End of March 2017 Report

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End of March 2017 Report

After returning from my six day trip to the UK visiting family and friends, things soon got back in to the routine of doctors appointments etc. I was back home in Cornwall , Ontario on 6 March.

On Saturday 11 March I drove down to Syracuse , New York for the annual Gator Motor Sport Expo. After breaking the journey up, by meeting my friend Dawn Kampff  for lunch in Adams NY, I was down in Syracuse by about 2-00 pm.  It was being held in the usual hall within the New York State Fairgrounds.

As expected there were plenty of race cars to see, and friends to chat with.

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I stayed there for a couple of hours before heading for home. A nice meal was had at the Maple View Restaurant at Mexico NY and I was back home in Cornwall before it was too late.

There was a quite bit of snow down in Syracuse but very little around my way, but things were about to change.  On Tuesday 14 March we had our biggest storm of the winter and Cornwall got it’s fair share of the white stuff.

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Lucky for me , the worst of it had been cleared from the local roads before my appointment on Thursday 16 March at the Ottawa General Hospital with my Myasthenia Gravis Doctor. The trip went OK and I met up with my buddy Don Simpson for a coffee on the way home.

Sad news in the media came on Saturday 18 March when it was announced that Chuck Berry had passed away at the age of 91 .  I’ve always been a a lover of classic Rock and Roll, and he was one of the best ever, influencing many of the big names that followed in rock music.

Johnny B Goode

The following week  I had another docs appointment, this time in Cornwall on Wednesday 22 March.

On Friday, I joined my buddies Ron Morin and Don Simpson for a ride down to Kingston, Ontario for the annual Frontenac Mall Race Car Expo.

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This is a joint effort by the Brighton Speedway and the Brockville Ontario Speedway. There were about 18 cars in the Mall with a good variety of racing equipment from the various divisions.

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We got down to Kingston around lunchtime and spent about an hour at the show before heading back to Cornwall.

The next day , Saturday 25 March the Cornwall Motor Speedway were holding their annual Awards and Banquet in Long Sault and as normal, I was in attendance to take some pictures.

2017_0325cornbank170169All the various track champions were awarded their trophies, as well as the special awards.

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The track champions were , L to R   Bob Ray (Minstocks) Junior Delormier (Rookie Sportsman) Chris Raabe (Modified) Shane Pecore (Sportsman) and Stephane Lebrun (Pro Stock).

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The Doiron Cup for the Modifieds went to Chris Raabe, seen here with Ovide Doiron.

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The Ron Morin Award went to 360 Nitro.

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The Mitch Jock Merit Award , which I was honored to receive last year, went to retiring Race Director, Scott Hanton.  

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Of course I must not forget the Canadian Nationals, which was won by Carey Terrance. In his absence, his award was picked up by ‘crew chief’ Chris Hearn.

As usual the Cornwall Banquet was very well done, and once the presentations were over, I made my way home.

After a bit of photo editing, my TV was switched on for some late night viewing. It was the start of the F1 Grand Prix season and the first race was taking place in Melbourne, Australia. The time difference meant the live TV feed started at 1-00 am.

I always get more enjoyment watching F1 than all the NASCAR Cup stuff the TV throws at us. The TV presentation for F1 is far superior, even if the races are sometimes predictable. This time, Mercedes were not taking the headlines, and it was Sebastien Vettel in the Ferrari who took the checkers.

The following Friday, it was the Mohawk International Raceway’s turn to host their Awards and Banquet, held once again at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino.

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I was there to join in the fun, and my table consisted of  track officials PJ Herne and his wife Allison, Mereille Adeleigh, Rookie driver JP Herne, fellow photographer Hilary Jacobs and announcers Brian Page and Tim Baltz. Track promoter John Lazore presented the various awards to the tracks champions.

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Deric Elsworth  was the Mod Lite Champion.

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Louie Jackson JR was the Sportsman Champion, He also won the Number One Speedsport Series sponsored by Norm Dunn.

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Billy Dunn once again took the Modified Championship and the Bailey Motor Company Modified Series .

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This years special Pete Mitchell Award went to Louie Jackson JR

As mentioned , the banquet was held at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, so once the awards were over, I spent about 30 minutes playing the slots, before heading back across the St Lawrence for home. 

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