Rick at the Races

RICK @ the RACES

13 Feb Lachine Marina, Quebec

Like many other race fans, I was glued to the TV set at the weekend for the start of the NASCAR season at Daytona. With a forthcoming trip to England coming up for me, I decided to give Florida a miss this winter. On Saturday the ARCA race and the Budweiser Shoot Out were being televised . The track had been repaved during the winter and the media hype told us we were in for some great racing.

This was not to be, and for some reason, (which will no doubt be debated by many over the next few weeks) both races were terrible . It seemed like the only way to get around the track without slipping to the back, was to be part of a two car ‘draft’. Anyone out there alone was wasting his time ! In formation, the cars circulated bumper to bumper for most of the race in pairs with only the occasional move being made by anyone who wanted a gamble.

Canadian hopes were dashed in the ARCA race when Ontario’s Steve Arpin and Quebecs , Maryeve Dufault were involved in a wreck following the slowing down of Hal Martin’s car as it went out with a tire failure. That was a shame because I was hoping that Arpin would do well.

I met him a few years back when he was racing his dirt Modified at the East Bay Speedway in Florida and he’s a real nice guy. One dirt racing driver that did do well, by coming home fifteenth was Orange County Fair Speedway regular Sean Corr. I’ve seen him race his Pro Stock at Syracuse and on the series races many times in the past. It was Bobby Gerhart who ended up in Victory Lane for the ARCA race and Kurt Busch in the ‘Bud Shoot Out’

After my ‘couch racing’ on Saturday night I was up early on Sunday morning for some live action.

It was round two of the ‘ Championnat de Courses sur Glace Quebec 2011’ ( The 2011 Ice Racing Championship of Quebec) at the Lachine Marina. The first round on 28 January was at St Armand and round three takes place at Lac St Pierre in Trois Riviers next weekend ( 20 Feb).

I arrived at about 9-30 in the morning in time to watch a bit of practice before the actual racing got under way around mid morning. The first race which had 17 starters lasted for 15 minutes which I watched from the center as various cars succumbed to the conditions. The event was well organized by the FSAQ and it was very pleasing to hear a bilingual announcer in the predominantly French speaking province of Quebec.