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F1: CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

JAMES

HINCHCLIFFE

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2011 CANADIAN

CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK-OFF: NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES

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CHASES ANOTHER RALLY AMERICA TITLE

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AT SEATTLE’S DIRTFISH RALLY SCHOOL

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JUNE 2011

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CAN NASCAR R E G A I N

I T S

t’s not too early for Carl Edwards, and it’s not (quite) too late for Denny Hamlin. Jimmie Johnson, as usual, is right on track for a sixth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. Fords are on, Toyotas are off and Chevy is roughly the same. Dodge? Well, it won the Budweiser Shootout.

In the season’s first eight races, only one driver, Kevin Harvick, won twice. Seven winners in eight races were a testimony to a high level of competition but also to a season that hasn’t quite found itself yet.

Three of the early races – the Daytona 500, Goody’s 500 at Martinsville and Aaron’s 499 at Talladega – were extraordinary. The only snoozer was Matt Kenseth’s dominating conquest of the Samsung Mobile 500 in Texas.

Winning is hard, which is the way it’s supposed to be. Ask Jeff Gordon. When he won the season’s second race, at Phoenix, it ended

F O O T I N G ?

Early Signs Are Encouraging

a winless streak of 66 races for a four-time champion and a sure future Hall of Famer.

“You have added pressure,” said Gordon. “You hear it from the media, you hear it from the fans, and it’s hard to ignore. … I think that, when you’ve had the success that we’ve had in the past … I guess every race-car driver knows that there’s going to be that time in their life when they’re not going to go to victory lane again and you don’t know when that time is going to come.

“I feel like I still have it in me. I’m passionate about it, but things have changed in the sport. The cars have changed. Tires have changed. Competition has changed. When you go through a streak without winning, you think, OK, is it me or what is it? [Winning allows] you to regain that confidence in yourself …”

THE ROOKIE

CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW Expect the Unexpected

BY MONTE DUTTON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

James Hinchcliffe is holding his own in his first IndyCar season STORY: DAVE PANKEW // PHOTOS BY: DAVE PANKEW

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lthough he surely didn’t plan for it to work out this way, James Hinchcliffe’s rookie year with Newman Haas Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series coincides with milestones for two of its more prominent races, including the one that matters the most. At the end of May, the Indianapolis 500 celebrated its 100th anniversary and in July, Hinchcliffe’s home race, the Honda Indy Toronto, will celebrate its 25th. The significance of both of these isn’t lost on Hinchcliffe either, who told PRN that being able to compete in both events is like, ‘having two Indy 500s’. At Indianapolis, he missed being the top-qualifying rookie (225.572 mph average) by just 0.007 mph in securing the 13th starting spot. The top rookie qualifier was JR Hildebrand in 12th, a driver Hinchcliffe knows well from his days competing against him in Atlantics and Firestone Indy Lights. “We worked a lot more on our race car over the month than the qualifying car. We just wanted to get in the show, we

BY DAN KNUTSON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

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or a preview of this year’s Canadian Grand Prix one merely has to look back at the bizarre and thrilling plot twists of the 2010 Formula One race in Montreal.

Thanks to unpredictable tire wear last year, the fortunes and track positions of the drivers varied wildly and five drivers changed the lead six times before Lewis Hamilton took the victory in his McLaren Mercedes.

There was no Canadian Grand Prix in 2009, and thus for the 2010 event Bridgestone had to predict what would be the best slick tire compounds for the track it only had experience on with the grooved dry weather tires. To further complicate matters the track had been resurfaced, plus the weather was cooler than expected. The result was that the soft compound tires started to lose

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their grip after as few six laps. Tire strategy was a vital factor in the race as drivers and their teams pondered when to switch back and forth between the quick wearing soft tire and the longer lasting hard compound tire.

The difference between 2010 and 2011 is that the excitement of last year’s race was created by a fluke of circumstances. This year the plot twists are created by design.

Pirelli has replaced Bridgestone as the sole tire supplier in F1. Pirelli’s goal was to create less durable tires. In the past, drivers often had to pit only once during the race to change tires. There were times when a driver ran virtually the entire race on a set of tires and then pitted with just two laps to go.

[The rules require a driver to use both compounds of tires in a race.] The Bridgestones were robust tires

that consistently provided the same level of traction, grip and feedback for many laps.

Those days are no more. An excellent example was the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this year. Did Hamilton enjoy that race?

“It was absolutely, every inch of the race, every second, was incredibly enjoyable,” he answered enthusiastically.

Of course he won the race so why wouldn’t he enjoy it? It is because F1 has changed thanks to the new rules and especially the way the Pirelli tires lose grip as they degrade. The result was that the race in China was full of on-track battles and passes.

“I love being able to fight with different drivers and have the battles and have them at their best,” Hamilton said. “I really felt that in that race. Whilst the tires were going off on some

of the cars I felt they were really performing and driving very well to defend their position, so it made that even more exciting.”

The lead changed at that start and then officially eight times between six different drivers.

Hamilton took over first place from Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel with just five laps to become the first driver to win the Chinese Grand Prix for a second time. In all, there were over 80 passing moves throughout the field.

What does Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button think of new style of F1?

“It’s enjoyable,” he said, “but also you’re a sitting duck when people have got newer tires – you can’t do anything. You try and fight back you don’t have the grip, don’t have the braking power or the traction, so it’s very tricky.”

The drivers call it “falling off the cliff.” Up to a point the tires provide excellent traction, but within a lap or two they abruptly lose it and lap times are suddenly three seconds slower. Teams and drivers have to plan their pit stops perfectly or risk suddenly being a sitting duck to the drivers behind.

Gone are the days when fans can wander away from their TVs or grandstand seats and come back 15 laps later to discover the running order is the same as when they left.

With track positions and strategies constantly changing, how difficult is it for a driver to read the race when he is in the middle of the pack. Does he know in the middle of the race what position he will eventually be fighting for? How confusing is it to not know?

Mark Webber just drives as fast as he can and doesn’t worry.

“It is pretty straightforward,” he said of how he approaches races now, “because you just know that the next corner you have to take it flat out. And the next corner, next corner, next corner.

Traffic? Clear it and get on. I hardly look at the pit board, just for the lap number, position was not important to me because I can’t control that and what everybody is doing. Then in the last part of the race you start to see who still has to pit, and who is running out of tire grip. It is only then that you start to focus on what might be possible. But for the first 75 percent of the grand prix you are focusing on yourself.”

F1 is more like endurance racing now because the drivers have to look after their tires.

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BY THE NUMBERS:

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE BORN: DECEMBER 5, 1986 HOMETOWN: OAKVILLE, ON RESIDENCE: INDIANAPOLIS, IN TEAM: NEWMAN HAAS RACING CAR: #06 SPROTT INC. DALLARA/HONDA *CAREER WINS: 16 *CAREER POLES: 21 BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2ND (FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS, 2010) * AS OF MAY 24, 2011

THE ROOKIE

GET DOWN GET DIRTY

Change is the Theme For Canada’s National Stock Car Championship

NEW RALLY SCHOOL TEACHES BOTH THE NITTY AND THE GRITTY

BY JAMIE MAUDSLEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAMESH BAYNEY

BY MARK HACKING // PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN MCDONOUGH

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SAY GOODBYE TO A COUPLE OF OLD FRIENDS

n 2011, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is all about change and nowhere is that theme more evident than it is on the season schedule.

The series has elected kick things off at Mosport Speedway’s ½ mile oval on May 28, a race that had been a mid-late August date since before NASCAR became the sanctioning body in 2007. The Speedway becomes the fourth different track to host the opening race in the past five years.

That event should play host to one of the most interesting storylines of the year, as Don Thomson Jr. (featured in the last issue of PRN) will turn a wheel for the first time with his new team. For the five-time CASCAR Super Series champion, the ½-mile track has been his own personal playground for well over 10 years. Among his many victories are two wins in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts at the Speedway (2007, 2010). If anyone can find victory lane there – even with a new team – Thomson is as good a bet as any.

In 2011, there are two former tracks that will not be on the calendar as the top stars and cars of the Canadian Tire Series travel the country. The annual trip to Autodrome Ste. Eustache seems to be redundant to the Montreal market with the addition of the event at ICAR, and one of the best short tracks in Canada will be missed.

While one of Canada’s most exciting ovals was getting gassed, the IZOD Indy Car Series was playing a game of ‘now we’re coming - now we’re not’ with the Edmonton Indy. When NASCAR officials released the schedule, the event was left off, which shortened the calendar to 12 races, five on road courses and seven on ovals. Despite INDYCAR coming to terms with the promoter for its race, the Canadian Tire Series stood pat.

LOOKING FOR A HAT TRICK The series will race in front of one of the largest oval track crowds of the year for event number three at Delaware Speedway. Defending Canadian Tire Series champion D.J. Kennington will return to the track he cut his teeth on to try and convert the hat track, after winning at both previous visits to the ½-mile ‘birthplace of CASCAR’ in 2009 and 2010.

Kennington was able to run a couple of events in the off season. He finished second to Jason Bowles in the Toyota All-Star Shootout in California, which earned a ride a few weeks later in Phoenix in a K&N Pro Series West event, where he

SAY HELLO TO A NEW VENUE The second event of the season will mark another first for the Canadian Tire Series as they travel to Circuit ICAR, north of Montreal. The track is part of an airport like Edmonton. It’s flat, but the similarities end there. It has a number of tight turns, and short chutes, so the cars won’t spend much time in high gear. It should be a full weekend of speed as the Canadian Tire Series will be joined by Firestone Indy Lights, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and a number of other support divisions.

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was able to bring his Mike Curb-owned ride home 10th after starting 23rd.

The competition is far too tough to make anyone a ‘lock’ for the championship, but Kennington has to be viewed as the favourite as the season begins.

noqualmie, WA—Prior to attending the DirtFish Rally School, I thought I knew everything there was to know about how to drive a rally car. After all, I’ve watched my fair share of televised WRC action and I’d even witnessed the likes of Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg in person a few years ago at Rally Argentina.

What’s more, I’m Canadian, so the act of driving sideways (mostly in winter) is almost second nature to me. To top it all off, I’m a four-time competitor at Targa Newfoundland, the only tarmac rally in North America. So I didn’t expect to learn too many new tricks during the school’s three-day training session — in fact, I wondered aloud if three days of training wasn’t overkill. But I was wrong: This school, newly opened this past September, is already one of the finest performance driving programs in North America. Located just outside Seattle, the DirtFish

CONTENDERS Scott Steckly and Mark Dilley will join forces again in 2011 as teammates, and have added experienced crew chief Chris Couvillion to the mix from the Beauchamp Motorsports Team. Former Brad Graham crew chief Mike Knott has replaced Couvillion with the Windsor, Ontario-based team.

Kerry Micks will return in his familiar #02, while Jason Hathaway added Thomson as a teammate at Team 3 Red.

CREW CHIEF AND TEAM SHUFFLES Former Canadian Tire Series Tech Director Tim Ellas has joined Dave Jacombs Racing Team, who will be fielding rides at various points during the year for both two-time series champion Andrew Ranger, as well as IndyCar pilot Alex Tagliani.

On a full-time basis, and in an interesting twist, Jeff Lapcevich will switch to the Dodge brand and will still service his racers at shop. The cars be raceprepared by Ellas in the Jacombs shop.

NOTABLE PART-TIMERS

REMATCH Jordan Szoke and Brett McCormick Are Set to Battle For the Canadian Superbike Championship Again in 2011

Steven Mathews will be escalating his efforts in 2011, as he plans to compete in 10 events. Fans should also expect to see 2010 Kawartha Speedway winner Petey Shepherd, and Brad Graham

BY LEE BAILIE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAMESH BAYNEY

The 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series field is a mix of established stars, like Kerry Micks (middle row, left), and up-and comers like Pete Shepherd (bottom row, middle).

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2011 NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES PREVIEW

DOUBLE DUTY

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he 2011 Canadian Superbike Championship presented by Parts Canada is significantly changed from its predecessors over the past few seasons – new owners, new website, new television package and, of course, the usual changes amongst teams and competitors.

But for all that has changed off the track, the competition on track should have a familiar look to it, especially at the sharp end of the grid where Jordan Szoke (above left in 2009), the all-time leader in wins and championships in Canadian Superbike history (36 and 7, respectively) enters the season as the favourite – again.

The Brantford, Ontario rider has so dominated Canadian motorcycle road racing in recent years (he’s won both Superbike and Pro Sportbike titles every year since 2006), that it is hard to conceive of any other rider ending the 32 year-old’s dominance, save for one.

Brett McCormick (above, right), a 19-year old rising star from Saskatoon, has returned to Canada after a year spent in the AMA competing as a replacement rider with Jordan Suzuki in the American Superbike class. McCormick will race for the factory RadX BMW Motorrad Canada team in 2011.

At one time, McCormick was Szoke’s teammate at Kawasaki (2007-08), before he moved to the Blackfoot Suzuki team in 2009. That season was memorable for being one of the most hotly contested Canadian Superbike championships in recent years, as Szoke edged out McCormick by a mere five points, even though

McCormick won more races (4-3). It was, by far, the most closely contested of Szoke’s five consecutive titles.

In 2010, with McCormick racing in the AMA, Szoke didn’t face nearly the same level of competition. Competing on Honda equipment for his self-funded effort, Waznie Racing, Szoke cruised to his fifth consecutive Superbike and Sport Bike titles. He won every race, some by a wide margin, and finished the season with a 132 point advantage over Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ontario for the championship.

Over the winter Szoke worked out a deal to return to Canadian Kawasaki Motors, the organization for which he won four consecutive Superbike and Sport Bike titles (2006-09). The move reunites him with personnel he’s familiar, led by engine builder Mike Crompton, owner of Competition Systems which runs the team for Kawasaki.

The first on-track sessions for both Szoke and McCormick took place during a preseason test at the JenningsGP circuit in Florida in late April, a spring training of sorts which gives teams and riders an opportunity to evaluate new equipment.

Szoke was joined on track by McCormick and his BMW teammate Michael Ferreira of Kitchener, Ontario, and it wouldn’t take long for the seven-time champ to start feeling comfortable on the Kawasaki’s new ZX-10.

Ferreira, was first on track in the morning, followed by Szoke, the Champ giving the brand new 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10 its national track debut. Eventually both

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as backdrop, the series kicked off its new season at Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest in late May. Drivers were anxious to get on the track after a long winter and they were ready for some action, but some were sadly disappointed as mechanical problems prevented them from competing on the first weekend. Fastco Motorsports drivers Glenn and Lee Chaplin experienced transmission problems and had to return home before the weekend even started.

The Pfaff Automotive Partners’ Audi A5 suffered from a terminal engine problem but the team promised to regroup for the next event. Ryan Blanchet was convinced that he was not going to be able to race due to a problem with the chassis but his team worked hard and managed to get him back on track for Round One. Qualifying occurred on the Saturday on a green track under clear conditions. Etienne Borgeat showed the way in Super Class in his Pontiac Solstice. His extensive preseason testing helped to establish him as a front contender. Arek Wojciechowski was second fastest in his BMW 328i and Dean Fantin was third in his BMW 330i. All three were separated by less than one half second. Gary Kwok was fastest in Touring Class in his Honda Civic followed by P.J. Groenke in his VW GTI and Michel Sallenbach in his Mini Cooper S.

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GETTING

INVOLVED Becoming a Part of CASC-OR Events is Easier Than You Think

BY CRAIG FRISKEN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASC-OR

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think it’s fair to assume that the reason you’re reading PRN right now because you like racing. There are many forms of motorsport and in the last issue of PRN we talked about open-wheel racing. This time around, we’re going to take a closer look at closed-wheel racing. However, before we get started we need to look at the small army of volunteers and participants that keep the wheels rolling in racing.

So my question to you is much do you want it? If you knew you could get closer to the action, would you? What if I told you that most volunteers don’t have to have any special skills or that your participation usually includes a ‘trackside’ pass, parking, camping, lunches and usually a Saturday night dinner? Did I mention being able to get ‘hands-on’ with the race cars, race bikes or the chance to rub elbows with your favourite driver, rider or team?

FOR THE FIRST TIME THE SERIES WILL RACE ON CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE IN MONTREAL AS PART OF THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES WEEKEND.”

In most cases, getting started is as simple as contacting the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs www.casc.on.ca office in Toronto. Deb Johnston works as the Office Administrator for CASC. She fields most of the calls and is usually the first contact for anything racing related in Ontario. How bad does Deb have it? Well, she is also a volunteer Track Marshal on weekends at tracks like Mosport International Raceway, Shannonville Motorsport Park, the Honda Indy Toronto and the ice races in Minden, Ontario.

Deb’s first exposure to motorsports came through competing in auto slalom.

Here she relates how that experience eventually led to her becoming a qualifying marshal and answers a few common questions about getting involved in racing as a volunteer.

“In 1985, I got interested in doing auto slalom at the club level. I had been interested in doing some volunteer work with what used to be called Solo 1. I also used to assist with timing back in the early 90’s. I suddenly found out about something called road racing and that sounded really neat. In 2001, a friend suggested I get in touch

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RADU REPANOVICI / RACINGINFOCUS

fter pedaling along and evolving slowly over the first four years of its existence, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship is kicking it up a notch in 2011.

In addition to the things that always change year over year, such as team and driver combinations, the series made a big splash at the Canadian Motorsport Expo in January when it debuted its new branding and introduced Continental Tire as its new spec tire supplier. The changes continue with the schedule where the Series will keep its prime dates such as the Honda Indy Toronto and the Grand Prix of Mosport, but it announced a big addition in early May. For the first time the series will race on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal as part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series weekend, August 19-20.

“We are very happy to have concluded this partnership with Stock-Car Montréal. The Event Promoter François Dumontier, his team and the thousands of expected spectators will also be greatly impressed by our drivers. We are looking forward to offering our fans outstanding performances that will meet the Circuit’s historical expectations,” John Bondar, President of CTCC said after the deal was announced in early May. With all of these new developments serving

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DOUBLE DUTY

keep the various courses in prime shape. The slalom, for example, is turned into a quagmire through the use of a watering truck. Here, we fine-tune the cadence behind lining up the perfect loose-surface turn as the instructors bark out commands through the headset: “Lift, turn, brake!”

A little while later, the cadence became closer to second nature and the lines through the slalom become more controlled—contrary to popular belief, quick rally driving does not involve throwing the car

GET DOWN, GET DIRTY

A NEW ERA

On Saturday, April 30, tragedy struck the close knit rally racing community during the Olympus Rally based in Ocean Shores, Washington. Driver Matthew Marker, a 31 year-old native of Elk Rapids, Michigan did not survive injuries sustained in a racing accident.

Marker was in his fifth year of participating in the Rally America National Championship and was a popular driver among his peers. Marker was known to have ambitions of improving his Championship standings and taking part in building the sport’s popularity. Matthew Marker’s co-driver, Christopher Gordon of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was not seriously injured in the accident.The crash occurred when Marker’s car went off the road on a right turn, during the 6th competitive stage of the event, impacting a tree with the driver’s side of the car. Medical personnel responded to the scene quickly, but could not resuscitate Marker. The sport of rally in North America has not had a competitorrelated fatality since 2003. RallyCar Managing Director, J.B. Niday, knew Marker well describing him as, “a generous, loveable personality that wouldn’t think twice about offering parts to other drivers. He loved the sport and was a unique character from the first day he showed up at the Sno*Drift Rally four years ago.”

Team 600 co-driver Jake Blattner was close to Marker and remembers him as “a very passionate, energetic, hip gear-head that used to turn up with glowing neon lights under his car on the night stages, which the fans loved.” Like everyone in the sport, Blattner is shaken but remains convinced that the organization does everything it can to keep competitors safe.

Blattner said, “It’s a dangerous sport but that’s what sets it apart. It’s you against the open road and the clock.” Olympus Rally organizers and RallyCar officials decided to conclude the Rally American National Championship event at the end of Special Stage 6 and will award points based on those finishing times. The coinciding MaxAttack! 2-Wheel-Drive Series also concluded their event out of respect to the deceased and his family and friends.

“Know where you want the car to go, be patient with the slide, let it develop.” And it works: The back end of the car slowly comes around and the nose, like magic, ends up being pointed in the right direction coming out of the corner. Actually, it’s not magic, it’s just weight transfer and the act of balancing a rally car using the throttle, brakes and steering. Soon, we’re instructed to be a little less patient with the slide by using the brakes to help transfer the weight of the car. At this point, we were also encouraged to get into left-foot braking, a longstanding rally driving technique that serves a number of purposes: to help balance the car, to correct for understeer and to improve braking reaction time.

After completing the triangular gravel course, it was off to a different course and a different surface.

The school not only has great tracts of land to use for training, they also have the equipment needed to

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REMATCH

The Revamped 2011 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Kicked Off its Season at Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest

since the opening round in Michigan. The Oregon Trail Rally began with spectator stages held at the Portland International Raceway before moving to the scenic farmlands in and around The Dalles and Dufur for days two and three. Oregon Trail began as a dry and dusty rally, but was consumed by heavy rains and thunderstorms during the middle of day two. The inclement weather forced event organizers to cancel the last two stages of day two and shorten some of day three’s stages. In addition to the changing weather and road conditions, attrition quickly set in for several teams including Richard and co-driver Junnila. Richard was forced to retire on Stage 8 due to persisting fuel pump problems. Another notable retirement was Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and co-driver Marshall Clarke, who were in third overall before Saturday’s stages before crashing out on Stage 6. With the next round of the CRC (Rocky Mountain Rally, May 26-27) coming up right before the second to last Rally America round of the season (Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, June 3-4), L’Estage and Richard could end up leading both championships – extending their lead in the CRC – by the second week of June. If that happens, they could be well on their way to completing another double.

collectibles now includes Richard Burns’ Subaru Impreza from earlier this decade and Colin McRae’s Ford Focus from the same era, plus an awe-inspiring gathering of F1 drivers’ suits and helmets. Day one of the school came in like a lion. After an hour-long classroom session, our small group of four students took to a triangular gravel course from behind the wheel of the stock STI. The first lesson represented an early surprise: using the rule of “lift, turn, wait” to negotiate a corner. One of the main precepts of rally driving is that it often takes place on loose surfaces—and things take time to develop on loose surfaces. So, the act of approaching a turn with the proper angle of attach involves, you guessed it, lifting off the gas, turning the wheel and waiting. For someone who loves to drive quickly, just waiting for things to develop can be incredibly challenging and, at times, wildly frustrating. The instructors’ advice:

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BY LEE BAILIE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASTROL CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

STORY: LEE BAILIE // PHOTOS BY: WORLD RALLY SPORT

Rally School offers a variety of courses from a quick introduction to rally driving to the afore mentioned, full-on, hardcore, three-day training program. The facility is, in and of itself, worthy of a feature-length article: a former Weyerhaeuser logging mill, close to 300 acres, countless miles of trails, a headquarters that was the former sheriff’s office on the TV show Twin Peaks. The school employs some deadserious rally-style machinery: the last-generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI hatchback that is close to showroom stock and an earlier generation STI that has been prepared to Group N specifications.

Both types have been prepared by Vermont Sports Car, the outfit that builds rally cars for Subaru Rally Team America. Down the road, the school expects to add some front-wheel drive cars, but for now, all-wheel drive is the only way to go. Side note: The growing compendium of ultra-cool DirtFish

THE SCHOOL EMPLOYS SOME DEAD-SERIOUS RALLY-STYLE MACHINERY: THE LAST-GENERATION SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI HATCHBACK THAT IS CLOSE TO SHOWROOM STOCK AND AN EARLIER GENERATION STI THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED TO GROUP N SPECIFICATIONS.

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TRAGEDY STRIKES OLYMPUS RALLY

Antoine L’Estage Is Gunning For Another Sweep of North America’s Rally Championships

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CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

2011 NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES PREVIEW

ntoine L’Estage was king of the rally scene in North America in 2010, with championship seasons in both Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) and Rally America and with the way things are going so far in 2011, he might ‘do the double’ for a second consecutive year. The Ste-Jean-surRichelieu, Quebec native started the year off strong with in the CRC season opener with a dominating win in the Rally Perce Neige in February. With the next CRC event not until late May, L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard headed south to compete in Rally America. After missing the opening round in Michigan, L’Estage and Richard won the next event in Missouri and prepared for next two rounds in short succession in the American Pacific Northwest.

At the first stop, the Olympus Rally in Ocean Shores, Washington, L’Estage and fellow Canadian Rally legend Pat Richard took two of the three podium positions. The event became somewhat overshadowed by tragedy (sidebar), when Matthew Harker crashed during the 6th stage and later died from his injuries. One of L’Estage’s key rivals in the championship, Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins, was declared the winner with co-driver Craig Drew, finishing Stage 6 with a 15 second lead over L’Estage and Nathalie Richard. Squamish, British Columbia’s Richard completed the overall podium with his new co-driver, Leanne Junnila. The scene then shifted south, where L’Estage and Higgins battled it out in the Oregon Trail Rally. This time around, Higgins finished 3 minutes 26.9 seconds ahead of L’Estage and won ten of the fifteen stages. It was a tight battle, but the Mitsubishi Rockstar crew of L’Estage and co-driver Richard suffered three tire punctures in a row on day two, which cost them the chance to keep pace with Higgins. With his second win in a row, Higgins assumed the overall Championship from Travis Hanson, who has lead the points race

At a media event in the run up to the Indy 500 in Toronto, which was also attended by established Canadian stars Paul Tracy (2003 Champ Car Champion, 31 career wins) and Alex Tagliani (2011 Indy 500 pole winner), Hinchcliffe was asked about becoming Canada’s next open-wheel hero.

The 24-year old was deferential to the accomplishments and of both Tracy and Tagliani, but acknowledged that the torch is in the processed of being passed.

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CAN NASCAR REGAIN ITS FOOTING?

wanted to better over 200 laps than 4 laps because that’s where the points are. For us to do that time in those conditions we we’re really happy and we knew that would get us in the show, but how far up the field we ended up being, we were a little surprised.” The measured, thoughtful, veteran-like responses one gets from Hinchcliffe during an interview have been mirrored in his performances on the track. Despite his rookie status, he has delivered results that belie his inexperience, including a fourth-place finish at Long Beach and a top-ten in Sao Paulo. He has also impressed in qualifying, with top-12 starts in each of his first three races. “It’s been great – almost a little tough to believe. We’ve made it out of Q1 in every single race, which I’m told for a rookie isn’t a bad thing. It’s a super competitive field and we’ve had these cars for so long now that even the midfield teams have figured them out, so it’s very competitive. The fourth place in Long Beach was a function of having a good car and staying

A NEW ERA

94 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

with my local marshalling club and find out about marshalling at the race track. I took my Marshal school in April (it was freezing cold) and at the end of that I became a Qualifying Marshal.”

WHAT’S A QUALIFYING MARSHAL? “A person who wants to start marshalling needs to receive some instruction before they are allowed to go ‘trackside’ to work as a track worker.

You need to reach a certain level of proficiency before you’re allowed to work alone. The qualifying process is an individual thing depending on your abilities and how comfortable you are at the race track. Once you have completed your initial training you continue to work at the track under the supervision of senior marshals. When they feel you are qualified, you proceed on your own and are considered a qualified marshal.”

IS THERE ANY TYPE OF FIRE TRAINING? “Yes, one of the things you get to do is put out fires, which is something you may need to do if you respond to a vehicle at the race track. For training,

a small fire is set up in a controlled environment where the training staff are told how to use the fire extinguisher, how to hold the bottle and how to use the chemical on the fire in order to put it out. There is additional training available if you want to work at a higher level at a high speed professional event where you might be exposed to alcohol or methanol fires as opposed to a gasoline type of fire. You are also trained in not only a dry chemical extinguisher but a water extinguisher as well.”

WHAT OTHER KINDS OF VOLUNTEER POSITIONS ARE THERE? “There is a range of things you can do starting with Registration. We have Scrutineers who look after the technical inspection of the vehicles to make sure they meet (safety) specifications before they go on the race track. There are people who participate in Timing and Scoring which is a very important part of the competition itself.

We have people that work in the pit lane who look after cars that come in off the track. We have grid marshals who look after getting cars out on to the track.”

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94

GETTING INVOLVED

ON THE COVER & NEXT ISSUE WHEEL & TIRE

GUIDE

DRIVEN: 2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE LTZ - SMALL CAR, BIG AMBITIONS

F1: CANADIAN GRAND PRIX

JAMES

HINCHCLIFFE

ONE IMPRESSIVE INDYCAR ROOKIE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE

2011

CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK-OFF: NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES

CANADIAN SUPERBIKE CASTROL CANADIAN TOURING CAR SERIES

WWW.PRNMAG.COM

L’ESTAGE

$4.95 JUNE 2011

CHASES ANOTHER RALLY AMERICA TITLE

FUN IN THE MUD

AT SEATTLE’S DIRTFISH RALLY SCHOOL

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE

PHOTO BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

In addition to our staple motorsports features, such as NASCAR, Formula 1, Canadian Superbike and CASC-OR, our August issue will also contain a first person racing experience from one of our correspondents.

Mark Hacking has landed a co-driver spot in the prestigious Nurburgring 24 endurance event with Aston Martin Racing, where he will be paired with factory driver Darren Turner. His account of the experience should make for an interesting read.

Meanwhile, in the four-wheel test drive department, yours truly will be reporting back on

Kia’s new flagship sedan, the all-new Optima.

With the summer driving season in fullswing, you’ll definitely want to keep your engine running in top form, and to that end we’ll be featuring our Lubricant Buyer’s Guide featuring all of today’s top brands.

Finally, for those who may be wondering what happened to our motorcycle road test feature, fear not, it will return. Our motorcycle test editor, Uwe Wachtendorf, has already begun to hit the track, putting a variety of new bikes through their paces and the first of his new reports will appear in the next issue of PRN. Cheers, Lee Bailie Executive Editor

Shell.indd 1

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2011 WHEEL BUYER’S GUIDE

BC RACING WHEELS

BMW PERFORMANCE

MOMO

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Size: 20-inch Width: 8 to 9-inch Offsets: N/A

Size: 15-18-inch Width: 5.5 to 8-inch Offsets: +35-50

FA-04

V-SPOKE 356 BI-COLOR

Finishes: Over 400 color combinations

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BMW PERFORMANCE

BBS

Size: 21-inch Width: 10 to 11.5-inch Offsets: N/A

Size: 19-20 -inch Width: 8.5 to 12-inch Offsets: 24 – 56

Y-SPOKE 375

Size: 15-inch Width: 7 to 8.5-inch Offsets: N/A

57 MOTORSPORT G07BW Finishes: Black, Gold, Silver w/ polished lip

Size: 18-inch Width: 8 to 10-inch Offsets: 22 - 45

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Size: 16-19-inch Width: 7 to 9-inch Offsets: Various

Size: 17-18-inch Width: 7.5 to 8-inch Offsets: +40 to +45

SUPERTURISMO GT

Finishes: Satin Black or Titanium Silver finish

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RAYS

ENKEI92 Finishes: Brilliant Silver, with Polished stainless steel rim protector Satin Black, with Polished stainless steel rim protector

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OZ RACING

MR125 Finishes: Various

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ENKEI WHEELS

RG-R

Finishes: Bi-color cast alloy

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REVENGE

Finishes: Bi-color cast alloy

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MOTEGI RACING

SUMMIT RACING

TRD

Size: 17-18-inch Width: 7 to 8-inch Offsets: N/A

Size: 19-inch Width: 7-inch Offsets: N/A

F-10

Finishes: Brightling silver

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7-SPOKE

Finishes: Anthracite gray w/ diamond cut

FORMULA RACING DESIGN

R5:F WHEEL

GT 20

Size: 19-inch Width: 8.5 to 9.5-inch Offsets: 22, 30, 35, 45

Finishes: Silver, Gunmetal and Stealth Chrome™

Size: 15-17-inch Width: 6.5 to 7-inch Offsets: Various

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Finishes: Special edition matte grey

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HRE WHEELS

TSW

P40S

Size: 19-20-inch Width: 8.5 to 13-inch Offsets: Custom

WORK

VALENCIA Finishes: Custom Powder Coating, Polished, Brushed.

Size: 17-20-inch Width: 8 to 10-inch Offsets: N/A

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EMOTION 11R-FT Finishes: Matte Black, Silver or w/ Polished Lip

Size: 17-18-inch Width: 8 to 10.5-inch Offsets: 15-50

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Finishes: graphite and color-match cap

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MCGARD

MCGARD

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OEM design and safety PLUS beauty, style & durability! 2-piece design provides optimum safety and performance. Precision manufacturing meets or exceeds OEM requirements. Beautiful bright and black chrome finish enhances the look of any wheel.

The triple-nickel chrome plating is guaranteed for life not to chip, peel or rust. Available in 5-lug Wheel Installation Kits for both Cone & Radius seat. Cone Seat Lug Bolts are available in thread sizes: M12 x 1.5, M14 x 1.5 and M14 x 1.25.

Radius Seat Lug Bolts are available to fit M14 x 1.5.

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Finishes: Machined Face/Matt Black

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Finishes: Matte Gray and Silver

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LUGBOLTS

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42 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

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2011 TIRE BUYER’S GUIDE

BF GOODRICH

BRIDGESTONE

The g-Force R1 radial is BFGoodrich’s Track & Competition DOT racing tire developed for prepared vehicles looking for race- and time attackwinning performance, as well as track-day drivers seeking predictable grip that is comfortable to drive at the limit. The g-Force R1 radial is designed to offer best in class dry grip, cornering power, steering response and turn-in precision to inspire driver confidence.

Designed with the performance enthusiast in mind, the Potenza RE-11 brings together many of Bridgestone’s technologies in one impressive package. With a unique new sidewall shape and radical new “stealth” block derived from our Formula One (TM) race tires, the new Potenza RE-11 boasts the significant level of grip and handling for the street and track--and it will ignite your adrenaline in the process.

G-FORCE R1

44 2011 TIRE BUYER’S GUIDE

WWW.BRIDGESTONETIRE.CA

CONTINENTAL TIRE

FALKEN TIRE

FIRESTONE

The ExtremeContact DW ultra-high performance tire from Continental Tire is specially engineered to deliver serious performance on both dry and wet roads. The ExtremeContact DW delivers excellent traction, responsive handling in wet and dry conditions and improved ride comfort, while also delivering better mileage at industry-leading rolling resistance levels.

FK452 is the definition of the ultra-high performance tire, and is available in a wide array of diameters, from 16-inch to 24-inch, along with staggered widths, which make this tire both versatile and resourceful.The five linear ribs and three-dimensional rounded tread blocks offering precise handling response, and make it the optimal performance tire.

Firestone’s flagship ultra-high performance tire, the Firehawk™ Wide Oval™ Indy 500® is tuned for confident handling on both wet and dry roads. The tread pattern centre elements promote excellent response and braking performance, while the circumferential grooves and special 3D block helps channel water out of the footprint area to improve resistance to hydroplaning.

FK452

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FIREHAWK™ WIDE OVAL™ INDY 500®

WWW.FALKENTIRE.COM

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GENERAL TIRE

GOODYEAR

HANKOOK

Targeted to aggressive, performance fitments, the V- and W-Speed rated Exclaim UHP delivers solid performance in both wet and dry conditions without compromising ride quality or mileage. The Exclaim UHP features a second-generation, ultra-high performance silica tread compound which delivers excellent handling, braking and traction in all conditions.

The Eagle F1 Supercar G: 2 features a race-inspired tread compound moulded into a unique asymmetric and directional tread design that rewards the driver with a blend of dry road traction (from massive outboard shoulder tread blocks) combined with wet road confidence (provided by Eagle F1 GS-D3 inspired sweeping Aquachannel grooves on the inboard side).

The Ventus V12 Evo is designed to combine comfort and control in dry and wet road conditions. It features Hankook’s High Tg Polymer & Specific Resin (HPSR) compound molded into a directional tread design featuring a Multiple Tread Radius (MTR) profile that combines notched shoulder ribs, independent intermediate tread blocks and a continuous center rib to blend powerful braking with predictable handling

EXCLAIM UHP

EAGLE F1 SUPERCAR G: 2

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VENTUS V12 EVO

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44 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

SPOTLIGHT

terior, quiet ride and excellent fuel economy, the Cruze is light years ahead of the Cobalt by any measure.

The tester I spent a week with was the top of the line LTZ model, which comes equipped with 17” alloy wheels, a leather interior and an upgraded stereo with XM satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

Despite the greater amount of content the LTZ has, GM has wisely chosen to make safety and value available to all Cruze buyers. Every model receives 10 airbags, StabiliTrak (stability control) and 4-wheel ABS with traction control. Other standard features include keyless entry, power windows and door locks, tilt steering, a sixspeaker stereo and driver information centre.

Among the most discussed aspects regarding the Cruze has been its engine lineup. The base level LS models come equipped with the 1.8 litre ECOTEC 4-cylinder powerplant, which develops 136 horsepower.

The LT and LTZ feature a 1.4 litre turbocharged ECOTEC 4-cylinder unit that delivers 138 horsepower. The rationale behind smaller displacement is that it will be able to provide decent power thanks to turbocharging, while also delivering impressive fuel economy.

Underpinning the Cruze are MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam set-up with a Z-link in the rear. Although not as sophisticated as a multilink independent setup employed by some of its rivals, the Z-link option saves space and is less expensive. As a result the Cruze has a spacious trunk and has a price that starts just under $15,000.

DRIVEN

LUCAS OIL Super Coolant TEXT AND PHOTOS BY LUCAS OIL

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ucas Super Coolant has been scientifically formulated to provide the ultimate protection in automotive and racing cooling systems. It protects the entire system from rust, corrosion and electrolysis including aluminum and has been proven to reduce coolant temperatures up to 20°F. Our unique formula prevents deposits that can cause overheating. Lower cylinder head temperatures means advanced ignition and more horsepower.

BENEFITS

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add 2 bottles to straight water coolant for maximum temperature reduction

With engine off and cool, shake bottle and pour into

better cooling complies with track rules prohibiting the use of antifreeze

that the product exceeds industry standards

are required for straight water coolant. For passenger cars,

minutes to circulate through entire cooling system. If straight water coolant is used, tap water or softened water is recom-

applications use every race as needed.

water unless mixed with

TEST

and deposits product from competition

DOSAGE For street vehicles requiring

high performance applications,

ASTM

2011 WHEEL BUYER’S GUIDE

POTENZA RE-11

WWW.BFGOODRICHTIRES.CA

EXTREMECONTACT DW

42

D-1298

1.36

D-1298

1.065

Density @ 60°F lbs/US Gal

D-1298

8.87

Appearance

Visual

Clear

Colour

Visual

Blue

pH

D-1298

10.08

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE LTZ GM UPS THE SMALL CAR ANTE

2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ Specifications BASE PRICE / AS TESTED: $14,995 / $25,880 ENGINE: 1.4-litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder – 138 hp @ 4,900 rpm / 148 lbs.-ft. torque @ 1,850 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed transverse, electronically controlled automatic overdrive transmission FUEL CONSUMPTION (MANUFACTURER): city – 8.5L/100 km (33 mpg); highway – 5.5L/100 km (51 mpg); combined – 7.2L/100 km (39 mpg)

REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEE BAILIE

2

There has been some criticism that the Cruze’s styling is fairly pedestrian and doesn’t push the edge of the envelope enough.

To my eye, it is much more attractive than the Cobalt and the creases that cover its surfaces are in keeping with current trends in automotive design.

The nose and grill are fairly prominent, and the angled and tapered headlights may turn some off, but I thought the Cruze to be a thoroughly handsome, modern-looking car. Not a game-changing look perhaps, but an attractive one nevertheless.

The LTZ sits a lot lower than I thought it would (thanks to a lowered ride height), which gave me the impression I was riding in a coupe instead of a sedan.

I had no trouble finding a decent driving position thanks to the well-supported leather seats, and tilting steering wheel which had a thick and substantial feel.

The Cruze cabin offers a very inviting environment with lots of soft-touch, higher quality materials.

For a car in this price range I was impressed with how little hard plastic was used. Compared to the Cobalt, the Cruze feels downright luxurious.

The analogue instrument cluster is backlit in a soft ice blue, which was both legible and easy on the eyes. The centre stack features an LCD screen that displays radio data, time, outside temperature and compass info, also in blue.

The knobs and switches featured a smooth operation and nice tactile feel. None were too fussy to use, although it took a few tries before

TYPICAL

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1

IMPRESSIONS

3

4

1. Tom Bogner’s 1957 Davis Corvette Roadster. 2. The Corvette’s engine cooling system used Super Coolant. There were no problems with the gaskets or the gasket surface and the water ports are very clean. 3. All of the water passages look good with no degradation aside from some minor staining.

The block is an all-iron DART Big M, and never had any other product in the cooling system prior to the testing of Super Coolant. The block was brand new. The cylinder heads and manifold are aluminum. 4. This is an untouched picture; the water passage is clean with no visible corrosion.

Lucas Oil

Super Coolant www.lucasoil.ca, www.lucasoil.com

48 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

I

t would be difficult to overstate the importance of the Cruze, not only for Chevrolet’s future prospects, but also for those of post-bankruptcy General Motors.

Suffice it to say, GM has a lot riding on this car’s prospects and, so far at least, the Cruze’s early returns have been promising.

GM’s reported sales for March 2011 were up 11% in the U.S. and 32% in Canada over March 2010, and the Cruze has been driving those increases – its sales were 80% greater than its predecessor (the Cobalt) over the same time period.

In addition to strong sales numbers, the Cruze has racked up a considerable amount of praise and accolades from the automotive press in the past year, both around the world and in Canada. Among the most significant of these was the 2011 Car

of the Year Award it received from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada in February at the Canadian International Autoshow.

Rolled out across the globe over a period of about a year and a half beginning in the spring of 2009 and culminating with its North American launch last fall, the Cruze replaced the Cobalt, a descendent of GM’s original small car platform (J-car) which began in the early 1980s with the Cavalier.

Long lamented for lacking refinement, with subpar reliability, fit and finish and bland styling, one of the few attractive aspects of the Cavalier (and the Cobalt) was its relatively low cost and good packaging. These cars, if nothing else, were usually relatively inexpensive to own and came with a decent array of standard equipment.

With the Cruze, however, GM has made a clean break with the past as it has elected to base it on a completely different platform that has little in common with the Cobalt.

Developed globally, GM turned to its international units to bring the Cruze to life. GM Daewoo was responsible for much of the design work and the engineering came from Opel, which developed GM’s new small car platform on which the Cruze is based, the Delta II. Their efforts resulted in more than $4 billion spent (all figures U.S.) on development that lasted more than 27 months. More than 200 prototypes were tested in seven countries, including Canada.

Taking the long way home has resulted in an exceedingly well-built and attractive car- from its handsome, angular lines, to its well-appointed in-

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SPOTLIGHT: LUCAS OIL SUPER COOLANT

DRIVEN: 2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE LTZ

CONTENTS 12 14

Pit Notes

With Lee Bailie

The Tenacious Grip of World Superbike

With Mark Hacking

VISIT WWW.PRNMAG.COM

16

Wheel To Wheel For The First Time With Sasha Anis

14

24

F1, IndyCar, CSBK

36

Gear

98

Motorsport Calendar

The Next Step: With Aaron Povoledo

Ignition

Bosch, Oakley, Sony

BMW Motorrad Canada Motorcycle Retailers

Vancouver Motorrad Vancouver, BC Tel: (604) 731-5505 Pacific Motorrad Richmond, BC Tel: (604) 276-2552 Bentley Motorrad Kelowna, BC Tel: TBA Argyll Motorrad Edmonton, AB Tel: (780) 435-6811 Blackfoot Motorrad Calgary, AB Tel: (403) 243-2636 European Motorrad Saskatoon, SK Tel: (306) 934-3717 Wildwood Sports Winnipeg, MB Tel: (204) 477-1701 Open Road BMW Newmarket, ON Tel: (905) 895-8700 Budds’ BMW Oakville, ON Tel: (905) 845-3577 BMW Toronto Toronto, ON Tel: (416) 623-4269 Endras Motorrad Ajax, ON Tel: (905) 619-5522 Wolf BMW London, ON Tel: (519) 951-9482 Ottawa Motorrad Ottawa, ON Tel: (613) 731-9071 Monette Sports Laval, QC Tel: (450) 668-6466 Moto Internationale Montréal, QC Tel: (514) 483-6686 Moto Vanier Québec, QC Tel: (418) 527-6907 Evasion BMW Sherbrooke, QC Tel: (819) 821-3595 Atlantic Motoplex Dieppe, NB Tel: (506) 383-1022 Avalon Motorrad St John’s, NL Tel: (709) 726-6500

BMW.indd 1

11-03-10 11:41 AM

bmw-motorrad.ca

$17,650

S1000RR

The Ultimate Riding Experience.

PRESIDENT AND CEO: Frank Spezzano PUBLISHERS: Perry & Blake Breslin GENERAL MANAGER: Tim Rutledge

PIT NOTES WITH LEE BAILIE

BEATING THE ODDS

I

knew the outcome of the recent Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was unlikelyRegan Smith won the race for Furniture Row Racing, a small, single-car team based in Denver- but I didn’t know exactly how unlikely it was until I unearthed this statistic: Smith’s win (his first) was just the fifth victory for a single-car team in Sprint (Winston) Cup competition since 2000. Ironically, it was the second of 2011 following Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 win for the Wood Brothers.Nevertheless, the odds of a one-car team finding its way into Victory Lane are long indeed.

How long? About one win every other season over the past 10 years. During that span more than 400 races have been run, and if that doesn’t make Smith’s win more remarkable, consider the team’s history. Furniture Row Racing, despite some impressive qualifying efforts with Smith this season, hadn’t even recorded a top five finish in 135 Cup starts prior to Darlington dating back to 2005. Smith did come within an eyelash of winning the fall Talladega race for DEI in 2008, only to be blackflagged by NASCAR for driving below the double yellow line in attempting to take the lead on the final lap which handed the victory to Tony Stewart. So a victory at Darlington with this team

and driver combination was about as improbable as one could imagine. For that reason as much as anything else, nearly every other driver interviewed afterwards seemed genuinely pleased to see the #78 car in Victory Lane, their own misfortune notwithstanding. The wider NASCAR community should be happy with the result too, because wins and championships in the Chase era have become the exclusive preserve of a handful of deep-pocketed, multi-car teams. The competition amongst and within those teams is intense, but wins have become increasingly concentrated among fewer and fewer drivers. While it isn’t hard to appreciate the continuing excellence of Jimmie, Carl and Kyle and their teammates, seeing them dominate the win column year after year has made the sport less compelling to watch on a week to week basis. Frankly, to these eyes, it’s become a little too predictable. Now, I don’t expect a one-car team to win the championship, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect them to average more than one win every other year. In the interest of competitive balance, I think it’s something the sport needs. So here’s hoping that Smith, Bayne and others similarly situated make the trip to Victory Lane on a more regular basis.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Lee Bailie EDITOR AT LARGE: George Webster MOTORCYCLE EDITOR: Uwe Wachtendorf CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Queue Gonzalez PRODUCTION / SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Patrick Dinglasan GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Patrick Beltijar, Edward Shintani, Mike Chan SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR: Matthew Adolfo SR. ACCOUNT MANAGER: Shane Chattergoon ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Arnold Adolfo FINANCE MANAGER: Michelle Forsyth GROUP ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Richard Robles SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT: 1-888-564-SUBS subs@prnmag.com

CORRESPONDENTS: FORMULA ONE: Dan Knutson NASCAR: Monte Dutton MOTORCYCLE: Mark Hacking NASCAR CANADA: Jamie Maudsley SENIOR WRITER: Dave Oakley WRITERS: Jory Elliott, Christopher Nagy, Aaron Povoledo, Sasha Anis SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Ramesh Bayney PHOTOGRAPHERS: Dan Boyd, Daniel S. Carter, Michael A. Coates, Keith Hamilton, Vic Henderson, Rick Kolaczynski, Mike Levitt/LAT, LAT Photographic, Gerry Marentette, Bill Murenbeeld, Brian J. Nelson, David Oliver, Chris Waddell

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT: Paolo Santamaria EVENTS: Randi Bentia (ISSN # 0834 - 809X) is published bimonthly by 1009678 Ontario Inc., 44 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON, M3C 2H4.

Canadian Postmaster: Send address corrections to: PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS 44 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON, M3C 2H4

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PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

44 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON, M3C 2H4 PRINTED IN CANADA Publications Mail Registration# 8580 Canadian Publications Mail Products Sales Agreement# 40069655 Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our readers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list, please write to us at the address above and include your mailing label.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

ON ANOTHER NOTE NOTE, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce our newest PRN contributor, Sasha Anis. Sasha is a young Motorsport enthusiast that has been chasing his racing dream since he was young. Starting with drifting and then switching to road racing in 2006, Sasha won the Canadian Touring Car Championship’s GT class in 2007, and has also raced in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge and Pirelli World Challenge. Sasha’s day job isn’t far from his passion; he owns and runs SG-Motorsport.com, a shop based out of Brampton, Ontario that specializes in sports car performance modifications, and racecar preparation.

Welcome aboard, Sasha!

FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES EMAIL sales@prnmag.com Phone: (416) 922-7223 Fax: (416) 922-8001 Toll Free: 1-800-667-7223 Email: editor@prnmag.com Website: www.prnmag.com JOIN US ON

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Pit Notes 23.02_v1.indd 1

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Lucas.indd 1

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HACKING

THE TENACIOUS GRIP OF WORLD SUPERBIKE Production-based Series Continues to Defy the Odds

BY MARK HACKING // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

S

ince its inception way back in 1988, the FIM World Superbike Championship has enjoyed its fair share of ups and endured an almost equal number of downs, yet it remains one of the most exciting forms of motorsport on the planet.

We all know that MotoGP is the ne plus ultra of the motorcycle racing world—it’s the king of the hill, the top of the heap, the New York City of two-wheeled action. When the head honchos responsible for MotoGP decide their series needs a new direction, this creates waves of change throughout the sport—and World Superbike gets rippled more than most.

Example: In 2003, the FIM dictated that 1000-cc engines would be allowed in MotoGP competition; a trial experiment the season prior proved that the old-generation 2-stroke 500-cc engines could not keep pace with the then-new 4-stroke 990-cc units.

The addition of those 10 extra cubic centimetres had a disastrous knock-on effect on World Superbike and its 1000-cc production based formula: The 2003 World Superbike field included only two factorybacked teams—Ducati and Suzuki—as all the other major manufacturers moved to MotoGP and its more market-focused rules.

This prompted the start of some lean times for the Superbike set that included a few seasons with dubious levels of competition—in fact, a few of these seasons were little more than Ducati benefits with the only challenge for the factory team coming from satellite teams using slightly outdated equipment from the Italian manufacturer.

Next year, World Superbike will face a familiar challenge as the MotoGP grid will, once again, be powered by 1000-cc machinery—this time exclusively. But the “junior series” seems better positioned and more appealing for motorcycle manufacturers than ever before. Since 2005, there has been a full complement of factory-backed teams on the WSB grid every single season; this has not been the case with the costlier, more exclusive MotoGP club.

The secret to this success is the World Superbike formula itself: Consistent engine regulations for many seasons and the lower costs associated with developing a production-based race machine are the main reasons why manufacturers remain bullish.

While Ducati has temporarily withdrawn factory support for the series, they maintain strong

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relationships with key satellite teams and are already preparing for their return. Meanwhile, outfits such as Aprilia and BMW have clearly voted in favour of World Superbike over the more specialized requirements for MotoGP competitors. Even stalwart manufacturers such as Suzuki and Kawasaki are far better represented in World Superbike than anywhere else right now.

With the manufacturers staying on-side, riders with some serious pedigree—such as Troy Bayliss, Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa, Marco Melandri and Noriyuki Haga, to name but a few—have an avenue outside of grand prix racing for pursuing their career goals. The past few seasons have seen a number of World Superbike Champions “graduate” to MotoGP, but not many have made the change stick.

Two-time title-winner Colin Edwards has forged a solid if unspectacular career in MotoGP, but is rumoured to be considering a return to WSB before calling an end to his racing days. Ben Spies made an immediate impact on the World Superbike scene as a rookie, winning the championship in 2009, and he’s nearly repeated that impression in the premier roadracing series in the world.

For others, though, it’s a different story. Bayliss never came close to matching his World Superbike successes in MotoGP—it seemed to be a combination of right place, wrong time for the Australian, despite the fact that the three-time WSB champ was undeniably a great racer. For the likes of James Toseland and Chris Vermeulen, it’s a similar story; genuine star status in World Superbike led to just a few torrid seasons in grand prix racing before the boomerang effect took hold. The same goes for Haga, who may well be the very picture of unrealized potential as a motorcycle roadracer—in both series.

Meanwhile, three refugees who earned their “track cred” in MotoGP have found a welcome home—some might say “retirement home”— in World Superbike competition. Biaggi, Melandri and Checa have all helped energize the grid since joining in recent years.

After signing up in 2007, Biaggi proved to be immediately competitive, but he didn’t secure ultimate glory until this past season, winning the

Leon Haslam leads Leon Camier and Noriyuki Haga in World Superbike action at Donington Park.

championship for Aprilia. This marked the first crown for the Roman Emperor since the last of his four 250 cc world titles in 1997. This season, Biaggi is off to another strong start with four second-place finishes from the first six races.

For his part, Checa has taken a bit longer to show his talents; a World Superbike regular since 2008, the Spaniard has finally emerged this season as the title favourite. The Althea Ducati team leader has earned all three pole positions and has scored four victories and two second-place finishes, taking a big early lead in the 2011 title chase. If he continues at this pace, Checa will secure his first career world title by season’s end.

The third rider in our list, Melandri, is the latest to join the series and has already proven his worth.

Riding for the factory Yamaha team, the Italian has one win and three podium finishes to his credit so far this year. For the former 250 cc World Champion, this season represents another chance to kick-start his career. The past few seasons have been a roller coaster ride for Melandri, but with five MotoGP wins on his CV, there’s no question that he’s more talented than most.

With six races in the books and a further 20 still to go, the 2011 World Superbike Championship looks set to be another classic. While this hasn’t always been the case in the recent past, more often than not the series has produced edge-of-your-seat action from start to finish. It may be a less expensive and less exotic form of racing than MotoGP, but it’s also more relevant than ever—for both the true fan and the average motorcycle rider.

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Like Niagara Falls is just a waterfall.

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4/19/11 7:29:58 AM 11-05-16 9:28 AM

ANIS

WHEEL TO WHEEL FOR THE FIRST TIME TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SASHA ANIS

W

hen I sat down to write my first column for PRN, I thought, ‘what better way to introduce myself than with an embarrassing story?’

So here’s my story.

If you’ve done lapping days or time trial events, you’ll know the feeling that you get when strapping into the car and rolling onto the track for the first time. Well, when it’s your first time wheel- to-wheel racing you can take that feeling and multiply it by ten!

It was the 2006 Ontario Touring Car GT Championship. The car was my Nissan 240SX that I had built and previously drifted and lapped at various open events, but wheel-to-wheel? The thought of rubbing fenders and risking the car was as scary as it was exciting. My inspiration to try real racing came from Malcolm Strachan, who is well known in Ontario for racing a very fast Corvette. He convinced me to try road racing and to forget the drifting for a second (it’s what all us kids were into, and still are!)

So it was a deal. The first event of the year was at the dreaded Mosport International Raceway (you all know how people make Mosport sound to the newbies!) The fear of this new racetrack only added to my nerves, and the first practice session was more of a recon run than anything else.

Come race time I remember my scariest moment came while being gridded for the rolling start – so many cars, all so angry. Moments before the green 16 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

flag dropped I remember questioning my desire to want to race a car. Surely no one would find this enjoyable. In fact, I was stupid for wanting to do this.

Somehow I made it through corner one okay. The problems had yet to come, however. The engine began to overheat, and I had to coast on the straights unless I wanted a melted motor. While driving “cautiously” to allow the car to cool down, I turned in to one of Mosport’s many high speed corners thinking everything was just dandy (why check mirrors?).

Then I felt a huge THUD as I had come into the very same space my now good friend Andrew Wojteczko was trying to occupy. He, of course, was not limping around the track and was actually driving at 11/10ths to try and make up positions. Regardless, I went spinning off the track and into the gravel, as did Andrew. My first thought confirmed my previous fears. I concluded that I was an idiot for racing.

Clearly unprepared, totally overwhelmed and now feeling bad for ruining this other guy’s race, it was one of the lowest feelings I’ve had since I started my racing career. But it is the reason for this story!

It turned out that my car was just fine and I was able to finish the race without a scratch (when you’re cornering at the limit it doesn’t take a lot of force to throw you off the racetrack, and Volk Racing 3-piece wheels are TOUGH!), and I would later become best friends with the very guy I smashed into (Andrew if you’re reading this, technically you smashed into me!)

In 2006, I would go on to more than triple my knowledge about cars, racing and Motorsport, and was inspired to open a business tuning and building cars of all types. I went on to meet a ton of genuine, smart caring fun people, and – perhaps most importantly – I would test what I was made of.

You see racing is so much more than just strapping into a car and driving. Especially at the regional level; it’s about being prepared, about bringing spares, about organizing your day, about managing your money, your time, maintaining a car, and if you’re lucky – tuning it to go faster, all while not forgetting to have fun. So if you’re wondering whether or not wheel to wheel racing is for you, I hope my story is evidence that it is the most enjoyable really hard work you’ll ever do. Yes, it is hard work. You could take a vacation to Punta Cana for the same money as a race weekend, but you wouldn’t get a tenth of the satisfaction that comes from a good race weekend. When everything comes together and you find yourself on the top step making everyone sticky with cheap champagne, you won’t be wishing you spent your efforts, money or time any other way!

I look forward to writing about both technical and practical subjects about the way we go racing, either professionally or at the grassroots level, in the pages of PRN. For now I need to remind myself (and all of you) to keep it fun – we can’t ever lose the fun.

THE NEXT STEP

BY AARON POVOLEDO

MAILBAG

FROM THE EDITOR:

Aaron Povoledo’s column, The Next Step, exists to provide advice to readers looking to make the transition from motoring/ motorsports enthusiast to participant. With his years of experience as a professional driver and driving instructor in North America and Britain, Povoledo is an authority within the world of motorsports and advanced driver training.

Send your racing questions and comments to aaron@prnmag.com.

EPISODE 14: FIRES LIT! FIRES LIT- PART 1 In my last column I wrote about what sparked my interest in automobiles and motorsport. I then invited our readers to write in with your stories of what lit your fire. I also promised to publish the most compelling story we found AND reward that person with passes to the Mosport Victoria Day SpeedFest as guest of myself and the Reigning World Challenge Championship winning team K-PAX Racing.

I absolutely loved reading all the stories that were sent in – so much so that I want to keep an open invitation to all our readers: please, if you haven’t yet – write in and tell us what attracted you to the sport and / or what you love most!

As for the winner…I’ll start by saying the letter from Mr. Jim Blanchard gets an honorable mention, not least because of his story but also that he and his daughter became corner marshals through their love of the sport. As a driver, I have a HUGE soft spot for trackside crews – their enthusiasm, dedication and bravery are so far above and beyond that I think they should all be richly rewarded. Jim I can’t lavish you with gold, but I’ve pulled some strings and there are two passes with your name on them for our race at Mosport.

The winning letter comes from Mr. Vernon Liboiron of Ottawa, Ontario.

So, without further adieu…

Hi Aaron, For me to try and narrow down what lit my fire down to one definitive moment would be difficult.

It is more like a whole collection of circumstances that have made me the adrenaline junkie I am today (and racing nut). I could quote you all the stats for any street car out there and I’ll never forget my first live NASCAR race at the Daytona 500.

When I was young, like all boys, I loved watching racing- NASCAR, Champ Car, Indy CAR, F1, it did not matter. Then, later in life, it really happened for me. About 6 years ago, I had the chance to drive a friends’ club racer (it was an ‘86 Jetta).

We were at Shannonville Motorsports Park here in Ontario and I’ll never forget it! They gave me a few tips and sent me off on the SMP long track.

Well, let me tell you, the one thing they forgot to mention were the brakes- they are not power assisted! Corner 3 almost claimed another victim!

Fast forward another month and I am attending my first performance driving school at the Mosport DDT circuit. It may be a go-kart track, but given the right instructor with the right student and you can really howl on that little layout. Later that summer, I attended another performance driving school at Shannonville, with the various track configurations and me lucky enough (again) to have an aggressive instructor, all I can say is “do I really have to stop”?

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I was honestly running on pure adrenaline the rest of the week at work!

For me, it was official- MY FIRE IS LIT. Since that first summer, I have been lucky enough to attend some really well put together lapping days at Mosport (pro track) and at Calabogie Motorsports Park near Ottawa. I have driven with various clubs and have been lucky enough to have a professional racing driver give me some private instruction at Mosport, and a friend that had raced Mosport many times in Formula Ford (and other classes) tutored me my first time out at Mosport so that I did not kill myself. It truly amazed what these two individuals could do with my little Honda at the great track called Mosport.

Since then, I have helped out at the local track in various capacities for different events (race days and race schools). What makes these events special to me, is the camaraderie and people that you meet. The cars and owners in Vintage class are incredible! I love it when I have to go over to the owner and ask what type of car it is because I have no idea at all.

I now watch the Rolex Series and Continental Tire Series religiously, and I also try to watch local regional racing at every chance I get. There is plenty of excitement in local racing, as they too have mixed classes and all types of drivers.

For me, the most important aspects that I have taken from my experiences at the track, are my new found respect for all race drivers (not that I did not respect them before but now I have a baseline with which to measure their skill, and wow, I wish I had 5% of their skill) and the fact that I now realize that no matter how good of a day to day driver you think you are, there is vast room for improvement on our highways. Everyone should attend a driving school or instructional lapping event. Your attitude on the roadways will change and your skill level will go up.

Please keep up the great work on your articles, I really enjoy them and congrats on your selection to drive for K-PAX. Vernon Vernon - your story resonates deeply with me – from being a teenage car stat junkie to the adrenalin high of first laps on a track to understanding that Mosport is as rare as it is special, to being a die hard that gets excited at all races, from small regional events all the way to Daytona, to understanding that we all have room to improve and the fact that it benefits even the non racers on our public roads.

You have covered a lot of bases my brother. Thank you for your letter and I look forward to seeing you at Mosport for our World Challenge Races!

AARON POVOLEDO: CREDENTIALS AND CAREER BIO ALMS with Carsport America in the Viper GTSR Victory, pole and fastest lap in touring car debut Pole Position at Trois-Riviers in Hankook Touring car series Lap record holder at Mosport since 2000 Pole Position at 2005 BMW CCA O’Fest feature race.

Podium finish in first Grand-Am cup race Top ten finish (7th) in Rolex series debut, - 9hr Sun Chaser, MMP » 5 race wins and 7 lap records (including out right record at Watkins Glen and Tremblant) in BMW Club racing series » » » » » » »

» » » » » » » »

Qualified no lower than 4th in 2007 KONI Challenge ST Led every race entered in 2007 KONI Challenge season Pole + most laps led, Koni Challenge 2008 Watkins Glen 2010 Grand Am Continental Tire Challenge ST : Trois-Rivieres: 5th Place Miller Motorsports Park: 1st Place + Pole position, fastest lap, most laps led 2011 Class winner in PCA 48hrs of Sebring enduro – Cayman S 2011 K-PAX Racing Volvo C30 World Challenge driver 2011 Race winner Word Challenge TC, Round 4, Utah Grand Prix

PHOTO BY K-PAX RACING/MCWPHOTOGRAPHY

» » » » »

Regular winner in regional and national level karting Canadian Regional F2000 Champion World Scholarship winner from Jim Russell Racing UK Voted by Autosport Magazine as one of the top 5 up and coming drivers in the UK in 1997 Player’s Racing team driver 1998 – 2000 Winner of Canadian Grand Prix F.Ford race Pole position at Molson Indy, F.Ford Record number of Poles in Canadian Champ Car Lights 5 wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds in CCL

From left to right: Aaron Povoledo, Bob Raub, Michael Wong, Scott Simpson, Donovan Pancoast, Aaron Coalwell, Keith Anderson, Jeff Delio, Holly Connell, Mark Blaha, Alex Nelson, Paul Delio, Randy Pobst, Dax Raub, Brian Nightingale. Absent from photo: Jim Haughey, Robb Holland, Alex Figge, Will Moody, Jeremy Smallwood, Vic Breeden, Donita MIller.

The crew back at the shop: Randy Schitz, Owen Hnath, Dave Liest, Bobby Steffens, Cos Connell, Dustin Oliver, Mark Godard, Marc Reilly, Sean Miltimore, Cheryl Bower.

FIRES LIT- PART 2 This past February I landed a dream job – racing for K-PAX Racing – hands down one of the most decorated teams in North America. However – going into it I knew it would not be all smooth sailing.

The challenge ahead of the team was enormous: From scratch – build two Volvo C30 touring cars and have them ready by March 21. Not only has a C30 never been built into a race car, the project started mid-January! Three months to build two cars and go racing. The challenge didn’t end there.

This first three races on this year’s World Challenge schedule are virtually back to back to back, and were held at opposite ends of the continent – Florida - LA - Utah. To put this in perspective, under normal conditions a top team would need five to six months to build a car – and then spend another two months going testing in private to work out the bugs and improve speed. K-PAX Racing built them in three and we have done all our testing and development at the races!

Many said it was a miracle that the cars were ready for Round 1. If that’s the case then I think the Vatican should be considering Bob Raub and his K-PAX Racing crew for sainthood – because not only were the cars ready but myself and teammate Robb Holland have scored top fives in all the races and on April 30 we won our first race. As I wrote this, I was sitting second in the point standings!

Never before in my racing career have I seen such an intense rate of development on a car. I will never forget showing up at St. Petersburg on day two and looking into the engine bay and asking “ what happened here – I don’t recognize any of

this?!” Overnight the crew had completely reworked the engine bay in a (successful) attempt to alleviate overheating issues. It began a trend I would soon get used to: simply put, give this crew an hour and they will do a week’s worth of work. Every time I drive the # 88 car it feels like the first time…because the crew has made so many further modifications!

I am not exaggerating when I tell you they have been working SEVEN DAY WEEKS since February.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that some of these men have not seen their families in months.

K-PAX Racing is not a winning team because they have the biggest budget or technological advantages. They are winning team because of their passion for the job and willingness to do whatever it takes to get it done. Think about that. Imagine not seeing your family for months because you are hell bent and determined to win races. Money, fame and glory cannot buy that kind of commitment – nothing can.

It only happens when you have individuals who are so passionate about what they do they will stop at nothing until the goal is reached. Driving their car is not a job, it is honour.

When team owner Jim Haughey created this program, he named it K-PAX which is a Greek translation for achieving the impossible.

Team manager Bob Raub is the man who helps Jim to realize this dream. Together with the men and women pictured above they work the miracles that make it happen. In 2010, they beat the Vipers, Porsches, Corvettes and Mustangs to win the World Challenge GT Championship with a four door Volvo S60. In 2011, they started the C30 Touring Car program and we have already won a race.

To circle back to the theme of this month’s column – if we want to talk about “fires lit”…K-PAX Racing. Period.

- Aaron

PHOTO BY K-PAX RACING/MCWPHOTOGRAPHY

» » » »

SETTING SUN Late afternoon sun bathes Sebring International Raceway during the closing hours of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

PHOTO BY BILL MURENBEELD

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CHAMPAGNE SHOWER Carlos Checa enjoys the spoils of a World Superbike victory at Donington Park.

PHOTO BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

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IGNITION

BY THE NUMBERS:

24 HOURS OF LE MANS

THE TRACK:

CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHE, LE MANS, FRANCE

8.469 MILE (13.629 KM) 38-TURN SEMI-PERMANENT ROAD CIRCUIT

CE FIRST RA

1923

1

ST

WINNING DRIVER/CAR: ANDRE LAGACHE / RENE LEONARD (FRANCE) / CHENARD ET WALCKER SPORT

NOTABLE WINNERS:

ALLAN MCNISH (1998, 2008) JACKY ICKX (1975-77, 1981-82)

DEREK BELL (1975, 1981-82, 1986-87) GRAHAM HILL (1972) A.J. FOYT (1967) DAN GURNEY (1967) BRUCE MCLAREN (1966) PHIL HILL (1961-62) CARROLL SHELBY (1959)

NEXT RACE JUNE 11-12, 2011

(79TH RUNNING), TV: SPEED (CHECK LISTINGS FOR TIMES)

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MOST WINS BY: DRIVER

TEAM

MANUFACTURER

TOM KRISTENSEN (DENMARK) 1997, 2000-05, 2008

JOEST RACING (GERMANY) 1984-85, 199697, 2000-02, 2006-08, 2010

PORSCHE (GERMANY) 1970-71, 1976-77, 1979, 1981-87, 1996-98

8 11 15

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAMESH BAYNEY

FORMULA 1 Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro revealed in late May that that it has renewed its agreement with Fernando Alonso that will see the two-time champion drive for the Maranello, Italy-based team through the 2016 season.

“It is a great pleasure to have renewed our agreement with a driver who has always demonstrated a winning mentality even in the most difficult circumstances,” Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo said in a statement. “Fernando has all the required qualities, both technically and personally to play a leading role in the history of Ferrari and I hope he will be enriching it with further wins very soon.”

“I am very happy to have reached this agreement, said Alonso said. “I immediately felt comfortable within Ferrari and now it feels to me like a second family. I have the utmost faith in the men and women who work in Maranello and in those who lead them: it is therefore natural for me to decide to extend my relationship in the long term like this, with a team at which I will no doubt end my Formula 1 career one day.”

Currently in his second season with Ferrari, Alonso has recorded 5 wins in 23 races (as of May 19) and finished runner-up to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in the 2010 drivers’ championship. At press time, he was coming off his best result of the 2011 season (3rd in Turkey) and was fifth in points.

FERNANDO ALONSO WWW.PRNMAG.COM | 25

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IGNITION TALE OF THE TAPE KEVIN VS. KYLE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

After their tussle in the closing laps of the Southern 500 at Darlington (Harvick bumped Busch and Busch responded by spinning Harvick out which led to a pit road confrontation) many have predicted the two Sprint Cup stars will eventually settle their differences with a good ol’ fashioned fist fight.

Given that Harvick has never been one to back down from a confrontation with another driver and seems to have a pretty short fuse, our money would probably be on the brawler from Bakersfield (Calif.) if they ever come to blows.

One shouldn’t underestimate Busch, however. He’s a pretty aggressive driver in his own right, plus he’s got a reach advantage on Harvick. All in all, the two would probably put on a pretty good scrap.

Here’s how they stack up:

Kevin Harvick Age: 35 Height: 5’10” Weight: 175 lbs.

Team: Richard Childress Racing Car: Chevy *#Wins: 16

Kyle Busch Age: 26 Height: 6’1” Weight: 160 lbs.

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing Car: Toyota Wins: 21

*NASCAR Sprint Cup Series only #through May 21, 2011 –Lee Bailie

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castrol.ca DJ Kennington’s Dodge Avenger

Engine: 340 CI Max Power: 550 HP Engine Oil: Castrol Edge

2010 Nascar Canadian Tire Series Champion

IT’S MORE THAN JUST A CAR, IT’S AN OBSESSION. IT HAS PERFORMANCE WITH AN EDGE. EDGE, CASTROL’S BEST OIL YET “They say life’s not a race but for me, it is. For 17 years I’ve used Castrol oil in my engine and it’s taken me to the top as the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion. My Dodge Avenger has a 340 CI, 550 HP engine, four speed g-force racing transmission and 3000 pounds of pure unbridled power, ready to take me to the finish line. That’s why I only use Castrol Edge.

It offers superior performance under extreme conditions and it doesn’t just keep me in the race, it helps me lead the pack. If life is a race, I say go for gold.”

*NASCAR® and the NASCAR logo are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. Canadian Tire® and the Canadian Tire logo are trademarks of Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited. The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series marks are used under license by Destination Motorsports LP and Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited.”

Castrol.indd 1

11-05-16 10:15 AM

IGNITION NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES Montreal races saw Carpentier as one of the fastest on the track before mechanical issues ended his races early.

“This is the most important race of the year for me,” said the 39-year-old Carpentier who led 14 laps of the 2007 race on the 2.71-mile (4.361 km) road course. “We’ve been so close in Montreal and I think this year we have as good of a shot as anyone. I’ve said many times that winning in Montreal would definitely be a highlight in my career.”

Carpentier owns 14 Nationwide and 39 Sprint Cup starts after winning five races in CART in a stellar open wheel career. He has quite a history on the Montreal track finishing first and third in Formula Atlantic races and posting two third-place finishes in CART.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PASTRANA-WALTRIP RACING

Pastrana-Waltrip Racing and NAPA have signed Patrick Carpentier to race the No. 99 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota in the NAPA AUTO PARTS 200 presented by Dodge, NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve at Parc JeanDrapeau in Montreal on Aug. 20.

“We are extremely proud to see someone like Patrick, a great friend of our event being confirmed for our August race. Our spectators cheering for him will be numerous. We surely wish him another pole position and finally, a first Nationwide Series win in front of his home crowd,” said François Dumontier, President of Octane Management Inc. and Delegated Promoter of the event.

The Joliette (Quebec) native won the pole for this race in 2007 and posted second-place finishes in 2007 and 2008. The 2009 and 2010

REVIEW: NASCAR THE GAME 2011

Available for XBOX 360, PS3 and Wii Rated E for everyone MSRP: $59.99 (XBOX 360, PS3); $49.99 (Wii) With a press of the gas pedal, and a turn of the wheel (or by pressing the X button, and moving the steering stick - for those without steering wheels), you’re able to virtually become Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr., and roll your NASCAR racer into turn one at Daytona, or climb your way through the esses at Watkins Glen while beating fenders with all the other Sprint Cup stars.

The NASCAR franchise has been quiet since EA Sports discontinued the line in 2008, but it was revved up again this year by a new group of developers. Eutechnyx released NASCAR 2011 in March and bump drafted the franchise up to speed with an efficient climb through the gearbox. But despite solid game play, and a number of new options, the game needs more patch work than Daytona Speedway did during the 2010 running on the 500.

The racing engine is awesome! The way the car reacts in the air feel more realistic than any console game in history. It’s very smooth and responsive, and while opponents won’t throw a door slam from four lanes over like in preceding versions, they will still play rough when they have to. The game is full of assist settings making it very difficult to master on the toughest settings, but easy enough for a rookie to still enjoy.

The game comes complete with a variety of racing modes, as well as a host of mini-games designed to improve a driver’s skills, and earn bonus points and rewards. A career mode is also included as you race through the entire season while having to meet your goals to satisfy sponsorship commitments.

The default car setups are in the ballpark, and the number of components that can be turned, adjusted, swapped, and dampened are overwhelming at first. With some testing you can improve your cars handling and power output, but unlike previous games, it can’t be done trackside – as it

has to be done in testing mode. Adjustments on pit stops have also been given the restrictor plate, as those changes have been limited to a single loose/ tight slider. The menus to setup your racers are confusing and difficult to navigate.

There are a few other flaws that drag down the fun level on the game, and draw the black flag. Pit road is very challenging to get on. If you hit the line too far over the speed limit, you aren’t allowed to stop and then serve a penalty. You have to creep down pit road and do another lap. Combined with too many occasions when pit road is hit accidently when you’re racing, can kill a good run quick.

Online play has good and bad features. It’s not hard to either set up, or jump into a random race, but on a number occasions the game freezes for no apparent reason. Sometimes your opponents’ cars appear to be hovering a few feet off the race track. Online play should improve as patches are developed.

The other fatal flaw in the game has been missing from a NASCAR game since 2004 – four player mode – giving you and up to three buddies a chance to take to The Monster Mile and ‘Have At It Boys’ in the same room, in the ultimate racing experience.

In short, NASCAR 2011 might not be a race winner, but posts a solid top-five in Eutechnyx rookie season. With the yellow stripe off in 2012 and some improvements, especially in the online end of things, they will be racing for the checkers in year number two. – Jamie Maudsley

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the new chassis (officially called the 2012 IndyCar Safety Cell) and will also build an aero kit that will be included with each car. Other manufacturers have been invited to build areo kits, but it’s uncertain as to whether they will be available to teams next year or in 2013.

“The idea behind these is to show two totally different-looking vehicles that underneath are the same chassis. There is lot of room for aerodynamic kit development and that’s what this platform is about - allowing people the freedom

to design as they wish, dream as they wish and come up with a superior product than others.

That’s what drives competition.

“So will these be exactly what Dallara’s kits are going to look like on road courses and ovals next year? No.,” Cotman said.

Dallara’s aero components are currently undergoing final wind tunnel testing at company headquarters in Parma, Italy. Initial on-track testing of the new car is set to begin the first week of August.

– Lee Bailie

PHOTOGRAPHY BY IMS PHOTO

PHOTOGRAPH BY PASTRANA-WALTRIP RACING

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES After much speculation and anticipation, the IZOD IndyCar Series took the wraps off its 2012 car for the first time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in mid-May. The cars - one for ovals and one for road and street courses - are concepts and therefore not final, but 2012 Car Project Manager Tony Cotman said they are designed to give fans and media an idea as to what they could see on track next year.

Dallara Automobili (constructor of the current IndyCar chassis) has been charged with building

t

p

t s

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IGNITION

AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES It was the only ALMS team of any class to score a podium finish in every round of the championship in 2010. Its championship victory last season came in the most competitive year in ALMS history where five different teams and manufacturers took overall victory.

The team had intended to run the HPD ARX-01e at next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Unfortunately, given the situation in Japan and its impact on Honda, Highcroft has been obliged to withdraw its entry at Le Mans, due to lack of adequate financial support.

“We have had an amazing relationship with all the associates at Honda, Acura, Honda Performance Development and Wirth Research over the past five years and it is with deep regret that our amazing run has come to an end,” Highcroft Racing owner, Duncan Dayton said.

“I am deeply disappointed for our team at Highcroft Racing who were really looking forward to the race and for David (Brabham) and Marino (Franchitti) who are left without a ride at Le Mans at a very late stage.

“Our drivers have been truly incredible in recent years and I know they are as disappointed as we are that the ARX-01e will not be at Le Mans.”

Highcroft Racing is actively seeking new manufacturer relationships and is beginning discussions regarding future programs – both in sports cars and other championships.

“For our future, we need to take the next step in the development of our team,” Dayton said. “We still have very big goals and ambitions – including additional victories in the ALMS as well as Le Mans and IndyCar.” PHOTOGRAPH BY HIGHCROFT RACING

After a highly successful five seasons as partners, Highcroft Racing and Honda ended their working relationship in late May – the combination’s giantkilling performance at the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year was the final curtain for the partnership.

Highcroft was selected as one of the initial factory Acura teams for the brand’s debut in the American Le Mans Series in 2007.

Throughout the partnership, Highcroft established itself as not only the highest ALMS point-scoring team out of four factory outfits, but also collected back-to-back ALMS championships in 2009 and 2010.

Highcroft scored 11 race wins for Honda, nine pole positions and 28 podium finishes from only 42 races, including its gallant second place finish at Sebring, where it defeated both factory Audi and Peugeot entries.

The venture is a joint effort between Professional Motorsports Productions and Whistlestop Productions.

“This new arrangement with radX will be a tremendous benefit to racing fans and motorcycle enthusiasts,” said Colin Fraser of Professional Motorsports Productions. “Now viewers will know there is a dedicated time every week they can get their fix. They won’t have to hunt around looking for the racing coverage.”

The Canadian Superbike Championship coverage will also feature the use of 3-D technology, including 3-D on-board cameras.

“We are going one step further with the use of 3-D

technology,” said David Hatch, who along with his partner Stacey Hatch is an executive producer at Whistlestop Productions. “This is one of the first examples of 3-D being used in a national championship venue and it is nice to see Canada leading the way in this area.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAMESH BAYNEY

CANADIAN SUPERBIKE Television coverage of Canadian motorsport will enter a dramatic new era this fall with the Canadian Superbike Championship by Parts Canada shown on high definition ‘Risk, Adventure, Danger’ channel radX. The national motorcycle road race series will be featured in a minimum of 12 half-hour time slots in prime time on Monday evenings as part of Motorcycle Monday’s on radX. The Monday evening line-up will also include season two of the documentary ‘Ultimate Superbike’, a behind the scenes look at the BMW Motorrad Canada factory Superbike team.

The half hour Canadian Superbike Championship programs will include flag-to-flag coverage of at least five of the seven races in the feature Pro Superbike class, with the remainder of the programming divided among the national support classes.

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Original BMW Accessories

bmw.ca/performance

The Ultimate Driving Experience.®

BMW Performance Suspension Cross-Brace in Carbon From $1,532.50

BMW Performance Power Kit From $1,356.50

BMW Performance Exhaust System From $1,007.50

BMW Performance Rear Spoiler in Carbon From $580.50

BMW Performance Short Shift Kit From $247.50

BMW Performance Steering Wheel From $1,549.50

BMW Performance Double Spoke 313 From $4,599.50

BMW Performance Exterior Mirror Caps in Carbon From $351.50

JOY is ThE viTAl cOMpOnEnT. BMW pERFORMAncE AccEssORiEs. Inspired by the world of motorsport and born out of a passion for technology, BMW Performance Accessories lets the world see exactly what your BMW is capable of. A variety of components that are as visually striking as they are technically sophisticated guarantee that your BMW is as exciting to look at as it is to drive. For more information about BMW Performance Accessories visit your nearest BMW Retailer or bmw.ca/performance.

BMW EfficientDynamics Less emissions. More driving pleasure.

Items featured are available while quantities last, only at authorized BMW Retailers. Prices quoted are specially suggested manufacturers’ retail prices. Retailers may sell for less. Prices are for parts only. Installation is extra. All prices in Canadian dollars. Taxes extra. Prices subject to change without notice. ©2011 BMW Canda Inc. “BMW”, the BMW logo, BMW model designations and all other BMW related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and/or trademarks of BMW AG, used under license.

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IGNITION

CMHF: 2011 INDUCTION CLASS

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CMHF

Eight Canadians were inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame at the Hall’s annual gala in April. All were chosen by the Canadian Motorsport Heritage Foundation after being nominated, and reviewed by the Hall’s Selection Committee. They joined other significant contributors to Canadian motorsport, whom have been inducted in the past.

Those honoured included: Power Boat competitor Norm Woods, Bracebridge, Ontario ASN Executive Paul Cooke, Oakville, Ontario Competitor Jacques Duval, St. Bruno, Quebec Power Boat competitor John Webster, Scarborough, Ontario Herb Rodgers, Drag Racing competitor, Belmont, Ontario Drag racing competitor, Bob Elliott, Wingham, Ontario Current president of Canada’s governing motorsport body , Roger Peart , Port Credit , Ontario Power Boat competitor, Jean Theoret of Maple grove, Quebec

BACK ROW: HUGH SCULLY, JACQUES DUVAL, BOBBY RAHAL, JEAN THEORET MIDDLE ROW: PAUL COOKE, ROGER PEART, NORM WOODS FRONT ROW: ELAINE RODGERS, BOB ELLIOTT, JOHN WEBSTER

In addition, Professor Sid Watkins and Bobby Rahal, will be inducted through the CMHF’s International category, which was newly created in 2010. Both have made significant contributions to motorsports in Canada, as well as being prominent international figures. Watkins was formerly the chief medical officer for Formula 1 while Rahal was the first winner of the inaugural Molson Indy in 1986.

He also won the Indianapolis 500 in 1986 and is a three-time CART champion (1986-87, 1992).

Canadian Sport Compact Series (CSCS) is gearing up to launch their 9th season as Canada’s largest sport compact racing series. Being a multifaceted event featuring Time Attack, Drifting, Drag Racing and a Car Show all at once make it an event motorsport enthusiasts never miss. With classes for street cars to purpose built race cars, CSCS is a great place for drivers to test their skills in front of thousands of spectators. For more info visit www.CSCS.ca or follow them at Facebook.com/CSCSRacing.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CSCS

2011 CSCS SCHEDULE

2011 CSCS Schedule June 5 @ TMP, Cayuga July 17 @ Mosport DDT, Bowmanville Aug 21 @ TMP, Cayuga Sept 25 @ TMP, Cayuga

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RATING :

The Official High Performance Driving School of Chevrolet

World Champion Pro u dly loc ated on th e Gi l a River I n dian Com m u n it y.

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ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

HOW TO SPRING CLEAN YOUR CAR LIKE A PRO 10 Tips from Autoglym’s Technical Director

A

fter a long Canadian winter, drivers from Halifax to Vancouver will want to get their car in the best condition possible to hit the road this spring. British premium car care brand, Autoglym, now offers Canadian consumers the same professional-grade car care products used by detailers around the world. These pros have mastered the art of cleaning a car quickly and easily. Because Autoglym knows consumers have the same time constraints and also want great results, Paul Coley, Autoglym Technical Director and valeting expert, suggests 10 effective ways to polish up your car for spring and beyond.

A simple (but often overlooked) process is to thoroughly rinse your car before washing to remove grit particles that can scratch paintwork as you start to wash. Fine scratches can cause paintwork to appear dull and hazy, adversely affecting its ‘curb appeal’.

1

Always use a good quality car shampoo/conditioner, such as Autoglym’s Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner. Simply sponge one side of the car with shampoo, working downwards from the roof, rinsing as you go. Never use dish soap on your car as it can strip away protective coatings and speed up corrosion.

2

Make sure you thoroughly dry the exterior to avoid water marks. Use a water blade to remove most of the water, followed by a synthetic chamois leather for best results.

3

Keeping your car’s paintwork in good condition is the easiest way to preserve its value.

A car polish, such as Autoglym’s Super Resin can help to remove fine scratches and will add a valuable layer of protection to your vehicle’s paintwork. Try not to polish your car in the sun as hot temperatures on body panels can set the polish hard, making it difficult to buff off.

4

Wheels can be one of the most expensive optional add-ons when buying a new car, so it makes sense to keep them in tip-top condition. Sparkling alloys can enhance the appearance of the whole car. Clean them using a stiff brush and a quality wheel cleaner, such as Autoglym’s Custom Wheel Cleaner, to shift brake dust. A spray-on tire dressing, such as Autoglym’s Instant Tyre Dressing, will clean, restore and protect tires while preserving their ‘as new’ appearance. The Perfect Palm Applicator works great with both the Super Resin and Instant Tyre Dressing.

5

Faded plastics instantly age a car, negatively affecting its value. In recent years, more car manufacturers have used recycled plastics for bumpers, running strips, wing mirror housings and other elements. The sun’s UV light acts faster on these plastics, eventually turning them a chalky white. Autoglym’s Vinyl & Rubber Care also works wonders to clean and beautify interior and exterior plastics, trim and often-forgotten but all-important rubber seals.

6

A shiny car is only half the story. The inside should look as good as the outside. Leather seats should be treated with Autoglym’s Leather Cleaner, to clean and freshen leather upholstery. A leather nourish-

7

ment and preservative product, such as Autoglym’s Leather Care Balm, should be applied a few times a year to keep the seats looking like new and prolong protection.

A clean windshield and side windows are essential for safe driving, as well as enhancing the overall look of the car. Be sure to use a quality glass cleaner that provides a smear free finish on glass and plastic windows. Look for a cleaner that is free of abrasives, silicones, and waxes, leaving no residue.

Typically spray on to the surface and wipe clean with an absorbent paper towel or cotton cloth. A clean windshield will greatly reduce glare, and allow wiper blades to work much more efficiently.

8

Waxing your car will give it the ultimate finish, creating that ‘showroom shine’ and making your car look as good as new. In addition, your car will stay cleaner for longer, and future washings will be easier and quicker. The better the quality of the wax, the longer it will last and the easier it will be to apply and remove, so consider a premium hard-wax. Autoglym’s High Definition Wax provides an exceptionally high gloss combined with excellent durability and resistance to everything nature and man can throw at it.

9

Keep your car clean in between detailing sessions to avoid dirt from accumulating and setting into the paintwork. An easy-to-use spray-on solution such as Autoglym’s Rapid Detailer will instantly refresh shine and prolong water beading.

10

Autoglym products are available at Canadian Tire and PartSource.

For more information, please visit www.autoglym.com.

ABOUT AUTOGLYM Established in 1965, Autoglym developed a reputation for high quality products in the world of automotive care and valeting. The result of over forty year’s research and development, Autoglym products combine ease of use, value, and performance with excellent aftersales service. Throughout the world, vehicle manufacturers and distributors, bodyshops, valeting companies and transport operators trust Autoglym above all others.

Exporting to over 45 countries, Autoglym holds Royal Warrants for Her Majesty The Queen and H.R.H. The Prince Of Wales and is approved by some of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands such as Aston Martin, Bentley and Jaguar.

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GEAR 4-WHEEL

BOSCH Oxygen Sensors www.boschautoparts.com The Bosch portfolio of oxygen sensors includes the latest wideband, planar and heated and unheated switching sensors. It also includes the recently introduced complete OE SmartLink™ sensor system, which allows 14 OEM-specific, heated oxygen sensors to cover up to 96.2 percent of all OE domestic and import vehicle applications by simply installing the sensor on the existing wire harness. A 24” extra-length wire harness allows for replacement of any worn wire from the existing harness. The OE SmartLink system features a waterproof connector body; special high-temperature Posi-Lock® connectors; resistance to vibration, thermal exposure and thermal shock. The OE SmartLink system installation kit contains all necessary components to do the job right.

SHURHOLD INDUSTRIES Serious Shine www.shurhold.com/auto Shurhold Industries, a leading manufacturer of professional-grade automotive cleaning products and tools, has introduced its one-step, multi-purpose cleaner, Serious Shine, for automotive enthusiasts.

Serious Shine eliminates the clutter of purchasing many different cleaning and detailing products, saving vehicle owners space, time and money. It is designed to clean, polish and protect any solid surface, including painted surfaces, plastic, fiberglass, rubber, vinyl and stainless steel.

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BOSCH STARTERS www.boschautoparts.com Professional Preferred starters from Bosch are 100 percent full-load tested, for instance, they meet or exceed the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) torque, amperage draw and RPM standards, for proven cranking and starting performance under all temperature extremes. Remanufactured starters feature 100 percent new premium quality components, including major heat related/ wear items such as starter drive and field coil, to withstand excessive heat and high electrical demands. If an armature cannot be re-machined to Bosch standards, the armature is replaced with a 100 percent new armature.

Featuring the latest manufacturing technology, these premium starters, new or remanufactured, are backed by a limited lifetime warranty and Bosch’s Ultimate Protection Plan. This exclusive plan offers free, emergency roadside assistance 24/7, within two years from date of purchase – for unparalleled peace of mind.

OAKLEY Eye Patch 2 www.oakley.com The original EYE PATCH® was the biggest frame we ever created, and the EYE PATCH 2 lays out intricate stem detailing to earn its place as the new heir of outspoken originality. The durable yet lightweight O Matter frame is decked with dual cam hinges in a comfortable Three-Point Fit. Price: $120-$200. Available in: Polished Rootbeer, Blue Clear Fade, Matte Black, Polished Black, Purple Clear Fade and Tortoise.

AMSOIL Z-ROD™ Synthetic Motor Oil www.worldsbestoil.ca AMSOIL INC. now offers synthetic motor oil engineered specifically for classic cars, muscle cars and other high performance applications.

Available in 10W-30 and 20W-50 viscosities AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic Motor Oil features high-quality synthetic base stocks and a proprietary additive package tailored to prevent wear and provide maximum protection during storage.

AMSOIL Z-ROD oil is formulated with high levels of zinc, and zinc is critical for wear protection in the flat-tappet engines of classic cars and other earlier-model high-performance vehicles. AMSOIL Z-Rod provides exceptional protection for flat-tappet cams, lifters and rockers.

Damage from rust and corrosion due to long periods of storage is another issue common to classic and vintage cars. AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic Motor Oil is formulated with a unique blend of rust and corrosion inhibitors to ensure maximum protection during storage.

MOTORMOUSE www.motormouse.us.com Motormouse is a superbly crafted classic sports car design with exquisite detail. It has a slim, ergonomic design that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, with a high quality paint finish and chrome alloy wheels. Motormouse has the world’s smallest 2.4 GHz USB receiver, has an opening trunk to store batteries and receiver and even comes with real rubber tires! It also has an extra wide ‘spare tire’ scroll wheel. The Special gift box includes a soft carrying pouch, with spare battery section inside. It also includes a “Super-Glide” mouse mat and two AAA batteries.

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GEAR 4-WHEEL

KING XP ENGINE BEARINGS FOR ACURA/HONDA www.kingbearings.com King XP Bearings are available for Acura/Honda applications, including rod bearings (CR 439XP) and main bearings (MB5259XP) for B17, B18A, B18B engines; rod bearings (CR4046XP) and main bearings (MB5568XP) for D16 engines; and rod bearings (CR4287XP) and main bearings (MB5259XP) for B18C engines. All new XP parts are available in STDX, STD, 001 and 010. Extended sizes may become available in the future. The XP Bearings have a .0005” enhanced performance Babbitt overlay which provides as much as 30 percent greater load capacity than traditional bearings. They are suitable for operating temperatures of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. All King performance bearings feature greater rod bearing height that improves bearing to bore contact/heat transfer and reduces spin potential at high RPMs. Main bearings feature enlarged, chamfered oil holes and ¾ grooving. In addition, most rod bearings are available with or without dowel holes. King bearings feature the closest wall tolerances in the industry (Bull’s Eye Tolerance), with all shells matched to .0001”. Main and rod bearings are narrowed for large radii crankshafts. In addition to main and rod bearings, King also offers camshaft bearings and thrust washers.

SONY DSX-S300BT www.sonystyle.ca The new Sony DSX-S300BT and DSX-S200X car stereos each feature Sony’s TuneTray, an internal mechanical compartment for an iPod or other USB devices. On command, the sleek front faceplate of each stereo will flip down and outputs the TuneTray compartment, complete with an iPod adapter, for quick connection to music players. Each model also features an external USB input, allowing users to connect two USB capable devices simultaneously, as well as a crystal-clear OEL display. The DSX-S300BT Head Unit features built-in Bluetooth® technology for hands-free calling and wireless music streaming. This model also has Sony’s unique SensMe technology, which analyzes a connected music library to create custom playlists and radio channels, and utilizes an Advanced Sound Engine (ASE) to provide an outstanding in-car sound environment

PUROLATOR Air Filters www.purolatorautofilters.com A clean cabin air filter keeps the air inside the car clean and protects the driver and passengers against the “bad stuff.” This could include both – the invasion of pollutants from the air outside as well as “blowing” the dirt residing within the clogged air filter back into the interior of the vehicle.

Purolator offers BreatheEASY® cabin air filters in two styles depending on the part number, said Kerrigan. One is a particulate filter, and the other is an upgrade to an activated charcoal filter that has the ability to filter out noxious gases and unpleasant odors. A used cabin air filter can be replaced with either type, regardless of which was installed by the vehicle’s manufacturer.

Replacement is generally simple for a do-it yourselfer (DIYer) or professional technician and many Purolator BreatheEASY cabin air filters come with detailed vehicle-specific installation instructions. Most can be installed in approximately 15 minutes.

MOTEC M84 ECU www.motec.com The M84 is a versatile, race-bred ECU that is suitable for a broad range of high performance applications, including engines with up to 8 cylinders. It also suits rotary engines with twin, triple or quad rotors.

This new, entry level ECU is based on the advanced technology in MoTeC’s benchmark M800, with a package of features to suit more moderate system requirements. It includes on-board Wideband Lambda plus 512 kB of data logging memory as standard.

Install it as a stand-alone ECU or as part of a complete motorsport-ready engine management and data acquisition solution.

38 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

Distributed by

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO

ACE +33(0)4 90 89 98 75 www.five-gloves.com

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GEAR 2-WHEEL

SHOEI X-Twelve Helmet www.motovan.com Born from racing, the all-new X-Twelve combines SHOEI’s 50 years of helmet building experience with the very latest technology and most advanced materials to bring you the racing helmet of the future. Among the X-Twelve’s many features are: Q.R.S.A. (Quick Release Self-Adjusting) Base Plate System SHOEI’s QRBP (Quick Release Base Plate) system is one of the most advanced shield attachment mechanisms in the world. The simple shield release and attachment procedure makes it easy to change your shield as conditions dictate.

CW-1 Shield The X-Twelve’s all-new CW-1 shield is both wider and taller than the CX-IV that it replaces. In addition, the CW-1 shield protects SHOEI riders from 99% of the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays, and our three-dimensional injection-molding process ensures distortion free vision. Another advantage of the CW-1 shield is its ability to work in conjunction with SHOEI’s optional Pinlock system to deliver fog-free vision in even the most challenging conditions. The new CW-1 Pinlock lens is larger, and offers fog-free viewing to the very top of the helmet’s larger eye port.

Additionally, newly-designed tearoff buttons allow for tearoff tension to be adjusted without

tools, making it much easier and quicker to install racing tearoffs.

Ventilation System The X-Twelve features five intake and ten exhaust vents, making it the most aggressively-ventilated helmet SHOEI has ever produced. Wind tunnel testing allows us to identify the very best locations and shapes of intake and exhaust ports to maximize airflow and the suction effect of negative air pressure to the rear of the helmet.

The X-Twelve also features new Side Extractor Vents developed by our MotoGP racing service to help clear warm, humid air from the racer’s face to increase comfort and reduce fogging.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON NEW BOOM!™ AUDIO HIDDEN RADIO ANTENNA www.harleycanada.com The new Boom!™ Audio Hidden AM/FM/WB Antenna (Part Number 76000040) from Harley-Davidson® Genuine Motor AccessoriesTM mounts within the fairing of 1998 and later Touring and Trike models and eliminates the original equipment whip antenna. This amplified antenna offers comparable performance to the Boom!TM Audio Shorty Antenna, and eliminates the need to move the whip antenna back and forth between Tour-Pak® and fender mounting locations on bikes equipped with detachable Tour-Pak® luggage. The kit includes all required mounting hardware and wiring, and fits 1998 and later Touring and Trike models equipped with AM/FM/WB radio and fairing.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON H-D® CUT BACK GLOSS BLACK MAGNUM 5 CUSTOM WHEELS www.harleycanada.com The bold design of the new Cut Back Gloss Black Magnum 5 Custom Wheel from Harley-Davidson® Genuine Motor Accessories is inspired by the steel of a large-frame revolver. This one-piece, cast-aluminium wheel features 15 individual spokes that converge to form five distinct columns. The cast-in “rivets” visually tie the oval cross-section spokes to the rim and the hub.

The machined aluminium Cut Back surfaces stand in brilliant contrast to the rich gloss black finish. All Genuine Motor Accessories wheels have been certified by Harley-Davidson Motor Company to perform to our tough vehicle standards for quality and durability. Available in 19- and 21-inch front and 17-inch rear sizes to fit many 2006-later Dyna® and 2000-later Softail® models, the new Cut Back Gloss Black Magnum 5 Custom Wheel requires the separate purchase of a model-specific Wheel Installation Kit, Sprocket hardware and Brake Rotor-specific hardware. The look can be completed with a matching Magnum 5 Sprocket Cover in Gloss Black. See an authorized Harley-Davidson® Retailer for fitment details.

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METRA INTRODUCES OE DIRECT FIT MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS

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2011 WHEEL BUYER’S GUIDE

BC RACING WHEELS

BMW PERFORMANCE

Size: 17-20-inch Width: 8 to 10.5-inch Offsets: N/A

Size: 20-inch Width: 8 to 9-inch Offsets: N/A

FA-04

Finishes: Over 400 color combinations

WWW.BCRACINGWHEELS.COM

BMW PERFORMANCE

BBS

Size: 21-inch Width: 10 to 11.5-inch Offsets: N/A

Size: 19-20 -inch Width: 8.5 to 12-inch Offsets: 24 – 56

Y-SPOKE 375

Finishes: Bi-color cast alloy

WWW.BMW.CA

R5:F WHEEL Size: 19-inch Width: 8.5 to 9.5-inch Offsets: 22, 30, 35, 45 WWW.FIVEAD.NET

WWW.BMW.CA

ENKEI92 Finishes: Brilliant Silver, with Polished stainless steel rim protector Satin Black, with Polished stainless steel rim protector

Size: 15-inch Width: 7 to 8.5-inch Offsets: N/A

Finishes: Black, Gold, Silver w/ polished lip

WWW.ENKEI.COM

FORMULA RACING DESIGN

HRE WHEELS

Size: 15-17-inch Width: 6.5 to 7-inch Offsets: Various

Size: 19-20-inch Width: 8.5 to 13-inch Offsets: Custom

GT 20 Finishes: Silver, Gunmetal and Stealth Chrome™

Finishes: Bi-color cast alloy

ENKEI WHEELS

RG-R

WWW.BBS-USA.COM

FIVE:AD

V-SPOKE 356 BI-COLOR

Finishes: Special edition matte grey

WWW.FORMULADISTRIBUTORS.COM

P40S

Finishes: Custom Powder Coating, Polished, Brushed.

WWW.HREWHEELS.COM

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2011 Wheel_Tire Guide_v2.indd 1

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MOMO

REVENGE Size: 15-18-inch Width: 5.5 to 8-inch Offsets: +35-50

OZ RACING

Size: 16-19-inch Width: 7 to 9-inch Offsets: Various

Size: 17-18-inch Width: 7.5 to 8-inch Offsets: +40 to +45

MR125 Finishes: Various

WWW.MOMOUSA.COM

Finishes: Satin Black or Titanium Silver finish

WWW.MOTEGIRACING.COM

RAYS

57 MOTORSPORT G07BW Size: 18-inch Width: 8 to 10-inch Offsets: 22 - 45

MOTEGI RACING

Finishes: Brightling silver

WWW.RAYS-MSC.COM

SUPERTURISMO GT

WWW.OZRACING.COM

SUMMIT RACING

TRD

Size: 17-18-inch Width: 7 to 8-inch Offsets: N/A

Size: 19-inch Width: 7-inch Offsets: N/A

F-10

Finishes: Anthracite gray w/ diamond cut

WWW.SUMMITRACING.COM

7-SPOKE

WORK

VALENCIA Size: 17-20-inch Width: 8 to 10-inch Offsets: N/A WWW.TSWWHEELS.COM

EMOTION 11R-FT Finishes: Matte Black, Silver or w/ Polished Lip

Size: 17-18-inch Width: 8 to 10.5-inch Offsets: 15-50

Finishes: Matte Gray and Silver

WWW.REVCOMPETITION.COM

Finishes: graphite and color-match cap

WWW.SCION.COM/#/TC-ACCESSORIES/WHEELS/ TRD-ALLOY-WHEELS

MCGARD

MCGARD

The original patented design, engineered to fit small diameter recesses in aluminum tuner style wheels. SplineDrive® Lug Nuts offer a closed end design, maximum gripping power, more stud engagement, and a greater seating surface than socket style lug nuts. In addition, they are 30% lighter.

Available in bright chrome, gold, black and anodized aluminum trim in red and blue. Thread sizes: 1⁄2-20, M12 x 1.25, M12 x 1.5 and M14 x 1.5

OEM design and safety PLUS beauty, style & durability! 2-piece design provides optimum safety and performance. Precision manufacturing meets or exceeds OEM requirements. Beautiful bright and black chrome finish enhances the look of any wheel.

The triple-nickel chrome plating is guaranteed for life not to chip, peel or rust. Available in 5-lug Wheel Installation Kits for both Cone & Radius seat. Cone Seat Lug Bolts are available in thread sizes: M12 x 1.5, M14 x 1.5 and M14 x 1.25.

Radius Seat Lug Bolts are available to fit M14 x 1.5.

SPLINEDRIVE® LUG NUTS

TSW

Finishes: Machined Face/Matt Black

LUGBOLTS

WWW.MCGARD.COM

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2011 TIRE BUYER’S GUIDE

BF GOODRICH

BRIDGESTONE

The g-Force R1 radial is BFGoodrich’s Track & Competition DOT racing tire developed for prepared vehicles looking for race- and time attackwinning performance, as well as track-day drivers seeking predictable grip that is comfortable to drive at the limit. The g-Force R1 radial is designed to offer best in class dry grip, cornering power, steering response and turn-in precision to inspire driver confidence.

Designed with the performance enthusiast in mind, the Potenza RE-11 brings together many of Bridgestone’s technologies in one impressive package. With a unique new sidewall shape and radical new “stealth” block derived from our Formula One (TM) race tires, the new Potenza RE-11 boasts the significant level of grip and handling for the street and track--and it will ignite your adrenaline in the process.

G-FORCE R1

WWW.BFGOODRICHTIRES.CA

POTENZA RE-11

WWW.BRIDGESTONETIRE.CA

CONTINENTAL TIRE

FALKEN TIRE

FIRESTONE

The ExtremeContact DW ultra-high performance tire from Continental Tire is specially engineered to deliver serious performance on both dry and wet roads. The ExtremeContact DW delivers excellent traction, responsive handling in wet and dry conditions and improved ride comfort, while also delivering better mileage at industry-leading rolling resistance levels.

FK452 is the definition of the ultra-high performance tire, and is available in a wide array of diameters, from 16-inch to 24-inch, along with staggered widths, which make this tire both versatile and resourceful.The five linear ribs and three-dimensional rounded tread blocks offering precise handling response, and make it the optimal performance tire.

Firestone’s flagship ultra-high performance tire, the Firehawk™ Wide Oval™ Indy 500® is tuned for confident handling on both wet and dry roads. The tread pattern centre elements promote excellent response and braking performance, while the circumferential grooves and special 3D block helps channel water out of the footprint area to improve resistance to hydroplaning.

EXTREMECONTACT DW

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Targeted to aggressive, performance fitments, the V- and W-Speed rated Exclaim UHP delivers solid performance in both wet and dry conditions without compromising ride quality or mileage. The Exclaim UHP features a second-generation, ultra-high performance silica tread compound which delivers excellent handling, braking and traction in all conditions.

The Eagle F1 Supercar G: 2 features a race-inspired tread compound moulded into a unique asymmetric and directional tread design that rewards the driver with a blend of dry road traction (from massive outboard shoulder tread blocks) combined with wet road confidence (provided by Eagle F1 GS-D3 inspired sweeping Aquachannel grooves on the inboard side).

The Ventus V12 Evo is designed to combine comfort and control in dry and wet road conditions. It features Hankook’s High Tg Polymer & Specific Resin (HPSR) compound molded into a directional tread design featuring a Multiple Tread Radius (MTR) profile that combines notched shoulder ribs, independent intermediate tread blocks and a continuous center rib to blend powerful braking with predictable handling

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For dynamic handling in all conditions the KU39 is designed for maximum high speed stability (Y-Rated). With enhanced dynamic performance and braking in wet conditions the KU39 offers a controlled ride and refinement. The secure handling stability at high speed provides enhanced contact pressure distribution. With great wear characteristics, the KU39 is one of the leaders in extended and even wear.

The Zeta has a special PST contour, the perfect way to guarantee reliability and precision at high speeds. The tire features special compounds with an FOM-IC base, and a series of technical innovations involving the bead, the tread design and a shifted double nylon belt.

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The NT05 is a maximum performance tire that was developed using advanced computer simulation and extensive on-track testing. These development methods along with rigorous quality standards helped produce a street tire that provides precise and responsive handling and performance. The result is an aggressive tread pattern that produces extreme grip for cornering, braking and acceleration.

On dry asphalt, even in the most demanding sessions the P Zero Trofeo ensures high levels of grip and constant trajectories. It is not recommended for use in very wet track conditions. Specific for racetrack driving, it is approved for road use, enabling travel to the track.

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The Proxes T1 Sport combines the undisputable performance characteristics of a Proxes performance tire with the comfort and safety features of a luxury Toyo product. For high-end sport coupes and sedans, 60 sizes are available ranging from 16 to 20-inch with Y and W speed ratings.

The Yokohama S.drive is a revolution in affordable ultra-high performance summer tire. With more than 70 different sizes the broadest range of sport sedans and coupes can experience this remarkable tire. The S.Drive features a forward-looking tread design engineered to outperform, with enough guts to satisfy any serious driver at a price that outperforms.

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2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE LTZ GM UPS THE SMALL CAR ANTE REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEE BAILIE

I

t would be difficult to overstate the importance of the Cruze, not only for Chevrolet’s future prospects, but also for those of post-bankruptcy General Motors.

Suffice it to say, GM has a lot riding on this car’s prospects and, so far at least, the Cruze’s early returns have been promising.

GM’s reported sales for March 2011 were up 11% in the U.S. and 32% in Canada over March 2010, and the Cruze has been driving those increases – its sales were 80% greater than its predecessor (the Cobalt) over the same time period.

In addition to strong sales numbers, the Cruze has racked up a considerable amount of praise and accolades from the automotive press in the past year, both around the world and in Canada. Among the most significant of these was the 2011 Car

50 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

of the Year Award it received from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada in February at the Canadian International Autoshow.

Rolled out across the globe over a period of about a year and a half beginning in the spring of 2009 and culminating with its North American launch last fall, the Cruze replaced the Cobalt, a descendent of GM’s original small car platform (J-car) which began in the early 1980s with the Cavalier.

Long lamented for lacking refinement, with subpar reliability, fit and finish and bland styling, one of the few attractive aspects of the Cavalier (and the Cobalt) was its relatively low cost and good packaging. These cars, if nothing else, were usually relatively inexpensive to own and came with a decent array of standard equipment.

With the Cruze, however, GM has made a clean break with the past as it has elected to base it on a completely different platform that has little in common with the Cobalt.

Developed globally, GM turned to its international units to bring the Cruze to life. GM Daewoo was responsible for much of the design work and the engineering came from Opel, which developed GM’s new small car platform on which the Cruze is based, the Delta II. Their efforts resulted in more than $4 billion spent (all figures U.S.) on development that lasted more than 27 months. More than 200 prototypes were tested in seven countries, including Canada.

Taking the long way home has resulted in an exceedingly well-built and attractive car- from its handsome, angular lines, to its well-appointed in-

terior, quiet ride and excellent fuel economy, the Cruze is light years ahead of the Cobalt by any measure.

The tester I spent a week with was the top of the line LTZ model, which comes equipped with 17” alloy wheels, a leather interior and an upgraded stereo with XM satellite radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

Despite the greater amount of content the LTZ has, GM has wisely chosen to make safety and value available to all Cruze buyers. Every model receives 10 airbags, StabiliTrak (stability control) and 4-wheel ABS with traction control. Other standard features include keyless entry, power windows and door locks, tilt steering, a sixspeaker stereo and driver information centre.

Among the most discussed aspects regarding the Cruze has been its engine lineup. The base level LS models come equipped with the 1.8 litre ECOTEC 4-cylinder powerplant, which develops 136 horsepower.

The LT and LTZ feature a 1.4 litre turbocharged ECOTEC 4-cylinder unit that delivers 138 horsepower. The rationale behind smaller displacement is that it will be able to provide decent power thanks to turbocharging, while also delivering impressive fuel economy.

Underpinning the Cruze are MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam set-up with a Z-link in the rear. Although not as sophisticated as a multilink independent setup employed by some of its rivals, the Z-link option saves space and is less expensive. As a result the Cruze has a spacious trunk and has a price that starts just under $15,000.

IMPRESSIONS There has been some criticism that the Cruze’s styling is fairly pedestrian and doesn’t push the edge of the envelope enough.

To my eye, it is much more attractive than the Cobalt and the creases that cover its surfaces are in keeping with current trends in automotive design.

The nose and grill are fairly prominent, and the angled and tapered headlights may turn some off, but I thought the Cruze to be a thoroughly handsome, modern-looking car. Not a game-changing look perhaps, but an attractive one nevertheless.

The LTZ sits a lot lower than I thought it would (thanks to a lowered ride height), which gave me the impression I was riding in a coupe instead of a sedan.

I had no trouble finding a decent driving position thanks to the well-supported leather seats, and tilting steering wheel which had a thick and substantial feel.

The Cruze cabin offers a very inviting environment with lots of soft-touch, higher quality materials.

For a car in this price range I was impressed with how little hard plastic was used. Compared to the Cobalt, the Cruze feels downright luxurious.

The analogue instrument cluster is backlit in a soft ice blue, which was both legible and easy on the eyes. The centre stack features an LCD screen that displays radio data, time, outside temperature and compass info, also in blue.

The knobs and switches featured a smooth operation and nice tactile feel. None were too fussy to use, although it took a few tries before

2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ Specifications BASE PRICE / AS TESTED: $14,995 / $25,880 ENGINE: 1.4-litre turbocharged inline 4-cylinder – 138 hp @ 4,900 rpm / 148 lbs.-ft. torque @ 1,850 rpm TRANSMISSION: 6-speed transverse, electronically controlled automatic overdrive transmission FUEL CONSUMPTION (MANUFACTURER): city – 8.5L/100 km (33 mpg); highway – 5.5L/100 km (51 mpg); combined – 7.2L/100 km (39 mpg)

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I figured out how to scroll through all of the various readings (odometer, trip meter, tire pressure readings, etc.) located on the left stalk on the steering column. The headlight switch is also on the dash as opposed to the stalk, which took a little getting used to.

I drove the Cruze on a variety of road surfaces in both heavy and lighter traffic, in both wet and dry conditions and came away impressed with how the car handled each situation.

The LTZ’s suspension was a little on the stiff side, but the ride was generally comfortable and I found its reflexes to be quite sharp. The electric steering had good on-centre feel, and the bigger wheels and tires helped the car feel secure at all speeds. The brakes were excellent.

The turbocharged four was reasonably quiet at highway speeds, although in stop and go traffic, I could hear it going about its business, but it wasn’t nearly as thrashingly loud as those found in its predecessors – no sewing-machine buzz either.

Acceleration (turbo) lag was noticeable at times, mostly from a standing stop. I also had to stand on the gas a little on a few occasions to get

by other vehicles, but once the boost came in the Cruze zipped through traffic with ease.

Overall, its acceleration was adequate in most normal driving situations, but if the power output of the engines grows over time, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

My overall sense of the Cruze is that GM has positioned it to be a class leader for years to come. Starting at just under $15,000, it delivers plenty of value, although the price does jump as one moves up the line (the LTZ starts at just under $25,000).

Small cars are often victims of compromises that manufacturers have to make in order to keep a lid on costs, while also delivering enough value to produce big sales numbers.

On that score, GM has kept the compromises to a minimum and has produced a gem of a small car.

With all of the awards it has won and the acclaim it has received in the past nine months, it seems the Cruze is everywhere at the moment.

That is as it should be – it’s a bonafide winner.

Amsoil.indd 1

11-03-11 3:18 PM

CAN NASCAR R E G A I N

I T S

F O O T I N G ?

Early Signs Are Encouraging

BY MONTE DUTTON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

54 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

I

t’s not too early for Carl Edwards, and it’s not (quite) too late for Denny Hamlin. Jimmie Johnson, as usual, is right on track for a sixth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. Fords are on, Toyotas are off and Chevy is roughly the same. Dodge? Well, it won the Budweiser Shootout.

In the season’s first eight races, only one driver, Kevin Harvick, won twice. Seven winners in eight races were a testimony to a high level of competition but also to a season that hasn’t quite found itself yet.

Three of the early races – the Daytona 500, Goody’s 500 at Martinsville and Aaron’s 499 at Talladega – were extraordinary. The only snoozer was Matt Kenseth’s dominating conquest of the Samsung Mobile 500 in Texas.

Winning is hard, which is the way it’s supposed to be. Ask Jeff Gordon. When he won the season’s second race, at Phoenix, it ended

a winless streak of 66 races for a four-time champion and a sure future Hall of Famer.

“You have added pressure,” said Gordon. “You hear it from the media, you hear it from the fans, and it’s hard to ignore. … I think that, when you’ve had the success that we’ve had in the past … I guess every race-car driver knows that there’s going to be that time in their life when they’re not going to go to victory lane again and you don’t know when that time is going to come.

“I feel like I still have it in me. I’m passionate about it, but things have changed in the sport. The cars have changed. Tires have changed. Competition has changed. When you go through a streak without winning, you think, OK, is it me or what is it? [Winning allows] you to regain that confidence in yourself …”

WWW.PRNMAG.COM | 55

CAN NASCAR REGAIN ITS FOOTING?

Kahne (leading) and Bowyer could be on the bubble to make the Chase.

Both had yet to register a win at press time.

But, lest everyone get all carried away …

Thirty drivers won’t win races this season. The favorite for the championship is still the man, Johnson, who has won the past five. Early results indicate that the chief competition will come from Harvick, who finished third last year, and Edwards, who finished fourth.

Much is actually … the same. Let’s review what’s different.

When the season began, Johnson’s latest heir apparent was Hamlin, who squandered the title in the final two races of 2010. Being Johnson’s heir apparent is akin to being intelligence director for Gen. Custer. Hamlin started slowly, then missed a wakeup call at two tracks, Martinsville and Texas, where he swept four races the previous season. He was a thoroughly mediocre 12th and 15th when the series visited those two tracks in April.

By any measure, Hamlin was slumping. He had his share of bad luck, but performance had THE FAVOURITE measurably slipped, too.

“It’s so early, and we’re close to where we are FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP last year,” insisted Hamlin. “For me, the panic level is not that high, but it’s creeping there because, IS STILL ultimately, it’s not about the number of points that THE MAN, you’re behind 10th [place in points] at this point; JOHNSON, WHO it’s how many guys separate you from that.

“I know that we’re going to run well.”

HAS WON THE Hamlin wasn’t alone. Eight races into the seaPAST FIVE.” son, another holdover from the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup, Jeff Burton, was faring even worse.

Meanwhile, the “Anti-Hamlin” was … drum roll, please … the sport’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who seemed to be prospering greatly from a new crew chief, Steve Letarte. While Hamlin was stressing that it still wasn’t too late, Earnhardt was cautiously suggesting that it was still too early.

No wins for Earnhardt, Jr. in 2011 (at press time), but he’s been more competitive.

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CAN NASCAR REGAIN ITS FOOTING? Gordon (below) snapped a 66-race winless streak at Phoenix in February.

ONE GUARD AGAINST A SUMMER MALAISE IS THE NEW RULE RESERVING TWO SPOTS IN THE CHASE BASED ON WINS, NOT POINTS.”

With two wins already in 2011, Harvick is almost a lock to make the Chase.

Edwards is among the small group of Johnson challengers.

“We’re doing better than we did last year, and we’ve got a couple more gains to make on our finishing positions, and I think, across the board, could still do just a little bit better, performancewise,” said Earnhardt. “We’re working hard and trying to keep up our momentum and trying to improve, but I think we’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle and [are] getting them in the right place.”

Surprisingly strong, though less acclaimed, was Richard Childress Racing newcomer Paul Menard, who enjoyed top-five finishes at Bristol and Texas.

Few would’ve predicted Menard’s emergence as a Chase contender, nor, for that matter, the unexpected decline of teammate Burton.

“We’ve had fast race cars everywhere, but the neat thing is that at four or five tracks, we felt like we could have finished better than we did,” said Menard. “Last year (at Richard Petty Motorsports), we did OK early, too, but fell way off after that.

“This year we’re way more prepared than we were a year ago with just preparation with the race cars and the organization at the race shop. …

Stability is the key.”

The most astonishing change occurred in the nature of the racing at the two so-called “restrictorplate tracks,” Daytona and Talladega, where the

Johnson took a lot of the pressure of the 48 team by winning at Talladega.

Wins at Bristol and Richmond put Busch in a good position for the Chase.

aforementioned plates are used to limit horsepower and, in turn, speed.

At Daytona, which had been repaved, drivers discovered during Speedweeks that not only was drafting in groups of two effective, it was unavoidable. The season’s first and eight races produced incredible finishes, but many fans grumbled that the action leading up to the conclusion was invariably routine.

Talladega’s Aaron’s 499 ended with eight drivers crossing the finish line within .07 of a second of each other. Johnson’s margin victory, .002 of a second over Clint Bowyer, tied an all-time record.

A troublesome American economy continues to be a hindrance. A miraculous victory in the sport’s premier event, the Daytona 500, wasn’t enough for the Wood Brothers to find needed sponsorship for 20-year-old Trevor Bayne, who pulled off an upset of historic proportion. The team had to skip races at Richmond, Darlington and Dover and retreat to a limited schedule only slightly more ambitious than what had been anticipated before the season started.

Television ratings and attendance both ticked up but not dramatically. Bristol Motor Speedway, once the toughest ticket in NASCAR, played to a crowd

Hamlin’s championship hopes aren’t yet over, but he needs to win a race- soon.

that appeared little over half-capacity. On the other hand, attendance rose a bit at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and remained strong in Las Vegas, Fort Worth and Phoenix.

Balance between manufacturers has improved.

Chevys, dominant for most of this decade, won four of the first eight races, while Fords won three.

Toyota’s lone early victory was Kyle Busch’s victory at Bristol, his best track.

Ford drivers won only four races in the entire 2010 season, and the first didn’t occur until August.

The top 10 in the point standings, after eight races, held six Chevy drivers, two in Fords, with Toyota and Dodge represented by one.

This could wind up being an epic NASCAR season, one that might even live up to the inveterate hype generated by CEO Brian France, who said early in the year, “You can hear the enthusiasm. … Ticket sales are up. Enthusiasm is up. … Energy levels are up. We finished so strong in 2010, so we are looking forward to a great 2011.”

No one else is dancing in the streets yet, but there are encouraging signs.

A Chase featuring some equality might recreate the excitement of its first year, 2004, when Kurt Busch, Johnson and Gordon ended up separated by

a mere 16 points. A new system means that each point is worth more now, and the 16 points of 2004 are roughly comparable to four now.

One guard against a summer malaise is the new regulation reserving two spots in the Chase on the basis of victories, not points. As the 26race regular season winds down, drivers irrevocably sagging in points might be able to salvage the season by winning a race or two in order to slip in. At the moment, it shapes up as the ultimate lifeline for Hamlin, Burton, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Brad Keselowski and others.

The Sprint Cup Series also seems on the verge of another needed emergence: rivalries.

Johnson’s unprecedented string of five titles has quelled some of NASCAR’s fire among the general populace. A stiff challenge is needed, and it would help if it came in the form of a driver with appeal and personality.

Earnhardt Jr. could fill that bill. So could Edwards.

Or Harvick. Or Kyle Busch. Gordon’s familiarity and increasingly statesmanlike presence have enhanced his popularity. Tony Stewart is the darling of the “old-time racer” crowd. They’re all blessed with talent and an obstinate spirit that might create just the sparks the sport needs.

WWW.PRNMAG.COM | 59

CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW Expect the Unexpected

BY DAN KNUTSON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

F

or a preview of this year’s Canadian Grand Prix one merely has to look back at the bizarre and thrilling plot twists of the 2010 Formula One race in Montreal.

Thanks to unpredictable tire wear last year, the fortunes and track positions of the drivers varied wildly and five drivers changed the lead six times before Lewis Hamilton took the victory in his McLaren Mercedes.

There was no Canadian Grand Prix in 2009, and thus for the 2010 event Bridgestone had to predict what would be the best slick tire compounds for the track it only had experience on with the grooved dry weather tires. To further complicate matters the track had been resurfaced, plus the weather was cooler than expected. The result was that the soft compound tires started to lose

60 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

their grip after as few six laps. Tire strategy was a vital factor in the race as drivers and their teams pondered when to switch back and forth between the quick wearing soft tire and the longer lasting hard compound tire.

The difference between 2010 and 2011 is that the excitement of last year’s race was created by a fluke of circumstances. This year the plot twists are created by design.

Pirelli has replaced Bridgestone as the sole tire supplier in F1. Pirelli’s goal was to create less durable tires. In the past, drivers often had to pit only once during the race to change tires. There were times when a driver ran virtually the entire race on a set of tires and then pitted with just two laps to go.

[The rules require a driver to use both compounds of tires in a race.] The Bridgestones were robust tires

that consistently provided the same level of traction, grip and feedback for many laps.

Those days are no more. An excellent example was the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this year. Did Hamilton enjoy that race?

“It was absolutely, every inch of the race, every second, was incredibly enjoyable,” he answered enthusiastically.

Of course he won the race so why wouldn’t he enjoy it? It is because F1 has changed thanks to the new rules and especially the way the Pirelli tires lose grip as they degrade. The result was that the race in China was full of on-track battles and passes.

“I love being able to fight with different drivers and have the battles and have them at their best,” Hamilton said. “I really felt that in that race. Whilst the tires were going off on some

of the cars I felt they were really performing and driving very well to defend their position, so it made that even more exciting.”

The lead changed at that start and then officially eight times between six different drivers.

Hamilton took over first place from Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel with just five laps to become the first driver to win the Chinese Grand Prix for a second time. In all, there were over 80 passing moves throughout the field.

What does Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button think of new style of F1?

“It’s enjoyable,” he said, “but also you’re a sitting duck when people have got newer tires – you can’t do anything. You try and fight back you don’t have the grip, don’t have the braking power or the traction, so it’s very tricky.”

The drivers call it “falling off the cliff.” Up to a point the tires provide excellent traction, but within a lap or two they abruptly lose it and lap times are suddenly three seconds slower. Teams and drivers have to plan their pit stops perfectly or risk suddenly being a sitting duck to the drivers behind.

Gone are the days when fans can wander away from their TVs or grandstand seats and come back 15 laps later to discover the running order is the same as when they left.

With track positions and strategies constantly changing, how difficult is it for a driver to read the race when he is in the middle of the pack. Does he know in the middle of the race what position he will eventually be fighting for? How confusing is it to not know?

Mark Webber just drives as fast as he can and doesn’t worry.

“It is pretty straightforward,” he said of how he approaches races now, “because you just know that the next corner you have to take it flat out. And the next corner, next corner, next corner.

Traffic? Clear it and get on. I hardly look at the pit board, just for the lap number, position was not important to me because I can’t control that and what everybody is doing. Then in the last part of the race you start to see who still has to pit, and who is running out of tire grip. It is only then that you start to focus on what might be possible. But for the first 75 percent of the grand prix you are focusing on yourself.”

F1 is more like endurance racing now because the drivers have to look after their tires.

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CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

F1 HAS DONE A BRILLIANT JOB. HOW EXCITING HAVE THE RACES BEEN? THEY HAVE BEEN STUNNING. THERE IS NOBODY SAYING WE HAVE BORING RACES. THERE IS OVERTAKING LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE.” “Some of the younger guys have been a bit spoiled in that perhaps they have had tires that they could just drive flat-out,” observed longtime technical director Ross Brawn. “But not that long ago F1 was about managing your tires, managing your brakes, managing everything. Ten or 15 years ago I remember that there were races you could not drive 100 percent the whole time. Some drivers got a reputation as car breakers because they would drive the car too hard. But cars are so relatively good now that drivers can drive them to the maximum capacity all the time. Looking after the tires is definitely going to be a relevant art form for the next year or two. I don’t see it at detrimental. I think it is a quite interesting part of F1.”

Not everybody likes the new style F1. Some traditionalists think that the racing is contrived and false because gadgets and tires create the passing instead of pure driver skill.

Driver Nico Rosberg is firmly in the opposite camp.

“F1 has done a brilliant job,” he told Autosport.

“How exciting have the races been? They have been stunning. There is nobody saying we are having boring races. There is overtaking left, right, and centre – everywhere. So, they have done a really, really good job and that is the most important thing that needs to be highlighted.

“The people in charge have made the sport from one year to the next so much more exciting, and that is awesome for the fans and everything. It is really cool, isn’t it? It is the tires and the rear wing. The rear wing – best idea ever probably, for this sport.

And tires also. Pirelli, everybody has been criticizing them, but they have made our sport spectacular. So that is cool.”

No wins for Webber through the first four races, but that is likely to change.

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CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

Alonso (leading) notched his only career victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2006.

DRS AND KERS While tires play the main role in the on-track action this year, the alphabet soup of DRS and KERS are players as well.

The driver adjustable rear wing –known officially as the Drag Reduction System [DRS] – is supposed to aid overtaking by allowing the driver behind to open the slot gap in his rear wing from 10mm to 50mm, thus reducing his car’s aero drag which should allow him to close and pass the car in front. It’s cool to watch the view from the onboard TV cameras as the flap on the rear wing snaps open and shut. But the system can only be used for 600 meters on the main straight during the race, and much of its effectiveness depends on the circuit layout. For example, the DRS worked much better in Malaysia with its long straight than on the semi-street circuit and short straight in Australia. Therefore, the DRS might not be much of a factor on Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve which is similar to the Australian track.

The Kinetic Energy Recovery System was used by some teams in 2009, none by mutual agreement in 2010, and by virtually every team this year. KERS gives a driver a boost of 80 horsepower for a maximum period of 6.6 seconds per lap. It has not had that much of an impact on the races overall because all the top teams are running it. The trailing driver uses it to attack the driver in front who uses it to defend. Still, KERS is important for F1 to show it is concerned about green issues.

AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER’S NIGHTMARE Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says that things get extremely complicated for the team members trying to call the strategy for their two drivers while at the same time watching what everybody else is doing.

“It would be an air traffic controller’s nightmare if you were tuned into the strategy radio channel!” he said.

“Because you are trying to look at where you are going to emerge [on the track after pitting], you are looking at what the [tire] degradation is, what tire you should be using. And with two cars. So the work rate is colossal. It does add an exciting dimension to the race. You have to go into the race and have the flexibility to change.”

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It has been all smiles for Horner (left) and Vettel so far this season.

Heidfeld has shown well filling in for Kubica at Renault- two top tens in the first four races.

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CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW Neither of the Ferraris have found their way to the top step of the podium so far in 2011.

Rosberg is a firm supporter of the new style of F1 racing.

THE PLAYERS

MONTREAL IS ONE OF THE FAVOURITE STOPS ON THE TOUR. THE F1 FRATERNITY ADORES THE VIBRANT CITY.”

While tires, KERS and DRS are the talk of the racing town, the drivers and cars are still the stars.

And although the running order gets jumbled up and there are plenty of battles, the best combinations still come out on top.

Reigning world champions Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Renault are still mighty quick, and proved it by winning the opening two races of this season.

And Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber has been making headlines as well as he did in China where he charged from 18th to third.

McLaren Mercedes pulled off an amazing turnaround. The car was uncompetitive in preseason testing, so the team decided to ditch its complicated exhaust system, and it made its own version of Red Bull’s rear diffuser. The result was that the car was transformed overnight and Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were serious contenders from the very first race.

Renault made a major step forward this year.

The car features a unique exhaust system with the pipes running forward and exiting at the front of the sidepods, and this helps increase the airflow under the car to the rear diffuser and creates more downforce. Sadly, 2008 Canadian Grand Prix winner Robert Kubica isn’t able to take advantage of the car’s potential as he is out of for the season after suffering serious injuries in a rally accident in February. Renault drafted veteran Nick Heidfeld to sub for Heidfeld, and Vitaly Petrov, the first ever Russian in F1 is back for a second season. The Button recorded his best Montreal finish last year with a second place result.

drivers proved Renault is a contender by both earning a podium finish early in the season.

Ferrari hoped to emulate a McLaren recovery after discovering its car wasn’t fast enough to win in the opening rounds. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are confident that Ferrari, like last year, will be a title contender.

Mercedes is another team hoping to pull off a turnaround after Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg struggled at the start of this season.

Privateer Sauber, meanwhile, has built a solid car that can finish in the points in the hands of Kamui Kobayashi and Mexican rookie Sergio Perez.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Montreal is one of the favourite stops on the F1 tour. The members of the F1 fraternity and the fans adore the vibrant city and the park-like atmosphere of the Ile Notre-Dame.

So what’s going to happen in this year’s Canadian Grand Prix? Like the other races this year, expect the unexpected. Strategies will vary widely, as will the way the drivers and cars consume their tires. Drivers might pit four times or only once.

There might be multiple leaders or only one.

The fabulous thing about the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is that it doesn’t even need “tired tires,” KERS and DRS to create exciting racing.

Like Monaco, the tight confines and capricious nature of the Montreal track means that there is usually plenty of excitement and drama on the island.

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THE ROOKIE James Hinchcliffe is holding his own in his first IZOD IndyCar Series season

BY LEE BAILIE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY IMS PHOTO

A

lthough he surely didn’t plan for it to work out this way, James Hinchcliffe’s rookie year with Newman Haas Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series coincides with milestones for two of its more prominent races, including the one that matters the most. At the end of May, the Indianapolis 500 celebrated its 100th anniversary and in July, Hinchcliffe’s home race, the Honda Indy Toronto, will celebrate its 25th. The significance of both of these isn’t lost on Hinchcliffe either, who told PRN that being able to compete in both events is like, ‘having two Indy 500s’. At Indianapolis, he missed being the top-qualifying rookie (225.572 mph average) by just 0.007 mph in securing the 13th starting spot. The top rookie qualifier was JR Hildebrand in 12th, a driver Hinchcliffe knows well from his days competing against him in Atlantics and Firestone Indy Lights. “We worked a lot more on our race car over the month than the qualifying car. We just wanted to get in the show, we

wanted to better over 200 laps than 4 laps because that’s where the points are. For us to do that time in those conditions (windy) we we’re really happy and we knew that it would get us in the show, but how far up the field we ended up being, we were a little surprised.” The measured responses one gets from Hinchcliffe during an interview have been mirrored in his performances on the track. Despite his rookie status, he has delivered results that belie his inexperience, including a fourth-place finish at Long Beach and a top-ten (9th) in Sao Paulo. He has also impressed in qualifying, with top-12 starts in each of his first three races. “It’s been great – almost a little tough to believe. We’ve made it out of Q1 in every single race, which I’m told for a rookie isn’t a bad thing. It’s a super competitive field and we’ve had these cars for so long now that even the midfield teams have figured them out, so it’s very competitive. The fourth place in Long Beach was a function of having a good car and staying out of trouble,

BY THE NUMBERS:

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE BORN: DECEMBER 5, 1986 HOMETOWN: TORONTO, ON RESIDENCE: INDIANAPOLIS, IN TEAM: NEWMAN HAAS RACING CAR: #06 SPROTT INC. DALLARA/HONDA *CAREER WINS: 16 *CAREER POLES: 21 BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2ND (FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS, 2010) * JUNIOR FORMULAS THROUGH 2010

James Hinchcliffe’s ascent through the junior North American formula car ranks wasn’t meteoric, but it was steady and he enjoyed plenty of success along the way.

The 24-year old spent multiple years in both Atlantics and Firestone Indy Lights, which saw him earn several wins and poles.

He has credited the two years he spent in Firestone Indy Lights (2009-10) in particular as being a crucial step in preparation for his move up to the IZOD IndyCar Series.

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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES

Hinchcliffe’s poise has not gone unnoticed in the Indy Car paddock.

and we managed to keep it off the walls in Brazil when a lot of other guys didn’t and brought home another top-ten finish,” he said.

Although the Indy 500 was clearly foremost on his mind during the PRN interview, Hinchcliffe made no attempt to hide his enthusiasm for his first Honda Indy Toronto, coming up in mid-July. “I’ve had a chance to drive there in the junior formulas, and even then the support from the fans here is just incredible. They are the best fans on the planet.

I’ve had a chance to race all over the world and Canadians rock,” he said. “The amount of support that I had when I was in Lights was incredible, so I’m very much looking forward to getting here and being in the main show. Even when I’ve raced in the event before, I’ve sat and watched the main race and now I get to be out there pounding around with Paul [Tracy] and Alex [Tagliani], so it’s something I’m very much looking forward to.”

Hinchcliffe was born in 1986, the same year of the inaugural Honda (formerly Molson) Indy Toronto, went to his first race when he was 18 months old and has attended the race every year since either as a spectator or competitor. The late Greg Moore – a prodigiously talented racer from Maple Ridge, B.C., whose life was cut tragically short in 1999 following a horrific crash at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California – was one of his favourite drivers as a youngster. Although he’s certainly excited about being in the main event for the first time, he’s well

aware of how tricky Toronto can be for both team and driver. “[Toronto] is one of the toughest street circuits we go to. It’s a good mix of fast and slow corners. We’ve got two really good passing opportunities, one or two other risky ones, and it makes for a great challenge for the drivers. It’s as much a challenge for the engineers as it is for the drivers to find the right setup,” he said. “It’s a super cool track.

The double-file restarts this year is going to add a whole new element and make the carnage even more likely, so it’s going to be a heck of a show.”

THEY ARE THE BEST FANS ON THE PLANET. I’VE HAD A CHANCE TO RACE ALL OVER THE WORLD AND CANADIANS ROCK.”

Hinchcliffe was a high first day qualifier at Indy- an impressive feat for a rookie.

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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES The beginnings of Hinchcliffe’s racing career dates back to when his father bought him his first go-kart at age nine. By the time he was sixteen he had made the transition from karts to cars, and his road to the IZOD IndyCar Series began in earnest. Hinchcliffe’s migration through the junior open-wheel formulas was both methodical and successful: Bridgestone Racing Academy F2000 Series in 2003 (5 wins, 4 poles); Formula BMW Americas in 2004 (3 wins, 4 poles); Star Mazda in 2005 (3 wins, 3 poles); Atlantics from 2006 to 2008 (2 wins, 6 poles); Firestone Indy Lights, 2009-2010 (3 wins, 4 poles). After the 2010 season, Hinchcliffe was ready to move up to the IZOD IndyCar Series, but landing a ride was hardly a given. Despite the gradual uptick in sponsor interest and participation in the series since unification, finding sponsors to fund full-time, or even partial season rides is still an enormous

challenge due to a still-weak U.S. economy and Indy Car racing’s still diminished stature on the mainstream North American sporting landscape.

Hinchcliffe and his management team persevered, however, and after three successful tests with Newman Haas during the off-season, Sprott Inc., an asset management and financial services firm based in Toronto, signed on to serve as primary sponsor of the number 06 NHR entry. The deal wasn’t finalized until the beginning of April, so Hinchcliffe missed the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. Despite that, he was only three points behind Hildebrand in the rookie standings prior to the Indy 500.

When asked about his success so far this season, Hinchcliffe told PRN he is focused on taking one race at a time and learning as much as he can every time he’s in the car. Being partnered Oriol Servia, a savvy, likeable veteran who’s still plenty quick – two

top fives and two top tens in the first four races, plus a front row qualifying effort at Indy – has also proven to be an enormous asset in Hinchcliffe’s development. “I’m trying to not get too caught up in it because it’s just one race at a time and I’m still learning so much at every event, which I love. We’re just taking it one race at a time, one lap at a time and seeing where we end up.” While a win might be a little too much to expect in a rookie campaign, a podium or two doesn’t seem out of reach, especially on tracks where he has had previous success, such as Toronto, Edmonton, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma. The rookie championship is also very much within reach.

If Hinchcliffe manages to accomplish one or both, that would indeed get a promising IndyCar career off to a good start.

I’M TRYING TO NOT GET TOO CAUGHT UP IN IT BECAUSE IT’S JUST ONE RACE AT A TIME, AND I’M STILL LEARNING SO MUCH AT EVERY EVENT.”

Hinchcliffe has meshed well with Newman Haas and it shows.

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2011 NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES PREVIEW Change is the Theme For Canada’s National Stock Car Championship

BY JAMIE MAUDSLEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAMESH BAYNEY

I

n 2011, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is all about change and nowhere is that theme more evident than it is on the season schedule.

The series has elected kick things off at Mosport Speedway’s ½ mile oval on May 28, a race that had been a mid-late August date since before NASCAR became the sanctioning body in 2007. The Speedway becomes the fourth different track to host the opening race in the past five years.

That event should play host to one of the most interesting storylines of the year, as Don Thomson Jr. (featured in the last issue of PRN) will turn a wheel for the first time with his new team. For the five-time CASCAR Super Series champion, the ½-mile track has been his own personal playground for well over 10 years. Among his many victories are two wins in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts at the Speedway (2007, 2010). If anyone can find victory lane there – even with a new team – Thomson is as good a bet as any.

SAY HELLO TO A NEW VENUE The second event of the season will mark another first for the Canadian Tire Series as they travel to Circuit ICAR, north of Montreal. The track is part of an airport like Edmonton. It’s flat, but the similarities end there. It has a number of tight turns, and short chutes, so the cars won’t spend much time in high gear. It should be a full weekend of speed as the Canadian Tire Series will be joined by Firestone Indy Lights, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and a number of other support divisions.

SAY GOODBYE TO A COUPLE OF OLD FRIENDS In 2011, there are two former tracks that will not be on the calendar as the top stars and cars of the Canadian Tire Series travel the country. The annual trip to Autodrome Ste. Eustache seems to be redundant to the Montreal market with the addition of the event at ICAR, and one of the best short tracks in Canada will be missed.

While one of Canada’s most exciting ovals was getting gassed, the IZOD Indy Car Series was playing a game of ‘now we’re coming - now we’re not’ with the Edmonton Indy. When NASCAR officials released the schedule, the event was left off, which shortened the calendar to 12 races, five on road courses and seven on ovals. Despite INDYCAR coming to terms with the promoter for its race, the Canadian Tire Series stood pat.

LOOKING FOR A HAT TRICK The series will race in front of one of the largest oval track crowds of the year for event number three at Delaware Speedway. Defending Canadian Tire Series champion D.J. Kennington will return to the track he cut his teeth on to try and convert the hat track, after winning at both previous visits to the ½-mile ‘birthplace of CASCAR’ in 2009 and 2010.

Kennington was able to run a couple of events in the off season. He finished second to Jason Bowles in the Toyota All-Star Shootout in California, which earned a ride a few weeks later in Phoenix in a K&N Pro Series West event, where he

was able to bring his Mike Curb-owned ride home 10th after starting 23rd.

The competition is far too tough to make anyone a ‘lock’ for the championship, but Kennington has to be viewed as the favourite as the season begins.

CONTENDERS Scott Steckly and Mark Dilley will join forces again in 2011 as teammates, and have added experienced crew chief Chris Couvillion to the mix from the Beauchamp Motorsports Team. Former Brad Graham crew chief Mike Knott has replaced Couvillion with the Windsor, Ontario-based team.

Kerry Micks will return in his familiar #02, while Jason Hathaway added Thomson as a teammate at Team 3 Red.

CREW CHIEF AND TEAM SHUFFLES Former Canadian Tire Series Tech Director Tim Ellas has joined Dave Jacombs Racing Team, who will be fielding rides at various points during the year for both two-time series champion Andrew Ranger, as well as IndyCar pilot Alex Tagliani.

On a full-time basis, and in an interesting twist, Jeff Lapcevich will switch to the Dodge brand and will still service his racers at shop. The cars be raceprepared by Ellas in the Jacombs shop.

NOTABLE PART-TIMERS Steven Mathews will be escalating his efforts in 2011, as he plans to compete in 10 events. Fans should also expect to see 2010 Kawartha Speedway winner Petey Shepherd, and Brad Graham

The 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series field is a mix of established stars, like Kerry Micks (middle row, left), and up-and comers like Pete Shepherd (bottom row, middle).

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Ranger (leading) won three races in 2010, including the NAPA Autopro 100 in Montreal.

to both make most, if not all of the Ontario events. All three are more than qualified to run the entire tour with adequate sponsorship dollars.

Look for 2010 Rookie of the Year Derek White, Dexter Stacey, and Pierre Borque to run most of the races on the tour as well.

White and Stacey could end up running a full schedule.

And in addition to Tag and Ranger, Robin Buck’s five-race road course program should be very competitive, and if Jason Bowles returns to Canada in 2011, he’ll be a threat to win as well every time out.

Isabelle Tremblay will also be back in action for most 2011 rounds after running four races in 2010. She will be racing a car out of the Jacombs Racing stable as well.

FRESH FACES

THESE DEVELOPMENTS HAVE THROWN FITZPATRICK’S CANADIAN TIRE SERIES PLANS UP IN THE AIR. IT WOULD BE A LOSS FOR THE SERIES IF HE DOESN’T RETURN FULL TIME.”

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Top-ten runner Anthony Simone will be adding a teammate in 2011, as former Champ Car and Firestone Indy Lights driver Dan Clark joins the team on a full-time basis.

Clark, from England, was able to finish 13th in 2007 and 12th in 2006, and has also competed in the Atlantics, before making the commitment to fendered racers for the upcoming season. Alex Tagliani was able to parlay a trip through the Canadian Tire series back up to the big leagues of North American Open Wheel Racing, but only time will tell what Clark has in store for him.

Ottawa’s Dave Connelly and his Racesportz Team will be making their Canadian Tire Series debut in 2011. Connelly is a former CASCAR Super Series competitor who has been battling in the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series since that tour’s inception. He finished fourth in the championship last season, and notched his first feature win.

WESTERN CONNECTIONS Jason White will return with a full-time schedule, but will be running in equipment supplied and prepared by Kawartha brass Skip Ambrose and Derek Lynch this year.

Second generation driver Noel Dowler will compete in all five road courses as well as the pair of Western oval races. Noel’s father Kevin is a former CASCAR West champion, and while they will be racing under the Apollo Motorsports banner, the cars will be prepped out of Kennington’s shop.

Another westerner, Jarrad Whissell, will be in action, as will Jim White (Jason’s brother). Another former CASCAR West star Dan Shirley will return to competition at his home track, Auto Clearing Motor Speedway for a single event.

NEW BOSS IN TOWN Former Delaware Speedway Race Director Jeff Wilcox has been named Technical Director for the Canadian Tire Series in 2011. Wilcox was one of the main proponents of getting NASCAR back into the Whelen Weekly Racing Series again a few years ago, but parted ways with the Speedway at the end of the 2010 season. Wilcox is also well known to a number of members of the garage from his tenure as a long time crew member and crew chief for David Whitlock during his CASCAR title runs in the late 1990s.

THE QUESTION MARK Recently Toronto businessman Steve Meehan purchased NASCAR Nationwide assets from Baker Curb Racing, and J.R. Fitzpatrick has been named the pilot of the team’s fleet of Fords.

Fitzpatrick made two starts for the team before the sale, and in addition to Nationwide events, there are plans for him to compete in two Sprint Cup events in August, Pocono and Watkins Glen. Meehan has expressed that they would like to be a full-time Sprint Cup team by 2013 with J.R. behind the wheel.

These developments have thrown Fitzpatrick’s Canadian Tire series plans up in the air. It would be a loss for the series if he doesn’t return full-time. Not having the driver that battled Kennington to the final races for the 2010 championship in the series would be disappointing, although one can understand his desire to advance his stock car career in the U.S. However, almost all of his Canadian Tire Series equipment remains in the Fitzpatrick Motorsports shop, and J.R. recently announced that he will run both events on the same day in Montreal (Nationwide and Canadian Tire Series on August 20), but that is his only NASCAR commitment in Canada at the moment.

And if Fitzpatrick wasn’t busy enough, he also spent the winter months preparing his fleet of Street Stocks to run on Ontario ovals whenever he has the opportunity.

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REMATCH Jordan Szoke and Brett McCormick Are Set to Battle For the Canadian Superbike Championship Again in 2011

BY LEE BAILIE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAMESH BAYNEY

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T

he 2011 Canadian Superbike Championship presented by Parts Canada is significantly changed from its predecessors over the past few seasons – new owners, new website, new television package and, of course, the usual changes amongst teams and competitors.

But for all that has changed off the track, the competition on track should have a familiar look to it, especially at the sharp end of the grid where Jordan Szoke (above left in 2009), the all-time leader in wins and championships in Canadian Superbike history (36 and 7, respectively) enters the season as the favourite – again.

The Brantford, Ontario rider has so dominated Canadian motorcycle road racing in recent years (he’s won both Superbike and Pro Sportbike titles every year since 2006), that it is hard to conceive of any other rider ending the 32 year-old’s dominance, save for one.

Brett McCormick (above, right), a 19-year old rising star from Saskatoon, has returned to Canada after a year spent in the AMA competing as a replacement rider with Jordan Suzuki in the American Superbike class. McCormick will race for the factory RadX BMW Motorrad Canada team in 2011.

At one time, McCormick was Szoke’s teammate at Kawasaki (2007-08), before he moved to the Blackfoot Suzuki team in 2009. That season was memorable for being one of the most hotly contested Canadian Superbike championships in recent years, as Szoke edged out McCormick by a mere five points, even though

McCormick won more races (4-3). It was, by far, the most closely contested of Szoke’s five consecutive titles.

In 2010, with McCormick racing in the AMA, Szoke didn’t face nearly the same level of competition. Competing on Honda equipment for his self-funded effort, Waznie Racing, Szoke cruised to his fifth consecutive Superbike and Sport Bike titles. He won every race, some by a wide margin, and finished the season with a 132 point advantage over Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ontario for the championship.

Over the winter Szoke worked out a deal to return to Canadian Kawasaki Motors, the organization for which he won four consecutive Superbike and Sport Bike titles (2006-09). The move reunites him with personnel he’s familiar, led by engine builder Mike Crompton, owner of Competition Systems which runs the team for Kawasaki.

The first on-track sessions for both Szoke and McCormick took place during a preseason test at the JenningsGP circuit in Florida in late April, a spring training of sorts which gives teams and riders an opportunity to evaluate new equipment.

Szoke was joined on track by McCormick and his BMW teammate Michael Ferreira of Kitchener, Ontario, and it wouldn’t take long for the seven-time champ to start feeling comfortable on the Kawasaki’s new ZX-10.

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REMATCH

Michael Ferreira is back for his second Superbike season with the RadX BMW Motorrad Canada team.

Szoke and McCormick used a pair of Superbikes each to evaluate different engine and chassis combinations, as well as the latest Pirelli slick rubber.

In the very hot afternoon sessions, Szoke eventually got down to a best unofficial lap of 1:15.2, not far off the track record (for Canadian spec machinery) of 1:14.42 set back in April of 2009 by “Jordan of the Jungle,” also for Kawasaki. The unofficial best ever outright lap times for the popular test venue were set by AMA U.S. series Superbike racers Ben Bostrom (Suzuki) and Larry Pegram (BMW) during their most recent off-season sessions, lapping in the 1:13 range.

“I’m really comfortable with our new Ninja,” explained Szoke at the end of the first day of on-track action. “We made solid progress, and I’m getting a good idea of the direction we need to head in. Going back and forth between the two 2011 Kawasaki’s allowed us to get lots done today, and I really have to thank the crew – we’re ready to make improvements all through tomorrow’s track time.”

Best lap time for the BMW squad was set by McCormick, with a tour of the two mile long circuit at 1:15.4. “We were working through a bunch of things, and I’m getting comfortable with everything, learning the bike,” confirmed the teenager, who placed second behind Szoke in the 2009 Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

“I really haven’t been pushing the front end yet, and I know there is a lot more to come,” continued McCormick. “I know Michael and I will have no problem being competitive at the opener at ICAR in Quebec at the end of May. Patrice (lead tuner Goyette) has made a lot of improvements to the Superbike after BMW’s debut season with the S1000RR last year.”

Overall, Szoke was the fastest at the end of the test. His best unofficial lap time was a 1:14.2, which came mid-morning on the second day.

In the afternoon, Szoke suffered a minor tumble from one of his two works Ninjas, surviving uninjured to bring the bike back to the pits. Late in the day’s running, the current number one plate holder backed up his earlier effort with a lap at 1:14.4 aboard his other racer. Both of the top times for Kawasaki on the second day were slightly faster than Szoke’s official lap record for Canadian class machinery, a 1:14.42 effort set two years ago when full series electronic scoring was on hand for the spring warm-up.

It didn’t take Szoke (pictured in 2009) long to become comfortable on Kawasaki machinery once again.

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COME AND BE PART OF ALL

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11

SEE WHAT AWAITS YOU AT CIRCUIT MONT TREMBLANT IN 2011

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REMATCH

Nelson had the best season of his career in 2010, although he finished far behind Szoke in the final standings.

“It’s great that we could run such strong times with two different, all new bikes, working at two different engine and chassis set-ups,” smiled Szoke at the end of the test. “We know that when it gets really hot like it did today, the track is about a second and a half off what might be possible when it’s less greasy. So I thing we could have run down to the AMA series times with cooler weather.”

After very warm conditions on the first day, the sessions on day two were hotter still, meaning optimum laps were most likely earlier in the day. American tour Pro competitors Ben Bostrom and Larry Pegram lapped in the 1:13 range earlier in the pre-season, enjoying cool conditions at the same 2 mile long track.

“I’m really comfortable with our bike, that’s the big thing, and we got so much done in terms of preparation for our Canadian season,” continued Szoke. “We’ve worked on the chassis, the engine management, and then the traction control, and everything is coming along, there is already a good balance.”

Both RadX BMW Motorrad Canada riders were pleased with their JenningsGP progress. Early on, McCormick set a lap at 1:14.6, and figured he could have gone faster still if it was a priority.

“We were working through a whole range of changes to the bike,” started McCormick, following his first sessions aboard the BMW S100RR. “I really feel like we have a good handle on it, and Michael and I have compared notes, and know what we can do at the ICAR opener in late May.” “I think it’s going to be a great season of racing up in Canada,” stated McCormick.

“We’ve seen over the past two days that both these teams have made some big strides, and the bikes are really working well – they’ll only get better as we continue preparations. I’ve really enjoyed getting back on track, and I’m having fun sliding the bike, and that’s always a good sign.”

If 2011 turns out to be anything like 2009, Canadian Superbike fans are going to be in for one exciting and memorable season.

If we can’t do It you don’t need It

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GET DOWN GET DIRTY NEW RALLY SCHOOL TEACHES BOTH THE NITTY AND THE GRITTY

BY MARK HACKING // PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN MCDONOUGH

S

noqualmie, WA—Prior to attending the DirtFish Rally School, I thought I knew everything there was to know about how to drive a rally car. After all, I’ve watched my fair share of televised WRC action and I’d even witnessed the likes of Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg in person a few years ago at Rally Argentina.

What’s more, I’m Canadian, so the act of driving sideways (mostly in winter) is almost second nature to me. To top it all off, I’m a four-time competitor at Targa Newfoundland, the only tarmac rally in North America. So I didn’t expect to learn too many new tricks during the school’s three-day training session — in fact, I wondered aloud if three days of training wasn’t overkill. But I was wrong: This school, newly opened this past September, is already one of the finest performance driving programs in North America. Located just outside Seattle, the DirtFish

Rally School offers a variety of courses from a quick introduction to rally driving to the afore mentioned, full-on, hardcore, three-day training program. The facility is, in and of itself, worthy of a feature-length article: a former Weyerhaeuser logging mill, close to 300 acres, countless miles of trails, a headquarters that was the former sheriff’s office on the TV show Twin Peaks. The school employs some deadserious rally-style machinery: the last-generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI hatchback that is close to showroom stock and an earlier generation STI that has been prepared to Group N specifications.

Both types have been prepared by Vermont Sports Car, the outfit that builds rally cars for Subaru Rally Team America. Down the road, the school expects to add some front-wheel drive cars, but for now, all-wheel drive is the only way to go. Side note: The growing compendium of ultra-cool DirtFish

collectibles now includes Richard Burns’ Subaru Impreza from earlier this decade and Colin McRae’s Ford Focus from the same era, plus an awe-inspiring gathering of F1 drivers’ suits and helmets. Day one of the school came in like a lion. After an hour-long classroom session, our small group of four students took to a triangular gravel course from behind the wheel of the stock STI. The first lesson represented an early surprise: using the rule of “lift, turn, wait” to negotiate a corner. One of the main precepts of rally driving is that it often takes place on loose surfaces—and things take time to develop on loose surfaces. So, the act of approaching a turn with the proper angle of attach involves, you guessed it, lifting off the gas, turning the wheel and waiting. For someone who loves to drive quickly, just waiting for things to develop can be incredibly challenging and, at times, wildly frustrating. The instructors’ advice:

THE SCHOOL EMPLOYS SOME DEAD-SERIOUS RALLY-STYLE MACHINERY: THE LAST-GENERATION SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI HATCHBACK THAT IS CLOSE TO SHOWROOM STOCK AND AN EARLIER GENERATION STI THAT HAS BEEN PREPARED TO GROUP N SPECIFICATIONS. 64 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

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Y “Know where you want the car to go, be patient with the slide, let it develop.” And it works: The back end of the car slowly comes around and the nose, like magic, ends up being pointed in the right direction coming out of the corner. Actually, it’s not magic, it’s just weight transfer and the act of balancing a rally car using the throttle, brakes and steering. Soon, we’re instructed to be a little less patient with the slide by using the brakes to help transfer the weight of the car. At this point, we were also encouraged to get into left-foot braking, a longstanding rally driving technique that serves a number of purposes: to help balance the car, to correct for understeer and to improve braking reaction time.

After completing the triangular gravel course, it was off to a different course and a different surface.

The school not only has great tracts of land to use for training, they also have the equipment needed to

keep the various courses in prime shape. The slalom, for example, is turned into a quagmire through the use of a watering truck. Here, we fine-tune the cadence behind lining up the perfect loose-surface turn as the instructors bark out commands through the headset: “Lift, turn, brake!”

A little while later, the cadence became closer to second nature and the lines through the slalom become more controlled—contrary to popular belief, quick rally driving does not involve throwing the car

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GET DOWN GET DIRTY

fully sideways. There were other misconceptions that were dispelled once day two rolled around: first, that the handbrake is often used to help rotate the back end of the car and, second, that the pendulum turn—or “Scandinavian flick” as it’s also known—is another common technique in modern rallying.

One of the interesting things about the DirtFish program is that they took the time to teach both these techniques, then explained why they aren’t used that much anymore. The truth is, the instructors noted, proper rally technique is much more closely aligned to correct road racing than ever before. Rather than pitch the car sideways by using weight transfer, the pendulum or the handbrake, rally cars approach turns in a much more controlled, linear fashion. Trail braking, a technique common to track driving, is now accepted practice for leading drivers such as Loeb. (In fact, take some time to watch the seven-time world champion drive and you’ll see that his angle of attack in corners is very rarely as sideways as someone like McRae.) The other fantastic aspect of the DirtFish Rally School is that they not only teach all the rally driving techniques, they present them like a toolkit for going as quickly as you dare—they allow students to choose from the list of techniques and see how things turn out. By the end of the final day, this approach paid huge dividends as we took to a long course that included some very narrow trails surrounded by some very solid objects. To make matters more challenging, we left the stock STI behind and were finishing the program from behind the wheel of the Group N Subaru, a full-spec rally car with significant acceleration, a dog box transmission and a trick handbrake. This is another way in which DirtFish separates itself from other performance driving schools: Where else would you get to push an honest-to-goodness racer worth about $100,000 through a bog, around trees and over water crossings?

For the true rally fan, the DirtFish Rally School will be the best vacation of your life. For more information, visit www.dirtfish.com.

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We've got the pl ace t o r a c e 2011 ScheduleS

DATE

EVENT

DATE

EVENT

April 22-23

Spring Fling

LOCATION Shannonville

May 14

School #1

April 23-24

Race School

Shannonville

May 14

School #1 Cont’d

May 7-8

Spring Trophy Races

June 4

Event #1

Mosport DDT

May 28

Shannonville Shootout Shannonville

June 5

Event #2

Mosport DDT

June 18

Event #3

SMP - Nelson

June 19

Event #4

SMP - Pro

July 9

School #2

Mosport

July 10

Event #5

Mosport

Aug. 26 Lapping

Mosport

Aug. 27 Event #6

Mosport

Aug. 28 Event #7

Mosport

June 25-26 Race School

Mosport

Shannonville

July 2

Canada Day Grand Prix Mosport

July 16-17

Trillium Trophy Races Shannonville

Aug 6-7

Canadian Touring Trophy Races Mosport

Sept. 3-4

Labour Day Grand Prix Mosport

Indian Summer Trophy Races Sept. 17-18 Mosport Oct 1-2

LOCATION Mosport DDT

DATE

EVENT

April 30

School Day 1 Brampton, ON (Powerade Centre)

May 1

School Day 2 Brampton, ON (Powerade Centre)

May 7

Event #1 Mosport, ON (DDT)

May 28

Event #2 Picton, ON (Airport)

May 29

Event #3 Picton, ON (Airport)

June 12

Event #4 Barrie, ON (Molson Centre

July 17

Event #5 Peterborough, ON (Kawartha Downs

Aug. 7

Event #6 Brampton, ON (Powerade Centre)

Sept. 18

Event #7 Barrie, ON (Molson Centre)

Mosport DDT

Sept. 10

Event #8

SMP Fabi

Sept. 11

Event #9

SMP Long Track

Celebration of Motorsport Mosport

LOCATION

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DOUBLE DUTY Antoine L’Estage Is Gunning For Another Sweep of North America’s Rally Championships STORY: LEE BAILIE // PHOTOS BY: WORLD RALLY SPORT

A

ntoine L’Estage was king of the rally scene in North America in 2010, with championship seasons in both Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) and Rally America and with the way things are going so far in 2011, he might ‘do the double’ for a second consecutive year. The Ste-Jean-surRichelieu, Quebec native started the year off strong with in the CRC season opener with a dominating win in the Rally Perce Neige in February. With the next CRC event not until late May, L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard headed south to compete in Rally America. After missing the opening round in Michigan, L’Estage and Richard won the next event in Missouri and prepared for next two rounds in short succession in the American Pacific Northwest.

At the first stop, the Olympus Rally in Ocean Shores, Washington, L’Estage and fellow Canadian Rally legend Pat Richard took two of the three podium positions. The event became somewhat overshadowed by tragedy (sidebar), when Matthew Harker crashed during the 6th stage and later died from his injuries. One of L’Estage’s key rivals in the championship, Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins, was declared the winner with co-driver Craig Drew, finishing Stage 6 with a 15 second lead over L’Estage and Nathalie Richard. Squamish, British Columbia’s Richard completed the overall podium with his new co-driver, Leanne Junnila. The scene then shifted south, where L’Estage and Higgins battled it out in the Oregon Trail Rally. This time around, Higgins finished 3 minutes 26.9 seconds ahead of L’Estage and won ten of the fifteen stages. It was a tight battle, but the Mitsubishi Rockstar crew of L’Estage and co-driver Richard suffered three tire punctures in a row on day two, which cost them the chance to keep pace with Higgins. With his second win in a row, Higgins assumed the overall Championship from Travis Hanson, who has lead the points race

since the opening round in Michigan. The Oregon Trail Rally began with spectator stages held at the Portland International Raceway before moving to the scenic farmlands in and around The Dalles and Dufur for days two and three. Oregon Trail began as a dry and dusty rally, but was consumed by heavy rains and thunderstorms during the middle of day two. The inclement weather forced event organizers to cancel the last two stages of day two and shorten some of day three’s stages. In addition to the changing weather and road conditions, attrition quickly set in for several teams including Richard and co-driver Junnila. Richard was forced to retire on Stage 8 due to persisting fuel pump problems. Another notable retirement was Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and co-driver Marshall Clarke, who were in third overall before Saturday’s stages before crashing out on Stage 6. With the next round of the CRC (Rocky Mountain Rally, May 26-27) coming up right before the second to last Rally America round of the season (Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, June 3-4), L’Estage and Richard could end up leading both championships – extending their lead in the CRC – by the second week of June. If that happens, they could be well on their way to completing another double.

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TRAGEDY STRIKES OLYMPUS RALLY On Saturday, April 30, tragedy struck the close knit rally racing community during the Olympus Rally based in Ocean Shores, Washington. Driver Matthew Marker, a 31 year-old native of Elk Rapids, Michigan did not survive injuries sustained in a racing accident.

Marker was in his fifth year of participating in the Rally America National Championship and was a popular driver among his peers. Marker was known to have ambitions of improving his Championship standings and taking part in building the sport’s popularity. Matthew Marker’s co-driver, Christopher Gordon of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was not seriously injured in the accident.The crash occurred when Marker’s car went off the road on a right turn, during the 6th competitive stage of the event, impacting a tree with the driver’s side of the car. Medical personnel responded to the scene quickly, but could not resuscitate Marker. The sport of rally in North America has not had a competitorrelated fatality since 2003. RallyCar Managing Director, J.B. Niday, knew Marker well describing him as, “a generous, loveable personality that wouldn’t think twice about offering parts to other drivers. He loved the sport and was a unique character from the first day he showed up at the Sno*Drift Rally four years ago.”

Team 600 co-driver Jake Blattner was close to Marker and remembers him as “a very passionate, energetic, hip gear-head that used to turn up with glowing neon lights under his car on the night stages, which the fans loved.” Like everyone in the sport, Blattner is shaken but remains convinced that the organization does everything it can to keep competitors safe.

Blattner said, “It’s a dangerous sport but that’s what sets it apart. It’s you against the open road and the clock.” Olympus Rally organizers and RallyCar officials decided to conclude the Rally American National Championship event at the end of Special Stage 6 and will award points based on those finishing times. The coinciding MaxAttack! 2-Wheel-Drive Series also concluded their event out of respect to the deceased and his family and friends.

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A NEW ERA

The Revamped 2011 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Kicked Off its Season at Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest

BY LEE BAILIE // PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASTROL CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

A

as backdrop, the series kicked off its new season at Mosport’s Victoria Day SpeedFest in late May. Drivers were anxious to get on the track after a long winter and they were ready for some action, but some were sadly disappointed as mechanical problems prevented them from competing on the first weekend. Fastco Motorsports drivers Glenn and Lee Chaplin experienced transmission problems and had to return home before the weekend even started.

The Pfaff Automotive Partners’ Audi A5 suffered from a terminal engine problem but the team promised to regroup for the next event. Ryan Blanchet was convinced that he was not going to be able to race due to a problem with the chassis but his team worked hard and managed to get him back on track for Round One. Qualifying occurred on the Saturday on a green track under clear conditions. Etienne Borgeat showed the way in Super Class in his Pontiac Solstice. His extensive preseason testing helped to establish him as a front contender. Arek Wojciechowski was second fastest in his BMW 328i and Dean Fantin was third in his BMW 330i. All three were separated by less than one half second. Gary Kwok was fastest in Touring Class in his Honda Civic followed by P.J. Groenke in his VW GTI and Michel Sallenbach in his Mini Cooper S.

FOR THE FIRST TIME THE SERIES WILL RACE ON CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE IN MONTREAL AS PART OF THE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES WEEKEND.” PHOTOGRAPHY BY RADU REPANOVICI / RACINGINFOCUS

fter pedaling along and evolving slowly over the first four years of its existence, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship is kicking it up a notch in 2011.

In addition to the things that always change year over year, such as team and driver combinations, the series made a big splash at the Canadian Motorsport Expo in January when it debuted its new branding and introduced Continental Tire as its new spec tire supplier. The changes continue with the schedule where the Series will keep its prime dates such as the Honda Indy Toronto and the Grand Prix of Mosport, but it announced a big addition in early May. For the first time the series will race on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal as part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series weekend, August 19-20.

“We are very happy to have concluded this partnership with Stock-Car Montréal. The Event Promoter François Dumontier, his team and the thousands of expected spectators will also be greatly impressed by our drivers. We are looking forward to offering our fans outstanding performances that will meet the Circuit’s historical expectations,” John Bondar, President of CTCC said after the deal was announced in early May. With all of these new developments serving

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PhotograPhy by radu rePanovici / racinginFocus

ROUND ONE A light rain began to fall as the grid formed for the first race of the season.

At the green flag, Richard Boake led into corner one while the field searched for grip with their slick tires. Conditions got worse and Arek Wojciechowski pressured Boake into sliding of the track for a moment despite his all-wheel drive Subaru. Both Luc Lesage in his Scion tC, Bob Attrell in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Alex Healy in his Acura RSX got caught out in the conditions and slid into the tires. A full course caution was required to retrieve them. The sun came out as the checkered flag was waved and Gary Kwok in his Honda Civic won in Touring Class over his brother Tom in his Honda Civic and Michel Sallenbach in his Mini Cooper S. Richard Boake won in Super Class with his Subaru Sti followed by Arek Wojciechowski in his BMW 328i and Dean Fantin in his BMW 330i.

ROUND TWO The Pfaff VW Jetta pacecar led the field to the green flag under sunny and clear conditions. Richard Boake was first into corner one followed by Arek Wojciechowski and Dean Fantin. The pace was about 15 seconds faster than Saturday due to the dry track. Gary Kwok maintained his dominance over the balance of the Touring Class competitors. Alex Healy and Bob Attrell moved up from the back of the field to finish in fifth and sixth respectively in Super Class. Luc Lesage came from behind also to finish sixth in Touring Class. At the checkered flag it was Richard Boake in his Subaru Sti winning in Super Class with Arek Wojciechowski in his BMW 328i second and Etienne Borgeat third in his Pontiac Solstice. Gary Kwok won Touring Class in his Honda Civic followed by his brother Tom and P.J. Groenke in his VW GTI. The final results are pending due to a technical review.

Next up for the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire is the Grand Prix of Mirabel at Circuit ICAR, June 3-5.

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SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE PACKAGES FOR AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIASTS At Pfaff Tuning, we have a passion for high performance cars and provide exclusive customization services for the most discerning luxury performance automotive enthusiast, specializing in all premium German brands. … And our passion extends to the track. This year Jeff Pabst will return to the track racing for the Pfaff Castrol team in the upcoming 2011 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship.

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GETTING

INVOLVED Becoming a Part of CASC-OR Events is Easier Than You Think

BY CRAIG FRISKEN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASC-OR

I

think it’s fair to assume that the reason you’re reading PRN right now because you like racing. There are many forms of motorsport and in the last issue of PRN we talked about open-wheel racing. This time around, we’re going to take a closer look at closed-wheel racing. However, before we get started we need to look at the small army of volunteers and participants that keep the wheels rolling in racing.

So my question to you is much do you want it? If you knew you could get closer to the action, would you? What if I told you that most volunteers don’t have to have any special skills or that your participation usually includes a ‘trackside’ pass, parking, camping, lunches and usually a Saturday night dinner? Did I mention being able to get ‘hands-on’ with the race cars, race bikes or the chance to rub elbows with your favourite driver, rider or team?

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In most cases, getting started is as simple as contacting the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs www.casc.on.ca office in Toronto. Deb Johnston works as the Office Administrator for CASC. She fields most of the calls and is usually the first contact for anything racing related in Ontario. How bad does Deb have it? Well, she is also a volunteer Track Marshal on weekends at tracks like Mosport International Raceway, Shannonville Motorsport Park, the Honda Indy Toronto and the ice races in Minden, Ontario.

Deb’s first exposure to motorsports came through competing in auto slalom.

Here she relates how that experience eventually led to her becoming a qualifying marshal and answers a few common questions about getting involved in racing as a volunteer.

“In 1985, I got interested in doing auto slalom at the club level. I had been interested in doing some volunteer work with what used to be called Solo 1. I also used to assist with timing back in the early 90’s. I suddenly found out about something called road racing and that sounded really neat. In 2001, a friend suggested I get in touch

with my local marshalling club and find out about marshalling at the race track. I took my Marshal school in April (it was freezing cold) and at the end of that I became a Qualifying Marshal.”

WHAT’S A QUALIFYING MARSHAL? “A person who wants to start marshalling needs to receive some instruction before they are allowed to go ‘trackside’ to work as a track worker.

You need to reach a certain level of proficiency before you’re allowed to work alone. The qualifying process is an individual thing depending on your abilities and how comfortable you are at the race track. Once you have completed your initial training you continue to work at the track under the supervision of senior marshals. When they feel you are qualified, you proceed on your own and are considered a qualified marshal.”

IS THERE ANY TYPE OF FIRE TRAINING? “Yes, one of the things you get to do is put out fires, which is something you may need to do if you respond to a vehicle at the race track. For training,

a small fire is set up in a controlled environment where the training staff are told how to use the fire extinguisher, how to hold the bottle and how to use the chemical on the fire in order to put it out. There is additional training available if you want to work at a higher level at a high speed professional event where you might be exposed to alcohol or methanol fires as opposed to a gasoline type of fire. You are also trained in not only a dry chemical extinguisher but a water extinguisher as well.”

WHAT OTHER KINDS OF VOLUNTEER POSITIONS ARE THERE? “There is a range of things you can do starting with Registration. We have Scrutineers who look after the technical inspection of the vehicles to make sure they meet (safety) specifications before they go on the race track. There are people who participate in Timing and Scoring which is a very important part of the competition itself.

We have people that work in the pit lane who look after cars that come in off the track. We have grid marshals who look after getting cars out on to the track.”

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GETTING INVOLVED “There are people who work in Race Control like the clerks. We have stewards who are the only persons that can issue penalties to drivers that committed any sort of infraction (of the rules) on the race track. There are volunteers in auxiliary support services including clean-up crews, the people who respond to incidents on track as well as the tow truck drivers. We have race rescue people who have medical training. We have judges of fact and starters that work on the start bridge. Everybody that works at the track on a regional CASC race weekend is a volunteer.”

GT RACE CARS ARE MOSTLY LIKE THE CARS YOU SEE ON THE STREET, BUT WITH SOME RACING MODIFICATIONS.”

WHY DO YOU LIKE VOLUNTEERING? “When I go away at winter time I think I’m fine. I think that the bug is not going to bite back at me again but the next time I go to the race track and I’m standing on the Corner and all I can think of is ‘I’m back’! It’s like an addiction. There’s just something about watching the cars go by and watching the skills and actions of the drivers. It’s hard to explain.”

Volunteers perform many duties at CASC-OR events, including accident clean up.

Vintage race cars have to be ‘period correct’, which means they must be raced with original equipment.

Okay, so what if being a volunteer and having the ‘second best seat in the house’ isn’t enough? Are you tired of playing video games? How bad do you have the need for speed? How about some real ‘seat time’ in a race-prepared car? If an open-wheel type of race car isn’t your cup of tea then maybe you might consider racing one with bumpers and fenders!

Closed-wheel road racing in Ontario is composed of four divisions; GT Challenge, GT Sprints, G70 and Vintage/Historics. Grand Touring (GT) cars are mostly what you see on the street everyday with racing modifications and they run in a ‘bracket’ format which depends on your lap times. GT Challenge is more of an endurance series and usually involves more than one driver per vehicle. GT Sprints are shorter races but the racing is just as intense with many races within races throughout the entire field.

The GT series allow almost any modifications you can come up with. If you want to drop a 5L engine in your late model Japanese compact, go right ahead!

Just remember that you will now be racing against cars that are running similar lap times as you are.

Vintage/Historic race cars on the other hand need to be ‘period correct’. In other words, if your vintage car originally came equipped with skinny bias ply tires, drum brakes and leaf spring suspension, that’s how the vehicle must be raced. G70 cars generally aren’t as old as the Vintage vehicles but the rules allow for some modifications.

Whether you buy an existing race car that someone is selling or you build your own car, there is a place waiting for you in Ontario Region road racing. With competitive racing, great people and some of the best race tracks in the world, it’s the best kept secret around! So my question to you is how much do you want it?

We teach awareness , pre in touch with your rac cision and to be ing environment.

Once mastered, the technique of speed comes quite easily.

Spee the rewards of profou d and safety are nd awareness of your environment.

TRACK DAYS

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ADVERTISING INDEX A Formula 1 Driving School......................................29 Amsoil .........................................................................53 Auto Meter Competition Instruments...................91 BMW ..................................................................... 11, 31 Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving .................................33 Bridgestone ...............................................................15 Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region ............................................87 Castrol Ltd. ......................................................... 26, 27 Dash Command ........................................................52 Edmonton Indy ..........................................................71 Energy .........................................................................57 5 Gloves ............................................................... 39, 49 Grand Prix Kartways ................................................97 Graphiti .......................................................................67 Honda Performance Development ......................... 7 International Automotive & Custom ....................82 Jim Russell Racing School .....................................63

Lucas Oil Products Inc. ............................................13 Lumens High Performance Lighting ....................73 Metra Electronics .....................................................41 Mosport International Raceway ............................47 Perry Auto Laval ........................................................96 Pfaff Tuning ...............................................................93 Shell Canada Ltd. ........................................................ 9 Sony Canada Ltd. .....................................................65 Snap-on Tools ...........................................................77 Sparco .......................................................................... 6 SPEED .........................................................................45 Stop Tech ...................................................................17 Toronto Motorsports Park ......................................83 Toyo Tire Canada Inc. ................................................. 3 TW Steel.....................................................................100 Valvoline Canada ........................................................ 2 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. ...................................... 4 Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. .................................99

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11-05-25 2:03 PM

PRESENTS THE 2011

www.yokohama.ca » FIA Formula 1 World Championship 27-Mar Australia - Sebastian Vettel 10-Apr Malaysia - Sebastian Vettel 17-Apr China - Lewis Hamilton 8-May Turkey - Sebastian Vettel 22-May Spain - Sebastian Vettel 29-May Monaco 12-Jun Canada 26-Jun Europe 10-Jul Britain 24-Jul Germany 31-Jul Hungary 28-Aug Belgium 11-Sep Italy 25-Sep Singapore 9-Oct Japan 16-Oct Korea 30-Oct India 13-Nov Abu Dhabi 27-Nov Brazil

MOTORSPORT CALENDAR

Lawson Aschenbach (TC) race 2 - Patrick Long (GT), Eric Foss (GTS), Tristan Herbert (TC) 17-Apr Streets of Long Beach - Brandon Davis (GT), Paul Brown (GTS), Shea Holbrook (TC) 30-Apr Miller Motorsports Park - Jason Daskalos (GT), Jordon Musser (GTS), Aaron Povoledo (TC) 22-May Mosport International Raceway (two rounds) - race 1 - Mike Skeen (GT), Ben Crosland (GTS), Lawson Aschenbach (TC) race 2 - Mike Skeen (GT), Paul Brown (GTS), Lawson Aschenbach (TC) 8-Aug Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (two rounds) 28-Aug Infineon Raceway (two rounds) 18-Sep Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 1-Oct Road Atlanta

14-Oct 5-Nov 12-Nov 19-Nov

Charlotte Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway Phoenix International Raceway Homestead-Miami Speedway

» NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 18-Feb Daytona International Speedway - Michael Waltrip 25-Feb Phoenix International Raceway - Kyle Busch 12-Mar Darlington Raceway - Kasey Kahne 2-Apr Martinsville Speedway - Johnny Sauter 22-Apr Nashville Superspeedway - Kyle Busch 13-May Dover International Speedway - Kyle Busch 20-May Charlotte Motor Speedway - Kyle Busch 4-Jun Kansas Speedway 10-Jun Texas Motor Speedway 7-Jul Kentucky Speedway » Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship 22-May Mosport International Raceway - Richard Boake (ST), 16-Jul Iowa Speedway 22-Jul Nashville Superspeedway (race 1 and 2); Gary Kwok, (T), (race 1 and 2) 29-Jul Indianapolis Motor Speedway 5-Jun Curcuit ICAR - Mirabel 6-Aug Pocono Raceway 26-Jun Mosport International Raceway 20-Aug Michigan International Speedway 10-Jul Streets of Toronto 24-Aug Bristol Motor Speedway 24-Jul Mosport International Raceway » IZOD IndyCar Series 2-Sep Atlanta Motor Speedway 7-Aug Circuit de Trois Rivieres 27-Mar Streets of St. Petersburg - Dario Franchitti 16-Sep Chicagoland Speedway 11-Sep Circuit ICAR - Mirabel 10-Apr Barber Motorsports Park - Will Power 24-Sep New Hampshire International Speedway 17-Apr Streets of Long Beach - Mike Conway 1-Oct Kentucky Speedway » NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2-May Streets of Sao Paulo - Will Power 15-Oct Las Vegas Motor Speedway 12-Feb Daytona International Speedway - Kurt Busch 29-May Indianapolis Motor Speedway 22-Oct Talladega Superspeedway 17-Feb Daytona International Speedway - Kurt Busch 11-Jun Texas Motor Speedway (two races) 29-Oct Martinsville Speedway 17-Feb Daytona International Speedway - Jeff Burton 19-Jun The Milwaukee Mile 4-Nov Texas Motor Speedway 20-Feb Daytona International Speedway - Trevor Bayne 25-Jun Iowa Speedway 18-Nov Homestead-Miami Raceway 27-Feb Phoenix International Raceway - Jeff Gordon 10-Jul Streets of Toronto 6-Mar Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Carl Edwards 24-Jul Edmonton City Centre Airport » NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 20-Mar Bristol Motor Speedway - Kyle Busch 7-Aug Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 28-May Mosport Speedway 27-Mar Auto Club Speedway - Kevin Harvick 14-Aug New Hampshire Motor Speedway 5-Jun Circuit ICAR 3-Apr Martinsville Speedway - Kevin Harvick 28-Aug Infineon Raceway 11-Jun Delaware Speedway 9-Apr Texas Motor Speedway - Matt Kensith 4-Sep Streets of Baltimore 26-Jun Mosport International Raceway 17-Apr Talladega Superspeedway - Jimmie Johnson 18-Sep Twin Ring Motegi 9-Jul Streets of Toronto 30-Apr Richmond International Raceway - Kyle Busch 2-Oct Kentucky Speedway 23-Jul Motoplex Speedway 7-May Darlington Raceway - Regan Smith 16-Oct Las Vegas Motor Speedway 27-Jul Auto Clearing Motor Speedway 15-May Dover International Raceway - Matt Kenseth 7-Aug Circuit de Trois-Rivieres 21-May Charlotte Motor Speedway - David Ragan » Firestone Indy Lights 20-Aug Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 21-May Charlotte Motor Speedway - Carl Edwards 27-Mar Streets of St. Petersburg - Josef Newgarden 10-Sep Barrie Speedway 29-May Charlotte Motor Speedway 10-Apr Barber Motorsports Park - Victor Garcia 17-Sep Riverside International Speedway 5-Jun Kansas Speedway 17-Apr Streets of Long Beach - Conor Daly 24-Sep Kawartha Speedway 12-Jun Pocono Raceway 27-May Indianapolis Motor Speedway 19-Jun Michigan International Speedway 19-Jun The Milwaukee Mile » NHRA Full Throttle Series 26-Jun Infineon Raceway 25-Jun Iowa Speedway 27-Feb Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals 2-Jul Daytona International Speedway 10-Jul Streets of Toronto - Morgan Lucas (TF), Robert Hight (FC) 9-Jul Kentucky Speedway 23-Jul Edmonton City Centre Airport 13-Mar Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals - Del Worsham (TF), 17-Jul New Hampshire Motor Speedway 7-Aug Streets of Trois Rivieres Mike Neff (FC) 31-Jul Indianapolis Motor Speedway 14-Aug New Hampshire Motor Speedway 3-Apr SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals - Antron Brown 7-Aug Pocono Raceway 4-Sep Streets of Baltimore (TF), Robert Hight (FC) 14-Aug Watkins Glen International 2-Oct Kentucky Speedway 17-Apr NHRA 4-Wide Nationals - Del Worsham (TF), Jack 21-Aug Michigan International Speedway 16-Oct Las Vegas Motor Speedway Beckman (FC) 27-Aug Bristol Motor Speedway 1-May O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals - Del 4-Sep Atlanta Motor Speedway » Star Mazda Championship Worsham (TF), Jeff Arend (FC) 10-Sep Richmond International Raceway 27-Mar Streets of St. Petersburg - Connor De Phillippi 15-May Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals 18-Sep Chicagoland Speedway 10-Apr Barber Motorsports Park - Tristan Vautier Antron Brown (TF), Jack Beckman (FC) 25-Sep New Hampshire Motor Speedway 28-May O’Reilly Raceway Park 22-May NHRA Summer Nationals - Spencer Massey (TF), 2-Oct Dover International Raceway 19-Jun The Milwaukee Mile Robert Hight (FC) 9-Oct Kansas Speedway 25-Jun Iowa Speedway 5-Jun NHRA SuperNationals 15-Oct Charlotte Motor Speedway 23-Jul Mosport International Raceway 19-Jun NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals 23-Oct Talladega Superspeedway 6-Aug Circuit de Trois-Rivieres 26-Jun Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals 30-Oct Martinsville Speedway 7-Aug Circuit de Trois-Rivieres 10-Jul O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals 6-Nov Texas Motor Speedway 28-Aug Infineon Raceway 24-Jul Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals 13-Nov Phoenix International Raceway 4-Sep Streets of Baltimore 31-Jul Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals 20-Nov Homestead-Miami Speedway 17-Sep Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 7-Aug O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals 21-Aug Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals » NASCAR Nationwide Series » American Le Mans Series 5-Sep Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil 19-Feb Daytona International Speedway - Tony Stewart 19-Mar Sebring International Raceway - Lapierre/Duval/ 18-Sep O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals 26-Feb Phoenix International Raceway - Kyle Busch Panis 25-Sep AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals 5-Mar Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Mark Martin 16-Apr Streets of Long Beach - Graf/Luhr 2-Oct NHRA Keystone Nationals 19-Mar Bristol Motor Speedway - Kyle Busch 9-Jul Lime Rock Park 16-Oct NHRA Arizona Nationals 26-Mar Auto Club Speedway - Kyle Busch 24-Jul Mosport International Raceway 30-Oct NHRA Las Vegas Nationals 8-Apr Texas Motor Speedway - Carl Edwards 6-Aug Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 13-Nov Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals 16-Apr Talladega Superspeedway - Kyle Busch 21-Aug Road America 23-Apr Nashville Superspeedway - Carl Edwards 3-Sep Streets of Baltimore » IHRA Nitro Jam 29-Apr Richmond International Raceway - Denny Hamlin 17-Sep Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 29-Jan Palm Beach International Raceway - Bobby Lagana, 6-May Darlington Raceway - Kyle Busch 1-Oct Road Atlanta Jr. (TF) 14-May Dover International Speedway - Carl Edwards 20-Feb State Capital Raceway - Bobby Lagana, Jr. (TF) 22-May Iowa Speedway - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. » Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series 26-Mar Southwestern International Dragway - Bobby Lagana, 28-May Charlotte Motor Speedway 27-Jan Daytona International Speedway - Pruett/Rojas/ Jr. (TF) 4-Jun Chicagoland Speedway Hand/Rahal 2-Apr San Antonio Raceway - Bobby Lagana, Jr. (TF) 18-Jun Michigan International Speedway 4-Mar Homestead-Miami Speedway - Pruett/Rojas 21-May Pittsburgh Raceway Park - Michael Manners (TF) 25-Jun Road America 9-Apr Barber Motorsports Park - Pruett/Rojas 18-Jun Rocky Mountain Raceways 14-May Virginia International Raceway - Barbosa/Borcheller/ 1-Jul Daytona International Speedway 26-Jun Castrol Raceway 8-Jul Kentucky Speedway France 17-Jul Grand Bend Motorplex 16-Jul New Hampshire Motor S peedway 29-May Lime Rock Park 13-Aug U.S. 131 Motorsports Park 23-Jul Nashville Superspeedway 3-Jun Watkins Glen International 31-Jul Indianapolis Motor Speedway 25-Jun Road America » FIA World Rally Championship 6-Aug Iowa Speedway 8-Jul Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 13-Feb Rally Sweden - Mikko Hirvonen 13-Aug Watkins Glen International 23-Jul New Jersey Motorsports Park 6-Mar Rally Guanajuato Mexico - Sebastien Loeb 20-Aug Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 12-Aug Watkins Glen International 27-Mar Vodafone Rally de Portugal - Sébastien Ogier 26-Aug Bristol Motor Speedway 19-Aug Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 16-Apr Jordan Rally - Sébastien Ogier 3-Sep Atlanta Motor Speedway 16-Sep Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 8-May Rally d’Italia Sardegna - Sebastien Loeb 9-Sep Richmond International Raceway 29-May Rally Argentina 17-Sep Chicagoland Speedway » Pirelli World Challenge 19-Jun Acropolis Rally of Greece 1-Oct Dover International Speedway 27-Mar Streets of St. Petersburg (two rounds) - race 1 31-Jul Neste Oil Rally Finland 8-Oct Kansas Speedway Patrick Long (GT), Jason von Kluge (GTS),

98 | WWW.PRNMAG.COM

21-Aug 11-Sep 2-Oct 23-Oct 13-Nov

ADAC Rallye Deutschland Rally Australia Rallye de France RACC Rally de Espana Wales Rally GB

» Intercontinental Rally Challenge 22-Jan Rallye Monte-Carlo - Bryan Bouffier 16-Apr Rally Islas Canarias Trofeo El Corte Ingles - Juho Hänninen 14-May Tour de Corse E. Leclerc - Thierry Neuville 4-Jun Prime Yalta Rally 25-Jun Geko Ypres Rally 16-Jul Sata Rally Acores 6-Aug Rali Vinho Madeira 28-Aug Barum Czech Rally Zlín 11-Sep Mecsek Rallye 24-Sep Rallye Sanremo 16-Oct RACMSA Rally of Scotland 5-Nov Cyprus Rally » Canadian Rally Championship 5-Feb Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki - Antoine L’Estage 27-May Rocky Mountain Rally 2-Jul Rallye Baie des Chaleurs 10-Sep Rallye DEFI 1-Oct Pacific Forest Rally 26-Nov Rally of the Tall Pines » FIM MotoGP 20-Mar Qatar - Casey Stoner 3-Apr Spain - Jorge Lorenzo 1-May Portugal - Dani Pedrosa 15-May France - Casey Stoner 5-Jun Catalan 12-Jun Great Britain 25-Jun Netherlands 3-Jul Italy 17-Jul Germany 24-Jul United States 14-Aug Czech Republic 28-Aug Indianapolis 4-Sep San Marino 18-Sep Aragon 2-Oct Japan 16-Oct Australia 23-Oct Malaysia 6-Nov Valencia » FIM World Superbike Championship 27-Feb Australia - Carlos Checa (race 1 and 2) 27-Mar Europe (Donington Park) - Marco Melandri (race 1) and Carlos Checa (race 2) 17-Apr Netherlands - Jonathan Rea (race 1) and Carlos Checa (race 2) 8-May Italy - Eugene Laverty (race 1 and 2) 30-May United States 12-Jun San Marino 19-Jun Spain 10-Jul Czech Republic 31-Jul Great Britain 4-Sep Germany 25-Sep Italy 2-Oct France 16-Oct Portugal » AMA American Superbike 12-Mar Daytona International Speedway - Blake Young (race 1 and 2) 15-May Infineon Raceway - Josh Hayes (race 1), Tommy Hayden (race 2) 29-May Miller Motorsports Park 5-Jun Road America 10-Jul Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 24-Jul Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 14-Aug Virginia International Raceway 4-Sep New Jersey Motorsports Park » AMA Daytona SportBike 12-Mar Daytona International Speedway - Jason DiSalvo 15-May Infineon Raceway - Jason DiSalvo (race 1 and 2) 30-May Miller Motorsports Park 5-Jun Road America 10-Jul Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 24-Jul Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 14-Aug Virginia International Raceway 4-Sep New Jersey Motorsports Park » Parts Canada Superbike Championship 29-May ICAR - Mirabel 3-Jul Shannonville Motorsports Park 10-Jul Autodrome St. Eustache 7-Aug Atlantic Motorsport Park 21-Aug Mosport International Raceway 21-Aug Mosport International Raceway

RED HEADER DENOTES CANADIAN SERIES

Photo by Ste Ho www.shutterlit.com

There are two kinds of drivers. The ones who know what it takes to get the best performance out of their vehicles. And the ones who pull into the slow lane to make room for them as they go by. The revolutionary S.drive high performance tire. It puts you firmly in control, with a breakthrough microflexible compound, developed using Yokohama’s proprietary Nanotechnology. A forward-looking tread design engineered to take any twist or turn life throws at you. And the breeding of a true competitor, born of a legacy of Yokohama wins on the racing circuit.

You’ve either got a set – or they’re probably passing you.

www.Yokohama.ca

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