by Jay | May 24, 2010 | New
When Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc. and US Legend Cars bought New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Directors Terry Kirk and Todd Beaulieu of Nelcar knew this could be their step in the door to get Legends at the most popular racetrack in New England, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Through many talks with the Speedway and hosting a Legends booth during Nascar weekends, they were making progress into getting Legends on the famed racetrack. Now, two years later, the goal has been accomplished with the first ever Legends Car race at NHMS. It was held on the 1.6 mile road course during the popular Vintage Celebration weekend. For 15 laps, 16 of the best Legends Car drivers in New England took to the course, many with no prior road racing experience. With the difficulty of many shifting points and turning both left and right, the drivers quickly adapted to the challenges and put on a great show.
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by Jay | Apr 1, 2010 | New
Hulten Speed Sports nets 10 class titles in 2009-10 RMR snocross season
ST. JOHNSVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 31, 2010) – Even at the regional level of snowmobile racing, earning back-to-back championships is no easy task.
Just don’t tell that to the folks at Hulten Speed Sports. After Danny Poirier dominated the Rock Maple Racing (RMR) circuit in 2008-09, many wondered how the team would top that feat in 2010.
Enter one Bobby ‘The Rage’ LePage, of Duluth, Minnesota. LePage brought national experience to HSS, and it showed all season long. LePage fought ski-to-ski all winter with chief rival Mathieu Morin, and when it came down to the wire — he had what it took to succeed.
LePage entered last weekend’s season finale trailing by just one point in Pro Open and two in Pro Stock. To earn the titles, he would have to win his heats and capture both finals. In one of the most focused efforts ever witnessed in RMR, he pulled it off. Bobby earned both class titles, giving Hulten Speed Sports and Polaris their second straight RMR Pro championship.
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by Jay | Mar 10, 2010 | New
RMR snocross circuit available for purchase at conclusion of 2009-10 season
DERRY, N.H. (Mar. 9, 2010) – After a successful eight-year run that saw regional snowmobile racing attain new heights, officials at Rock Maple Racing (RMR) have announced a decision to sell the circuit at the end of this season.
RMR was founded by Don and Nancy Finck in the early 1990s. In May of 2002, New Hampshire businessmen Chuck and Mark Minasalli purchased RMR and their passion for snocross was soon clear. Through hard work and a significant investment, the Minasalli brothers lifted Rock Maple into the 21st century.
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by Jay | Feb 26, 2010 | New
JOEY DOIRON TACKLES NEW CHALLENGE IN 2010
BERWICK, Maine — Dale Shaw. Brad Leighton. Tom Curley. Some of New England’s most notable racing personalities have stood up and taken notice of young Joey Doiron’s abilities behind the wheel of a stock car.
Doiron, a soft-spoken high school senior, hopes that he’ll continue to open eyes in 2010. One year after winning the ACT Late Model Tour’s Rookie of the Year award, Doiron has his sights sent on the same mark in the PASS North Series this season.
“It will be a lot different,” said the 18-year-old Doiron. “ACT has some good caliber teams there, but going against guys like Richard Moody Racing, Scott Mulkern’s team and Johnny Clark on all those different tracks with PASS this year — it’s going to be a big step for me.”
It’s a step that many believe Doiron will make seamlessly.
Last year, car builder Dale Shaw noted that Doiron’s go-kart racing background built him into a smooth driver that “doesn’t make waves.” Doiron said he and Brad Leighton — a multi-time champion in what is now the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East — have developed a good working relationship. And Tom Curley, a Hall of Famer in New England racing circles, saw fit to include Doiron in the first-ever Late Model race contested at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last September.
“My goal is to win Rookie of the Year with PASS and just run competitively,” Doiron said. “I think we can do that.”
Last season was Doiron’s first full-time season in a stock-car touring series of any kind. He ran a limited schedule in 2008 in a Late Model at Oxford Plains Speedway and Wiscasset Raceway in his home state of Maine, after a few seasons of competition in a weekly support division at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
Prior to that, Doiron spent the better part of five years racing go-karts — where he found his racing addiction.
“I used to be into baseball as a kid,” said Doiron, who works with his father and crew chief, John Doiron. “Then I went and watched a go-kart race — and after that, I didn’t want to do anything else.”
In the highly-competitive ACT Late Model ranks, Doiron finished 12th in the 2009 standings after posting one top-5 finish and a pair of top-10s in 10 starts. His best career finish came in early September when he ran fourth at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, N.H., just days before he was one of 36 drivers invited to compete in the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway — New England’s largest track and host to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events each year.
All Doiron did at New Hampshire was start from the outside pole and lead the first 20 laps in the 50-lap event on the 1.058-mile oval, before blistered tires on his family-owned No. 73 took him out of contention.
Those days are gone, though, for Doiron — who will tackle the challenge of PASS. He has two career PASS North starts, at Beech Ridge last season. In one of those races, he was in position to win before running out of gas late.
That particular disappointment has worn off for Doiron now. In fact, he’s encouraged by his ability to compete against seasoned race teams as he enters a year where he will encounter bigger teams, bigger tracks and bigger speeds than he saw as a Late Model competitor.
“The races for the most part in PASS are going to be a little longer, so that will be a challenge,” Doiron said. ‘But we get to go back to Beech Ridge, which is a plus, because we know that track well.
“I’m a fairly patient driver and I like to wait for the end to make our moves. With longer races, I think that helps me — it’s more finesse than just running to the front as soon as you can, which I think is good for me.
“If I could make a living at racing, that would be great, but I’m not going to hold my breath that someday I’ll end up in NASCAR — but I’m going to enjoy doing this every day that I can.”
Doiron’s racing season begins with the April 18th PASS North Series opener at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine.
by Jay | Feb 22, 2010 | New
Boron, Eggen split Pro finals in Loudon for Rock Maple Racing snocross series
LOUDON, N.H. (Feb. 22, 2010) – Multi-time snowmobile racing champion Jason Boron and Norwegian veteran Stale Eggen (pronounced Sto-lay Egan) claimed final round wins in the Pro division as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) completed a non-points event Sunday in the inaugural Sno Bowl at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Boron (D&Z Racing/Ski-doo), of Leverett, Mass., jumped out to an early lead in Pro Stock and was never challenged. Swedish athlete Ulf Lif (Team Southside/Polaris) rode a smart race and came home second, while Tim Randall was third. In Pro Open, Boron got the holeshot and checked out on the field once again. Yet with just two laps remaining, Eggen slipped by and held off the famed “Iron Man” to take the win. Boron settled for second, while Randall capped a stellar weekend with another third-place run.
Maine-based rider Jason Soucy had a strong outing in Loudon, holding off Gene Robinson for top honors in the Plus 35 Masters final. Steffanie Lemieux carried the momentum she built the previous weekend into another Pro Women victory, with weekly rivals KC Anderson and Martha Wells filling out the podium.
In Sport division action at Loudon, Aaron Adams and Whitney Covill were on top of their game. Adams, of Avon, Maine, out-gunned Covill and Jared Catlin to claim Saturday’s Super Stock final. Covill, of Pittsburg, NH, bounced back to claim Sunday’s final while Catlin and Adams settled for second and third respectively.
Along with the usual classes for riders of all ages and ability levels, RMR also hosted New England’s first-ever Adaptive Snocross races in Loudon. On Saturday, the four previously profiled drivers (Ryan Begin, Jim Crumb, Dave Dillabough and Richard Curtis) were joined by two RMR regulars who are coming off major spinal injuries.
Robert Graeber, of Willow, AK, sustained severe injuries two years ago while making his debut in the Pro division. Michaela Lemieux, of Bennington, VT, had a bad accident the same season but is attempting to fight her way back into contention.
While Graeber isn’t nearly as fast as he was prior to his crash, his skills carried him to victory in Saturday’s Adaptive final. Lemieux stayed on the throttle and came home second, while Dillabough wound up third. On Sunday, Graeber prevailed once again with Lemieux and Curtis filling out the podium. RMR is proud to have provided a safe place to race for these highly-determined individuals. Their drive to compete and succeed should be inspiring to us all.
Other final round winners over the weekend in Loudon include Cameron Drouin (Sport Stock 600 Saturday, Sport 500 Sunday); Jarett Catlin (Sport Stock 600 Sunday); Martha Wells (Women Stock 600 Sunday); David Camara (Jr. 8-10 300 Freestyle Sunday); Glynn Desilva (Plus 25 Stock Sat.); Lyle Turtlott (Plus 25 Stock Sun.); Jeff Whiton (Trail 600 Sat.); and Jared White (Trail 600 Sunday).
Rock Maple Racing would like to thank Jerry Gappens and the entire staff at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for hosting the inaugural Sno Bowl. As New England’s largest sporting facility and home to NASCAR stars twice each year, it was an honor to race there.
For full results in all classes from the Sno Bowl or to learn more about RMR, go to www.rockmaple.com.
by Jay | Feb 9, 2010 | New
Poirier sweeps Pro finals at Eastern Nationals for Rock Maple Racing snocross series
FARMINGTON, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2010) – It might be an old, well-worn cliche, but the fact you can’t keep a good man down for long sure is accurate for veteran racer Danny Poirier.
After going winless in the season’s first four events, the famed ‘Canadian Blast’ swept the Pro finals as Rock Maple Racing (RMR) completed Round 5 of its 2009-10 snocross schedule at the ISOC Eastern Nationals Saturday evening at the Finger Lakes Gaming Center and Racetrack.
Fans at the Eastern Nationals were treated to points races for both the ISOC national and RMR regional circuits. The program began Friday afternoon and featured ski-to-ski action from the nation’s top racers. In his final race of the season, Tucker Hibbert (Monster Energy/Arctic Cat) notched his 54th and 55th career wins when he swept the ISOC Pro finals.
Poirier (Hulten Speed Sports/Polaris) went flag-to-flag in the 20-lap Pro Stock final, grabbing the holeshot and running off to a huge 10-second victory over runner-up Mathieu Morin and third place Jason Boron. Bobby LePage made contact with Jason Stone, and after the ensuing collision, both riders failed to complete the race.
In Pro Open, Morin (Ingles Performance/Ski-doo) blasted off the line and led the first 12 circuits. Morin’s sled suffered a rare mechanical failure as he worked the 13th lap, while Poirier, who had slotted into second at the start, inherited the lead and never looked back. LePage kept his JoJo Energy Drink No. 244 on-track and brought it home second, while Canadian sensation Iain Hayden claimed third on his factory-backed Yamaha.
Defending Plus 35 Pro Am champion Joe Lemieux held off Greg Weaver and Michael Berghorn to claim Friday night’s final, while daughter Steffanie out-gunned RMR veterans Martha Wells and Paige Calderwood for top honors in the Pro Women final.
In Semi-Pro action Saturday, Nick Pattyn and Lincoln Lemieux both earned final round wins. Pattyn, of Ravenna, MI, rode his Arctic Cat to victory in the Super Stock 600 final, with Brett Nastala second and Corin Todd making a late-race charge up to third. Lemieux, of St. Johnsbury, VT, used superior horsepower and aggressive riding to chase down Pattyn and score his first career Semi-Pro victory in the Open final. Pattyn settled for second while Justin Ochsner (New London, MN) came home third.
Action in the Sport division was also intense at the Eastern Nationals. Jake ‘The Snake’ Scott powered his Hulten Speed Sports Polaris to victory in the first Stock final, while Joe Bishop took top honors in the second tilt. Bishop also won the Stock 500 final to cap a great day.
In Junior division action at Farmington, Edward Bandel led the way with a pair of wins. Montana Jess, Tyler Adams and Leo Patenaude also earned final round wins in front of a packed house. From the youngest junior riders to the rising stars of RMR’s Sport classes, they all got to showcase their talents in front of the sport’s top riders and high-profile team owners.
RMR would like to thank ISOC and the staff at the Finger Lakes Gaming Center for hosting such a world class event. With nice amenities for fans, strong competition and a great track, it was an honor to be part of the show.
For complete results in all classes from the Eastern Nationals, visit the ISOC Web site at www.isocracing.com. Teams and officials from both ISOC and RMR will join forces again this coming weekend, Feb. 12-14, for the inaugural HK Powersports New England Nationals at historic Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire.
To learn more about Rock Maple Racing, go to www.rockmaple.com.
