WEEKLY REPORT (27 Aug 2018)

 

WEEKLY REPORT  (27 Aug 2018)

This week started, as expected with a Monday morning trip to the Cornwall Hospital for two days of I.V.I.G  transfusions. In recent weeks I’ve taken a step backwards in my battle against Myasthenia Gravis and was hoping the treatment would give me a boost. I’d been feeling quite rough so was glad to be getting  them.

By early afternoon on Tuesday, I was done at the hospital and had the racing weekend to look forward to. I felt a bit better , but not ready to run a marathon .. ha ha .

After two weeks where rain had put a stop to  the races at the Mohawk International Raceway NY , it was great to be heading back there on Friday (24 Aug).

I crossed the border in the middle of the afternoon , in good time for a bit of shopping and some supper at the Twin Leaf Diner.

It was a warm dry night and there was a big program to get through. Joining the regular divisions were the Quebec Lightening Sprints, as well as bunch of visiting Mod Lites for their tour race.

I’m glad to say that, management chose to move the show along swiftly, with a short intermission, to prevent a late finish. No one likes them.

 

The Bandit and Rookie Sportsman Features were run before the break, and the Lightening Sprints followed. Tyler Atkins was a first time winner in the Rookie Feature. Terry Green won the Bandits.

The Lightening Sprint race was won by Eric Sundborg and Jeff May was the Mod Lite winner.

Up next was the evenings head line event, the Feature for the 358 Modifieds. Sixteen cars took to the grid and early leader was Lee Ladouceur.

Lee was soon overhauled by track expert Tim Fuller as things  looked all set for another win.

Things all changed following a late caution, which allowed the charging Carey Terrance to get up beside, and make an outside pass.

Another late caution occurred, yet Terrance still managed to maintain his lead, putting and end to Fullers weekly dominance.

The final feature of the night was for the Sportsman, where young Miguel Peterson got passed long time leader , Robert Delormier to collect his first career win .

All was over before 11-00 pm and I was soon back home. On Saturday (25 Aug) I took my regular drive down Hwy 401 to the Brockville Ontario Speedway. Just like M.I.R the previous night, I’d been missing from the track for two weeks, so was pleased to be back.

Once again the Mod Lites had a tour race and were there as a program addition.

I stationed myself on the middle by turn one and two in my usual spot for the heat races.

It was an over-cast night and a challenge to get some decent pictures.

At the intermission I took my break in one of the booths and chatted with my friend Taya Heldens the Victory Lane Hostess.

First of the Features was for the Rookie Sportsman, and this was won by Xavier Perrin.

This was followed by the Mod Lites, where Jeff May got his second victory in two days.

Next up was the Sportsman, where Tristan Draper dominated, after getting to the front within the first few laps.

I returned to the middle for the Modified feature, so I could get some more action pics.

After a few laps, Aaron Pugh got to the front and had a commanding lead as track expert Danny O’Brien started to challenge.

With  20 laps in the books, it started to rain, and just 5 laps later the cautions came out. The rain got heavier and with 25 laps complete, the race was deemed over.

 

Aaron got his first career win in the 358 Modifieds.

By now it was 10-30 pm and raining, so the Vintage Mods, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks features were post-poned to the following week.

This meant a nice early get away for me, and I was back home in Cornwall, long before mid night.

I started my Sunday , with a morning on the couch, watching the live TV coverage of the Belgian Grand Prix. The F1 teams were back from there mandatory Summer break and the spot light was on the Spa Francochamps Circuit in Belgium. After a scary first lap crash where Fernando Alonso’s car flipped through the air, the race settled down to be quite an uneventful affair. Sebastien Vettel in the Ferrari was the winner.

A late afternoon rain shower put the evenings races at the Cornwall Motor Speedway in doubt, but it was soon over, and dried up quickly . It turned out to be a good thing because, the fresh moisture in the ground, gave us an excellent tacky track, which meant faster and less dusty conditions.

The big race of the night was a 50 lapper for the Pro Stocks.

Once again the Mod Lite tour was an addition to my night, as were the visiting Vintage Modifieds.

On my pit walk about, I noticed my buddy Dave Bissonnette was back in his Pro Stock, after nearly a year off.

Then there was my good friend Chanty Lesage, helping out in the Lebrun Race Team.

Once the racing got under way I took my usual position on top of the pit tower.

The Vintage Modified feature was first up, and was won by Corey Winter.

The short intermission followed this, and the Mod Lites were up next.

This was won by young Justin Williams, from Syracuse NY, making his first visit. He is a regular at the Brewerton Speedway.

The big race for the Pro Stocks was dominated and won by Dave Seguin, with most of the action happening just behind him as  Stephane Lebrun and Steve Chaput, battled for second and third.

The Modified Feature was next, and with the ‘racier’ tacky track I expect a good race.

We weren’t disappointed, as Mario Clair drove to a popular victory.

The final event of the night, was the Sportsman feature, that was won by Shane Pecore.

A swift turn around of the program ensured a nice early finish to the night, and I was back home before 11-00.