RICK @ the RACES (JAN 2012 New Year Report)
With this being the first report of 2012 , I’ll start by wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR . As 2011 goes into the history books it’s now time to reflect and revue the year that has just past.
For me personally, 2011 started on a sad note when my long time friend and traveling companion Roger Aubin passed away. We did a lot of miles together in the recent past during our visits to the races, and it was big loss to his family and myself when he passed away on January 26.
My racing season got under way early in 2011 when I visited a new track (for me) on January 2, when I attended a winter enduro at the Riverside Speedway at Groveton, New Hampshire.
To keep myself occupied for the rest of January and February, I was at winter racing events atSte Eulalie, Beauharnois, St Eustache, Repentigny , Lachine in Quebec and at Clarence Creek , Ontatio.
The month of March is traditionally for indoor events such as expo’s and banquets, as the weather conditions make it a ‘no go’ time for racing. Before these started to take my interest, I managed one additional winter race at Point du Lac, near Trois Rivieres, Quebec on March 5. This along with the events I saw at Repentigny and Lachine were new additions to my TRACKCHASING totals.
I added two more to the list when I took off for an Easter road trip at the start of the regular North Eastern racing season. I made first time visits to the Glen Ridge Speedway at Fultonville NY on Good Friday and to the Skyline Raceway , Blodgett Mills NY on Saturday 23 April. Both were dirt tracks and featured a variety of divisions.
The racing season always starts a few weeks earlier south of the border, compared to my local tracks, so I was back down in NY for the openers at the Can Am Speedway, Lafargeville on April 30 and at the Fulton Speedway on May 7 .
By the end of May all four of my local tracks had opened their gates , the Mohawk International Raceway , Hogansburg NY (20 May) , Brockville Ontario Speedway (May 21), Cornwall Motor Speedway, Ont ( May 22) and the Capital City Speedway, Ottawa, Ont ( May 25).
A typical late finish at work on Friday prevented me from getting to the MIR opener but on a positive side, for 2011, my shifts were reverted back to the original schedule and once more Wednesday became my midweek day off. In 2010 it got changed to Tuesdays, which meant missing out on many nights at the CCS. With things back to normal for 2011, I was able to make CCS a regular commitment again.
The high light of my racing year happened in June when I made a return trip back to England.
On June 11 , my nephew William was getting married so it was a good excuse to get back to my home land to visit family and friends. My daughter Carla, also made the trip from Ft Lauderdale, Florida and we both stayed at my mum and dads place in Toddington, Bedfordshire.
The wedding day also coincided with the British Championship for BriSCA F1 stock cars at the Norfolk Arena , Kings Lynn, so after the church ceremonies were over, I took off to see my old friends at the races. With careful planning and logistics on for this trip, I was able to see many of my family members and old friends.
As well as the British Championship ( which I’m pleased to say was won by Paul Harrison) I also saw racing at the Arlington Stadium, Sussex (Wed Jun 8), and at the Standlake Arena, Oxfordshire. (Sun June 12). The Standlake visit was special bonus because, as well as it being another new track for me, I’d arranged to meet up with my old racing partner Brian Holmes.
His two grandsons , Paul and Wayne Quick, were racing their F2 stock cars that day.
On my return to Canada. The first big event to come up on the agenda was on July 3 at the Cornwall Motor Speedway, when the SUPER DIRT SERIES tour came to town. This was won by ‘the Doctor’ Danny Johnson.
The SUPER DIRT SERIES tour returned to Canada on July 19 and I was at Autodrome Granby in Quebec to see Matt Sheppard take the win.
At the end of July I had a busy , five days of consecutive racing when I attended the following events, On Wednesday 27 , I was at the Capital City Speedway in Ottawa, Thursday 28 at the Utica-Rome Speedway, Vernon NY, Friday 29 at the Brockville Ontario Speedway, Saturday 30 at the Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh NY and on Sunday 31 at the Cornwall Motor Speedway , Ont.
Those events, included some very important races. I made my rare visit to the Utica-Rome Speedway for a tour stop of the Lucas Oil Late Model Series and this was won by Tim McCreadie.
The special Friday night date for the BOS was to accommodate the first ever visit of the World of Outlaw Sprint cars.
This turned out to be one of the most exciting races I saw during 2011, where Paul McMahan took the checkers after the Sammy Swindell went out with a tire failure late in the race.
At Cornwall it was the combined ‘Canadian Nationals’ and 358 Modified SUPER DIRT SERIES race where Dale Planck took the spoils.
August was a sad time of the season at the Capital City Speedway, when my friend and Thunder Car points leader Ken Sproule tragically lost his life in a road traffic accident.
On Wednesday (Aug 10) I’d been taking photos of Ken in Victory Lane, then just four days later, he sadly lost his life. It was a big shock and a great loss to the Ottawa racing community.
The following week (Aug 17), happened to coincide with the tracks Golden Anniversary Celebrations, so there was an on track tribute by his fellow drivers and announcer Brian Goudge.
It’s also worth noting that on this special day, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver JR Fitzpatrick won the Ministock Feature in the loaned car of Nolan Gould # 28.
On the Labor Day Weekend I paid tribute to another lost friend when I attended the Mike Watts Memorial race at the Airborne Speedway. For many years I’d taken pics along side Mike at the MIR and Cornwall tracks and it was an honor to be with his widow Jayne, Mike Jr and Andy for their special day.
The following day it was the traditional end of the season Jiffy Auto Service 200 at the Cornwall Motor Speedway which was also a combined CANADIAN NATIONALS and 358 SUPER DIRT SERIES race. This event succumbed to Mother Nature and had to be cancelled after rain started to fall after the rookie races.
Once the rain had stopped , the planned pit party still took place, as fans awaited a decision about a rain date.
After the Labor Day weekend it’s the time of year for the various ‘special’ events to take place and things tend to get busy.
On Saturday Sept 10 , I was at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec for the SUPER DIRT SERIES for Big Block Modifieds where Matt Sheppard was the winner.
The next day I was at the Airborne Speedway for a Sunday afternoon special that consisted of a 100 lapper for Modifieds.
It was great to see my friend and track promoter Mike Perotte, take the checkers in this one.
One week later on the 16/17 Sept it was the turn of the Mohawk International Raceway to host a big weekend. There were SUPER DIRT SERIES races for all of the DIRTCAR divisions. The winners included , Josh Van Brocklin (Sportsman) Corey Wheeler (Pro Stocks) Billy Decker (358 Mods) and Jimmy Phelps (Big Block Mods).
A week later I had a busy weekend attending three events.
On Saturday (Sept 24) I spent the late morning and early afternoon at the Kawartha Speedway , nr Peterborough, Ont watching the qualifying for the NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES race before heading off to the evening APPLE FEST races at the Brighton Speedway, Ont.
The 358 Modified race at Brighton was one of the best races I saw all year, and was won by Tim O’Brien (88) of Kingston, Ont .
The next day on Sunday (Sept 25) I was back at the Cornwall Motor Speedway for the rain delayed CANADIAN NATIONALS and 358 SUPER DIRT SERIES that had been postponed from the Labor Day weekend.
Instead of the traditional evening show, the event took place in the afternoon and we were blessed with beautiful sunshine. The big race being won by local hero Stephane Lafrance.
The beginning of October meant SUPER DIRT WEEK so I headed south and based my self in Syracuse NY from Wednesday Oct 6 until Sunday Oct 10.
It was the 40th staging of the event, that is held annually at the New York State Fairgrounds and the satelite tracks at Rolling Wheels and Weedsport.
Guest of honor was ‘first time’ winner at the ‘Moody Mile’, Buzzie Reutimann who I had the pleasure of meeting.
For the second year running, the winner of the weekends big race, the SEF 200 for Big Block Mods, was Ontario, Canada’s Stewart Friesen.
A week after Syracuse , it was the turn of my local Brockville Ontario Speedway to host SUPER DIRT SERIES races for all the DIRTCAR divisions at their North East Fall Nationals.
Unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t want to co operate and wet weather caused the three day event to be reduced to one day (Sunday Oct 16) . Chris Herbison won in the Sportsman while Billy Decker was the 358 Modified winner .
The following week (Oct 22/23) I was on a road trip to the Orange County Fair Speedway at Middletown NY for the annual Eastern States weekend. This was also a SUPER DIRT SERIES round for Big Block Mods and it was Danny Johnson who took the checkers.
I’m pleased to say that Rob Yetman, who became a new buddy of mine this year, won in the Pro Stocks division.
My final dose of racing for the year came on the first week of November when I took off on another road trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. The DIRT TRACK WORLD FINALS at the ‘Dirt Track at Charlotte’ has now become the traditional curtain closer of the season, and ‘must’ for the ardent fan.
I was down there to take in the action for the three day event. Big winners were Tim McCreadie (SDS BIG BLOCK Modifieds), Jimmy Owens (WoO Late Models) and Donny Schatz (WoO Sprint Cars)
It was quite a busy year for me around the tracks and once again as I reach the end of the season I have time to reflect. Each year as the racing ends, I always say to myself that in future, I’m going to cut down, take it easy and have a more ‘normal life’, but it never seems to happen. Do you think it will happen in 2012 ? … we’ll have to wait and see ! To read more details about the events mentioned above, plus many more, please take a look at the ‘Weekly Report’ archives on www.rickattheraces.com.