Big Block Weekend in Quebec  (BLOG 13th June 2023)

With the racing season now in full swing, my agenda has become quite busy , with a few road trips coming up on my schedule.

This weeks Blog is about ,  the Canadian Big Block Series that was taking place in Quebec.

There were back to back races at Autodrome Granby (Friday 9th June) and Autodrome Drummond (Saturday 10th June).

My friend Chanty joined me for this one and we set off from my place in Cornwall (Ont) after lunch on Friday,  and arrived at Granby , by about 4-30 pm.

Chanty is from Gatineau , Quebec, so we hung out with our friends, on the Cedric Gauvreau team, who are also from her town.

They were  joined by Chris Raabe , who was guest driving the Gauvreau Big Block.

Chris would also be using one of their cars for Drummond the next day.

While I was in the pits I bumped into my old friend Steve Paine, from Waterloo , New York. He was a regular racer at Granby a few years back.

He was there with his two sons.

I first got to know Steve about 20 years ago, when I was just starting to get involved in the media side of racing.

In 2003, I  was on my way to the 358 Super Dirt Series at the now defunct Autodrome Edelweiss,  when I came across Steve’s  Sweetners Plus hauler , a bit lost, and trying to navigate the downtown streets of Ottawa. I was in my Honda Civic, and told them to follow me, 

From that day on , I became friends with him and his crew. 

I’d always check them out at Super Dirt Week.

Since Steve quit racing , we’ve lost touch over the years , so it was nice to catch up.

Once the racing got under way, I took my usual position on turn one and two.

With these Big Block shows taking place on a regular weekly race night,  it was no surprise, that there were only a few invaders. (weekly points are at stake at their local tracks)

At first it looked like David Hebert would be the winner of the big race, but Mathieu Desjardins got the lead and looked all set to win, until Carey Terrance from Akwesasne NY , found a way past in the closing laps .

The Sportsman were the premier back up division, and it was there feature that ended the night.

The total number of scheduled laps were not completed due to a wreck on the home stretch took things over the 11-00 curfew time.

William Racine was leading at the time, and was declared the winner.

By the time we said our goodbyes, we left the track at 11-40 , for the drive to our weekend accommodation in Drummondville.

On Saturday , we had plenty of time to kill , before heading to the track in the afternoon.

Once again we hung out with the Gauvreau team.

When there’s a big show taking place at Drummond , you know  you are in for a good night with a great atmosphere.

Promoter , Yan Bussierre,  really knows how to ‘promote’ and make his shows full of excitement, with the right kind of music, fireworks and razzmatazz. There are promoters and there are real promoters who know how things should be done.

As regular readers will know, I’ve been to a lot of tracks around the world , (over 250) and I rate Yan , up there, amongst the best, along with the likes of the late Jac Van Claes who was the  promoter at the Dutch NACO tracks. Jac was one of the best at the job, and probably my all time favorite.

Another thing I like  about Autodrome Drummond is the way they portray Dirt Modifieds as ‘The F1 of Dirt’  in their advertising .

I definitely agree with that.

Once the heat races began , I stood in my usual spot on turn three and four.

 

The Sportsman were once again the premier support division, which also included  Mod Lites and STR’s.

I was in the right place at the right time when one of the Mod Lites took a wild flip.

Luckily the driver walked away , uninjured.

After the intermission the pomp and ceremony began with driver introductions and autographs on the front stretch .

While I was there I met up with all the other togs for a group photo.

During one of the shots, David Hebert joined in the fun , clowning  around behind their backs without their knowledge.

Lots of Fun, Dave is a great guy.

Before the official introductions , I chatted to a few of the drivers, including my good friend Keven Clair, son of Gino, and nephew of Mario.

It  was then time for the Anthems,  Intros, and fireworks.

All this added to the time, but it’s a great build up to the action, and the fans love it.

Once this was over I returned to the center for the start of the big race.

After the traditional 4 car wide salute to the fans, the 75 lap Big Block race got under way.

Once again David Hebert looked like he’d win, but after dropping back , Mathieu Desjardins took a turn at the front until he was passed by Erick Rudolph. As Desjardins dropped back,  Rudolph was chased by Hebert and Steve Bernard.

With just a few laps to go, Rudolph found some extra ‘bite’ on the top , and carried on for the win.

Final result was , Rudolph, Hebert and Bernard

 With just 15 minutes left before the 11-00 pm curfew, the Sportsman feature began as the Victory Lane ceremonies continued.

With a few laps still remaining a big wreck occurred (just like the night before at Granby) and the race was brought to a premature end at 11-00 pm.

This gave William Racine , who happened to be leading at the time. his second feature win in two days.

That was it for the night, so it was back to our accommodation at the Comfort Inn until the morning.

On Sunday morning  , we drove back to my place in Cornwall.

Once there, Chanty returned to her home in Gatineau, while I got ready for the evenings races at the Cornwall Motor Speedway.

It was a regular show that included the Vintage Mods. 

On arrival, it was sunny , as I checked out the pits and took this picture of Ty David with his Rookie Sportsman.

As the Hot Laps began, it started to drizzle, but not enough to halt the proceedings.

It continued,  and while cars were out on the track , it stayed  race-able.

With this in mind, the show kept on the moving.

The heat races began, and luckily there were no major stoppages.

They were all done by 7-30.

It was still drizzling , so the packers circled the track for the short intermission.

The first feature was for the visiting Vintage Cars, and following this we did just a few quick Victory Lane shots ,  to beat the weather. 

Next up was the Sportsman Feature.

This was won by William Racine, making it his third win in three days.

The Modified Feature was next, where Corey Wheeler got his first win of the year.

When Corey wins , me and my ‘Tog buddy’ Don Simpson have a tradition. We always have a picture taken of the three of us. Thanks to Tyler Lacelle for taking this one

The Pro Stock feature followed , and it was Marc Lalonde who took the checkers.

The last race of the night was for the Rookie Sportsman .

This was won by 15 year old Sylvain Dupuis , from Limoges, Ontario.

It had been drizzling on and off all night, and by keeping the show moving, and stuff on the track, the surface was saved, and we got the full program in the books and at a record time.

We were done by 9-10pm