RICK @ the RACES   (24 to 27 Jul 2010)

24 July        Autodrome Drummond (Que)

25  July      Cornwall Motor Speedway (Ont)

27  July      Fonda Speedway (NY)

R.I.P   ‘My Buddy’ MIKE WATTS

It is with great sadness that I start this weeks report with an obituary for one my closest friends in the world of racing. My buddy , Mike Watts suffered a severe heart attack earlier last week and passed away on Sunday 25 July. Mike was the official track photographer at my local Mohawk International Raceway ( FKA Frogtown International Speedway) at Hogansburg NY as well as the Airborne Speedway at Plattsburgh. As I became a regular race fan at ‘Frogtown’ I got to know Mike and his wife Jane very well, then when I ventured into race track photography Mike became my mentor. For the past few years the two of us have ‘snapped’ our pictures side by side at what ever tracks we attended. A typical Friday night at ‘Mohawk’ would be spent hanging out with Mike and Jane in their souvenir booth between the races. My visits there will never be the same .

Mike was truly a ‘Mr Nice Guy’ who will be sorely missed.

Here is a tribute from my friend Bill Smith who represents the M.I.R

REMEMBERING MIKE WATTS, M.I.R TRACK PHOTOGRAPHER

AKWESASNE, NY — Mike Watts, track photograph at Mohawk International Raceway (MIR) and Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, passed away on Sunday morning after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week. The staff, racing teams, fans and sponsors of MIR would like to express their deepest sympathies and condolences to his wife Jane and sons Mike Jr. and Andy, their family and their many, many friends.

Mike Watts had been involved in racing his entire life, first as a fan at Airborne Park Speedway as a child and then first picking up the camera and taking photos of the racing action at the age of sixteen in 1967. He covered racing action at Airborne on a weekly basis from the 1960s through the late 1980s and returned again to Airborne on a weekly basis in 2005 when his close friend Mike Perrotte became promoter and brought the 358 Modifieds back to the track on a weekly basis. Mike Watts was thrilled to “come home” to the track he grew up at and see his friends in action on the speedway.

Mike joined Mohawk International Raceway in its second season, in the late 1980s, when the track was named Frogtown International Speedway and it ran on Friday nights, drawing one of the toughest weekly 358 Modified fields in the Northeast. Mike and his family covered the racing action at MIR every week for over twenty years and Mike and Jane’s photo stand was the first stop on race night for so many fans, drivers and officials, not just to get photos and racing newspapers and other souvenirs, but to hear stories, tell jokes and renew friendships.

Mike Watts and Mike Perrotte started the Champlain Valley Motorsports Show in the late 1990s and in the past decade, the show has become a huge success. The Champlain Valley Motorsports Show has become the kick-off of the racing season for most Champlain Valley racing teams and fans, and it is a time when everyone can get together after a long, cold winter to look forward to the excitement ahead in the summer months.

Mike and Jane Watts have been so committed to racing and in many respects, their family life revolved around the sport. Mike proposed to Jane during a racing show at Airborne Park Speedway. Their sons Mike Jr. and Andy grew up at the races and are still deeply involved in the sport.

Mike was known throughout the Northeast as he traveled to many other speedways to cover the action, in addition to covering the weekly action at Mohawk International Raceway and Airborne Park Speedway. His photos were prominently featured in racing newspapers such as Gater Racing News and Area Auto Racing News, in local news coverage, and on many racing websites.

Mike played a special role in racing: His photos document the history of five decades of racing in the North Country. When our memories fade and the old newspaper clippings are brittle, we will always have Mike’s amazing photographs to stir our memories and tell the story of the sport we love so much. For that and so much more, we are thankful.

Mike Watts made as many friends as he took photos…and he took a lot of photos over the years. Mike gave so much to the racing community — he gave us great photos, yes, but he also gave us great memories, great stories and jokes, great times and conversations. He was a great friend to all of us and we will miss him deeply.

Our thoughts and our prayers are with Jane, Mike Jr. and Andy in this very difficult time.

Thank you, Mike, for being our friend. You will be in our hearts forever.

Bill Smith

 

Before I move onto more pleasurable news , I have to mention the devastation that happened to another of my local tracks this past week. The Can Am Speedway at Lafargeville NY was hit by a Tornado and many of the track-side buildings were badly damaged. Last Fridays races were canceled (23 July) and work is in progress to get racing resumed ASAP.

My tally of racing this week, netted just two events following another late night finish at work on Friday that ruined any of my plans. As it turned out, none of my three local tracks survived that night. MIR and Edelweiss got rained out while the previously mentioned Tornado damage canceled Can Am.

With the Modifieds taking a night off from my regular Saturday track at Brockville, I made plans to go somewhere a little different. One Ontario dirt track I’ve never visited is the South Buxton Speedway near Chatham so thought this would be a good opportunity to get it in the bag. It’s about a seven hour drive from Cornwall (Ont) and thought it would be wise to check the weather forecast before setting off. It didn’t look good , with a definite threat of rain so I decided to ‘chicken out’. (I discovered later that it got rained out.)

Instead , I opted to stay reasonably local and take a two and a half hour drive up to Drummondville, Quebec where a 100 lap Ontario versus Quebec Modified race was taking place.

There was a good turn out of local cars but unfortunately, only two from Ontario, Laurent Ladouceur (Alexandria) and Stephane Lafrance (Casselman). The big race was led by Clement Therrien up until around lap 75, when Steve Bernard edged past. The high point of the race was watching the fast moving Gino Clair carve his way through the pack to third place in the closing stages.

At the finish it was Bernard at the front followed by Therrien and Clair.

On Sunday (25 Jul) the Cornwall Motor Speedway was hosting the Ontario Dirt Late Models as an addition to the program. These cars that made their first appearance at the track last year, went down well, so were invited back again.

This time around 25 cars were in attendance and they put on a great show. For most of the feature there was a classic two car dog fight between Greg Oakes (Franklinville NY) and David Scott (Garland, PA) while Peter Mantha ( Gatineau , Que) tailed them in third. As the 35 lapper neared the end, back marker traffic came into the equation. The two front runners chose to stay low while Mantha risked the high groove.

The gamble for the Frenchman paid off, and the Quebecer charged through to take the checkers.

The Modified feature also provided a popular winner when young Luke Whitteker got his first Cornwall victory. The former Cornwall ‘Kids’ Go Karter and Sportsman driver moved up to Mods this year and is already starting to make an impression. Prior to this win , he’d already got two 2010 Autodrome Edelweiss wins under his belt. Other Cornwall winners included Louie Jackson (Pro Stocks) Kevin Fetterley (Semi Pro) and Martin Bernard (Mini Stock)

This should have been my final event of the week, but circumstances changed following the passing of my good friend Mike Watts. Mike’s funeral was in Plattsburgh on Wednesday ( 28 July) and I wanted to attend. My regular day off from work is Tuesday’s and my employer granted me the Wednesday off too.

I left my place in Cornwall, Ontario around Tuesday lunch time and drove via Montreal to Plattsburgh. I booked into the SUPER 8 Motel around 2-30 pm and then continued to drive south on Interstate 87 towards Albany NY. My destination was the Fonda Speedway for their big Modified and Lucas Oil Late Model Show, ‘Thunder on the Thruway’.

I arrived about 6-15 pm just as the warm ups were starting and positioned myself on the center ready to take some pictures.

It was a beautiful summers night and I took my lawn chair out on the middle with me.The first people I met up with were Mike Petrucci of Race Pro Weekly and George Smith of Dirt Track Digest.

After the heats and consi’s the Late Model feature was first to take place.

It included many big names such as Scott Bloomquist, Dan Schlieper, and John Blankenship, but the winner of the 50 lapper was Jimmy Owens of Tennessee.

The Modified’s closed the evening with their 50 lapper where Ontario’s Stewart Friesen ran virtually unchallenged to the flag. There were a few cautions and a red flag situation for Brett Hearn rolling over but on each restart Friesen was uncatchable.

The show was over just before 11-00 pm and I was soon heading back towards Plattsburgh where I arrived at the SUPER 8 soon after 2-00 am.

Mike’s funeral service took place at St Peters Church on Cornelia Street in the city on Wednesday morning and was attended by many friends from the racing world. Following Mass, the cortege drove to the cemetery for the burial. Behind the hearse, was Mike Perrotte’s # 35 Modified on a trailer, and the pace cars of the Airborne and Cornwall Motor Speedways. From the graveside we then moved on to the Airborne Speedway where I joined the other mourners for a celebration of Mike’s Life.

RIP ‘My Buddy’ Mike