2012-01-16

JOHNSTON RESEARCH & PERFORMANCE (JRP) TO HOST THE 'JRP PAVILION' AT THE CANADIAN MOTORSPORTS EXPO

(TORONTO, ON // JANUARY 16, 2012) – One of North America’s largest distributors of high performance parts and accessories – Johnston Research and Performance (JRP, Inc.) – will be hosting the 5,000 square-foot ‘JRP Pavilion’ at the 2012 Canadian Motorsports Expo on February 10-12, 2012 at Toronto’s International Centre.

 

“JRP has truly raised the bar for this year’s CME,” said the CME’s Mike Galipeau, of the Mississauga, Ontario-based distributor. “JRP’s presence will be immediately noticeable by the racers and fans attending the show. Their participation – and that of their brands – will be a huge benefit to the other exhibitors. They’ve also gone above and beyond in terms of helping to market the show to their customers and potential first-time showgoers.”

 

JRP’s manufacturers will have exhibits and factory representatives to answer questions at the JRP Pavilion, creating an opportunity – on Canadian soil – that Canadians have traditionally had to travel to the U.S. or Europe to experience.

 

“JRP’s size and influence in the Canadian market allows them to bring their top brands and factory reps to the CME,” continued Galipeau. “We’ll have companies from around the world bring their displays and 2012 products for Canadians to see. Companies like K&N, Royal Purple, Sparco and many others will have factory reps on the floor in the JRP Pavilion to answer questions and showcase their new innovations and products.”

 

Established in 1993, JRP has grown into one of Canada’s largest automotive distribution companies, through their passion for motorsport and their knowledge of performance parts gained as a result of traveling the globe looking for the best products.

 

“I felt there were a number of reasons we should get involved,” said JRP’s Derek Johnston. “The CME is the only venue in this country that caters to our industry. There are shows like it in England and in the United States. Our strength has always been in hard-core performance products, and our specialty knowledge and expertise come from being involved with motorsport participants. We travel the world every season to find the best products we can, and we pioneer product lines that haven’t been launched in the U.S. or Canada.”

 

Many well-respected companies affiliated with JRP will be in attendance at the 2012 Canadian Motorsports Expo, participating in the JRP Pavilion, including:

 

• AEM ELECTRONICS                          • HJC                                                   • ROMIK

• ARP                                                   • K&N                                                  • ROYAL PURPLE

• BBS                                                   • KW SUSPENSION                              • STOPTECH

• CSF CANADA                                    • LITECH                                              • SPARCO

• COBB                                                • VOLK RACING                                   • SONAX

• DISK BRAKE AUSTRALIA                   • MAGNAFLOW                                  • VIBRANT

• ENKEI                                                • OPTIMATE                                        • WOSSNER

• EXEDY                                               • REVO                                                • WHITELINE

 

“If you own a performance or racing shop in Canada, you likely know JRP,” continued Galipeau. “The JRP Pavilion will give show patrons opportunities to meet the JRP staff, and discuss their performance needs.”

 

From JRP’s perspective, the CME offers a unique opportunity to assemble its customers under one roof, reach new clients, and increase brand awareness. JRP’s manufacturer representatives are looking forward to promoting their products to the Canadian motorsports community.

 

“A lot of these companies are very excited to come to Canada because they have a large market here or are looking to attract new customers,” said Johnston. “Often, these types of companies are very excited to be involved and want to build relationships with clients in the local market. Our manufacturers represent a wide range of automotive fields. They are passionate about motorsports.”

 

JRP is located at 2344 South Sheridan Way in Mississauga, ON. Contact them at (PH) 905-822-7223, info@jrponline.com or visit their website at www.jrponline.com.

 

ABOUT THE CME: The Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsport News is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs February 10, 11 & 12, 2012 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)). In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike. Celebrity drivers will be at the CME to sign autographs and meet the fans. One of the special themes of this year’s CME is the CASCAR Reunion. Please check the show’s website (www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com) for news, updates, schedule information and more. For more information on exhibitors, seminars, conferences, special events and guests, visit www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com, call 416-962-7223 or email info@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com.

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 16.1.12 0 comments

Body Work: GRIP Examines The Truth About Aero

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 1.16.12
For more information, visit www.GRIPseminars.com or E-Mail TBarrettGWC@hotmail.com

 

Sammy Sanders Brings Design And Aero Experience To Seminar

PORTLAND, Maine—Every short-track race team is constantly looking for any bit of speed it can find, and GRIP plans to help racers find that edge.

Kentucky native Sammy Sanders brings nearly 20 years of design, fabrication, body hanging, driving, and aerodynamic experience to the Seasons Event and Conference Center in Portland, Maine, this coming January 19-22 for the first annual GRIP Seminar presented by Hypercoil Springs. While the four-day short-track racing seminar will explore suspension information, brake technology, spotting technique, driver development and marketing, it will also place a premium on explaining how to take advantage of body hanging and bracing to maximize downforce and aerodynamics on short tracks across the United States and Canada.

 

Sanders, who is the lead designer & fabricator for Aluminum Racing Products – ARbodies – will address aerodynamics and downforce, as well as how to maximize both through proper body hanging and bracing procedures, and the use of aerodynamic enhancing accessories.

“This is a really exciting opportunity for short-track teams,” said Jason Enders of RE Suspension, one of GRIP's co-founders. “What somebody like Sanders has learned over the years is invaluable, and he has the ability to debunk popular myths about aerodynamics as they pertain to short-track racing while also getting the best for teams in terms of actual on-track performance.”

In addition to being the lead designer & fabricator for Aluminum Racing Products, Sanders has also worked as a test driver, fabrication shop foreman and aero consultant for two of Bobby Hamilton Racing’s three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins at Daytona International Speedway. Sanders also did extensive wind tunnel testing for Dodge Motorsports while working for BHR.

In addition to having run several Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series races, Sanders is also a weekly racer with several championships and more than 100 wins. His experiences of designing, testing and competing in an aero sensitive environment give him a unique perspective on maximizing aerodynamics few people have acquired.

GRIP is designed to benefit teams from all walks of short-track racing, including PASS-sanctioned Super Late Models, ACT-sanctioned Late Models, Maritime Pro Stock and Sportsman-type cars, open-wheeled Modifieds and various weekly divisions from across North America.

TICKETS STILL REMAIN FOR THE FOUR-DAY SEMINAR, and Hypercoil Springs is offering two free tickets to accompany any four-day ticket sold. Multiple pricing packages are available to accommodate a variety of schedules and budgets. A special room rate at the adjacent Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, for both single- and double-occupancy, is also being offered.

For more information on GRIP or to register for the seminar, please visit www.GRIPSeminars.com or contact Gary Crooks at (704) 224-6672.

###

 

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 16.1.12 0 comments

2012-01-13

Glen Wood Never Set Out To Create NASCAR Sprint Cup Dynasty

For Immediate Release

 

Virginian’s Decision To Race Instead Of Cut Wood Benefited Many Racing Stars

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2012) – Glen Wood began his working life hauling timber to Virginia’s sawmills before deciding that racing cars offered a more exciting – and ultimately profitable – way of life.

 

It turned out to be a decision well made. The complete story of Wood’s accomplishments in NASCAR has yet to be written but the next chapter unfolds Jan. 20 when the 86-year-old Wood is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

 

Though Wood won just four times – all at Bowman-Gray Stadium in North Carolina – he planted the seeds that germinated into NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing history that continues to be made today.

 

Glen Wood and brothers Leonard, Delano, Clay and Ray Lee went from weekend racers to the Stuart, Va.-based team that for more than 50 years has employed some of NASCAR’s greatest names. Glen Wood won his first race in 1960.

 

Trevor Bayne won last year’s Daytona 500 bookending a litany of superstar winners that includes NASCAR Hall of Fame member David Pearson, fellow Hall inductee Cale Yarborough, Tiny Lund, Marvin Panch, A.J. Foyt, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett and road racer Dan Gurney.

 

Wood’s team has won 98 times in seven different decades, a total that includes five Daytona 500s. The Wood Brothers also excelled outside the NASCAR world, sending Jim Clark to victory in the 1965 Indianapolis 500.

 

“It’s such a long trip from 1950 to now. It’s sort of hard to believe,” said Wood following the announcement of his selection to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “It’s one of the biggest honors you could have. I didn’t come here alone; I had a lot of help. There’s five of us brothers. All of those helped at one time or another.”

 

Wood’s brother and choreographer of the modern pit stop, Leonard, has been nominated for future NASCAR Hall of Fame consideration.

 

Glen Wood – whose early racing nickname was “Woodchopper” because he owned a saw mill – began racing in an era where stock cars actually were street cars.

 

When Speedy Thompson won the inaugural National 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960, the Ford he drove had been junked because of fire damage. The fire saved the Woods from having to removing heavy soundproofing and other materials – ultimately removing weight as well.

The victory was the team’s first on a superspeedway. Wood would later say that his share of the $12,710 purse was a turning point.

Wood purchased his first race car, a 1938 Ford Coupe, for $50 in 1950. As a NASCAR premier series driver, Wood was active from 1953 through 1964 ultimately competing in 62 races. His first victory came on April 18, 1960; his fourth and last on July 13, 1963. He was one of the day’s better qualifiers winning the pole 14 times. Wood’s average starting position was 6.1.

 

In 1959, he ran a career-high 20 races, finishing 13 times in the top 10. The following season statistically was his best: nine races, three wins, four poles and six top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

 

Wood and his brothers bought a 1961 Ford Starliner which they tested at Charlotte Motor Speedway on behalf of Ford, which had no factory-supported presence in the series at the time. The Woods and Ford entered NASCAR premier series racing together and have been paired since – the longest association between a race team and a manufacturer.

 

Tiny Lund claimed the team’s first Daytona 500 victory in 1963, substituting for Marvin Panch, who’d been injured the day before in a sports car race. Fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Yarborough won the race in 1968, followed by Foyt in 1972, NASCAR Hall of Famer Pearson in 1976 and Bayne in 2010.

 

The team’s association with Pearson was most notable. Pearson and the Woods won 43 times between 1972 and 1978, seasons in which the team pursued partial schedules comprising only the sport’s most significant events.

 

Between 1964 and 1968, Dan Gurney won four times at the old Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway road course driving for the Woods.

 

With children Eddie and Len Wood and Kim Hall, the organization scored its most improbable victory in last year’s Daytona 500. Bayne, driving in just his second NASCAR Sprint Cup race, gave the Woods their 98th victory. "It was unbelievable that that happened, we go down there with a rookie driver. He'd driven one time for us at Texas, and ran real well,” said Wood. "But I don't think anybody would ever have dreamed he would've won the Daytona 500."

 

Glen Wood remains a humble man – regardless of the history that he and his team continue to write in NASCAR. “I’d like to be remembered as a fair competitor, a man whose handshake was his word,” said Wood.

 

 

For additional information, contact:

Owen A. Kearns, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.1.12 0 comments

Alex Montminy poursuit son développement avec la Série Sportsman

Communiqué de presse                                                     Pour diffusion immédiate

SSQ-2012-004

 

Québec, QC (13 janvier 2012) – Le jeune pilote de 16 ans, Alex Montminy, de Lévis est le troisième pilote à avoir complété formellement son accréditation pour la saison 2012 dans la Série Sportsman Québec.

Alex qui est en nomination dans la catégorie meilleur espoir Canadien du stock car sur asphalte par la réputée revue canadienne-anglaise Inside Track Motorsport News a choisi de continuer son développement dans la Série Sportsman.

 

"Nous avons privilégié la Série Sportsman pour poursuivre mon apprentissage.  La compétition y est féroce, les bolides performants et elle offre une valeur ajoutée par son professionnalisme qui ne peut que contribuer à mon avancement" déclara Alex.

En 2011, le plus jeune pilote de l'histoire de la série a complété chacune des manches et s'est classé au 13e rang du classement cumulatif de la Série. Il a enregistré 1 top-5 et 5 top-10.

"Alex sera de retour au volant de la Toyota Camry No. 18, mais cette dernière aura subit une importante modification.  Nous ferons passer la suspension arrière d'un système à lame à celui utilisant des combinés ressort-amortisseurs ("coil overs").  D'ailleurs nous serons associés au constructeur D.G.R. et comptons sur les judicieux conseils de Dany Gagnon encore cette année.  C'est certain que nous relevons les attentes, nous voulons poursuivre la progression et bâtir sur la belle lancée que nous avons connu en fin d'année passée" déclara Guy Monminy le père et responsable de l'équipe.

"Alex en sera à sa 3e saison avec la Série en 2012.  Déjà, nous avons pu constater une amélioration marquée sur ses résultats l'an dernier.  L'encadrement continu qu'il reçoit de personnes expérimentées porte fruit.  Il ne serait pas surprenant de le voir visiter le podium à quelques reprises cette année et qui sait, peut être même enregistré une première victoire" déclara André Poulin, président de la série.

Pour tout connaître sur Alex Montminy, visitez sa page de pilote au :
http://www.seriesportsman.ca/francai...eam-levis.html


Si vous désirez vous prononcer sur le sondage de la revue Inside Track Motorsports News et supporter la nomination d'Alex, veuillez remplir le sondage qui se trouve à l'adresse:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ITMN_RCA_2011

 

La levée de rideau pour la série se fera avec une journée d’essai et d’inspection à l’autodrome Montmagny le 12 mai et la première compétition, un 75 tour, aura lieu le 19 mai à l’Autodrome St-Eustache dans le cadre du festival sportsman qui mettra aussi en vedette les Sportsmans ANCA et la classe Sportsman de la piste américain Airborne Speedway.

– 30 –

 

Pour de plus amples informations, contactez:

 

André Poulin, Président Série Sportsman Québec

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.1.12 0 comments

Sarah Cornett-Ching Seeks Help of Fans and Sponsors with Voting in the 'Always a Champion' Video Contest; Winner to Receive Sponsorship

Craig Revelle - Finish Line Web Design

January 13, 2012

PENTICTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Sarah Cornett-Ching is seeking the help of fans and sponsors to vote for her daily in a video contest that she has entered.  The contest is titled ‘Always a Champion’ and there will be five winners of this contest that will receive a $10,000 sponsorship from Champion Spark Plugs for the upcoming 2012 racing season, and one grand prize winner of a $50,000 sponsorship package.

 

The ‘Always a Champion’ contest began at the start of the New Year, and runs through February 5th, 2012.  You can vote once a day on the video, and by signing up to vote on the site, you will also be eligible to win free apparel from Champion.  In order to vote, simply go to www.alwaysachampion.com and register.  Once you have registered, type Sarah Cornett-Ching in the search field, click on the video and vote.  Once registered, you can also vote right from the www.sccracing.com website.

"This is a great contest that Champion has put on for us racers, and with your help we may have a chance to win one of those coveted sponsorship packages" says Cornett-Ching.  "We encourage everyone to vote for us daily between now and February 5th and leave a comment on the video. The Champion sponsorship, along with the help of our already existing sponsors for 2012 would make a great combination going into the new season."

The five finalists (one per each racing category) will be determined by a Sponsor-selected panel of judges based on the following criteria: Inspirational Quality (34%); Relevance to Theme/Best Depiction of a Champion (33%); and number of votes (33%). All eligible Contest Entries will be judged from January 16, 2012 through January 31, 2012.  While the voting doesn’t solely determine who wins the contest, the 33% is very important in determining the winner.

"We have been promoting the video contest through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter since the voting began" adds Cornett-Ching who has utilized these sites all year long to keep sponsors and fans informed of any news throughout the year.

"We need to step it up in order to be in the running for this sponsorship when it closes in a few weeks."

Since 2005, Sarah Cornett-Ching has racked up a pile of awards, including Most Aspiring driver as well as Champion in her division that year.  Two years later, after moving up a class, she claimed the championship again.  In 2008 she claimed her first ever top five finish in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, and the following year she finished third overall in the series points standings.  In addition to her third place in points, she also claimed awards for Most Improved driver, Most Dedicated to the Sport and West Coast Sportsman Rookie of the Year Award.  In 2010 she claimed fifth place in points in both the Okanagen Street Stock Series and the West Coast Sportsman Series.  She was also named Most Improved Driver and Most Dedicated Driver of the West Coast Sportsman Series.  In 2011, Sarah again won Most Improved Driver in the West Coast Sportsman Series, finishing fourth in points, and won Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved driver in the OK Tire ARCA West Series, finishing eighth in points.

For more information on Sarah Cornett-Ching and to follow her racing accomplishments, please visit her newly revamped website, www.sccracing.com or visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sccracing.

Sarah Cornett-Ching seeks the help of fans and sponsors in the ‘Always a Champion’ voting contest.  (SCC Racing Photo Collection)

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.1.12 0 comments

Dave Paryzo se joint à la grande famille de l'Autodrome Drummond

Jeudi 5 janvier 2012 – David Pariseau – directeur des communications

 

En plein préparatif de la 62e saison de courses de l’Autodrome Drummond, Yan Bussière est fier d’annoncer la venue de Dave Paryzo en tant que nouveau directeur des communications.

 

Impliqué dans le monde du stock car sur terre battue depuis son enfance, Paryzo a d’abord été membre de l’équipe du vétéran Robin David de 1999-2004. Auteur du livre Au fil des ans sur l’histoire de l’Autodrome Granby (2002), il s’est retrouvé derrière le volant du semi-pro #2 de 2004 à 2007 et du lightning Sprint #20 en 2009. David s’acquittera de la rédaction des communiqués de presse en plus de travailler de concert avec Antony Marcotte pour la préparation de l’analyse des programmes de courses. Celui-ci s’engage avec l’équipe de l’Autodrome Drummond à rehausser à nouveau la qualité du spectacle avec de nouvelles innovations.

 

En raison d’engagements personnels, Martin Bélanger doit céder son poste de relationniste ainsi que sa conjointe Isabelle Nault qui l’assistait dans son travail. L’équipe s’unit pour les remercier et les féliciter pour l’excellent travail réalisé au cours de la saison 2011.

 

À quelques mois de l’arrivée de la prochaine campagne, Dave Paryzo amènera sans aucun doute du sang nouveau au tracé du Centre du Québec. Âgé de 25 ans, Paryzo devient le plus jeune relationniste de l’histoire de l’Autodrome Drummond. Dynamique et déterminé, c’est avec beaucoup d’enthousiasme qu’il accepte le défi.

 

L’Autodrome Drummond, la F1 de la terre battue !

 

Dave Paryzo

daveparyzo@hotmail.ca

Directeur des communications

Autodrome Drummond 

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.1.12 0 comments

STEVE COTE: DE RETOUR AU CANADA / RETURNS HOME TO CANADA

STEVE COTE: DE RETOUR AU CANADA

OBJECTIF: LE TITRE DE RECRUE NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES

 

 

Pour diffusion immédiate

WM–20120101

 

Kahnawake, QC  —12 janvier 2012 — Le pilote de Montréal et champion 2010 de la NASCAR Whelen All American Series au Québec, Steve Cote, sera de retour au Canada après avoir passé l'année dernière aux États-Unis.  Lors de son séjour à Roseville en Californie, il a remporté le titre de recrue et terminé deuxième au classement cumulatif de la classe Modifiés NASCAR Whelen All American Series à la piste All American Speedway.

STEVE COTE: RETURNS HOME TO CANADA

HIS GOALS ARE SET ON NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE

 

For immediate release

WM–20120101

 

Kahnawake, QC  — January 12, 2012 — Montreal (Quebec) stock car driver and the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All American Series Quebec Champion, Steve Cote, returns home to Canada after a year away in the United States, where he claimed Rookie of the Year Title and finished second in points in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Modified ranks at All American Speedway in Roseville, California (USA).

 

Une entente a été conclue entre Steve Cote Racing et White Motorsports qui permettra à Cote de participer à chacune des douze courses du championnat NASCAR Canadian Tire Series avec l'objectif de remporter le titre de recrue de l'année.

 

"Je suis très fébrile à l'idée de compétitionner à travers le Canada, dans le  plus haut niveau de compétition en stock car qu'il y a au pays.  C'est un privilège pour moi d'être associé à NASCAR, White Motorsports et son propriétaire Derek White.  Nos aurons deux voitures à notre disposition pour participer au championnat, elles sont actuellement à être modifiées afin d'être munies des plus récentes avancées technologiques.  De plus je serai à nouveau réuni avec mon frère, Jonathan, qui a déjà acquis une année d'expérience dans la série avec White Motorsports.  Je pourrai donc être compétitif dès le début" a déclaré Steve Cote.

 

La série NASCAR Canadian Tire Series représente le plus haut niveau de compétition en sport motorisé et le seul championnat national au Canada.  Les meilleurs équipes et pilotes de stock car compétitionnent sur des circuits ovales et des circuits routiers à travers le pays à titre d'épreuve principale, entre autre au Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivières et à deux reprises en marge des séries internationales du NASCAR Nationwide à Montréal et de l'IndyCar à Edmonton.  La foule ayant assisté aux épreuves est estimée à plus de 360 000 personnes à travers le Canada et à plus de 168 000 téléspectateurs à chacune des épreuves diffusées sur la chaîne TSN.

 

La levée de rideaux sur la saison 2012 de Steve Cote et la Série NASCAR Canadian Tire se fera sur le circuit routier de Mosport International Raceway (Bowmanville, ON) le 20 mai 2012.  Le championnat de 12 courses visitera des installations dans les provinces de Nouvelle-Écosse, Québec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta et Colombie-Britannique.

Suivez @stevecoteracing et @whitemotorsport sur Twitter et assurez vous de consulter la page Steve Cote Racing sur Facebook à www.facebook.com/stevecoteracing

 

###

 

 

Photo: Steve Cote - 001 - thorso.jpg

Le pilote de Montréal au Québec, Steve Cote, aura 21 ans le 24 janvier prochain.  Il a remporté le titre de champion Québécois NASCAR Whelen All American en 2010 alors qu'il compétitionnait en Sportsman à l'Autodrome St-Eustache et celui de recrue de l'année pour la NASCAR Whelen All American dans l'état de la Californie alors qu'il a participé au championnat Open Wheel Modified (voiture modifiée) à la piste All American Speedway de Roseville en Californie (États-unis).

 

Photo: Steve Cote - 002 -.jpg

Steve Cote au volant de la voiture de type modifiée, munie d'un moteur de 575 chevaux, qui roule sur le tracé de All American Speedway à Roseville, Californie (États-unis).

 

Les photos sont disponibles sans frais pour les médias.

 

Pour de plus amples informations, contactez:

Marc Patrick Roy, Roy Motorsports

An agreement was reached between Steve Cote Racing and White Motorsports to participate in all twelve races of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship with goals set on the Rookie of the Year Title.

 

"I am excited to race from coast-to-coast at the highest level of stock car racing in Canada.  It is a privilege for me to be associated with NASCAR, White Motorsports and its owner Derek White.  We will have two cars at our disposal, both of which are currently being upgraded to the latest specifications.  Also, I will be reunited once more with my brother, Jonathan, who has already accumulated a year of experience with White Motorsports in the NCATS series. This will allow me to be competitive going in" declared Steve Cote.

 

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is Canada's top level of motorsport and only National motorsport championship.  Canada's top teams and drivers racing stock cars on both oval and road courses from coast to coast as the headline show, including the Trois-Rivieres Grand Prix and as a companion series to the NASCAR Nationwide in Montreal and the IndyCar Series in Edmonton.  Attendance is estimated at over 360 000 people across Canada and each of the average TV viewership per event on TSN was 168 000 viewers.

 

Steve Cote and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series kick off the 2012 Championship on the Mosport International Raceway road course (Bowmanville, ON) on May 20th, 2012.  The 12-race Championship will visit racing facilities in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Follow @stevecoteracing and @whitemotorsport on Twitter and make sure to check out the Steve Cote Racing page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stevecoteracing

 

###

 

Photo credit: Steve Cote Racing

 

Photo: Steve Cote - 001 - thorso.jpg

Montréal, QC stock car driver, Steve Cote, will turn 21 on January 24, 2012.  He won the NASCAR Whelen All American Quebec Champion title in 2010 as he competed in the sportsman ranks at Autodrome St-Eustache and the NASCAR Whelen All American California State Rookie of the Year Title as he competed in the Open Wheel Modified ranks at All American Speedway in Roseville, California (USA).

 

Photo: Steve Cote - 002 -.jpg

Steve Cote behind the wheel of the Open Wheel modified, a 575 horse-power race car, at speed on the All American Speedway in Roseville, California (USA).

 

These pictures are available royalty free for media purposes.

 

For more information, contact:

Marc Patrick Roy, Roy Motorsports

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 13.1.12 0 comments

2012-01-12

Petty: Dale Inman Invented The Position Now Called NASCAR Crew Chief

For Immediate Release

 

Richard Petty’s Cousin Had Uncanny Ability To Communicate With ‘The King’

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 12, 2012) – Within the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, among crew chiefs and mechanics, the most popular addition to the NASCAR Hall of Fame is one of their own – Dale Inman.

 

Inman, according to his first cousin Richard Petty, invented the position we now call the crew chief.

 

“Dale was a racing benchmark,” said Petty. “He was the sport's first official crew chief and people modeled themselves after him. He knew what, when and where -- and when he made a mistake he wasn't afraid to admit it. Everyone respected him for that. Nobody even comes close to the number of wins that Dale has recorded."

 

He’ll be inducted Jan. 20 as a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s third class that includes Richie Evans, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.

 

Inman’s numbers between 1958 and 1992 indeed support “The King’s” belief: eight NASCAR Sprint Cup championships, 193 victories and 129 poles.

 

The 75-year-old Inman won seven titles with Petty and another with Terry Labonte.

 

Inman began working in the Petty Enterprises Level Cross, N.C. shop for Lee Petty when he was too young to go to the track and be the team’s chief mechanic.

 

Inman’s stand-out year was 1967. That season, Inman and Petty won a NASCAR-record, 27 races – 10 of them consecutively. All 27 victories were in the same car they built a year earlier.

 

“Maurice was in the engine room and we had six employees,” said Inman, when asked if he and the team were aware of what they were accomplishing. “We were so busy we didn’t have time to think about what we were doing.”

 

In the current era, a crew chief can puzzle over a dozen or more cars before selecting which one to take to a specific race. That was hardly the case for Inman.

 

Richard Petty frequently had only two or three cars for Inman to supervise, perhaps an even more difficult task considering a 50-race schedule that featured multiple dates during a given week on both dirt and asphalt surfaces.

 

“Somebody asked me if I was nervous,” Inman said, discussing his feelings before the NASCAR Hall of Fame announcement was made. “And I said, ‘not as much as I was in some of those races.’”

 

While Inman was The King’s cousin, it seemed as if the pair could be twin brothers. The two worked in the shop on Lee Petty’s race cars but also had played football together at Randleman High School. Inman was the team’s halfback; Petty was a guard on the offensive line.

 

“It was scary sometimes how we came up with the same answers,” Inman said.

 

Inman didn’t set out to be a crew chief; it just came with the evolution of the sport. “There had to be a leadership role,” he said. “I picked that up.”

 

Unlike his cousin, Inman never had a desire to drive race cars. “I just didn’t see me tearing up somebody else’s equipment,” he said. “I always was pretty well content to work on the race cars and make them better.”

 

He also was a gifted teacher. Many of the sport’s top crew chiefs matriculated at what became Dale Inman University, among them Mike Beam, Barry Dodson, Jake Elder, Tony Glover, Steve Hmiel, Robbie Loomis, Todd Parrott, Robin Pemberton and Wade Thronburg.

 

“The things that you learned were not always about being or trying to be the best race car mechanic or your win-loss record; they were also about how you represented your team on and off the track,” said Pemberton, a winning crew chief for Mark Martin, Kyle Petty and Rusty Wallace and now NASCAR’s Vice President, Competition and Racing Development, recalled of his time working under Inman. “Dale was very good at a lot of things but I really think he was one of the best race strategist I have ever seen week in and week out. The vast majority of the time Dale made the right call to get the most out of the day.”

 

Inman didn’t disagree but put it this way: “I kept up with who we we had to beat and what their weaknesses were,” he said. “We also surrounded ourselves with good people.”

 

Inman left the team shortly after Petty’s 1981 Daytona 500 victory. The decision to move on was incredibly emotional – for both Inman and Petty.

 

“After I told him I was leaving the team in '81, he looked at me like he was going to cry,” Inman said in a feature published later in “Stock Car Illustrated.” “'Dale,' he said, 'when I go off down into one of those turns at 170 mph, who am I going to depend on so I know that all the bolts are tight?' I went home and cried.”

 

Inman later worked for Rod Osterlund, J.D. Stacy and Billy Hagan – the latter owner of Labonte’s championship-winning team – before returning to Petty Enterprises to manage the organization’s business affairs in 1986. He helped mold the careers of John Andretti and Bobby Hamilton, both race winners.

 

Inman retired from NASCAR in 1998 but remained close to the sport. He helped Kyle Petty complete the Victory Junction camp. When the NASCAR Hall of Fame was opened, Inman brought in its first artifact, the restored Plymouth Belvedere in which Petty set the records in 1967.

 

In 2006 a national motorsports’ journalism organization proclaimed Inman NASCAR’s second greatest crew chief. Always humble, Inman responded, “I’m not sure I should even be ranked.” He called Leonard Wood of the Wood Brothers – fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Glen Wood’s brother – the best crew chief he’d ever seen.

 

For additional information, contact:

Owen A. Kearns, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 12.1.12 0 comments

Un autre pilote LMS fait un retour en Sportsman en 2012

Communiqué de presse
Pour diffusion immédiate
SSQ-2012-003

Québec, QC (11 janvier 2012) – Le deuxième pilote à formellement se faire accréditer pour la saison 2012 dans la Série Sportsman Québec est Marco Savoie de St-Lambert.

Après avoir évolué pendant deux saisons dans la prestigieuse Série ACT Castrol pour voiture récent modèle (LMS), il disputera chacune des épreuves du calendrier de la Série Sportsman au volant d'une rutilante Chevrolet Impala No. 27.

Un dévoilement officiel de la voiture sera fait le 3 mars 2012 lors d'un souper bénéfice aux profits de l'équipe qui se tiendra chez son nouveau commanditaire principal, soit Méchoui International de St-Étienne-de-Lauzon.

En 2011, en plus des cinq courses LMS, Marco a participé à 4 épreuves de la Série Sportsman dans lequel il a signé son meilleur résultat d'une 7e place alors qu'il évoluait sur le tracé de l'Autodrome Montmagny.

"Je veux participer à chacune des courses du championnat 2012 et me maintenir au plus fort du championnat. Mon équipe est de retour et à nouveau je serai associé et conseillé par le constructeur Mac Rod Shop de Vallée-Jonction" déclara Savoie.

Marco en sera à sa 5e saison de participation avec la Série en 2012. " Nous sommes heureux de pouvoir le compter parmi les compétiteurs de la Série Sportsman Québec. Il sera surement un pilote à surveiller dans le TOP 10 du classement" déclara André Poulin, président de la série.

Pour tout connaître sur Marco Savoie No. 27, visitez sa page de pilote au :

www.seriesportsman.ca/francais/pilotes/27-marco-savoie-savoie-racing-team-st-lambert.html
La levée de rideau pour la série se fera avec une journée d’essai et d’inspection à l’autodrome Montmagny le 12 mai et la première compétition, un 75 tour, aura lieu le 19 mai à l’Autodrome St-Eustache dans le cadre du festival Sportsman qui mettra aussi en vedette les Sportsmans ANCA et la classe Sportsman de la piste américain Airborne Speedway.



– 30 –


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 12.1.12 0 comments

2012-01-08

CASCAR REUNION: CME TO HOST A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Tony Novotny to be joined by several racers and personalities on Sunday, February 12

(TORONTO, ON // JANUARY 6, 2012) – Before there was a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, CASCAR was Canada’s top stock car sanctioning body, overseeing national and regional championships and creating consistent rules packages for many of the nation’s top racing facilities.

 

On Sunday, February 12, 2012, the Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsport News will host a CASCAR Reunion to celebrate this golden era in Canadian racing. The highlight will be an on-stage forum featuring CASCAR founder Tony Novotny and several prominent racers and personalities from the sanctioning body’s storied history.

 

Founded by Novotny in 1981, the Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (CASCAR) ultimately gave way (in 2007) to the present day NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. At its peak, the CASCAR Super Series appeared at ovals and road courses across Canada, producing legendary champions like Don Thomson Jr., Dave Whitlock, Peter Gibbons, Steve Robblee, Dan Shirtliff, Mark Dilley, Kerry Micks, Andy Farr, Wayne Keeling, J.R. Fitzpatrick and others. Canadian Tire Series champs Scott Steckly and DJ Kennington both cut their teeth competing in CASCAR races.

 

“We are very excited to be hosting the CASCAR Reunion on Sunday, February 12 at the CME,” said the CME’s Greg MacPherson. “The series laid the groundwork for NASCAR coming to Canada, proving that the country and its racers would support a unified, professional stock car series. Tony Novotny and some of his early partners had a vision, and while it was never easy, he and the racers, their families, the sponsors and fans worked together to create something pretty special. We’re looking forward to having Tony joined on stage by some past CASCAR champions and other CASCAR personalities for a trip down memory lane.”

 

Talking about the CASCAR Reunion at the CME, Novotny said, “It’s going to be pretty neat to see a bunch of good friends and talk about the old days. There should be a lot of fun stories. It was a lot of work and we had our ups and downs. But looking back, we put on some good racing and ran into a lot of good people over the years. It’ll be nice to see everyone again.”

 

Watch the CME website (www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com) for further announcements regarding the CASCAR Reunion, including the CME show schedule and additional confirmed forum participants. If you were a CASCAR racer, crew member, official, sponsor or fan, you won’t want to miss this rare opportunity to relive one of the most memorable chapters in Canadian racing history. For more information about the CASCAR Reunion, contact the CME at info@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com or call (416) 962-7223.

 

ABOUT THE CME: The Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsport News is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs February 10, 11 & 12, 2012 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)). In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike. Celebrity drivers will be at the CME to sign autographs and meet the fans. One of the special themes of this year’s CME is the CASCAR Reunion. Please check the show’s website (www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com) for news, updates, schedule information and more.

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 8.1.12 0 comments

Devil's Bowl Speedway to host second "Town Meeting" January 21

For Immediate Release                         DBS-010612-1

 RUTLAND, VT -- Stock car competitors from around the region will be heard from as Devil’s Bowl Speedway hosts its second winter “Town Meeting” on Saturday, January 21.  The open-forum discussion will be held at the Holiday Inn-Rutland in Rutland, VT.

 

ATTACHED PHOTO:

Local stock car competitors are invited to participate in the second winter "Town Meeting" hosted by Devil's Bowl Speedway at the Holiday Inn-Rutland in Rutland, VT on January 21.  (Mark McKeon photo)

NASCAR licenses to be made available at Holiday Inn-Rutland

The meeting will be divided into four one-hour blocks, each dedicated to a specific racing division at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.  The meeting for the Modified division will begin at 1:00pm, followed by the Late Model group at 2:00pm, eight-cylinder Renegades at 3:00pm, and four-cylinder Bombers at 4:00pm.

Among the key items to be discussed are divisional rulebooks for the 2012 season and promotional ideas for the race track and competitors.  NASCAR licenses and other necessary forms will also be made available at the meeting.

Nearly 150 participants attended the first Devil’s Bowl Speedway Town Meeting at the Holiday Inn-Rutland on October 30.  The Holiday Inn-Rutland is located on Route 7 in Rutland, VT.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway opens its 46th season of stock car racing on May 6, 2012.  The full 18-event schedule is online at www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com along with divisional rulebooks.  For more information, call (802) 265-3112 or email devilsbowlspeedway@gmail.com.

-30-

 


Pour lire le reste / Read more...

Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 8.1.12 0 comments

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)