Web Site Update

www.rickattheraces.com

I'm pleased to report that the RICK @ the RACES website is coming along fine . Craig's been busy putting in a lot of work to get it the way we want. If you like what you see and would like a site designed and maintained, please contact Craig ( click on his logo).

As I type this report we've had over 1000 hits with more positive comments added to the guest book. Thanks to the following.

Bonita from Granby, (Quebec), friend in DIRT racing.

Gordon from Bedfordshire (UK), an old school chum.

Dennis from Iroquois (Ont), friend/race fan.

Charlie from North Wales (UK) friend/former work colleague.

David from Vancouver (BC) friend/webmaster for www.oldstox.com

Chris from Milton Keynes (UK) friend/former BriSCA F1 driver

Alan from ( UK) , racing correspondent/stock car historian

Joel from Alexandria (Ont) friend/358 DIRT MODIFIED driver

Dave from Kent (UK) friend/ace photographer

Nick from Suffolk (UK) friend/ racing announcer

Stan from Northants (UK) friend/former BriSCA F1 driver

Clay from (NJ) one of the good guys I met at a 'tailgate party'

Barry from (UK) , a long time BriSCA F1 fan

 

Now on to this weeks report

 

6 AUG     AIRBORNE SPEEDWAY PARK (NY)

9  AUG      CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY (Ont) 

RAIN, RAIN , AND MORE %&$!#  RAIN

Oh, what a rotten summer this is turning out to be ! It must have rained at least once every day from July until August. Sometimes you are lucky and it rains ( then dries) in the morning before the racing starts, but most likely it begins just before start time. This week I have just two events to report on.

Capital City Speedway, my regular Wednesday night track, took a night off this week ( 6 Aug) , in preparation for their ACT SERIES race on Saturday, so I used the opportunity to head across the border. The Airborne Speedway at Plattsburg (NY) were staging a special midweek Small Block versus Big Block Modified challenge.

Making guest appearances in loaned cars were the two Timmy's of, McCreadie and Fuller, from the World Of Outlaw Late Model Series. McCreadie was in the Mike Perrotte # 35 car and Fuller was in the spare Mike Bruno # 22 car. The unfortunate Bruno was involved in a bad wreck in the heats which demolished the front end of his racer. In the feature it was Napierville, Quebec's Martin Roy # 90 who took the honors after wresting the lead from McCreadie mid way.

I always enjoy my trips to Airborne and this was no exception. Mike Perrotte and his staff know exactly what race fans want when they run a mid week show, and don't waste time with unnecessary delays. The whole show was over before 10-00pm and I was home around mid-night.

On Friday (8 Aug) it rained 'on and off' for most of the day in the Montreal and Cornwall area so when I was finished work around 5-00pm I was in no rush to go anywhere. I didn't want to risk a wasted journey to Autodrome Edelweiss, so instead, I had a night at home. As I scanned the internet, most of the racing in the North East had been canceled but there was no news from Edelweiss. I later found out they survived the weather and my good friend Joel Doiron # 40 had won the feature. Oh well, I never was any good at gambling!

Saturday (9 Aug) my plans were to attend the aforementioned ACT Series race at the Capital City Speedway (Ottawa). It was lovely and sunny when I left home, and much the same when I arrived at the track.

As I did my pit 'walk a about' I chatted to many of the drivers as well as ACT supremo Tom Curley. I first met Tom, one of the most respected promotors in North America, a few years ago when I visited Thunder Road , his own track in Barre, Vermont. On that occasion I was there to meet top driver Jean Paul Cyr for a magazine article regarding his trip to compete in the BriSCA F1 World Final ( Brafield UK ). I was hoping to meet up with him again, along with fellow USA rep Phil Scott, but unfortunately only one visitor from Vermont turned up . That was Brent Dragon # 55.

All divisions took afternoon practice, until the daily dose of 'wet stuff' arrived late afternoon. A few support division heats were completed between spasmodic showers and necessary track drying until around 7-00pm when the Late Models started their heats.

I watched the 28 car Toromont CAT 100 lapper from the control tower behind Race Director Tom Curley and veteran announcers Brian Mulligan and Brian 'MotorMouth' Goudge. The race was plagued with cautions and I got to see first hand, how Curley has built his reputation.

He doesn't stand for B/S, from any driver, no matter who he is. You play by the rules, or you're 'history'. On a night like that, when race fans had been sitting patiently for hours in wet weather, it was the only way to be.

Early leader was Brent Dragon who was eventually passed by Quebecers, Martin Lacombe # 03 and Alexandre Gingras # 27. Gingras spun out late in the race handing the checkers to Lacombe and the runner up spot to Dragon.

Sunday (10 Aug) dawned damp and miserable but it wasn't raining, when I set off for the Cornwall Motor Speedway, but the nearer I got, the skies became darker. I always like to get there early and by the time I arrived it was thundering and lightening. Rain was coming down heavy as the cancellation call was made soon after 2-30pm .

 

PIC 1  Tim Fuller chats tocar owner Mike Bruno car at Airborne.

PIC2   Tim McCreadie straps into his car at Airborne as owner Mike Perrotte looks on.

PIC 3 Vintage Stock Car action at Airborne.

PIC 4  The wrecked Mike Bruno car after a heat crash at Airborne.

PIC 5  Tim McCreadie # 35 chases Martin Roy # 90 at Airborne.

PIC 6  Martin Roy # 90 in the Airborne Victory Lane.

PIC 7   Tom Curley chats to one of his staff at Capital City

PIC 8   Track drying at Capital City

PIC 9    Brent Dragon # 55 chased by # 21 Jean-Francois Dery at Capital City

PIC 10  Veteran track announcers, Brian Mulligan (L) and Brian Goudge (R) at Capital City 

PIC 11  Martin Lacombe # 03 pulls in to Victory Lane at Capital City

PIC 12   Martin Lacombe # 03 in the Capital City Victory Lane. 

RACES ATTENDED IN 2008

 

1           JAN  19          ARENA ESSEX (Thurrock UK)

2          JAN  27            LAC MORIN (Que)

3          JAN 27             ST EULALIE (Que)        

4          FEB 16             KAHNAWAKE (Que)

5         FEB   17            CLARENCE CREEK (Ont)

6         FEB    24          BERTRAND FABI CIRCUIT . Sherbrooke, (Que)

7         FEB     24         BEAUHARNOIS , (Que)

8       MAR    21           WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY (PA)

9       MAR    22           LINCOLN SPEEDWAY (PA)

10     APR    19         CAN AM SPEEDWAY,Lafargeville, (NY)

11    APR    20         CAYUGA COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY,Weedsport, (NY)

12    APR   26         MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY (Ont) 358 SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES

13    APR    27        HUMBERSTONE SPEEDWAY, Port Colborne (Ont)

14    MAY  3         MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY , Hogansburg  (NY)

15      MAY  9          CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY , OTTAWA  (Ont)

16     MAY  10       MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY , Hogansburg (NY)

17     MAY 17      BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY, (Ont)

18    MAY  18      CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)

19    MAY   24     MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY , Hogansburg (NY)

20    MAY  25     CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY  (Ont)

21   MAY 29      CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont) KART TRACK

22   MAY 30     AUTODROME EDELWEISS , Cantley, (Que)

23   MAY  31   BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY, (Ont)

       JUN  1     AUTODROME ST EUSTACHE, (Que)  RAINED OUT

24   JUN 6    AUTODROME EDELWEISS Cantley, (Que)

25    JUN  7    FULTON SPEEDWAY (NY)    SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES

26   JUN  8    CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)

27    JUN  11  CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY , Ottawa, (Ont)

28   JUN  21   BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY (Ont)

29   JUN  22   CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)  WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODELS

30   JUN  28    CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY, Ottawa (Ont) RAINED OUT

31  JUN  28   MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, Hogansburg, (NY)

32  JUN 29   CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)

33  JUL 3    CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY Ottawa, (Ont)

34  JUL 5   BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY (Ont)

35  JUL 6   CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)

36  JUL 9    CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY ,Ottawa (Ont)

37   JUL 10  BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY (Ont)  SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES

38   JUL  12  ICAR CIRCUIT, Mirabel, (Que)

39   JUL   12  AUTODROME DRUMMOND (Que)

       JUL 13   CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY(Ont) , RAINED OUT SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES

40   JUL  16   CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY,Ottawa (Ont)

41   JUL  18   BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY (Ont)

42   JUL  19  AUTODROME DRUMMOND (Que)

        JUL  20  CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)  RAINED OUT

        JUL  23   CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY,Ottawa, (Ont)  RAINED OUT

        JUL  26  MOWHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, Hogansburg (NY) RAINED OUT                  

43   JUL 27  CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)

44    JUL 30  CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY, Ottawa, (Ont)

45    JUL 31   MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, Hogansburg NY (LUCAS OILS CDS)

46    AUG 1    AUTODROME EDELWEISS, Cantley (Que)  (LUCAS OILS CDS)

47    AUG 2   BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY (Ont)  (LUCAS OILS CDS POSTPONED)

48    AUG 3   CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)  (LUCAS OILS CDS)

49    AUG  6   AIRBORNE SPEEDWAY PARK , Plattsburg ( NY)

50   AUG   9  CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY, Ottawa, (Ont)  (ACT SERIES RACE)

       AUG 10   CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)  RAINED OUT

      

My RICK @ the RACES race report goes out to a mailing list of over 150 people, which includes, family, friends and acquaintances, I've either met or known during my life in auto racing. Please feel free to pass these on or use on websites etc.

My RICK @ the RACES (RETRO) reports are a little different, as they are an ongoing account of my times spent at the races through the years. Some time in the future, once they have been tidied up and edited, I may look into getting them published. I still have a long way to go before I'm up to the present day, but in the meantime, please contact me for consent before before using ( websites or publications) Thanks Rick