2018-03-19

Airborne Title Defense

 Airborne Title Defense





PLATTSBURGH – Alexandria, ON native, Chris Raabe will look to defend his 2017 Egglefield Ford 358-Modified championship this season at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh.

                Last season, Raabe posted phenomenal numbers at Airborne by winning 6 races in 12 point counting events. He also finished in the top five in every start, which was more than enough to solidify the 2017 crown. His consistency throughout the season allowed a very comfortable margin of victory, 84 points to be exact, over the second-place point finisher, Mike Perrotte. Raabe also had two non-point event starts in 2017 at Airborne.

                "Airborne's transition to dirt went pretty smoothly," Raabe said. "I believe you're going to see even more Quebec participation in the Modified and Sportsman divisions this year."

                Last season, Raabe was a regular on Friday at the Mohawk International Raceway and at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday nights. Away from Airborne, he had 32 starts with his #01 machine. In those 32 starts, he collected 3 wins, 14 top five finishes and 27 top ten finishes. Two of his 48 starts last season came during a Super DIRTcar Series event. Raabe competed in the Big Block Modified events at Airborne and Mohawk with his Small Block Modified. At Cornwall, Raabe was knocking on the door of cracking into the top five before a steering issue forced him to retire just beyond the halfway point of the race. Raabe ran inside the top ten for much of the event at Airborne before the Big Blocks overpowered his Small Block, as he settled for position twelve.

                "Right now, we plan on running weekly at Airborne on Saturdays and Cornwall on Sundays," Raabe said. "Our schedule is always tentative and we certainly like to move around and challenge new venues as a team."

                Raabe also followed the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series last season. Raabe finished second in the standings behind Steve Bernard. At Super DIRT Week, Raabe was the only Airborne regular to qualify for the 358-Modified event. He began the week by time trialing as the tenth quickest car out of 56 that took time. From there he moved onto a twin-25 event where he posted a fifth-place finish behind Peter Britten, Matt Sheppard, Stewart Friesen and Brett Hearn. From there he moved onto the 150-lap main event where he finished eleventh in a midday race that saw very little passing.

                "As far as the 358 tour goes, we will hit the early shows to start and see where that takes us," Raabe noted.

                Prior to the 2017 season, Raabe and his team set their goal, the "Drive for 150." On July 16, that was checked off the list for the 01 team. The number 150 stood for the number of open wheeled Modified wins in his career. He is now beyond 150 and headed for 200. Raabe and his team have established themselves as one of the top 358-Modified teams in the northeast.

                "Preparation, attention to detail, good equipment, micromanagement and demanding perfection from all involved are all key performance factors that we've utilized to meet the demands brought on by racing," Raabe explained. "Our team is meticulous with trying to stay up to speed with new technology."

                A lengthy list of sponsors are onboard for the team in the 2018 season. St. Lawrence Radiology, Kids 4 Kids, McColman Media, Mike Sauve Construction, Husqvarna Alexandria, Teo Pro Car, Doiron Engineering, Glengarry Windows and Doors, Richards Sweeping, Distribution J.M. Bergeron Inc., PM Promotions, OK Tire Alexandria, Genesis Racing Shocks, Eibach, Beyea Headers, Outerwears, Simpson and Fast Axle are contributors this season.

                Raabe was asked about the importance of sponsors in the sport of auto racing.

                "Sponsors are always tough to find," Raabe said. "There is definitely a difference between a company who engages in short term recognition and a company who believes in investing in your brand. Unfortunately, racing relies on those investments of greater magnitude to further a career and provide opportunities to produce numbers on the track."

                Airborne's racing season is scheduled to take its first green flag on April 28 with a 6 p.m. post time. The DIRTcar Sportsman Series will be on hand for their first event of the season. Airborne will host a car show prior to the season at the Champlain Centre Mall in Plattsburgh. The event will be two days, April 14 and 15. For more season information visit airborneparkspeedway.com

               

               

 


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Raphaël Lessard termine dans le Top 5 en Alabama lors du Rattler 250!

Raphaël Lessard termine dans le Top 5 en Alabama lors du Rattler 250! 





Québec, le 18 mars 2018 – Raphaël Lessard, membre du programme de développement de pilotes TRD de Toyota, a terminé en 4e position dimanche après-midi lors du Rattler 250 qui s'est déroulé sur le South Alabama Speedway à Kinston en Alabama dans le cadre de la Southern Super Series. Pour la seconde fois au volant de la FRL Express/Mobil 1/Toyota Camry # 51, Raphaël Lessard a brillé dès les séances d'essais libres. Partant en position de tête après avoir obtenu les meilleurs temps en qualifications, le pilote de 16 ans n'a fait que démontrer son immense talent pendant les 250 tours de cette course endiablée.

Représentant fièrement les couleurs de l'équipe Kyle Bush Motorsports (KBM), la sensation beauceronne a démontré sa volonté de gagner en exécutant une belle remontée. En effet, après s'être maintenu dans le Top 5 pour plus de la moitié de la course, Lessard a reçu une pénalité l'envoyant en fin de peloton. À la mi-course, le jeune pilote a dépassé la voiture de tête avec l'objectif de rentrer aux puits.

Comme souvent dans les courses de Super Late Model, beaucoup de drapeaux jaunes ont ponctué l'épreuve.  Les relances étaient parfois à l'avantage de Raphaël qui a un penchant pour la ligne extérieure, mais au début de la course, alors qu'il chassait Jeff Choquette pour sa position de tête, Lessard s'est vu contraint de partir de l'intérieur, ne parvenant pas à reprendre la tête, mais sans toutefois jamais abandonner ses efforts vers le podium.

« Je pense qu'avoir obtenu les meilleurs temps toute la fin de semaine démontre clairement mes capacités et celles de la voiture. C'est sûr que je suis déçu d'avoir dépassé la voiture de sécurité, c'est quelque chose que je n'aurais pas dû faire. Cependant, je dois apprendre de mes erreurs et je peux garantir que ça ne se reproduira plus! De plus, la remontée que j'ai effectuée, de la 16e place à la 3e position, pour finalement terminer en 4e position, me rend très fier! Ma voiture était excellente et je n'ai donc pas eu trop de difficulté à me frayer un chemin vers le peloton de tête. Avec autant de neutralisation, il est plus facile de rejoindre le peloton, car les meneurs n'ont pas la chance de se sauver très loin. » de dire Raphaël.

« Je tiens à remercier sincèrement l'équipe Kyle Busch Motorsports pour leur indéniable soutien et l'incroyable voiture qu'ils mettent à ma disposition. Mes remerciements se dirigent également vers mes parents, les investisseurs, FRL Express, Mobil 1, Toyota-TRD, Cody Glick, mon chef d'équipe et tous les membres de celle-ci, ainsi que vers Kyle Busch et ses précieux conseils. J'ai bien hâte à la prochaine épreuve qui sera dans la série CARS et où j'ai été le champion en 2016. » a déclaré Raphaël Lessard.

 

Prochaine course au calendrier

La 3e course du calendrier 2018 de Raphaël Lessard se déroulera le 24 mars prochain dans le cadre de la série CARS, une course de 100 tours au Myrtle Beach Speedway en Caroline du Sud.

 

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Matt Craig Powers To 3rd Straight PASS South Win At Caraway

Matt Craig Powers To 3rd Straight PASS South Win At Caraway

 

  • For Immediate Release

 

SOPHIA, NC (March 18) – Matt Craig led flag-to-flag Sunday afternoon to score his thirdstraight Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Model win at Caraway Speedway in the RGS Products 125.  Craig's win moves him to fourth on the all-time PASS South winners' list, just one win behind Jay Fogleman.

            In qualifying, Tate Fogleman bested Brandon Setzer for his second quick qualifying time of the season with a lap of 16.473 seconds (99.435 MPH).  But, the top 10 qualifiers redraw would not be kind to Fogleman, moving him back to the ninth starting position, while fellow championship contenders, Craig and Kodie Conner, would move to the front row for the start. 

            At the drop of the green flag, Craigwould quickly move to the point, while Fogleman was dicing his way up through the field.  The first caution of the day would wave on lap 14 for a solo spin by rookie Charles Barnes in turn four.

            Craig would lead after the restart, but by lap 20, he was being closely pursued by Roy Hayes and Fogleman.  The top three stayed that way until Setzer joined the fray, taking second from Hayes with 40 laps to go.

            Fogleman's early season misfortune continued as he began to drop back in the second half of the race, falling to ninth by lap 90.  The second caution of the day would wave with 14 laps to go when Fogleman slowed to a stop with mechanical problems in turn three.

            After the final restart, it was all Craig, as he would lead the rest of to take the win over Setzer, Ryan Moore, Conner, Lee Tissot. Rounding out the top ten were Gracie Trotter,Jody Measamer, Max McLaughlin, Hayes, and Jimmy Doyle.  Trotter's sixth place finish on Sunday equals Kenzie Ruston, Tayla Orleans, and Sarah Cornett-Ching as the best finish by a female in PASS competition.

             The PASS South Super Late Models will be in action again on Saturday, March 31 for the 13th Annual Easter Bunny 150, along with the SMRS Tour Modifieds, in one of the biggest races of the season.  The top five PASS South finishers at Hickory will receive guaranteed starting positions for either the Oxford 250 in August or the inaugural Commonwealth Classic 100 at Richmond Raceway in October.  Entry forms are currently available at ProAllStarsSeries.com.  Be sure to "Like" the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @PASSSLM14.

                PASS South Super Late Model – RGS Products 125 – Unofficial Results

  1. 54 – Matt Craig 125                               11. 24 – JP Josiasse 123
  2. 6 – Brandon Setzer 125             12. 21 – Blaise Rutherford 122
  3. 74 – Ryan Moore 125                             13. 14 – Greg Burgess 117
  4. 45 – Kodie Conner 125                         14. 49 – Jeff Batten 117
  5. 27 – Lee Tissot 125                               15. 8f – Tate Fogleman 109
  6. 2 – Gracie Trotter 125                            16. 37 – Charles Barnes 39
  7. 98 – Jody Measamer 125                      17. 70 – Fletcher Whaley 34
  8. 4 – Max McLaughlin 125           
  9. 15 – Roy Hayes 125                  
  10.  71 – Jimmy Doyle 124             


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