2011-07-11

Reining ARCA Champion Patrick Sheltra Rewards Tony Marks Racing With First Career Top-Five Finish

MARNE, Michigan (July 11, 2011) - - In his first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start since capturing the coveted ARCA championship at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway last October, Patrick Sheltra recorded a commendable fourth place finish at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway in the Hantz Group 200 for Tony Marks Racing (TMR).

 

Sheltra, the Indiantown, Florida native was subbing in the No. 12 Mad Croc Energy / Dodge Motorsports / VR-12 Dodge Charger for ARCA Rookie of the Year candidate Maryeve Dufault who was nursing a minor shoulder injury since being involved in a hard crash in the previous race at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.

 

With car owner Tony Marks calling upon the 25-year old to wheel the team’s  race car, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when the garage area considered the TMR team a sleeper for the 10th race of the 2011 season.

 

2010 champion crew chief Jon Wolfe made the trek with Sheltra up to the .4-mile oval where the duo notched a satisfying second-place finish the year before.

 

In the only practice run on Saturday afternoon, Sheltra maneuvered his No. 12 Mad Croc Energy / Dodge Motorsports / VR-12 Dodge Charger near the top of the board by hoisting the third fastest lap for nearly three-fourths of the session. Sheltra eventually slipped to 12th in the final rundown as his competition made their simulated mock qualifying runs.

 

Knowing that he had a good car, Sheltra conferred with Wolfe and TMR management which included Darren Wolfe (no relation) and Ryan Chism where collectively they thought their qualifying setup would put the team close to the front.

 

During time trials, Sheltra quickly hustled around the Marne, Michigan race track to record the fourth fastest lap. He would only be passed by two other ARCA drivers to start the Hantz Group 200 from the sixth starting position, a career-best for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team.

 

From the drop of the green flag, it was evident that Sheltra was hungry to get to the lead. He nearly avoided disaster on lap one though as multiple cars stacked up near Sheltra with the No. 12 No. 12 Mad Croc Energy / Dodge Motorsports / VR-12 Dodge Charger escaping the chaos with minimal cosmetic damage.

 

When racing resumed, Sheltra would slowly begin his march towards the front. Moving from fifth to fourth and then into third near the halfway mark, the team was hoping for a caution to allow the Indiantown, Florida native to receive four new tires and fuel.

 

That opportunity occurred on lap 117 when the second yellow flag of the night was displayed. Wolfe brought his driver to pit road for four tires and fuel. Sheltra exited pit road in the fourth position.

 

On the restart, Sheltra’s car struggled. Battling a tight condition, the reigning champ slipped to as far back as seventh before crawling back into sixth. Remaining his position on the lead lap, Sheltra took advantage of a late-race caution to bring his automobile to pit road for two tires and a chassis adjustment.

 

Setting up for a shootout style, Sheltra was locked and loaded.

 

On the restart, Sheltra made his charge from sixth to fifth but would be stalled when nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel spun in turn four. The yellow flag would setup for the green and white flags to waive together, meaning Sheltra often knows as “Mr. Showtime” by many had just one lap to earn this fourth career ARCA victory.

 

On the final lap, Sheltra made a daring move to the outside which positioned the TMR entry into the top-five but as the field exited turn four, a wad of cars including Sheltra made contract racing for the best finish possible with Sheltra making contact with the outside wall coming to the checkered flag.

 

 

Initially it was thought that the 25-year old finished fifth but upon video review by ARCA Racing Series officials, Sheltra was credited with a fourth place run, a career-best for Tony Marks Racing in just their 11th ARCA start.

 

“Overall it was a good night,” said Sheltra. “I appreciate Tony Marks, Mad Croc Energy, Dodge, VR-12 and everyone on the TMR team for allowing me to drive for them tonight. Our car was real good at the beginning but after the pit stop, we became extremely tight with no real reasoning. We’ll have to get the car back to the shop and see why that happened. I wasn’t racing for point, so I was doing everything I could to put this team and their great sponsors in victory lane. We were a threat, that’s for sure. Maybe I’ll have another opportunity down the road.”

 

Car owner Tony Marks was exceptionally pleased with Sheltra’s effort and the focus of his freshman team. “I’m happy,” offered Marks, a successful entrepreneur from Ohio. “Patrick did a great job for everyone at TMR including our sponsors, Mad Croc Energy, Dodge and VR-12. He wasn’t afraid to push the buttons when he needed to and kept himself in the hunt all night long. I can’t ask for much more than that. I want to thank Patrick for doing an exceptional job for TMR.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a trip out West to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa for the running of the Prairie Meadows 200 on Saturday, July 16th. The 11th race of the season will air live on SPEED and ARCARacing.com beginning at 4:00 p.m. TMR will field two entries for the 11th race of the season with Jared Marks in the No. 8 Dodge Charger and Sorel Quebec’s Maryeve Dufault returning to the reins of the No. 12 Dodge Charger. 

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

 

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log on to Maryeveracing.com.

 

For additional input on Patrick Sheltra, please connect to PatrickSheltra.com.

 

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com.

 

TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:

 

NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management  

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

FOURTH FOR MICKS ON THE STREETS OF TORONTO

For Immediate Release

TORONTO, ON, Monday July 11, 2011:  Kerry Micks driver of the No. 02 Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford Fusion was eleventh quickest in practice, but topped that with a fourth place qualifying effort and a fourth place finish at the Toronto Honda Indy.

 

In practice, Micks was not satisfied with the No. 02 Ford Fusion and brought it to pit road early on in the session. Micks spent most of the allotted hour practice on pit road as there was a transmission problem with the car.  The team also had to fix a wiring problem and as a result did not get a chance to turn any additional laps in practice, posting the eleventh quickest time. 

For qualifying, the cars were sent out in two groups according to their practice times, and each group was given fifteen minutes to post their times. Micks was towards the back of the fast group due to their limited practice, but still managed to post a quick time of 1:17.005 with an average speed of 82 miles per hour. This time was three one hundredths of a second off of third quickest time, meaning Micks would start the Streets of Toronto 100 in fourth on the outside of row two. 

With the drop of the green flag Micks managed to make his way to the bottom of the track and settled into fourth just before turn one.  Micks would follow the third place car of Scott Steckly for the first lap and found the leaders beginning to pull away, but the caution on lap three would serve to tighten up the field. 

The No. 02 Ford Fusion would restart on the outside and have to jockey for possession before making his way into turn one where he tried to pass the No. 22 of Steckly.  Micks could not make a clean pass and was filed back one spot to fifth with the No. 17 of DJ Kennington on his back bumper.  Caution number two came shortly after on lap 12 with the number 11 of Jason Bowles heading to pit road with mechanical problems.  Micks would again restart out the outside, this time Micks made no mistake on the restart and passed the No. 22 of Steckly, taking over the third position. 

The Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford Fusion held onto third for five laps, before slipping back to fourth with the No. 17 of Kennington close behind. Kennington was all over the bumper of Micks trying to make a pass, but Micks still held the fourth position when the third caution came out on lap 32, forcing a green white checkered finish. 

Micks was scheduled to again restart on the outside, but the second place car of JR Fitzpatrick had to make his way to pit road with a flat tire moving Micks to the inside for the final restart of the Streets of Toronto 100.  Micks took the green and held onto the third position to take the white flag, but the No. 66 of Robin Buck passed Micks on the last lap and Micks would cross the finish line in fourth place. 

Micks commented after the race that, “It was a great points day for the Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford Fusion, we were pushing for a podium finish, but we will take forth at the Indy.”

The streets of Toronto 100 will air on TSN on July 17 at 5 p.m. EST.

Micks moved up three positions in the NASCAR point standings to sixth place and the next stop for the #02 Micks Motorsports team and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be in two weeks’ time when the teams head to Western Canada. The first stop will be in Vernon, British Columbia at Motoplex Speedway and don’t forget to go to Dickies.ca before the race and pick the winners in the Dickies Race to Win Challenge for a chance to win some great prizes.

 

For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit www.nascarlocalracing.com.

 

Kerry Micks is supported by the following sponsors: Williamson-Dickie Canada Co., Beyond Digital Imaging, Prostate Cancer Canada, Steadymate, Seguin Marina, Thor Motors, NGK Spark Plugs, Samester, Castrol and Cathcart Trucking.

For more information please contact:

Linda Jones

 

Susan Micks

Micks Motorsports

 

 

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

DILLEY FINISHES 6TH ON STREETS OF TORONTO

For Immediate Release

 

TORONTO, ON, Sunday July 10, 2011: Mark Dilley driver of the No. 9 Rheem/PartSource Farwell Racing Dodge was tenth quickest in practice, and after narrowly making qualifying, posted the fourteenth quickest time. Dilley topped this in the race with a sixth place finish on the streets of Toronto.

 

In practice, Dilley was not happy with the car, he spent most of the allotted hour on pit road making adjustments to the Rheem/PartSource Dodge.  Dilley was also worried about a possible overheating problem and after practice a decision was made to change the motor.  With less than two hours before qualifying the No. 9 team went to work as fast as they could to get the motor in place and to be in line for qualifying. 

The Rheem/PartSource Farwell Racing team did a complete motor change and the car was race ready just in time to roll out for qualifying. For qualifying, the cars were sent out in two groups, according to their practice times, and each group was given fifteen minutes wherein their quickest time would determine their starting position.  Dilley took a few laps in the car, just testing it out with new motor and posted a time of 1:18.660 with an average speed of 80 miles per hour.  The Rheem/PartSource driver would take to the Streets of Toronto 100 in fourteenth place, on the outside of row seven.

With the drop of the green flag Dilley made a great move and over took three cars to move into the eleventh position and gaining on tenth when an early caution came out on lap three.  Dilley had a great restart and moved into the tenth position before navigating into turn one.  Another caution came out shortly after, and with the No. 11 of Jason Bowles heading to pit road with mechanical problem, Dilley moved into ninth place.  On the restart Dilley maintained ninth and was gaining on the No. 42 of Peter Klutt.  The No. 9 Dodge was soon on Klutt’s back bumper trying at every corner to make the pass.  Dilley was still unable to get by the eighth place car when a late race caution came out forcing a green white checkered finish.  Dilley would restart on the inside and had a phenomenal restart passing two cars, to move himself into the seventh position.  After talking the white flag, Dilley was able to make one final pass on the last lap and crossed the finish line in sixth place.

“What a weekend,” commented Dilley after the race, “A sixth place run here is like a win for us, especially after having to change the motor after practice. I can’t thank my team enough, they thrashed on that Rheem/Part Source car and changed the motor in time to get me out for qualifying and that was the difference between staring in the top half versus the rear of the field.  This place is so narrow it is tough to pass, and their hard work was the reason for our success today.”

The streets of Toronto 100 will air on TSN on July 17 at 5 p.m. EST.

Dilley picked up three positions in the NASCAR point standings and is currently seventh. The next stop for the #9 Farwell Racing Team and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be in two weeks’ time when they head to Western Canada for two events. The first stop is in Vernon, British Columbia at Motoplex Speedway, where Dilley finished fourth in the 2010 season.

Mark Dilley is supported by: PartSource, Rheem Canada, Leland Industries, Exide Batteries, Sylvania and Castrol.

For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire series please visit www.nascarlocalracing.com

For more information on Mark Dilley please contact:

Linda Jones

Wide Open Motorsport Solutions

 

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

STECKLY RACES TO 2ND ON STREETS OF TORONTO

                                    

For Immediate Release

 

TORONTO, ON, SUNDAY JULY 10, 2011: Scott Steckly driver of the 22 Racing/Canadian Tire Dodge started the Indy weekend strong with a third in practice and qualifying. Steckly took it one step further on the streets of Toronto and took home second place.

 

In practice Steckly took the No. 22 Dodge out on the streets of Toronto for one lap and wasn’t happy with the car and came to pit road to make a few adjustments.  After making the adjustments, Steckly went back out on the 1.755 mile temporary street course and turned the quickest time posted to that point.  Practice, however, was not over and the time posted by the 22 Racing/Canadian Tire Dodge ended up being the third quickest overall.

For qualifying, the cars were sent out in two groups according to their practice times, and each group was given fifteen minutes.  On his third lap Steckly posted a time of 1:17.002 with an average speed just over 82 miles per hour and after running one more lap, he pulled down pit road. This is because the tires the teams qualify on are the ones they start the race with.  At the Toronto Honda Indy the NASCAR teams do not pit for tires, therefore Steckly opted to save his tires for the race once he posted a time he felt would hold up.

Steckly started the event on the inside of row two and with the drop of the green flag maintained his third place position without any issues and safely manoeuvred the car into turn one.

The No. 22 Racing/Canadian Tire Dodge was running in third place and the top three cars began to pull away from the pack and Steckly had a comfortable ten car length lead over fourth place. However, on lap number three the first caution of the day would wave, tightening up the field.  Steckly had another great restart and again settled into third place, but was catching the No. 11 of Jason Bowles and managed to out brake him going into turn three to make the pass for second place. Shortly after making the pass the second caution came out, meaning Steckly would have to restart on the outside. 

On the restart Steckly was challenging the No. 27 of Andrew Ranger for lead, but could not make the pass and was filed back, eventually able to duck into fourth.  While running in fourth, Steckly was turning the same times as the leaders and was challenging the No. 02 of Kerry Micks for third. On lap 21 Steckly made a pass on the No. 02 at the end of Lakeshore Blvd. under braking going into turn three.

Steckly and the Canadian Tire Dodge were running in third when the third caution came out, forcing a green white checkered.  Steckly was prepared to restart on the inside, when the second place car of JR Fitzpatrick had to come to pit road with a flat tire, moving Steckly up to second, where he would again restart on the outside of Andrew Ranger. Steckly had a phenomenal restart and with the help of his spotter was able to duck down into second position and was on the back bumper of Ranger, pushing him down Lakeshore Blvd.  Steckly tried to get under him going into turn three, but was unable to make a clean pass and followed Ranger through the duration of the eight turns, crossing the finish line in second place. 

In the Media Center after the race Steckly told reporters, “What an awesome day, we ran in the top three all day and we tried to save our car for the end. We were better than Ranger in some spots and tried to make the pass at the end, but he was able to hold us off.  All in all it was a good day for the Canadian Tire Team.”

This weekend’s events at Toronto Honda Indy will air on TSN on July 17 at 5 p.m. EST.

Steckly and the 22/Racing Canadian Tire team are having a great season, with only five races under their belts, the team has five top five finishes, four of which were podium finishes. The next stop for Steckly and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be in two weeks’ time when the teams head out west. The first stop is in Vernon, British Columbia at Motoplex Speedway were Steckly took home the checkered flag for his only win in the 2010 season.

For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit www.nascarlocalracing.com.

Scott Steckly would also like to thank his sponsors: Canadian Tire, MotoMaster, Exide, Erb, Castrol and AW Millwrights.

For more information on Scott Steckly and 22 Racing please contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

PASS North:Sommerville Breaks through at the Ridge

For Immediate Release: Media, contact Norm Desjardins

 

New Brunswick racer claims his first PASS super late model victory

 

Scarborough ME (7/9) Lonnie Sommerville took the lead for good on lap 116 of Saturday night's Pro All Stars Series (PASS) North Southern Maine Motors.com 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and drove away from the field to put an exclamation point on his first PASS race win.

 

Sommerville beat the best of the best. Johnny Clark ran second, Matt Frahm's third place marked his career best PASS finish and Joey Doiron rallied to come home fourth.

 

Ben Rowe ran second on the race track but after post race technical inspection he was moved to the fifth position (last car on the lead lap) and fined 25 championship points for a deck lid infraction .

 

Sommerville's win was the first PASS North victory for a Canadian driver since the late Scott Fraser scored at Speedway 660 in 2003.

 

David Oliver and Alex Gingras led the twenty eight car field to the green and it was Gingras out front in the early stages. Sommerville took his first turn at the front on lap 36, just as a restart melee sent a pack of cars into the front stretch wall. The red flag incident involved Donnie Whitten,Aaron Ricker,Travis Benjamin,Kirk Thibeau,defending race winner Bill Rodgers, Derek Ramstrom, Chris Thorne and Scott Mulkern, among others. Thibeau and Benjamin were the only cars able to continue on to the finish.

 

Bern Rowe used the outside to take away the lead on a lap 68 restart and he managed to keep Sommerville in his mirror for just under 50 laps, despite a multitude of challenges.

 

Sommerville's move in lapped traffic sealed the deal for the Canadian Maritimer, and he built a lead of more than three seconds as the field raced to the checkers.

 

The top five were the only drivers to complete all 150 laps. Oliver,Gingras and Sommerville each claimed a twelve lap heat race; Travis Benjamin claimed the consolation round.

 

Andy Shaw continued his stranglehold on PASS Mod victory lane, earning his fourth straight win. Allan Wilson chased Shaw to the checkers once again and former Beech Ridge regular Bill Dixon earned the final spot on the podium. Dana Reed and Sumner Sessions were the heat winners.

 

PASS racers will be burning the midnight oil this week as the touring pros are back on track Tuesday evening at Lee (NH) USA Speedway. The 7:00 PM show features the third annual PASS Bastille 200 for the super late models plus 40 laps for the PASS Mods and a 75 lap PASS Sportsman showdown.

 

You'll find all the particulars on line at www.proallstarsseries.com and www.leeusaspeedway.com .

 

 

Unofficial Results- PASS North Southern Maine Motors.com 150 – Beech Ridge Motor Speedway -Scarborough Maine – 7/9/11

 

1 48 Lonnie Sommerville 2 54 Johnny Clark 3 14M Matt Frahm 4 73 Joey Doiron 5 4 Ben Rowe 6 27QC Alex Gingras 7 77 Scott Chubbuck 8 29 Trevor Sanborn 9 16 Kevin Roberge 10 17A Scott Alexander 11 28 Kirk Thibeau 12 10 Scott Dragon 13 47 Kelly Moore 14 12 John Dabrowski 15 17 Travis Benjamin 16 24 Mike Rowe 17 88 Kyle DeSouza 18 29M Ricky Morse 19 2 Matt Matheson 20 60 DJ Shaw 21 35 Derek Ramstrom 22 21 David Oliver 23 22 Aaron Ricker 24 53 Bill Rodgers 25 17T Chris Thorne 26 7 Donnie Whitten 27 84 Scott Mulkern 28 0 Bill Penfold

 

PASS Mods

 

1 66 Andy Shaw 2 53W Alan Wilson 3 33 Bill Dixon 4 60 Dana Reed 5 77 Jon Brill 6 28 Mark Lundblad Jr. 7 05 Ron Henry 8 3 Travis Buzzell 9 53 Leo Oliveira 10 56X Richie Ferreira 11 85 Mitch Miller 12 50 Sumner Sessions 13 61 Shawn Austin

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Wells keeps digging, hits Airborne paydirt

Dave Brown photo of Mike Wells

 

Airborne recap July 9

 

South Plattsburgh – Mike Wells of West Chazy had hundreds of underdog rooters on their feet as he retook the lead from Martin Roy with five laps left in the 30-lap DIRTcar Modified feature and drove off to his first career win at Airborne Speedway.

 

Wells started on the pole in the G&G Auto Parts No. 76 and stayed in the lead through four restarts in the first 12 laps before Roy took over on lap 13. The former track champion quickly built a five car-length advantage before a fifth restart tightened the field after 20 laps were completed.

 

Suddenly on lap 22, Wells, working the bottom groove with Pat McGrail and Andy Heywood in tow, reached Roy’s door. On lap 25, he regained the lead entering turn three as Roy faded and finally pitted for a new right rear tire.

 

“When the No. 90 passed me, I thought – now I’m racing for second and more of the big guys are coming,” Wells said. “Then I was able to get back to him. I didn’t overdrive when I got to his rear wheel. When I jumped on my horse, she responded.”

 

McGrail stayed close for second. Heywood held off Aaron Bartemy and Patrick Dupree to finish third. Dupree pressured Bartemy for the final 15 laps, but couldn’t advance. Positions 6-10 went to Vince Quenneville, Kris Vernold, Max Viens, Martin Hebert and Don Scarborough.

 

Wells had shown promise earlier when he won his heat and earned a spot in the Ernie’s Discount Tools Modified six-lap “Dash for Cash”. Roy won the dash and said “maybe tonight it’s my turn,” but Wells had other ideas.

 

“I’m so excited,” Wells said after a rooftop dance in victory lane. “In West Chazy, the beer’s on me.” Wells moved up from the Sportsman division in 2009.

 

Bucko Branham, driving the Liquor and Wine Warehouse No. 20, won the J&S Steel Sportsman feature with relative ease after taking the lead on lap 8. Danny Sullivan and Jamy Begor finished 2nd and 3rd. Branham won his heat race as did Travis Bruno.

 

Two cautions and a red flag for Gordy Stone, who rolled onto a tire pile at the edge of the jersey barriers on the backstretch, ushered Branham toward the front. When the inside lane opened up in turns three and four n lap six, he drove into second place and challenged the leader Brandon Atkins. On the way to his top finish of the season, Atkins was dicing for second with Sullivan down the back chute and spun when the pair rubbed quarter-panels.

 

“Sometimes getting pinned on the bottom has been my downfall this year,” Branham said. “I made the bottom work today.”

 

The NAPA Mini Modifieds had two features. Point leader CJ Lavair of Gabrels won the opener after contact on the backstretch with leader Kris Clark, who held on for second with Erick Sayles third. Clark finished second in round two as well, trailing only winner Jamie LaFountain of Keeseville.

 

Kevin Boutin won the Renegade feature comfortably ahead of Robbie Favreau and Lance Rabtoy. Josh Durivage scored his fifth win in the Bomber feature. Bill Joyal Sr. and Tyler Bresette were next.

 

Airborne has double Sportsman features  Saturday, July 16 on Adirondack Hardware Company Driver Autograph Night. Post time 6 p.m.

 

1. Mike Wells

2. Pat McGrail

3. Andy Heywood

4. Aaron Bartemy

5. Patrick Dupree

6. Vince Quenneville

7. Kris Vernold

8. Maxime Viens

9. Martin Hebert

10. Don Scarborough

11.Pierre Berthiaume

12.Matt Woodruff

13.Mike Phinney

14.Craig Reyell

15.Martin Roy

16.George Foley

17.Dan Brown

18.Roger Labreche

19.Richard Tisseur

20.Bryant Trim

21.Ryan McLean

22.Jimmy Ryan

23.Mike Reyell

24.Greg Atkins

25.Jason Durgan

26.Todd Ormsby

27.Chris Cayea

28.Jesse Mueller

29.Leon Gonyo

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Au RPM Speedway Gino Clair impose le rythme et remporte la grande finale !

          Toute une soirée de courses au RPM Speedway avec quatre finales au programme dont celle de 100 tours chez les Modifiés dans le cadre de la 3e étape de la Super Séries 2011. Les Sportsman avaient deux finales de 30 tours tandis que les Mini Modifiés bataillaient pour le quadrillé au terme de 20 tours de piste.

 

LES MODIFIÉS

          Super Séries 2011……Finale 100 tours

Les pilotes devaient tout d’abord passer par des tours de « Time Trials » pour déterminer leurs groupes de qualifications et le temps le plus rapide fut enregistré par David Hébert avec 15.187 secondes. Le meilleur temps pour les tours de réchauffe fut atteint par Yan Bussière.

Ensuite suivirent les qualifications qui revêtaient toute leur importance pour la conclusion de la soirée; les honneurs des qualifications allèrent à : Gino Clair et David Hébert.

          Une présentation pour les 17 valeureux pilotes à se présenter devant le grand estrade a précédé le départ de la grande finale 100 tours et le traditionnel « Gentlemen start your engine » fut prononcé par Jasmin Péloquin  JPS Sports de Sorel/Tracy commanditaire officiel du fond de points de la Super Séries 2011 dont la bourse sera répartie parmi les 10 pilotes ayant accumulé le plus de points au terme de la série. Trois pilotes qui figuraient au TOP-10 après deux épreuves n’ont pas cru bon de se présenter privant ainsi leurs commanditaires d’une visibilité certaine devant des gradins bien remplis!

          Place à la finale de 100 tours et six pilotes avaient des places garanties au départ de par leur classement; normalement les 5 pilotes du Top-5 ont cette opportunité mais égalité en cinquième place avant le début des hostilités : François Bernier premier au classement suivi des Steve Bernard, Gino Clair, Clément Therrien ainsi que Claude Brouillard et David Hébert à égalité en 5e place.

          La place est donc mise pour le départ suite à une pige devant le grand estrade et en pôle position nous retrouvions Steve Bernard ayant à sa droite le vainqueur de la deuxième étape, le sympathique Gino Clair. C’est le départ et immédiatement dans la première courbe Clair prend l’avantage laissant Bernard, Therrien et Hébert se batailler. Au 5e passage Clair est toujours le meneur mais suivi de très près par David Hébert et Yan Bussière. Une piste parfaite pour les dépassements puisque les pilotes pouvaient facilement emprunter deux chemins sur la piste ce qui en a favorisé plusieurs. Hébert, Bussière, Therrien et Steve Bernard se sont livré des luttes sans merci tout au long de cette épreuve mais toujours Gino Clair dominait ses opposants. Quelques incidents de courses sont venus mettre un peu plus de piquant lors des relances mais toujours Gino parvenait à maintenir son bolide en pôle position tant et si bien qu’au terme ce cette électrisante finale de 100 tours il croisait le fil d’arrivée bon premier suivi de Clément Therrien et Steve Bernard qui avait débuté la soirée deuxième au classement général de la Super Séries 2011. Le classement est et reste toujours très serré après 3 épreuves. Jasmin Péloquin de JPS Sports, commanditaire du fond de points de la Super Séries 2011, a remis les trophées d’usage aux trois membres du podium.

 

LES SPORTSMAN

          Ils avaient deux finales de 30 tours à disputer. Malheureusement pour les spectateurs, le manque d’intérêt pour leur classe de la part de plusieurs pilotes fait que le groupe n’était pas à la hauteur des attentes pour une classe qui se dit continuellement brimée et non respectée.

Un immense merci à ceux qui étaient présents depuis le début de la saison.

 

Première confrontation 30 tours

Les qualifications ayant déjà été complétées lors d’un programme écourté à cause de la pluie, nous avons pu voir Patrick Picotin # 48 bon premier au départ. Après seulement quelques tours, Steve Bernier prenait les commandes suivi de très très près par Junior Désilets # 21J. Au 10e passage Désilets surprend Bernier par l’intérieur pour devenir leader de l’épreuve et ce jusqu’au 28e tour mais Bernier parvient lui aussi à se faufiler devant Désilets pour terminer premier au quadrillé suivi de Désilets et Mathieu Desjardins # 1M. Il s’agissait du premier podium pour l’ami Junior Désilets en Sportsman lui qui est recrue dans cette classe.

 

 

                      

Deuxième confrontation 30 tours

Les pilotes ont travaillé très fort durant les périodes de qualifications et les plus méritants furent : Mathieu Desjardins et Steve Bernier qui sonnaient la charge dans la finale dans cet ordre. Au 8e tour Bernier surprend Desjardins mais pour l’espace d’un moment car le tenace Martin Pelletier # 92 se faufile entre les deux pour ravir la position de tête qu’il gardera jusqu’à la toute fin devançant Desjardins et Bernier lorsque benoit Savoie signaleur officiel agita le fameux drapeau quadrillé.

 

LES MINI MODIFIÉS

         

Ils étaient nombreux ce soir pour leur course et plusieurs s’en promettaient ! Suite à un tirage, la position de tête pour cette finale allait à Dany Dingman # 5 Kellog’s suivi de Rock Collard # 24.

          Dès le départ, Pascal Laflamme # 1 et gagnant de la qualification prend la tête du peloton, il file à vive allure sans jamais lâcher le pied de l’accélérateur ce qui l’a propulsé directement sur la plus haute marche du podium. Il fut suivi dans l’aventure par Stéphane Nault # 54 et par Marcel Laflamme père du vainqueur.

 

 

 

ATTENTION - SAMEDI 16 JUILLET -ATTENTION - - -

2 X 40 tours MODIFIÉS….

 

Dans la groove….     

·         Très belle ambiance dans les gradins pour cette 3e étape.

·         Les 2 finales Sportsman ont plu à la foule, beaucoup d’action.

·         Un MERCI bien spécial à Richard « Ti-Rouge » Bertrand ainsi qu’à Bruno Cyr deux pilotes Pro-Stock qui ont bien voulu accepter mon invitation de conduire le Pace Truck durant les présentations d’avant finale Modifiés.

·         De très bons commentaires pour le service de la restauration.

·         Deux belles « grooves » permettant les dépassements par le haut et par le bas.

 

Super Séries 2011

          La Super Séries 2011, composée de 6 épreuves distinctes de 100 tours chacun chez les Modifiés, comporte 2 segments disputés au RPM Speedway la deuxième tranche se tiendra le samedi 20 août prochain…mettez ce spectacle à votre horaire.

 

Bonne saison 2011 à tous !

Pour 2011… réservez vos samedis et dimanches soir à St-Marcel !

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

ACT CASTROL - CETTE FOIS, DONALD THEETGE S'EST RENDU JUSQU'AU BOUT.

Pour diffusion immédiate (10-07-11-20)

 

Bleu Pelican au Circuit Ste-Croix/Riverside Speedway

CETTE FOIS, DONALD THEETGE S’EST RENDU JUSQU’AU BOUT…

 

Donald Theetge de Québec, le pilote de la Chevrolet Impala/NAPA 200 Montréal, a vécu à peu près le même scénario que lors de sa dernière présence au circuit Riverside/Ste-Croix, mais cette fois, il a été en mesure d’atteindre le cercle des vainqueurs lors du Bleu Pelican 100, hier soir. En triomphant lors de cette sixième manche de la série ACT-Castrol, il est devenu le cinquième coureur différend à l’emporter et ainsi mériter une place sur la grille de départ de la course INVITATION qui aura lieu au New Hampshire Motor Speedway de Loudon.

 

Karl Allard de St-Félicien, le pilote de la Ford Fusion/Larue Équipement de déneigement, est celui qui a livré une belle bataille au vainqueur en terminant deuxième devant le jeune Alex Labbé de St-Albert qui au volant de sa Toyota Camry/VR Victoriaville, obtenait son deuxième podium d’affilée.

 

C’est une soirée parfaite qu’a connu Theetge malgré un début chancelant. En effet, il a gagné sa préliminaire avec une voiture qui fonctionnait seulement sur sept cylindres en raison d’un bras de culbuteur (rocker arm) défectueux. Ses mécanos ont été en mesure de réparer le tout avant la finale et dans cette dernière, il a mené en quatre occasions pour se diriger vers la victoire dans cette épreuve ponctuée de huit ralentissements et à laquelle seulement les huit premiers ont été en mesure de compléter le nombre de tours réglementaires.

 

Toujours solide au circuit Ste-Croix/Riverside Speedway, David Michaud de Ste-Anne-des-Plaines a terminé en quatrième place devant Patrick Laperle de St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, le meneur au cumulatif ACT-Castrol. Quatorzième au départ, il a été victime d’un dérapage au huitième passage avec Claude Leclerc et Jimmy Cormier. Reparti à l’arrière, il était parvenu à remonter en troisième place avant de reculer en cinquième. Toujours parmi les cinq premiers, Laperle a raté le podium pour une troisième fois, cette saison.

 

Le plus sérieux incident de ce Bleu Pelican 100 est survenu au 60e passage alors que Dany Trépanier, le favori local, et Jimmy Cormier sont venus en contact avec le muret de protection devant le gradin principal. Heureusement, ils n’ont pas été blessés, mais les dommages subis les ont empêchés de revenir en piste.

 

Marc-André Cliche, Claude Leclerc, Jean-François Déry, Patrick Cliche et Gaétan Lauzier sont ceux qui ont complété le peloton des dix premiers. À noter qu’ils étaient 23 au départ de cette course qui a duré une heure, 23,05 minutes.

 

Outre Theetge, Jonathan Bouvrette de Blainville et Karl Allard avaient remporté les épreuves de qualification alors que Patrick Cliche de St-Jean-Chrysostôme en avait fait autant lors de la consolation.

 

La prochaine épreuve de cette série ACT-Castrol aura lieu à l’Autodrome St-Eustache, samedi soir prochain. Il s’agira alors d’une épreuve de 200 tours pour cette septième manche qui s’annonce assez spectaculaire.

Classes locales

Au combiné des deux finales en ce qui concerne les classes locales, Dominic Jacques (Kamikaze), Philippe Poulin (Sport Compacte) et Sylvain Lemieux (Super Truck) ont été les lauréats. La série RevStar était également sur place et un communiqué en provenance de cette série fera état des résultats.

 

RÉSULTATS

Pos.  (Dép)              Pilote/Résidence                                    Tours

1.             (8)           Donald Theetge, Boischatel, QC,            100

2.             (12)         Karl Allard, Québec, QC,                         100

3.             (17)         Alex Labbé, Saint-Albert, QC,                 100

4.             (9)           David Michaud, Ste-Anne-des-Plaines   100

5.             (14)         Patrick Laperle, St-Denis-sur-Richelieu  100

6.             (3)           Marc-André Cliche, Vallée-Jonction       100

7.             (10)         Claude Leclerc, Lanoraie, QC,                 100

8.             (11)         Jean-François Déry, Québec, QC            100

9.             (16)         Patrick Cliche, St-Jean-Chrysostome      99

10.           (2)           Gaétan Lauzier, St-Pacôme, QC,            99

11.           (19)         Éric LeHoux, Saint-Elzéar, QC,                99

12.           (6)           Patrick Hamel, St-Édouard, QC,             99

13.           (13)         Steven Boissonneault, Lyster, QC,          99

14.           (20)         Jacques Poulin, East Broughton, QC,      99

15.           (1)           #Yannick Tremblay, Chicoutimi, QC,      98

16.           (22)         Stéphane Durand, Québec, QC,              98

17.           (21)         Gaétan Gaudreault, Québec, QC,           96

18.           (15)         Steve Lesage, Pont-Rouge, QC,              75

19.           (18)         Dany Trépanier, St-Édouard, QC,            60

20.           (7)           Jimmy Cormier, Princeville, QC,             60

21.           (5)           Jonathan Desbiens, Lévis, QC,                46

22.           (4)           Jonathan Bouvrette, Blainville, QC,        45

23.           (23)         Daniel Descoste, St-Joseph-du-Lac,       21

Temps de la course: 1:23:05                                                   

Drapeaux jaunes: 8 (Laps 8, 10, 16, 21, 23, 58, 60, 61)                                                                       

Les meneurs: Yannick Tremblay, 1-8; Marc André Cliche, 9-13; Donald Theetge, 14-16; Karl Allard, 17; Theetge, 18-21; Allard, 22; Theetge, 23-61; Allard, 62; Theetge, 63-100.                       

-30-

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

UNE PREMIÈRE EXPÉRIENCE SATISFAISANTe à East-Broughton

Première visite à East-Broughton

UNE PREMIÈRE EXPÉRIENCE SATISFAISANTE…

 

Les pilotes réguliers de l’Autodrome St-Valère.com en étaient à une première de trois confrontations à la piste d’East-Broughton dans la Beauce, hier soir, et tout le monde s’est dit plus que satisfait de cette première expérience en commençant par le promoteur André Fortier.

 

« Pour une première, c’est très encourageant. Nous avons dénombré 95 inscriptions dont le quart était en provenance de la région visitée. Les amateurs ont très bien répondu à notre invitation et la compétition sera encore meilleure lors de notre prochaine visite, le 6 août prochain », de dire le promoteur André Fortier.

 

Bien sur, les engagés ont du s’adapter à ce nouveau tracé qui est bien différent de celui de l’Autodrome St-Valère.com. Il ressemble plus à un ovale dont la base est de glaise au lieu d’un terrain sablonneux comme nous retrouvons à St-Valère. Il  est certain que pour leur prochaine visite, plusieurs visiteurs apporteront certaines modifications à leur monture.

 

Toutes les classes régulières de l’Autodrome St-Valère.com, à l’exception des camionnettes et des modifiés, étaient inscrites à l’horaire.

 

Jacques Villeneuve a participé à la finale en classe Sportsman qui a été l’affaire de Steve Ramsay de St-Christophe qui a eu le meilleur devant Frédéric Héon et Sébastien Bourque de Victoriaville. Strictement sur place pour s’amuser quelque peu, Jacques Villeneuve a été le sixième à rallier la ligne d’arrivée.

 

Les autres gagnants de première journée en Beauce ont été ; Dany Poudrier de Victoriaville ( 4 Cylindres), Jonathan Lessard de Tring Jonction (4 Cylindres 120 hp et +),  Junior Mailhot de Plessisville (Super 4), Vincent Hamel de Victoriaville ( 6 Cylindres), Maxime Fortin de Thetford Mines (8 Cylindres), Serge Nault de St-Jacques-de-Leeds (Prostock) et chez les dames, Audrey Boissonneault de Plessisville (4 Cylindres) et Claudette Trépanier de Québec (6 & 8 Cylindres).

 

Le prochain programme présenté par le promoteur André Fortier aura lieu à l’Autodrome St-Valère.com, le samedi 30 juillet prochain.

 

-30-

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Brian Hoar Adds Twin State to ACT Late Model Tour Wins List

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                         ACT-070911

Claremont, NH – Seven-time ACT Late Model Tour Champion Brian Hoar of Williston, VT added Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH to his ACT wins list on Saturday, July 9. Hoar led the final 32 laps of the 100 lap event coming from the sixth starting position. It is Hoar’s 31st career ACT win on 15 different tracks.

 

Groveton, NH’s Randy Potter started on the pole with a +6 in ACT’s unique plus-minus handicap system. He battled with local favorite Luke Hinkley during the early stages of the event and would lead all but two of the first 68 laps. Brent Dragon started in the third position and was a constant contender.

 

Hoar got by Potter to take the lead on lap 69 and never looked back. Potter fell into the clutches of Dragon and the two fought hard with Dragon coming out on top. Potter settled for third followed by Hinkley in fourth. Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. had an amazing run coming from the 26th starting position to take fifth. Polewarczyk qualified through the B-Feature after wrecking in his heat race. John Donahue took sixth followed by Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Todd Davis, Guy Caron and Mark Lamberton.

 

The event took just under 35 minutes with two minor cautions, one for a spin and another for a flat tire. Twenty of the twenty-eight car field completed the 100 lap distance. Thirty-four cars attempted to qualify for the event.

 

Brian Hoar already qualified for the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH on Saturday, September 24. The list includes Hoar, Nick Sweet, John Donahue, Jeff White, Patrick Laperle, Daniel Descoste, Patrick Hamel, Alex Labbe and Donald Theetge.

 

The ACT Late Model Tour has the next couple of weeks off before their seventh event of the season at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, ME on Saturday, July 30. Many of the ACT teams will spend the “down time” preparing and competing in the 38th Annual Oxford Plains Speedway TD Bank 250 in Oxford, ME on Sunday, July 24. The event is expected to draw the top Late Model teams from the Northeast and Canada all looking for the $25,000 to win payday.

 

ACT Late Model Tour – Twin State 100

Unofficial Results

Twin State Speedway – Claremont, NH

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Pos. (Start) Car# Driver Laps Completed

1. (6) 37VT Brian Hoar 100

2. (3) 55VT Brent Dragon 100

3. (1) 02NH Randy Potter 100

4. (2) 31NH Luke Hinkley 100

5. (26) 97NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. 100

6. (5) 26VT John Donahue 100

7. (11) 27NH Wayne Helliwell, Jr. 100

8. (14) 34NH Todd Davis 100

9. (4) 12NH Guy Caron 100

10. (7) 16NY Mark Lamberton 100

11. (21) 32VT Jean-Paul Cyr 100

12. (10) 57VT Austin Theriault 100

13. (17) 17RI Ray Parent 100

14. (22) 25MA Chris Curtis 100

15. (25) 15ME Ben Ashline 100

16. (15) 26MA Dallas Trombley 100

17. (9) 07MA Tom Carey, Jr. 100

18. (13) 4ME Brad Babb 100

19. (27) 24NH Jeff Labrecque 100

20. (12) 21MA Pete Yetman 100

21. (8) 51ME Ricky Rolfe 99

22. (23) 3ME Dennis Spencer 99

23. (20) 37NC Bryan Town 99

24. (24) 44NH Dennis Stang 99

25. (28) 23ME Dave Farrington, Jr. 98

26. (16) 7ME Glen Luce 97

27. (18) 15VT Joey Laquerre 53

28. (19) 9NH Kyle Welch 37

Time of Race: 34:54

Margin of Victory: Three car lengths

Lap Leaders: Luke Hinkley, 1-2; Randy Potter, 3-68; Brian Hoar, 69-100.

Cautions: 2 (Laps 42, 68)

 

-30-

 

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...