REPORT (22 to 28 August 2016)
Once again it was a quiet week by my standards, but I still managed to attend two events.
Monday and Tuesday (22/23 Aug) were relaxing days, spent taking things easy , so with the weather being good on Tuesday evening I decided to head across town to the Cornwall Motor Speedway Kart Track.
I like to get along there once or twice a year when the opportunity arises, to see the up and coming youngsters in their karts, and the not so young, in the Dirt Demons.
There were many friends there from the ‘regular’ Speedway with their kids.
I took a few pictures while there was good day light, then watched the rest of racing.
The big race of the night was a $300 to win 20 lapper for the Demons, that was sponsored by Gauvreau Trucking. It was won by Joel Lafleche
Wednesday (24 Aug) I had another appointment with the medics. This time, the Dentist. One of the drawbacks to the medication I’m taking to control my MYASTHENIA GRAVIS is the effect it has on the bodies calcium levels. That means my teeth have become brittle and a broken one at the back, needed attention. My teeth have never been the prettiest, and since my condition, they are a real mess.
On Thursday (25 Aug) , I had planned to go to the Rolling Wheels Raceway, at Elbridge NY, and had got everything ready, on Wednesday night. During the days leading up to the event , there had been some management changes at the track, but the race, a return of the Big Block Modifieds was still scheduled to go ahead.
The weather looked ‘iffy’ so instead of leaving early like I’d originally planned, I decided to wait until later and monitor the situation. In the end, I decided not to risk the long journey with a potential rain out. .
I was wrong, it stayed dry, and they got the show in, with Tim Fuller taking the checkers.
Friday (26 Aug) was a lovely day to go racing, and I made the short trip across the bridge from Cornwall, to my local Mohawk International Raceway.
There were two Modified Features that night, and the first one, a rain-delayed race from a few weeks previous, was won by my good friend Gage Morin.
I’ve known Gage and the Morin family for many years, and once again, I was honored to be asked to join friends and family in Victory Lane.
I shot a few pics from turn one, before moving to my regular spot in turn four.
The second Modified Feature was a pleasant surprise for everyone, when another good friend of mine, Corey Wheeler took the checkers.
For many years I’ve followed the fortunes of Cornwall’s , Corey.
He’s been a regular visitor to Victory Lane since he began his racing career in the Ministocks, his spell in Pro-Stocks and more recently in the Sportsman division.
Last year he moved up to the 358 Modifieds, and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before his first victory would come along.
Well, on Friday night Corey did just that, and he made lots of his fans happy.
FLASHBACK .
Corey wins in Mini Stocks
Corey wins in Pro Stocks
Corey wins in Sportsman
So it was a memorable occasion at the Mohawk International Raceway on Friday night.
The night had ran smoothly , with few delays, so I stayed on, to watch Robert Delormier win the Sportsman Feature.
Saturday, usually means the Brockville Ontario Speedway for me, and these days I don’t leave home quite so early as I used to. It takes about an hour and ten minutes to get to the track from my place in Cornwall , so I leave home about 5-00 pm.
Just as I was heading off down my street, I heard an unwelcome grinding noise coming from my rear wheels of my HHR, so knew I had a problem. It sounded like the brake shoe had parted company inside one of the drums. I didn’t want to drive far like that, and certainly not down the 401 to Brockville.
I quickly phoned my buddy , Ron Morin, but he’d already left home and was half way there. It was too late to get a ride with Doug Young and Gage Morin, with the # 16 Modified, as they leave at 4-00 pm.
I guess it was my fault for leaving home so late.
One last resort, was a Face Book appeal that went something like this. “Anyone still in the Cornwall area about to head to the B.O.S . I need a ride”
By 6-00 pm I’d more or less given up hope, so decided to take a short walk down Montreal Rd, which is near to my house, and has plenty of eateries. After a glass of cold beer and a plate of Fish n Chips, I wandered back home.
On my return, there was a message on my Face Book from Corey Wheeler, asking me to phone him.
Well, to cut a long story short, Corey had a car I could loan until my HHR was fixed. What a great guy !
We arranged for me to pick it up on Sunday morning from Seaway Hyundai, where the HHR was left , ready to be delivered to Seaway GM on Monday morning, where Gilles Godard and Amy Levac would get it sorted.
What a great bunch of people, my local racing fraternity are.
Much Appreciated.
It was a big shame I never made it to the Brockville Ontario Speedway, where Chris Herbison, got the Modified win.
On Sunday morning (28 Aug) , I was out of bed at 7-45 am to watch the live TV coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix from the Spa Circuit , following the F1’s summer break. An engine change penalty meant championship leader Lewis Hamilton, had to start at the rear of the grid, so it was sure going to be an interesting race.
It turned out to be a great race, and one worth getting out of bed early for, with Hamilton, edging his way up to third, and a podium finish behind 1st, Nico Rosberg and 2nd Daniel Ricardo.
I used my little Hyundai ‘loaner’ to get around town on Sunday and to drive to the evenings races at the Cornwall Motor Speedway.
The weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms, but apart from a bit of rain, early in the morning, it had been hot and humid during the day.
As I drove towards the track, the sky was black above the Speedway, and it was obvious a storm was brewing. By the time I’d got to the parking lot, it was raining, which gradually got heavier.
I stayed in the car for a few minutes until it eased off a bit, then entered the pits. A few minutes after that, the heavens opened , so took shelter in the back of the Dave Bissonnette, race car hauler.
It continued to chuck it down with heavy rain for quite a while, with some of the loudest thunder and lightening I’ve ever witnessed.
The power at the track was knocked out as well as the pits and track getting flooded. To most of us experienced race fans, a cancellation was imminent.
Sure enough that’s what happened, and that was it for the night, so like everyone else I made my exit.