by Jay | Sep 11, 2009 | Canada, New England
DERRY, N.H. (Sept. 9, 2009) — As what turned out to be a rather soggy, much cooler than normal summer draws to a close, powersports enthusiasts around the northeast are beginning to shift their focus to snowmobiles.
While grass drag competition officially kicks off another year of racing, it’s snocross that captures everybody’s attention once the first frost and freeze advisories are issued. Those snocross racers and fans can now prepare for another exciting season, as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) has announced its 2009-10 event schedule.
There are eight events confirmed on the new schedule spread throughout New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Along with several returning host sites that have become racer and fan favorites, RMR will also debut at two new venues in 2009-10.
The new season kicks off on Dec. 12-13 at the historic Hickory Ski Center in Warrensburg, New York. Located just outside beautiful Lake George, this new venue will provide an ideal site for snocross in this region. Hickory was founded by the Winbauer and Bates families, opening for the first time in 1946. With 18 trails, lots of snow and a friendly staff, the Hickory Ski Center is a wonderful addition to the RMR host family.
Round 2 on the 2009-10 campaign takes racers back to upstate New York, as they return to the Franklin County Fairgrounds on Jan. 9-10, 2010. Fans in the greater Malone area have supported RMR since its inaugural race in 2005, while racers look forward to a challenging track and enjoy performing in front of a large crowd.
For Pro and Semi-Pro teams, Round 3 takes them to a new site north of the border. On Jan. 16-17, RMR will join the Quebec-based SCM circuit in Mirabel for two days of tough competition. Quebec has produced some great riders in recent years (Simon Belzile and Dave Allard, among others), and this combination event should provide plenty of side-by-side battles.
While the site location for Jan. 23-24 is yet to be announced, all other race dates have been finalized. To kick off the month of February, RMR will join the International Series of Champions (ISOC) in Farmington, NY, at the Finger Lakes Gaming Center. This will be a points race for all teams.
Just one week later, RMR is excited to host New England’s first-ever National snocross event. On Feb. 13-14, the Amsoil Championship Snocross Series (ACSS) rolls into beautiful Rockingham Park in Salem, NH, for the New England Nationals. Rock Maple Racing sanctioned snocross events at ‘The Rock’ in years past, and everybody agrees — a national event should do very well there.
With the famed Grand Prix de Valcourt suspending operations in 2010, ISOC was looking for another site on its eastern swing. ISOC officials know that snocross is popular here in New England, and the group has wanted a race within its boundaries for some time.
“All of us at ISOC are very excited about bringing the ACSS to Rockingham Park,” said Director of Marketing/Communications Andy Groebner. “With its enclosed grandstand, ample room for vendors and fans plus proximity to large populations, we feel it will serve as the perfect site for an ISOC National. New England is full of dedicated snowmobilers and motorsports fans. We hope they’ll make plans now to attend this event and witness the world’s top riders battle for championship points and trophies.”
On Feb. 27-28, RMR will return to Ossipee, NH, for another round of competition at the old Mount Whittier ski hill. Fans in the greater Ossipee region are avid snowmobile enthusiasts, turning out in big numbers by car and on their sleds. This event has become a favorite among teams and officials, thanks to a festive atmosphere and excellent track configuration.
Another fun-filled season starts to wind down on Mar. 6-7, as RMR travels to Vermont’s scenic Northeast Kingdom. The Orleans County Fairgrounds in Barton is another favorite among teams, offering ample room to choose good lines and perform in front of a big crowd. They love their snowmobiles and racing in general across northern Vermont, reflected by the strong turnout RMR has enjoyed in recent visits to Barton.
And on March 27-28, RMR will close out its 18th consecutive season of racing at the beautiful Peek ‘N Peak Ski Resort in Findley Lake, New York. Known for its fan amenities and exciting track, Peek ‘N Peak is an ideal site to conclude another season of snocross. Fans in this part of New York love this kind of high-flying action, and RMR is proud to deliver the goods.
“We feel like we’ve got a great mix of familiar places and new venues for our race teams,” says RMR president Tara Saxton. “There is quite a buzz building over New England’s first ISOC National event at Rockingham Park. We enjoyed big crowds and great racing when we went there a few years ago, and this event should pack the place. Our stand-along schedule is strong, as well, with new venues and return visits to great sites like Malone, Barton and Ossipee. We look forward to another exciting season of snocross throughout the northeast.”
With a fine mix of familiar venues, new host sites and two combination events with ISOC, northeastern snocross teams have reasons for excitement this fall. A competition preview with details on riders to watch in Pro and Semi-Pro will be released in the coming weeks.
For more information or to learn more about Rock Maple Racing, please visit us on the Web at www.rockmaple.com.
by Jay | Sep 8, 2009 | Canada
Fredericton, NB – The final checkered flag has fallen for the 2009-racing season. It was a beautiful day for the last race of the season, the Enduro 200. This was second race of the season for the Enduro drivers. There were a couple more races on the schedule but had to be cancelled due to rain. This weekend there was no rain in site. You could not ask for a better weather for the 2009 Speed Weekend. The weekend was absolutely perfect for today’s Enduro 200
There were 18 cars ready to take the green in the first 75 laps until the 21 of Kim and Courtney Barton had to be pushed to the pit because her car would not start. It was the # 10 of Carmen McKeen who started on the pole. He led for many laps until he was challenged by the # 8 of Dale Hathaway. The # 72 of Justin Kenny took the lead for while. There were a few lead changes. The dust was sure flying this afternoon as these cars for a little anxious and ended up in the beach a few times.
Everyone was waiting in anticipation to see if the #21 of Kim and Courtney Barton were going to put on a show like they did in the first Enduro 200. The two changed drivers back and forth a few times. The #21 had its share of problems as it was in a few on track mishaps. The #21 was in the infield late in the race and the # 15 of Jimmy Robinson came in to help push the car back on track. Unfortunately the # 21 was going the wrong way and got clipped by another car. This was the end of the day for the # 21 of Courtney and Kim Barton.
The #86 of Andrew Betts gave the fans a little excitement with his signature move of the day. Andrew liked driving his car in reverse a few times. He had a little trouble with his hood coming up on one side. This was something you don’t usually see on the track.
It was all Pat Sharpe for most of the race. No one seemed be able to touch him. He had some great momentum going and it got him to the Auto Pride victory lane for the second and final time this season. Finishing in second was the # 70 of Tyler Seveck. Rounding out the top three was last year’s champion the # 38c of Ed Vallis.
This is the end of the 2009-racing season at Speedway 660 and was it ever a good one. Last weekend we crowned two new champions Brain Fox in the Coast Tire Street Stock, John Rankin in the Martin’s Home Heating Sportsman and we had a repeat champion in the Irving Lubricant’s Pro Stocks. If that wasn’t exciting enough, Speed Weekend sure was. 670 campers, Sterling Marlin, Travis Kittleson, a huge car count, Dan McNeil winning the O’Leary Pontiac 150 and Lonnie Sommerville being the only 2 time Peterbilt 250 champ. The list could go on and on. There was a record amount of fans in the stands. It was an absolutely spectacular 2009 Speed Weekend. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming season.
by Jay | Sep 6, 2009 | Canada
Sept 5, 2009
Fredericton, NB – The 1st leg of Speedweekend 2009 started out with a bang and end with a bang on Saturday night. First off it was the 43 cars that tried to qualify for 28 starting positions. This created a hectic set of qualifying heats with several cautions having an impact on the flow of the night. Some might say it was the huge crowd and maybe a few nerves to go with it. Whatever it was, it ended quickly once feature time hit the Geary Woods. The racing action heated up as the temperature dropped.
During qualifying Derek Christie charged his way to a pole position with Brent Roy “the Camry Kid” on the outside pole. With the exception of an early caution because the 12 of Glyn Nott broke the first 75 lap segment treated the Speedway 660 faithful to some awesome racing. Derek Christie led until lap 35 when he got into the back of a lapped car which brought out the caution and sent him all the way to the back for the restart. With Chrisitie’s misfortune Brent Roy and Wade Harris would do battle.
The “Camry Kid” made an impressive pass on the outside just out of turn two on lap 37 to lead the charge and once Harris was passes it looked like he had used up his rubber as he moved back to 5th. On lap 65, Bradley Logan in his #37 was exactly where he wanted to be, on the outside of Brent Roy in 2nd place. Logan would make the outside pass just 1 lap after the green flag restart. He would hold this lead barely until lap 75 when the competition yellow was brought out. As the competition yellow was coming to an end, officials at Speedway 660 instructed the #80 of Dan McNeil to make his way to the pits due to a tire that had been badly damaged during competition. McNeil was able to return to the racing surface just prior to the event going back to green flag racing. In the end this would prove to be a crucial event in the race.
As the race resumed it was Bradley Logan leading the way with Wade Harris in the preferred spot, the upper groove. Once again it proved to be the place to be. Just two laps in Harris made a strong pass on the outside. As the leaders made their way around the Geary oval, McNeil back in last place started to make strong charge to the front with fresh right front tire to aid in his attack on the remaining field of 22. A caution late in lap 89 would see the front of the field bunch up once again allowing McNeil to gain some much needed track position. On lap 90, out of turn 2, Wade Harris slipped just so slightly and the no 9 of Derek Christie took it three wide down the backstretch making the pass on Harris and the “Camry Kid” Brent Roy on the inside. With the entire crowd of over 6,500 people on the edge of their seats, the 5 of Wade Harris made the right move and backed off to avoid what would most certainly have been a huge wreck. Meanwhile Logan took advantage of the side by side racing behind him to take a 3 car length lead over Christie and the 26 of Roy.
With just 35 laps left, Christie seemed to all but use up what he had left for rubber as he dropped back one by one in the field. Logan in his Dairy Queen ride seemed unbeatable at this point but the top 5 thought otherwise. Logan going nose to tail with the Harris knew he had to be perfect with only 15 laps to go or the veteran Harris would make him pay dearly. That slip looked like it might happen as the leaders crossed the line at 142 but Logan was able to gather it up and looked like he had it when Wade Harris got the caution he was looking for on lap 147. That put the 5 car of Harris in the preferred outside lane for what looked like a 3 lap shootout between the two front runners Harris and Logan….boy was I wrong, along with the other Geary faithful in attendance. ! On the restart Logan and Harris battled for the next 1.5 laps when Logan drifted up the racetrack on the backstretch seemingly to do what any driver might do in that situation; protect the lead. Harris had to back off and did everything he could to save the car. While this happened a complete shuffle took place with the #80 of Dan McNeil diving for the bottom of the racetrack and a 2nd place position. McNeil with his newly found rubber post the 75 lap competition yellow made the #80 stick like glue on the inside lane, something most had not been able to do all night. With just a half lap left, the stage was set for the most dramatic finish in the history of the O’Leary Pontiac Excitement 150. McNeil made the unthinkable pass on the inside coming out of turn 4 on the final lap to win the biggest race of his life not to mention a cool $ 2,000 for his heroics. McNeil vibrating from his win arrived on the Auto Pride Victory Lane stage and proceeded to the rooftop of his Chevy Monte Carlo Snooty Fox #80. As he jumped up in celebration, the fireworks display wowed the crowd and the 1st event of SPEEDWEEKEND 2009 was complete.
The Atlantic Open Wheel modifieds also put on great show in their 30 lap main event with Shelley Stewart of Emerald PEI taking home the checkers in a very popular win with the crowd. Mike Raeburn and Mark Price rounded out the top three respectively.
On a side note of interest, over 45 pro stocks practiced on Saturday in preparation for the Peterbilt 250 on Sunday.
by Jay | Aug 30, 2009 | Canada, NASCAR
MONTREAL – JR Fitzpatrick showed up to win—no question about it. He won the NAPA Autopro 100 in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 action from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in dominating fashion.
The 21-year-old out of Cambridge, Ont., took control of the race when he slipped inside of Kerry Micks in the hairpin turn on the ninth lap of the race. From there, he went on to build a lead of over five seconds before the caution flag waved on Lap 22 to set up an attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, the front of the field got stacked up as they entered Turn 3. As a result, the car of Scott Steckly ended up on its roof after making contact with Don Thomson Jr. Once the dust cleared, the cars were brought down pit road and the red flag was displayed which ended the event. The race was scheduled for 23 laps or 75 minutes leaving just the one opportunity to finish the race under green.
It was Fitzpatrick’s first win of the season and the fourth in his series career. He last won on June 15, 2007 at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont.
Points leader Andrew Ranger was able to clear the incident in Turn 3 and finish second. DJ Kennington, who held down second place in the closing laps, was not as fortunate. He got turned around in the fray and blended back into the field in the fourth position which is where NASCAR officials determined his finishing position to be.
After winning the first three road-course events of the year, Ranger was foiled in his bid to win all four road-course races on the 2009 slate. A season ago in this event, Fitzpatrick led much of the race before a late-race bobble allowed Ranger to take the win.
Kerry Micks led the first eight laps of the race and closed out the race in third place. Mark Dilley finished fifth equaling his season-high finish.
Ron Beauchamp Jr., Pierre Bourque, Jeff Lapcevich, Daryl Harr and Jarrad Whissell rounded out the top 10.
The race was slowed three times due to caution for a total of six laps. The race lead changed just one time between two drivers.
In the point standings, Ranger expanded his lead on Kennington by 10 points and now has a 134-point lead heading into the final three race of the season. Beauchamp and Steckly, in third and fourth, respectively, are right on Kennington’s heels.
In qualifying on Saturday, Alex Tagliani picked up his second straight series pole award after winning the pole two weeks ago at Quebec’s Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. In today’s race, Tagliani was knocked out of the race after just 11 laps due to mechanical problems.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 takes a weekend off before heading to Barrie Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 12 for the Torbram Electric 300 presented by The Source.
For More Information, contact:
Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations, (704) 309-5493 or [email protected]
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-AUTOPRO 100 Unofficial Results
Sunday
At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Montreal, Quebec
Lap length: 2.73 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (5) JR Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont., Chevrolet, 25 laps, 59.723 mph, $6,500.
2. (3) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Ford, 25, $3,200.
3. (2) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 25, $2,700.
4. (8) DJ Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 25, $4,400.
5. (7) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 25, $3,000.
6. (12) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 25, $2,300.
7. (14) Pierre Bourque, Ottawa, Ont., Dodge, 25, $1,600.
8. (13) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Chevrolet, 25, $1,500.
9. (22) Daryl Harr, St. Albert, Alberta, Chevrolet, 25, $1,400.
10. (17) Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alberta, Ford, 25, $1,300.
11. (29) Cale Gale, Mobile, Ala., Chevrolet, 25, $2,200.
12. (15) Patrice Brisebois, West Mount, Que., Dodge, 25, $1,100.
13. (30) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ont., Dodge, 25, $1,080.
14. (26) Patrick Laperle, St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., Dodge, 25, $1,050.
15. (23) Howie Scannell, Jr., Milton, Ont., Dodge, 25, $1,025.
16. (25) Miguel Duhamel, LaSalle, Que., Chevrolet, 25, $1,025.
17. (9) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Ford, 25, $1,025.
18. (6) Don Thomson, Jr., Hamilton, Ont., Chevrolet, 24, accident, $1,025.
19. (4) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 24, accident, $1,000.
20. (28) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Chevrolet, 24, $1,000.
21. (33) David Thorndyke, Oshawa, Ont., Chevrolet, 24, $1,000.
22. (31) Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que., Pontiac, 23, $1,000.
23. (11) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 21, $1,000.
24. (27) Alan Labrosse, St. Eustache, Que., Ford, 19, $1,000.
25. (34) Michel Pilon, Blainville, Que., Chevrolet, 16, transmission, $1,000.
26. (16) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ont., Dodge, 12, $1,000.
27. (1) Alex Tagliani, Lachenaie, Que., Chevrolet, 11, mechanical, $1,000.
28. (19) Malcolm Strachan, Toronto, Ont., Dodge, 11, $1,000.
29. (18) Joey Hanssen, Venray, Holland, Dodge, 10, transmission, $1,000.
30. (10) Anthony Simone, Holland Landing, Ont., Chevrolet, 8, drive shaft, $1,000.
31. (21) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ont., Chevrolet, 1, transmission, $700.
32. (24) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 1, mechanical, $700.
33. (32) Derek White, Kahnawake, Que., Chevrolet, 1, mechanical, $500.
34. (20) Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont., Ford, 0, dns, $500.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 8 minutes 34 seconds
Margin of Victory: Under Caution
Fastest Qualifier: A.Tagliani (92.022 mph, 106.801 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 6 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Micks 1-8; J. Fitzpatrick 9-25.
Standings: 1. A. Ranger, 1724; 2. D. Kennington, 1590; 3. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 1563; 4. S. Steckly, 1506; 5. K. Micks, 1466; 6. A. Simone, 1398; 7. D. Thomson,Jr., 1375; 8. J. Hathaway, 1359; 9. D. Whitlock, 1337; 10. M. Dilley, 1295
