4 minute read
Back to the Beach!
This summer I participated in a CSCS event at Grand Bend Motorplex. I hadn’t competed in CSCS for a couple years, but given how much local track knowledge I had I figured I would give it a shot. Earlier in the season we installed a Racepak IQ3 datalogger and were able to experiment with it and really understand what I could do to improve as a driver. My Honda Civic is not high horsepower, so understanding how much speed I carry is very important. I find the IQ3 is like having my friend in the passenger seat telling me how to go faster. We were able to win the unlimited FWD class for the weekend, and really impressed other drivers on what we could do with just 221whp. I am so grateful to Ian Rae for his datalogger support and look forward to working with him in 2020. We will never be a big fast race team, but the data tells us we could be and it is encouraging to continue the learning curve. - Grant Galloway
Christopher Kennealy of Burning Rubber Tire and Speed was a busy guy at GBM overseeing ten racers as well as racing himself. He told us, “Grand Bend is always one of my favorite events. A mile from the beach, we go racing and then get to swim in awesome, fresh clean Ontario Great Lakes water. Its combination of technical tight turns and fast sweepers make for great racing, and the quality of the track is always top notch. We ran ten cars there this year, and took home several podium finishes despite some mechanical adversities and the +35 degree weather. We definitely look forward to running it again next year.”
Brad Angevaare (below)was another who enjoyed Grand Bend. “I thought the event was awesome! I had never been to Grand Bend before and it was great to run multiple track layouts. It was a nice change from previous years and I hope it’s included in the schedule again.”
Nick Martile (above) used his knowledge of Grand Bend to good effect. “I used the GBM Track Nights to help dial in the car for the CSCS event. I ran my personal best at CSCS so it’s likely the reason why I was as competitive for my first event on that specific track.”
John Elliot has a lifetime of competition behind him having been the first Canadian to win a Stock Class at an NHRA National Meet when he won A Stock Automatic at the 1968 Winter Nationals in Pomona, California. He was also the first Canadian to win a Stock Divisional Title by winning the 1968 NHRA 3 Stock Title and he, his father Sandy and the rest of the Border Bandits team are members of the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame. John left drag racing and put his heart and soul into the family business, the Honda House in Chatham, ON. Still with a competitive urge John took advantage of Grand Bend Motorplex’s decision to put in a road course and John is one of their biggest promoters of their ‘Track Nights at the Bend’. There are not many nights he misses, it is his stress reliever as he puts it. Never having competed in a Time Attack event he decided that the CSCS event would be a must do event. “If nothing else I wanted to support the track, and I was pleased to see a few of our regulars do the same. Our Honda House / Motorwerks Magazine Spec Civic was a tad slow with only 158 hp but I had fun.” For more on the Spec Civic watch for the next issue!
