by Jay | Jan 1, 2010 | NASCAR, New England
(Rangeley, ME) The 11th Annual Busch Sport Scene Snowmobile Ride for Charity will take place on Saturday, February 6th, at the Club House Restaurant in Rangeley, Maine. There will be many New England based race car drivers and team members joining the ride again this year, including PASS, ACT and local track racers. The ride is open to everyone: teams, fans and all, so make your plans to ride with the best racers in the northeast!
The day will start with an optional 10:30AM drivers meeting at the Club House – which was formerly the People’s Choice (for those of you that attended in the past). Ride credentials can be purchased for $20 at the Club House starting at 9AM. You can ride with the 11AM group or ride with your own group at any time during the day. You can even purchase more than one ride credential, allowing better odds of holding the winning hand!
The $20 ride credential also gets you admission into the full night of entertainment at the Club House that evening. There will be dinner specials and drink specials exclusively for those with a ride credential. The proceeds from the ride will all go to several great charities including the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Maine Special Olympics, Travis Roy Foundation, Rangeley Snowmobile Club and Busch Sport Scene Scholarship.
What is a poker run anyway? Once you get a ride credential, you ride to five separate check points, getting your credential stamped at each checkpoint. At the end of the ride, you get one card dealt for each stamp on your card. The person with the best five card poker hand will be the winner! For example, if the five cards you drew were two jacks, two aces and a two of hearts, that would be your hand for the event. The winner will be awarded a full prize package that will include some great snowmobile gear, gift certificates and more. There will be prizes for second and third best hand as well.
The ride by snowmachine can be as quick as less than two hours or as long as you like if you take longer trail routes. Poker Run stops will be announced soon. Participants will meet back at the Club House at 6 PM. The cards will be dealt to see who has the best hand, which is announced at 7 PM.
“The event is held rain or shine, snow or not. Many of the participants at the event don’t even ride snowmachines,” event organizer and Busch Sport Scene Publisher George Campbell said. “If anyone is concerned about the weather, or does not ride snowmobiles, each check point is accessible by car as well as snowmachine, making it possible for those that do not ride snowmobiles to participate equally.”
Much of the fun takes place inside the Club House during the evening festivities, which are capped of by a comedy show featuring nationally known comedians Eddie Hurst and Freddie Stone.
There will be 100’s of raffle prizes and great auction items at the event. Some of the auction items will include great sports items including race tickets and signed memorabilia. Some of the items in past auctions include an NFL football signed by Teddy Bruschi as well as several Red Sox signed items Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia and Jonathan Papelbon. Signed NASCAR items have included Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex items.
Steve Perry, host of the popular Mainely Motorsports television show, will be at the annual event with his crew riding & taping for a future episode. Mainely Motorsports airs on Time Warner Cable channels weekly through out northern New England.
“This is the eleventh year I have been involved in this event,” Campbell said. “We should top $100,000 raised over those years. We have some great plans for this year’s event, including several specials guests and many terrific auction items. If you are a race fan or a sports fan, you do not want to miss this year’s event. Even if your not, it will be a great time for everyone and all the proceeds go directly to some great charities.”
Credentials for the event can be purchased for $10 in advance either at the Club House, the Rangeley Chamber or from Busch Sport Scene, after January 15th. The tickets will be $15 the day of the event. Busch Sport Scene is a New England based sports magazine. Current Busch Sport Scene subscribers will receive a $5 discount on the day of the event, as will NASCAR, PASS & ACT team members that present their licenses.
For room availability or directions, you can call the Rangeley Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-MT-LAKES. For more details, or to become a part of the event or make a donation, please email at [email protected] or call Busch Sport Scene at 1-207-224-2060. There will also be news on the www.neracing.com website.
by Jay | Dec 27, 2009 | ACT, New England
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) Tiger Sportsman division will compete in a mini-series in 2010. The popular Limited Late Model division will have a new tire by Goodyear, an expansion division at the beautiful White Mountain Motorsport Park (WMMP), and a four event Tour at four different race venues.
The opening event will be held on Saturday, June 5 at the White Mountain Motorsport Park ¼ mile oval in Woodstock, New Hampshire. White Mountain was one of the original tracks that helped start the ACT Late Model division touring back in 1998. That series has been going back to WMMP ever since. “We have adopted the ACT Sportsman rules for 2010 at WMMP, and with the large number of these cars at Thunder Road, we are hoping to show our race teams and fans how much fun this division can be for weekly racing,” said Donnie Avery, owner of the family run granite state facility.
The home of the Tiger Sportsman since 1964, Thunder Road in Barre, VT will host the second event on Thursday, July 1. The Tiger Sportsman division generally has between 40-45 teams that compete on a weekly basis at Thunder Road. One of the highlights for the division each season has been the 100 lap events. Brendan Moodie, a veteran of the division, said, “I think it’s great that we have this Tiger ‘mini-series’ for our division. Going to different tracks is not only fun but it presents a great learning experience. We really have to do some homework to find set-ups, and now with three other tracks participating, it will be a level playing field for all the teams.”
On Saturday, August 21, the Tour will make a return visit to Canaan Speedway in Canaan, New Hampshire. Sportsman teams from New York and Vermont converged on the smooth 1/3 mile track a year ago. Canaan management asked ACT for a Tiger Series return engagement in 2010. Teams all felt Canaan was the ‘perfect Tiger track’. Several years ago, the ACT Tiger teams visited Canaan on four occasions and had four different winners.
The Tiger Sportsman Tour will close the season at the Riverside Speedway in Groveton, NH on Saturday, October 9. This has been a favorite for many of the ACT Tiger Sportsman teams over the past few years. The 2010 Championship and final point standings will be decided with the finale event of 2010 at the new Riverside Speedway.
The metric chassis 602 GM crate motor division boasts many graduates from its ranks that have become the stars of the American Canadian Tour over the years. Eric Williams, John Donahue, Cooper MacRitchie, and David Pembroke were all former champions of the division. The recent youth movement from both the NEKC carting organization and Thunder Road’s Allen Lumber Street Stocks has made the division one of the most competitive and healthiest in the region. Now many fans from throughout the region will get to see Thunder Road’s famous ‘Flying Tiger Sportsman’ in 2010.
2010 ACT Tiger Sportsman Tour
# Day Date Track Laps
1 Sat. June 5 White Mountain 100
2 Thurs. July 1 Thunder Road 100
3 Sat. Aug. 21 Canaan Speedway 100
4 Sat. Oct. 9 Riverside Speedway 100
by Jay | Dec 19, 2009 | Maine, New England, PASS
Center Harbor, NH (December 18, 2009): Former NASCAR Camping World Series East and American Canadian Tour Champion Brad Leighton announced today a partnership with Richard Moody Racing to race in the Pro All Star Series (PASS) Super Late Model Series for the 2010 season. Leighton will run his familiar #55 on RMR’s Ford Fusions. Sponsorship negotiations are still underway.
“I’m very excited to be announcing this deal,” said Leighton. “One of the most important reasons I decided to do this was because of the people – it’s a good team. I worked with (crew chief) Brian Burgess and some of the other team members a few years back when I ran some races with SP2 Motorsports, and he’s a real sharp guy. At that time, SP2 was at the top of their game, and I view this team, Moody Racing, at the same level. This is one of the best teams in the PASS series – no doubt about it.”
Richard Moody Racing has raised the bar on competition in the PASS Series. With driver Ben Rowe, the team earned the 2009 PASS South Championship and finished runner-up in the 2009 PASS North point standings. Their combined regional accomplishments earned them the PASS National title for the 2009 season. In addition, they won a championship in 2007 with Rowe behind the wheel.
Leighton has been equally successful in his driving career. He’s won championships in the American Canadian Tour (1995) and NASCAR Camping World Series East (1999 and 2000), won the New Hampshire Motor Speedway track championship four times (1998, 2000-02), and finished 11th in the American Canadian Tour point standings last season after competing in only eight races. He won at Thunder Road and Lee USA Speedway.
“At this point in my career I don’t view any opportunity as one of filling anybody’s shoes or a seat, or needing too live up to their success,” said Leighton about the new partnership. “Ben (Rowe) has been extremely successful with this team and obviously inherited the genes from his father. I have a lot of respect for both Mike Rowe and Ben. It’s a father and son that have enjoyed success that’s unparalleled in the Northeast and possibly at any short track level.”
Leighton will kick off his duties as RMR’s driver late next month when they head to New Smyrna Speedway in Florida for the Winter Fest 150, a PASS National race.
“Some of the guys in my race shop had worked with Brad in the past and told me that we should talk to him about driving our cars,” said car owner Richard Moody. “I met with him at his hotel in Auburn (Maine) and we got along really well. We want to have fun racing and I think we’ll be extremely competitive. We’re going to put some good cars underneath him and Brad’s record speaks for itself.”
Leighton’s schedule will include venues on both the North and South divisions of the Pro All Star Series. Full details of his schedule, which will include stops on the American Canadian Tour, are pending and will be announced at a later date.
by Jay | Dec 15, 2009 | Canada, New England
LePage, Morin split Pro finals at Hickory for Rock Maple Racing snocross series
WARRENSBURG, NY (Dec. 14, 2009) – Veteran snowmobile racers Bobby LePage and Mathieu Morin each earned victories in the Pro division Sunday, as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) kicked off its 2009-10 snocross season at the Hickory Ski Center.
LePage, (Hulten Speed Sports/Polaris) of Duluth, MN, set a blistering pace as he dominated the Pro Stock final. Defending RMR champion Danny Poirier finished second to his new teammate, while New York native Jason Stone filled out the podium. Six of the 10 riders finished on the lead lap, while LePage’s margin of victory was 3.75 seconds.
Morin, (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) of Val D’ Or, Quebec, excelled in his debut with the Ingles squad, finishing over four seconds ahead of LePage to claim Pro Open. Poirier managed to salvage a respectable third with an engine that was about to expire. Only four riders completed all 20 laps, an indication of just how fast Morin can be when he’s dialed in.
Defending Pro Vet champion Joseph Lemieux, of St. Johnsbury, VT, kicked off his 2009-10 season in fine style, holding off Jason Soucy and Rene Desrochers to claim Sunday’s final. Joe’s daughter Steffanie kept up the family tradition, winning the Pro Women final over annual rivals Paige Calderwood and Melanie Acker.
In Semi-Pro action at Hickory, pre-season favorite Corin Todd (D&Z Racing/Ski-doo) chased down and passed Lincoln Lemieux with four laps remaining to claim the Open class final by less than half a second. Trevor Bouchard got the holeshot on his new Arctic Cat, but Todd and Lemieux found some great lines and drove around him. Garrett Mees was consistent all weekend and hustled his way into third as the laps wound down.
Mees (All-Island Plumbing/Ski-doo) grabbed his time in the spotlight in the Stock final. The rising star from Setauket, NY, outgunned RMR veterans Lucas Brunelle and Michael George by over four seconds to capture a thrilling Semi-Pro Stock final. Eight of the 14 starters finished on the lead lap.
Competition in the Sport division was also intense on Sunday. JJ Kent earned a victory in the Super Stock 600 final, with Jesse James Bonaduce second and Jake Scott third. Scott also finished third in Sport Stock 600, an excellent first effort for the 2009 Junior division champion.
Bonaduce grabbed his opportunity for redemption in Sport 500, holding off Joe Bishop and Marshall Himes for top honors. Whitney Covill rounds out our list of Sport division winners with his victory over Bonaduce and Scott in the Stock 600 final.
In Junior division action at Hickory, Edward Bandel scored a hat trick. Bandel earned victories in Jr. 14-15 Stock 600 Fan; Jr. 14-14 Stock 600 and Jr. 16-17 Stock 600 Fan. Bonaduce added to his impressive weekend with a victory in Jr. 16-17 Stock 600, while Montana Jess, also known as “The Flying Onion,” picked up wins on both Saturday and Sunday in Jr. 10-13 Stock 600.
Other winners over the weekend in Warrensburg include Paige Calderwood (Women’s 600); Katelyn Olsen (Jr. Girls 10-13); Max Burrier (Jr. 8-10 Sat.); and Montana Jess (Jr. 10-13 Stock 600 Saturday).
Rock Maple Racing would like to thank event sponsor Woody’s Traction & Control Products, along with Shawn Dempsey and the entire staff at the Hickory Ski Center. As a new host site, Hickory extended open arms to the Rock Maple family and went the extra mile to ensure the event took place.
For full results in all classes from Warrensburg or for more information about Rock Maple Racing, please go to www.rockmaple.com.
by Jay | Dec 14, 2009 | Video
Ray Letellier wins the Truck Feature at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on July 14, 2004
