, NS) won the 35-lap V6 feature at Bud’s Speedway on June 18. It was his second consecutive win at the Cape Breton track.
Delaware Speedway Late Model racer Connor Pritiko won the June 16 feature at the London, Ontario area oval.
At the end of the June 17 Junior Late Model race at Sauble Speedway, Cole Kamrath made the trip to Victory Lane.
Adrian Kemp took the Varney Sprint Double Feature victories at Full Throttle Motor Speedway on June 24.
Luke Bos won the June 24 Dave Gray Memorial Street Stock feature at Full Throttle Motor Speedway. He was joined in Victory Lane by a huge crowd of supporters and other top finishers.
On June 25 at Cornwall Motor Speedway, Marc Lalonde won the 40-lap Pro-Stock Series feature race by using lapped traffic to his advantage.
Félix Roy scored a dominant win on June 28 at Quebec’s Autodrome Granby when he took the 40-lap 358 Modified feature race.
Dylan Westbrook used a late-race caution to run down race leader Mike Bowman en route to Victory Lane in the June 30 360 Sprint Cars race at Ohsweken Speedway.
New Brunswick’s Speedway 660 was the setting for the Ricky Bobby 150 on Canada Day. Justin Cole dominated the Street Stock race en route to scoring the biggest victory of his career.
Xxx Photo Courtesy of Mike Francis / Speedway 660
Cody McPherson came out on top of a fantastic late-race battle with James Michael Friesen to win the 40-lap DIRTcar Sportsman feature, on Canada Day, at Merrittville Speedway.
Trevor Collver won the Qwick Wick Super Stock main at Delaware Speedway during the Canada Day long weekend.
It was all smiles for Del Freiburger’s family and friends when he won the Junior Late Model feature race at Full Throttle Motor Speedway on Canada Day.
RUNNING OR NOT, WE PAY YOU CASH ON THE SPOT
Super Late Model legend Glenn Watson was joined by his biggest fans after winning his first feature race of the season at the Canada Day Cash In event at Sunset Speedway.
Rick Spencer-Walt made his first trip to Victory Lane, in 2023, when he won the July 1 Late Model race at Sunset Speedway. He was filling in for Cory McAllister.
Cory McAllister and supporters jammed into Victory Lane at Sauble Speedway after he won the Ontario Sportsman Series’ Racin’ The Waves 100 at The Beach on Canada Day.
Jamie Davis won a pair of Midwest Modified feature races at Emo Speedway on the Canada Day weekend.
Street Stock racer AJ Kellar won both of that division’s features, on June 30 and July 1, at Emo Speedway.
Paddy Munro, of Sundre, Alberta, won the July 2 Model T feature race at Drumheller, AB’s Dinosaur Downs Speedway.
Red Deer, AB racer Jim Cocks won the July 2 IMCA Modified main at Dinosaur Downs Speedway, in Drumheller, Alberta.
While he didn’t win in his dirt Sprint Car debut, NASCAR Pinty’s Series dominator Treyten Lapcevich tried his hand in the Crate Sprint division at Ohsweken Speedway on July 7.
The Late Model feature on July 8 at Brighton Speedway saw Brandon Mowat take the checkered flag following the 30-lap feature against a strong field of contenders.
Photo
of Rob Henderson / CanadianRacer.com
Mike Bowman won his first career Sprint Car feature when he took the Southern Ontario Sprints main on July 14 at Ohsweken Speedway.
James Stanley started on the front row and won the caution-free, 25-lap Can-Am Midget series race held July 16 at Flamboro Speedway.
Brandon McFerren (middle) won the Qwick Wick Super Stock main at Flamboro on July 16. Lane Zardo (left) and Shawn Chenoweth (right) were second and third, respectively.
Jamie Dillman of Carrolls Corner, NS won the Mini Stock main at Scotia Speedworld on July 7. It was the first feature victory of the season for the 2021 Lightning division champ.
Kennetcook, NS racer Pete Miller became the fourth different Sportsman division winner in as many weeks at Scotia Speedworld when he won the July 7 feature at the Halifax, NS oval.
Carson Nagy and crew celebrated in Victory Lane at Delaware Speedway following the July 21 Super Stock feature.
Nelson Mason enjoyed the trip to Victory Lane after he won the July 22 Sportsman main at Merrittville Speedway.
Dave Bailey won the Hoosier Stock feature at Thorold, Ontario’s Merrittville Speedway on July 22.
Chad Strawn went ‘flag-to-flag’ at the front of the pack to win the July 22 Ontario Modified Racing Series race at Peterborough Speedway.
Itwas the fall of 1990 when British Columbia’s famed Westwood track hosted its final race. Since that time, there were numerous attempts to create the province’s next great motorsport circuit. But for a long time, none of these projects came to fruition.
In February of 2012, Bill Drossos was on a ski trip in the South Okanagan and discovered a large parcel of land that appeared ideally situated for a full-size motorsports circuit. After some research, Bill discovered that the land was within the jurisdiction of the Osoyoos Indian Band.
Through his connections, Bill was able to gain an audience with Chief Clarence Louie with the goal of discussing Drossos’ his vision for world-class motorsports facility. Chief Louie is an Order of Canada recipient. He’s also an outspoken leader who pursues viable and imaginative economic development projects for the benefit of his people.
In fact, it was the chief who personally showed Drossos the present site (not the original land) of the Area 27 track, and encouraged him, saying, “we can get your track built on this site… fast.”
A key step in the creation of Area 27 was Drossos being able to call upon his long-time motorsport friend, legendary Jacques Villeneuve. Arguably Canada’s most successful racer, Villeneuve signed on as one of the track’s co-designers and co-founders. Jacques’ stated goal was a layout to challenge his own skills.
The circuit was constructed during the summer of 2016, and once completed, revealed itself to be one of the most challenging in North America. This, in turn, necessitated the creation of a top-level driving academy.
The original 2016/2017 Academy 27 instructor team included Richard Spenard, Scott Hargrove, Bill Drossos, Patrick Carpentier, Ryley Seibert and Stefan Rzadzinski.
The school’s curriculum was provided to Paul Cooke, at ASN Canada, who placed Academy 27 on ASN’s website as a nationally recognized racing school. Midway through 2017, local resident and renowned racer, Kees Nierop, replaced Richard Spenard as Chief Instructor, and continues in that role to this day.
In 2018, Area 27’s members expressed a keen interest in getting involved in club ra-
cing. Kees and Bill – along with several Area 27 members – were able to create two racing series at the track, the spec Radical SR3 championship, and the GT27 Conti Cup series. Trevor and Ryley Seibert had also started the stock car-based RS1 championship that same season.
All of these series were run as school series with ongoing coaching and instruction provided by the organizers as well as the Academy 27 instructor team.
The three racing series have grown dramatically since their inception. Last season saw more than 40 drivers in the GT27 series, 28 drivers in Radical SR3, and over 40 drivers in RS1 stock car series.
During the 2021 season the Okanagan Road Racing Association (ORRA 27) was created as a not-for-profit sanctioning and licensing governing body of motorsports, in partnership with the Osoyoos First Nation.
While the racing still featured the supervision of the Academy 27 professionals, all three series evolved to become much more than ‘school series’ and have grown to become one of the biggest and most competitive amateur racing series in Canada. ORRA 27 was created as an independent entity to organize and supervise all motorsports activities at the Area 27 track.
It is the only Western Canadian motorsports governing body founded entirely by motorsports professionals. Additionally, ORRA 27 has become the first motorsports sanctioning authority to be recognized and operating on traditional and reserve lands. Chief Clarence Louie is an honorary Grand
Marshall who can sometimes be heard on the track’s public address saying, “Drivers, Start Your Engines.”
Chief Instructor, Kees Nierop, had this to say about the racing at Area 27, “Motorsport is in my blood, and I love getting others into the sport. Area 27 has provided us with an opportunity like no other. Bill, Trevor, and myself took the members and coached them in proper motorsport.
“Area 27 has proven to be the perfect place for this endeavour. We have now created three of the most competitive racing series in Canada. Where do you see 20 to 30 cars in one class, and have the top 10 cars qualify within .8 of a second of each other?
“I am so proud of our Area 27 drivers. They have come from absolutely no motorsport experience to becoming highly competitive and fair drivers, on one of North America’s most challenging circuits. Today we have clean, tight and very respectful racing in all our series.”
Scott Hargrove adds, “The racing at Area 27 has been phenomenal. The participants have progressed from what was once only a dream to real wheel-to-wheel competition.”
The team at ORRA 27 have now applied to be directly affiliated with GDS/SDG Canada for a direct connection with the FIA. The FIA has a clear mandate to both grow motorsports and to be seen as being inclusive.
Had it not been for the support of Chief Clarence Louie and the inclusive nature of the Osoyoos Indian Band, none of many outstanding achievements at Area 27 would have ever been realized. IT
- With files from Area 27
Abadday at the racetrack is better than a good day in the office.”
I’ve never been able to find the origin of that quote or if it is simply a popular saying that has propagated throughout motorsports. No matter where it came from, I consider that line a fact in my life, not just an amusing quip. I’ve had some great days in business in the ‘office’ or the ‘office’ of one of our customers and some totally disastrous days at the track, but I still fully stand behind the veracity of the statement.
I recently spent the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (‘Mosport’) for the IMSA sportscar weekend; a trip back to where the enthusiasm firmly took hold in the early 1970s. I won’t go into my personal connections and experiences with the storied track because I already touched on that in a couple of previous articles, one for the 60th anniversary celebration a couple of years ago ‘Mosport’ (ITMN 25.06, Oct 2021), and another in 2015 simply entitled ‘Memories’ (ITMN 1907, October 2015). But I can’t pass through the front gates and enter the tunnel, both extensively updated in recent (relatively) times, without getting a little twinge of emotion and a rush of fond memories. Saying that, I have to kind of squint to bring the “today” in alignment with my “yesterday.” The general elevations and clusters of trees are familiar but that’s about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not all emotional about the original control tower being razed (although I would have bought a concrete block if they’d been made available), or the removal of the row of shitty old-school pit buildings and the paddock being completely paved (saying that our two Porsche 963 support trailers were still parked down in the grass this year!), that would make me a Luddite. But there is something missing, I can’t put my finger on it; “Je ne sais quoi” as the French so properly describe the indescribable. But the sand is still blowing off the hill and the spectators continue to be familiar and friendly (it’s Canada, after all), so I embrace it all as I always did.
I took the opportunity to break the Ford GT out for this visit to my home track, which made the trips back and forth from Uxbridge
to Clarington even more poignant, my car being painted in the Comstock Racing Team colours of white with green stripes, which happens to be Canada’s national racing livery; actually an alternative to British racing green with twin white stripes. More specifically, my paint mimics the Comstock GT40 colours of Wimbledon white with a triple green stripe (a big center with two adjacent smaller borders). To complete the tribute I have a small Maple Leaf, with Eppie Wietzes’ signature and racing number (94) on the door. Eppie was a hero of mine, and many other Canadian racing fans, having won two Canadian Formula A driving championships, been a perennial frontrunner in six seasons of Formula 5000 against all the greats (Mario Andretti, Brian Redman and the Unsers…Bobby and Al) as well as the 1981 Trans-Am champion driving the famous Swiss Chalet Corvette. Not to mention competing in two Canadian Grands Prix and driving the first ever safety car deployed in a Formula 1 race (in 1973 at Mosport, I won’t relay the story here, it was a disaster, but very specifically not Eppie’s fault as some believe), I personally left the track that day with no clue as to who had won. At that time Eppie and George Eaton where the ‘big names’ of Canadian racing.
When Scott Maxwell took my car to Eppie’s ‘Celebration of Life’ (I was tied up somewhere in a foreign country), it was massively well received by Barbara (his wife) and the host of old cronies that were in attendance (legends like Paul Cook, Comstock’s team manager back in the day). Scott reported that the paint scheme and small remembrance on the door had “grown men tearing up.” That made me happy.
When I rocked-up at Mosport for the IMSA race, I eschewed the reserved spot behind our trailers and parked up on the sandy hill, behind the paddock, amongst all the other very cool stuff that people had driven there, resulting in a sort of ad hoc dynamic car show. It was where we parked 51 years ago for the 1972 Grand Prix of Canada, when my dad had a hospitality “suite” on top of the old pit boxes for his Ferrari customers. And that parking spot felt the same without squinting.
So, as far as racetracks go, Mosport is my favourite, and how could it not be? But the bias of, why? has changed over the years and I now think more in terms of how to race engineer cars for tracks, and my record of success or failure in doing so, which plays a major contribution to my affection for those circuits. Don’t get me wrong, I still love some of the classics where I have had little success in recent times (say Mid-Ohio…agghh), but now my feeling towards them is a composite of the actual place and the result (or my ability to figure out how to get a result). A few for reference…
Mid-Ohio: Yes, we did win there with the Mustang back in the day (1998) with Scott and Jason Priestley, the latter’s first professional race win, but it was in the rain, and simply came down to Scott’s superior driving in treacherous conditions. However, I also vaguely recall a mix-up on tires, at the last stop…I think a big advantage came with wets on the back and slicks on the front. It was an inadvertent set-up advantage that came from a mistake (sort of) of which Sean and I have never really talked about since, even when drinking. That great Ohio result has never been repeated, and in recent years, running the Mazda Dpi prototypes, it was the circuit at which we struggled more than any other due to the spectacularly low grip the place affords, the consequence of the highly polished asphalt coming from years and years of racing without refurbishment. Some engineers seem to have been able to get on top of it but not me, and our results have illustrated the weakness. That said, some of those poor results were self-inflicted by bad strategy calls (also my fault) or just bad luck (Scott getting shoved into the wall by an aggressive AMG GT while he had a fast Mustang underneath him back in 2020). But, on the flip side, I love the place from a pure fan perspective; A great rural location (similar to CTMP or Road America), natural topography and a quirky layout that would never make it out of a modern track designer’s computer-generated development. A massively long straight ending in a complex that goes up and down the side of a hill, a carrousel leading on to the front straight that wears tires out in a few laps (if you’re not careful) and a ‘suck it up’ first corner at the end of that straight. Oh, and the start/finish straight is actually only a finish straight (look it up). Awesome for the spectators, hell for the engineers, fun for the drivers. Fully classic.
Road America: Totally in the same vein as Mid-Ohio, from a classic old school North American road course perspective, but the old girl is not in my top ten from either an engineering or personal favourite place to enjoy watching a race. Too many straights, square corners, harsh curbs, a never ending carousel, the car wrecking kink, coupled with fast changing weather, none of which have been kind to me. Saying that there are connections that I can’t ignore, via my friend, business associate and team owner, the late Carl Haas (he was on the board and a major supporter of the place for most of his life), and I have an equally strong relationship with IMSA President John Doonan (a Chicago boy) who fully loves the place and apparently made his first visit to the Elkhart Lake circuit when he was a six-week-old baby! So, those two guys love for it creates a kind of affinity in me (oh, and naming a corner ‘Canada’ helps…apparently because it is the closest spot on the track to the border), as well as the atmosphere which is indescribable (one of the best in the world on a big race weekend), and the sausages, and Siebkens (for sure the best race track bar in the world). But still a shit place to race (unless you win like we did back in 2001 with the Mazda, one of Harry Tincknell’s great drives). I’ll stop here before I talk myself into really loving the place.
Watkins Glenn: 2019…the first win for the Mazda DPi, after enduring some tough years of hard graft developing the chassis and aero to be finally capable of doing so, and personally one of my
greatest races sitting on the box. Another outstanding performance from Harry, but he had a great car underneath him and it ended with a one-two for our toughest ever project. Multimatic Motorsports has had some good runs down there in the Finger Lakes, and it’s truly an iconic circuit famously created by Bill Milliken, Cam Argetsinger and Henry Valent stomping the layout in the snow during the winter of 1955-1956 (after some years risking their lives racing around the local roads and through the town). Bill was another hero of mine, being the father of the vehicle dynamics analysis approach that we all now utilize, building the first laboratory tire tester in the world at Calspan, in Buffalo, NY (we still use it) and writing totally kick-ass books (his biography, Equations of Motion is a must read for anybody in Automotive Engineering…reminds the reader that its not about the process, its about the technical problem solving). He was also the Chief Steward for the USGP for ten years, making close friends with some of the legends: Bruce McLaren, Tony Rudd (of BRM and then Lotus Engineering fame) and John Cooper among others. While he was doing that, I was camping in ‘The Bog,’ with people I should not have been hanging out with (I’m now just old enough for my mother to read this and not lose her shit). I was there the year the bus got burnt. With all that background how could Watkins Glen not be right there below Mosport (CTMP) on my all-time favourites list. Note that it took me two decades of visits to finally find out that Watkins Glen is actually a very impressive geographical feature. I climbed up it once after learning what it was, and then got on with what I’m supposed to be there for…racing! And, finally, ‘The Glen’ boasts the second-best racetrack bar in the world…The Seneca Lodge.
I’m going to have to pick-up the pace a little to fit this article into my word allocation! I’ll cut to the chase with the rest, with reduced rambling, mostly because the associated drinking establishments really aren’t in the same league as Elkhart Lake or The Glen. But let me cover a few more that are close to my heart, or not, and keep the European tracks for another time, I had ambitiously planned to include them. A small preview…I love Spa and am truly indifferent to Silverstone (that last comment will completely extinguish any idea of me being drafted into the BRDC). Silverstone appears to be the
English equivalent to laying out a racetrack symbiotically with the natural terrain like Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen…except they chose an air base as the natural terrain. Some smart ass will undoubtedly point out that Sebring is the same thing…so a quick comment on that.
Sebring: Who wants to go there? Not me. But tens of thousands of revelers show up every single year (even in 1974 when there was no race due to the fuel crisis), and it is a massive party (ask my offspring, who attended this year to catch a little racing in between the reveling). So, the race teams merely show up to provide the partiers with some entertainment beyond the crazy spectator vehicles dangerously blasting around the access roads, spectacular home made viewing platforms (sometimes attached to the crazy vehicles), non-stop music, impromptu custom car shows, loads of drinking and a little destruction. But the venue is only truly cool due to its great history, having survived rumours of demise a dozen or more times. The famous racing movie The Speed Merchants, which followed the 1972 World Championship for Makes, has the Sebring race open with a scene creatively shot across the massive expanse of concrete runway, with a bunch of workers scraping the weeds out of the expansion cracks with lawn edgers. The narrator states that this is rumoured to be the last year for the famous 12-hour endurance classic because the racing surface is becoming too rough for the prototype cars. But there everybody was again back in March of this year, fighting the same old engineering battle with the drivers, coming off the trailers with set-ups dictated by what the simulators and shaker rigs produced, but then chasing the spring rates down in response to driver feedback. “My eyesight gets blurry coming down the front straight” or “the car’s coming completely off the ground in (Turn) 17”. And the changes result in slower and slower lap times until everybody sucks it up and hits the reset button. Back to the starting set-up and a fast car, but with a driver that has now stopped whining, having experienced the slower alternative. The car doesn’t get fully off the ground in Turn 17 but there is a fair bit of air under the right-side tires at ‘the bump’ and yes, drivers have been known to piss a little blood at the end of a race. It’s a horrible place to engineer a car, and I wouldn’t know where to spectate the race from, other than a massive platform on the inside of “One” watching very brave drivers take their cars into that bumpy turn flat chat, not for me that kind of commitment.
So now reduced to a few bullet points per track for the remainder.
Daytona: An amazing place that I love; completely unique, using most of the NASCAR tri-oval with a decently long road course infield section. Not so much about suspension engineering as getting the right aero choice to keep the car stuck in the twisty bits without sacrificing that to drag, because the cars are flat chat for a long while (more to be had from going fast on the banking than giving that up to gain on infield sector time). Even when well attended it doesn’t look so, because of the massive grandstands that are jammed full for the ‘500’ but pretty much empty for the ‘24’ as the sports car crowd prefers the infield. For me, rolling into the paddock for the Roar Before the 24 in January has always marked the beginning of another racing season; what’s not to love about that?
Road Atlanta: Another crazy layout that would never make the cut in the new sanitized world of computer-aided design, cookie cutter racing tracks, with loads of run-off and gentle elevation changes. Turns 12 and 1 are for the brave, and finding a good setup for this Georgia gem is extremely challenging (and full of compromises), which we hit on for the Mazda’s final race, a big win for the end of the program.
Laguna Seca: Takes the natural terrain aspect to the limit with the
‘Corkscrew,’ which, for me is a bit of a party trick corner; basically, a turn at the right time and hope it works out situation. Hate the dust and heat, the former causing no end of grip issues that send an inattentive race engineer in the wrong direction. We have had good results over the years but barely inside my top ten favourites, and that only because of the historics. Oh yeah, we’ve wrecked a lot of cars there over the years.
Lime Rock Park: One of my favourites. Beautiful part of the world, a bullring layout with some good elevation changes and an easy set-up once you nail it. Asymmetric springs (side to side) and ride height. Like what you would run on a stock car at an oval. Have had great success on this wonderful little Connecticut track, including a podium on the debut of our first fully in-house engineered (from scratch) and built race car. Mustang bodied, tube frame GTS car. Scott took it to the factory Oldsmobiles and Nissan that weekend in 1995, a top ten memory.
I’ll keep the rest for a continuation article in the future: Sears Point, Mont Tremblant, COTA, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Portland and any other that you readers might be interested in. I can also do a global list…Le Mans, Silverstone, Spa, Nürburgring (both versions), Snetterton, Oulton Park, Brands Hatch, Fuji, Shanghai, Bahrain, Paul Ricard…and a bunch more. I have engineering and strategy notes for all of them!
I’ll finish off with a little story of serendipity that very much played a part in me choosing to write this piece (well at least the Mosport bit). When I was flying in from London just before the IMSA sportscar race I happened to look out the window of the Air Canada 787 just as it started to wind off the altitude heading into Pearson. And there was Mosport (CTMP) in all its glory, the unmistakable shape, the approach roads and familiar infield tracks. It was a really cool coincidence (I don’t spend a lot of time looking out the windows of aircraft) because that was my final destination. And then we made a big loop, my assumption being that it was to waste some time as the air traffic was heavy, but we did it twice and I happened to look out the window a second time, and there was Mosport again, calling me! But then we did another half loop and headed to Ottawa because a fire alarm had gone off in the control tower in Toronto…shit. Spent an hour on the ground in the nation’s capital and then resumed, landing in Toronto a couple of hours late, but pretty cool view, twice, of my home track. IT
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