Weekly Report (19 Aug 2018) | Rick at the Races

Weekly Report (19 Aug 2018)

After a few weeks of dealing with the re-occurring Myasthenia Gravis effects , my report for this week starts in much the same mode.

Tuesday and Wednesday (14/15 Aug) I was at related doctors appointments.

I had thought of joining my good friend Ron Morin for a Wednesday night show at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway until the doctors visit changed my plans.

As you’d expect, I was really looking forward to my regular Friday night at the Mohawk International Raceway , until Mother Nature put a stop to that.

All the ‘Friday’ night tracks that I consider local, M.I.R, Can Am, Granby and Brewerton all succumbed to the wet weather.

On Saturday my plans were for something a bit different.

For the last few years the Maniwaki Speedway in Quebec has been on my ‘bucket list’ but I’ve never managed to get there. They normally run on Friday nights, which conflicts with the tracks I’ve just mentioned, but this week they had a rare Saturday night show.

The Brockville Ontario Speedway, where I’d normally be that night, had Sprint Cars on the program while their regular Vintage Division, were visiting Maniwaki. It was the perfect time for me to tick it off my list.

I set off mid morning for a leisurely drive up there.

It’s located way up in the boonies, about an hour and a half north of where the now defunct Autodrome Edelweiss once existed. I broke up my journey with some shopping in Ottawa, and a lunch stop along the way.

I arrived about 5-00 pm and it wasn’t long before I met up with promoter Beau Miller and his right hand man, Kev.

They made me very welcome.

Beau constructed the track a few years ago, in the bush, close to his family home , and it’s an on-going project he gradually up grades.

I then wandered into the pits where I was greeted by the many people I know from the Eastern Ontario Vintage Stock Car Club.

Before the racing got under way , we got everyone assembled for a group photo.

As I was leaving the pits getting ready to take my place on the middle, I was called over by another familiar face.

It was Yanick Potvin, who had won the Mini Stock Feature at the Cornwall Motor Speedway , the week previous.

Once the racing got underway I shot my pictures on the center, by turn three and four.

Joining the Vintage cars, were the domestic divisions of Mini Stock, Street Stock and Pro Stock (which included a few pick up trucks). There were also a couple of guys that rode around on ATV’s for a few laps. The track surface was well prepared , and Beau had done a good job.

After the heat races it was intermission with an autograph session on the middle.

It was at this point I weighed up the situation and decided to make my exit. It was a long haul up to Maniwaki, and I didn’t want to be too late home , or driving through the unfamiliar boonies late at night.

It would of been nice to have seen one or two of the features, but with my current health issues, I didn’t want to push my luck.

After a coffee stop at Tim Hortons at Wakefield , I was home in Cornwall for mid night.

On Sunday (19 Aug) it was nice to have long lay in bed and take it easy relaxing , until about 6-00 pm when it was time for my local Cornwall Motor Speedway.

As usual I took my first session of pics from the pit tower, before moving to the middle.

With some I.V.I.G transfusions booked at the Cornwall Hospital first thing Monday morning I was hoping for an early finish.

It wasn’t to be, the 100 lap ‘Race for the Cure’ put a stop to that idea.

As you would expect, it had plenty of cautions.

Martin Peletier was the winner, with Johnathan Ferguson second and Kurtis Cayer third.

Victory Lane was a busy place with lots of pictures taken for this very special race.

Next up was the Prostock Feature where C.D Beauchamp earned himself another win.

Just for a change, the Modifieds were the last of the nights features, and this too was held up for a while , after Kevin Poitras # 73 rolled over and wrecked his car on turn one.