OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: SEASON OPENER, TAKE TWO

By Tommy Goudge (May 19, 2010) – Mother Nature decided to give Ohsweken Speedway’s race teams and fans an extra week to get ready for the 2010 season, but now the sky has cleared and it’s time to go racing! Ohsweken’s fifteenth anniversary season kicks off this Friday night when RapStar Energy Drink presents Friday Night Thunder featuring the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Bombers, plus the first of three visits by the Mod Lite Stars Championship Tour North!

The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars are once again the headline division for Friday Night Thunder in 2010, and 2009 Corr/Pak Champ Tom Huppunen enters the season as the driver to beat. Veterans Kevin Job, Keith Dempster, Glenn Styres, Mikey Kruchka, and Jamie Collard are just a few of the challengers for the title this season, while former Ohsweken feature winner Mike Ling returns to dirt after a decade of pavement racing. The Rookie of the Year award is sure to be fiercely contested as an even half dozen first year drivers are signed up, including Jamie Turner, Chris Steele, Stevin Goldner, Shane Butler, Todd Hoddick, and 2009 Ohsweken Speedway ESSO Mini Stock champion Mitchell Brown

The always competitive ESSO Thunder Stocks division featured the closest points chase of any Friday Night Thunder division last season, and the same could happen this year. Defending champ Shayne Pierce will be back this season, this time in his family owned car. Meanwhile, other top ten drivers such as Billy Bleich, Jamie Cox, Jeremy Bean, Mike Thorne, Brad Herron, Ryan Dinning, Rob Disher, Lee Winger, and Chris Dickie would all like to take their first Thunder Stock title.

The ESSO Mini Stock division won't feature a repeat champion in 2010, as '09 champ Mitchell Brown has moved to the Corr/Pak Sprints. Former champions Abel Castelein (2007, 2008), Rick Emberson (2005), Kelly Hallett (2000, 2001) and Mike Giberson (1996) will try to add to their totals, while Dave Goodacre, Dan Stewart, Rob Slater, Ethan Martin, and Mike Evers are sure to compete for feature wins as well. Five first year drivers are also signed up to compete for the Rookie of the Year award, including Jacob Brown in the #10 seat vacated by brother Mitchell, along with Ryan Beagle, Brittani Myers, Jamie Goudge, and Robin Elliott.

The driver to beat in the Bomber division is Karl Sault, who claimed his first championship in 2009. The always unpredictable Bombers are also likely to include Jesse McDonald, Kacey Huffman, new driver Rob Twitchett, and a host of others having fun in the very affordable division.

Before Friday's action takes the green flag, Thursday night features Test and Tune for all divisions competing at the Speedway in 2010. The Test and Tune session offers a sneak peek at the 2010 season, and the best part? It's free for fans to observe from the main grandstand!

Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder kicks off this Friday, May 21 when RapStar Energy Drink presents the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers, plus the Mod Lite Stars Championship Tour North.

Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers affordable exciting family entertainment just a short drive away from most Mid-Western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and Kids age 12 and under are FREE! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.

Spectator gates open @ 6:00p.m., with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, May 21

Two Great Days of Racing at Delaware Speedway on the Long Weekend!

LONDON, ON - The Victoria Day Weekend will feature action to please every race fan with an exciting line-up Friday night, May 21st, and Saturday afternoon, the 22nd.

Friday night, Ron Sheridan will be looking for a second consecutive win for 2010 in the NASCAR Late Models.    Meanwhile, defending track champion Steve Robblee will try again for his first win of the new season after getting caught up with an incident with Mark Watson midway through last week's race.

Defending champion in Demar Aggregates Trucks, Paul Fothergill, appeared to have mechanical issues in ‘10’s opening race which saw Gary Andrieansen log his first win. Derek Clark tells us his #7 truck will be out of commission for a couple of weeks after a crash that cost him a rad and other parts. 

POWERADE Modifieds will have this season’s first run on the half-mile on Friday night. Dorchester’s Jamie Cox will be looking to start 2010 strongly as the division’s defending champ.

Saturday afternoon, it’s Transmission Direct Enduros where Emmanuel Demelo is coming off his first feature win at Delaware.  In Chaos Cars, 14 year old Tyler Yeo will try to prove his May first win was more than just beginner’s luck.

We’re looking forward to seeing the fans who camp out over the Victoria Day weekend. Remember, camping at Delaware is free!

For more information on Delaware Speedway please visit www.delawarespeedway.com.

General Manager, Joe Czernai  519.851.5006 // Lisa Brandt, Publicity  226.448.7227

TESTING COMPLETE, KENNINGTON IS READY TO RACE!

May 19, 2010. Driver of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractor Dodge put his brand new race car through and afternoon of testing at Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario for an open test session. The results were nothing short of spectacular.

Kennington and his Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge are always among the front runners at each NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event and have high expectations for the 2010 season. With that in mind they had a few specific goals for their final tune up session at Delaware Speedway. “We wanted to make sure everything we expected from the new car proved to be true” said Kennington. “After some initial laps to ensure that everything was working properly I started to really get on it a bit and we were thrilled with the results” he added.

Without any official timing and scoring results the new Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractor Dodge was clearly the car that was putting down very fast, very consistent lap times that got everyone’s attention. “The whole team did a lot of work to get this new car ready and if this is how well the car is going to run this year we’ll be very happy” said the driver. “The car felt great, we only made some minor handling adjustments and it was consistently quick” added Kenington.

The plan now is to make final preparations to the car for the season opening event on Saturday June 5^th at Delaware Speedway. Kennington was the winner of this event last season and also claimed victory at the season ending race at Kawartha Speedway. “We won a couple races last year, and had a very good season finishing second overall, but we’re even more focused on that Championship trophy this season” said Kennington discussing the year ahead. “This test was really successful and gives us a nice boost heading into the season opener” he added.

The 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season consists of thirteen events from coast to coast beginning Saturday June 5^th at Delaware Speedway near London, ON. All races will be televised on TSN. You can follow the progress of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge all season on the newly redesigned website www.djkracing.ca plus look for new Facebook and Twitter accounts coming soon.

Photo: The new look 2010 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge

BSRKC Double Header at Kawartha

Courtesy Brian Stewart Racing

The Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship will present its first 2-cycle event of the 2010 season this Sunday, May 23 and Monday, May 24 at Kawartha Speedway.  This  event will be the first to be run in the new double header format that will be used for most of the 2-cycle events in 2010. This new format allows the series to offer an eight race championship while minimizing the number of weekends involved.

The 2-cycle classes will be joined by the 4-cycle Honda Junior Medium class, as will be the case for the entire 2010 season. Among the 2-cycle classes are Rotax Mini Max, Rotax Junior, Rotax Senior, Rotax DD2 and ICC/MOTO. The BSRKC series is an official qualifying series for the Canadian Rotax Max National Championships, which in turn allow the Canadian Champions in the Rotax Junior, Rotax Senior and Rotax DD2 classes to compete in the Rotax World Championships. The majority of Team Canada from the 2009 Rotax World Championships are expected to be racing at this weekend's event.

At this year's opening BSRKC 4-cycle event at 3-S Go Karts in Sutton, several drivers moving up to new classes made an immediate impact, none more than Cory Cacciavillani, who swept the Senior Lite and Senior Heavy classes after moving up from Junior in 2009. All eyes will be on Cacciavillani to see whether he can duplicate that success at Kawartha in Rotax Senior. Cacciavillani will be facing a stacked field that is likely to include 2009 BSRKC champion Lorenzo Mandarino as well as other standouts such as Michael Glaze, Pearce Herder, Jon Treadwell and Michael Vincec.

The top three drivers from Rotax Mini Max in 2009 are slated to move up to Rotax Junior this year. Grant Quinlan, Nicholas Ledson and Trevor Rancier all ran up front as new entrants in Junior Heavy last weekend, with Quinlan eventually taking the checkers. In Rotax Junior, they will face off against 2009 Canadian and BSRKC Champion Garett Grist as well as established racers like Spencer Todd, Cameron Morrison, Austin Milwain and Michael Taibi. The racing is always intense in Rotax Junior, and this race can be expected to deliver fireworks.

Tyler Ripani will lead a group of graduates from Rotax Micro Max and Novice TaG into the Rotax Mini Max class, where he will do battle with the likes of Gregory Hovesen, Dean Reilly, Zachary Shearer and Ryan Mohan. Another driver to watch will be 2008 BSRKC Novice Champion Ayrton Drosi, who is expected to return after an abbreviated 2009 campaign.

The growing Rotax DD2 class should see Darren White attempt to defend his 2009 BSRKC title against Brendon Bain, Frank Launi, Matt France, Enrico Menotti, and a host of others.

Will Zach Meyer make it two ICC/Moto championships in a row, or will another driver such as Josh Adams, Ryan Horses, Max Gamble, Stefan Jeffrey, Joe DeMarco, Addison Rayner, Jamie Riberdy or Michael Vincec dethrone him?

Junior Medium should feature the best from the Junior Lite and Junior Heavy classes. 2009 Champion Scotty Nagel is likely to feel plenty of heat from Jessica Brutzki, Tristan Gill, Nicholas Ledson, Julius Makos, Sean McPhee, Trevor Rancier, Jaret Stewart, Clay Van Eerd, Madysen Wright and many other capable drivers.

With multiple transitions between the wide open sections of the stock car oval and the tighter infield portion of the track, Kawartha Speedway poses some unique challenges for the tuners as well as the drivers, and it will take solid teamwork to deliver a victory this weekend.

The event is generously sponsored by Kawartha Speedway with trophies, cash and draw prizes.  Full event details including the schedule, entry form, accommodations and pre-tech forms are available at www.BSRKC.com on the 2010 Schedule page.

The gate to the track will open at 6:00 am.  Please use the entrance located near the green barn that enters over the harness race track.  Registration opens at 7:00 am on both days.  Sunday’s practice runs from 9:00 am until 11:45 am and is followed by the Drivers' Briefing at 12:00 pm.  Monday’s Drivers’ Briefing is at 8:45 am with the karts on the track at 9:00 am. The entry fee is $85.00 per class, and tires will be available at the track from your favourite supplier.

BSRKC continues to offer top quality competition at the lowest possible cost, and invites drivers, teams and spectators alike to Kawartha Speedway to take in what promises to be a hotly contested event.

The Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship Series and its Principals, Organizers, Volunteers and Sponsors are committed to presenting the most professional regional karting Series in North America at an affordable cost. The BSRKC Series is dedicated to providing an environment of sportsmanship and camaraderie while furthering the development of kart racers of all ages and competitive levels. The BSRKC Series also intends to advance its racers into the higher echelons of motorsports through the Series’ namesake and Indy Racing League® Firestone Indy Lights™ Team Founder, Brian Stewart and Brian Stewart Racing.

Related Links:

www.BSRKC.com

www.SimcoeKartClub.com

www.WRKC.on.ca

www.KawarthaDowns.com

www.BrianStewartRacing.ca

Danny O'Brien Update

Courtesy Craig Revelle – Finish Line Web Design (Rick Young Photo)

After a two-week hiatus, Danny O’Brien was back on track this weekend, set to defend his title at Brockville Ontario Speedway track championship.  Danny also made the trip to the Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday for their season opening twin 25 lap features.  Danny will race at Cornwall weekly during the 2010 season.

Saturday night was the Brockville Ontario Speedway season opener, and after winning the last four track championships, O’Brien was certainly a favorite to win the opening night feature.  O’Brien worked his way to the front of the pack and up as high as second before the front end broke on Danny’s Global Warranty, 1000 Islands RV, Pat’s Radiator, 103.7 BOB FM, Jackson’s Landscaping & Property Maintenance, Murdock’s Cement Finishing, Stover Bus Lines, Kendrick Racing team prepared Bicknell car.

“We are not off to a good start.  We have had two races and have yet to finish”, says O’Brien.  “That is racing though, and we will go on to Cornwall tomorrow night, and hope for some better luck”.

Sunday afternoon, the O’Brien team made their way to the Cornwall Motor Speedway for their annual season opening twin 25 lap feature events.  In the first feature, O’Brien finished in 12th place.

“We have some work to do before the second feature”, claims Danny O’Brien.  “The car didn’t handle very good at all”.  We will start up near the front in the next feature, and hopefully we can get the car working better.  The track is very slick, and we are just not able to get much side bite off the corners”.

Danny started the second feature from the third position, after the lead lap cars from the first race were inverted.  When the checkered flag flew 25 laps later, O’Brien scored his first top five finish of the season, as he crossed the line in fourth.

“It was a little better this time.  The track position helped us a lot, but there still was hardly any grip left out on the track at all.  It was very slick.  Hopefully next weekend will be better”, says O’Brien.

Danny O’Brien and his Global Warranty Kendrick Racing team will be busy weekend this coming weekend, as Danny will be back in action at Brockville on Saturday, then a 100 lap race at Cornwall on Sunday before making a Victoria Day visit to the Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ontario for the first round of the 2010 Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series. For more information on Danny O’Brien and the 7* Global Warranty racing team, please visit our website, www.dannyobrien.ca.

Matt Billings Update

Courtesy Craig Revelle – Finish Line Web Design (Rick Young Photo)

For anyone that knows Matt Billings, it was just a matter of time before he posted his first win in the 358 Modified division.  The Brockville, Ontario racer won early and often in Go Karts, won in his first year in a Sportsman and after moving up to the competitive 358 Modified division, Billings was already knocking on the door for his first career win with a 2nd place finish on opening night at Can Am Motorsports Park.

When the Billings team arrived at Chapman’s Can Am Motorsports Park on Friday evening, they were feeling confident.  After some discussion early in the week on how to build on their early season success, and get up to that next level, Billings used the outside of the track and demonstrated that his Small Block Modified can compete against his more powerful Big Block counterparts.

When the green flag dropped Billings drove his Billings Automotive, Stealth Racewear, Race 101, Turn One High Performance Steering Systems, Pastime Motors, Babe Design, Finish Line Web Design, Carquest and Engine Research sponsored Bicknell car to the front, passing cars at ease, including opening night Big Block winner Rob Bellinger with a heroic last lap pass.  While Billings crossed the finish line in 3rd place, he was easily the highest finishing Small Block racer, sending Billings and team to Victory Lane for their efforts, in just his third start.

“This is awesome”, says an excited Billings after the race.  “We worked hard over the week to figure out what we need to do get better here at Can Am, and now we have a win to show for it.  I love coming here, this is one of my favorite tracks to race at”.

On Saturday night, the Billings team loaded up their 2009 Bicknell car and headed just a few minutes up the highway to the Brockville Ontario Speedway.  It was opening night at the BOS, and it was also Matt’s 17th Birthday.  Tough track conditions made the track tough to navigate, but Billings brought the car home with a solid top10 finish, crossing the line in 7th place.

“The track was really rough tonight, it was hard to make up any ground.  It was a good night overall, and now we will start thinking about tomorrow’s race at Cornwall”, says Billings after the 30 lap feature.

On Sunday, the Billings team worked on their car, going over the car, after the beating it took on the rough racetrack on the previous night.  While Matt has had only two previous starts at Cornwall in the past, both with the Sportsman division and both ending with disappointing results, Matt remained confident during his first visit with the 358 Modified.

In the first feature, Billings started from the 4th position and quickly used the outside to take the lead.  Billings held the lead through lap 9, when he was passed while fighting lapped traffic.  Billings inched closer and closer to the leader, trying to regain his position, and on the final corner of the final lap, Billings ducked low, and made a dramatic pass for the win.

“What a race.  I had to go low there early in the race, and we lost the lead, but we got it back at the end.   I really have to thank everyone for helping.  We have some great sponsors, and we have a great team.  Thank you to everyone who comes to the track and supports us”, says Billings.

When not at the track, or working on his racecar, Billings is attending online webinars for the Race 101 program that he is enrolled in.  Billings will head to North Carolina in July, and make his first attempt ever on pavement, running some practice laps at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Next weekend, Billings will head back to Can Am on Friday night, Brockville on Saturday, and Merrittville Speedway on Monday for the first race on the Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series schedule. For more information on Matt Billings and the Billings Racing Team, please visit our website, www.mattbillings74.com.

RSR Trans-Am Pre-Race Report: Mosport

Courtesy Heather Haupt

Fresh off victory in New Jersey, RSR heads north of the border this weekend to Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada for Round 2 of the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series at Mosport International Raceway.

Reigning Trans-Am series' champion Tomy Drissi remains on top of the series' standings after taking the win during the 2010 Trans-Am season opener at New Jersey Motorsports Park two weeks ago. The Hollywood, California-native looks to return to victory circle this weekend and earn his first win at Mosport after finishing as the runner up last season. In six starts on the 2.459-mile circuit, Drissi earned a front row grid position in 2003 and finished on the podium twice (2000 - 3rd; 2009 - 2nd). Drissi will drive the #5 THE A-TEAM: THERE IS NO PLAN B Jaguar XKR promoting 20th Century Fox's new movie out in theaters June 11.

"I am very excited about going back to Mosport and always excited to go racing in Canada because the fans are amazing," said Drissi. "Mosport is a wicked track, you can be really fast there but you have to be very careful - no mistakes. We are just going to try to continue our momentum from the last race at New Jersey. I know there are going to be a couple of guys really gunning for me so we are going to have to be fast and reliable and hopefully we can do well there."

Also coming off a successful start to the 2010 Trans-Am season is Daniel Ramoutarsingh who drove his #8 Trinrico Steel & Wire Products Jaguar XKR to a fourth-place finish in New Jersey. The 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year felt the car had what it took to finish on the podium in the first race of the season but time was just not on his side. Last year was the Trinidadian's first race at Mosport International Raceway which saw him qualify eighth on the grid and finish tenth overall.

"I am looking forward to attending the second installment of Trans-am at Mosport," Ramoutarsingh commented. "Last year was a challenging weekend that resulted in a lesser finishing position than deserved. This year I am seeking redemption."

The 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series competition gets underway this weekend in New Jersey, May 7-9, with qualifying and the race taking the green flag on Sunday. For more information go to the series' website at www.sccatrans-am.com. A race recap will be available in the Trans-Am section on www.RSRJaguar.com following the event. More information on the team and Trans-Am drivers will also be available online.

ABOUT RSR

In the spring of 2009, Paul Gentilozzi and his sons, Tony and John, founded RSR with the support of Jaguar Cars Ltd. Gentilozzi, a five-time Trans-Am Champion and record holder in virtually all categories of the Trans-Am history book, continues to have the support of a dedicated staff of championship winning employees who to date have recorded 59 poles, 144 podium finishes, 62 victories, 8 Drivers' Championships and 8 Manufacturers' Championships in Trans-Am competition under the helm of Gentilozzi. 2010 brings the return of Tomy Drissi, 2009 Trans-Am Champion, and Daniel Ramoutarsingh, 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year, competing in Jaguar XKR's for the second consecutive year with Gentilozzi's squad.