VMS Team Spirit Survives Soggy Finale

Courtesy Jim Van Domselaar

September 19, 2005, Vernon, BC – CASCAR Western Series teams were forced to contend with dreary weather conditions at last weekend’s LORDCO 200. A forecast of persistent rain caused the series finale to be postponed, and the return of the rains on Sunday, September 11th significantly affected the outcome of the 200 lap event.

CASCAR officials made the call early to postpone the race to Sunday, and so teams were able to use part of Saturday to make any last minute adjustments to the cars before the rain began in earnest Saturday afternoon. Teams returned to the track Saturday night for what would have been the post-event wind up party, held in the skybox area above the Sun Valley Speedway main grandstand. The #14 crew made it an early night, anticipating that the wake-up call for Sunday’s compressed race schedule would come early.

Sunday morning’s weather was only slightly more promising, with overcast skies. Crew members got out their brooms and worked together to sweep away Saturday’s puddles. Teams practiced under the threat of rain, but the downpour held off. The VMS team members worked to contain their frustration during the two practice sessions. Numerous changes were made to the car’s setup, but just like at the previous event in Wetaskiwin, it seemed that nothing would make all four tires stick to the pavement. When the time came for qualifying, the #14 machine logged the 12th quickest time. Dissatisfied with the qualifying result, the # 14 team decided to pull the car out of the impound field and make further adjustments. This meant that Jr. would start the feature event at the back of the pack, in 16th spot.

The changes that were made after qualifying helped improve the car’s handling, and by Lap 26 Jr. and the SouthFort Chevrolet Monte Carlo were in 11th position overall. By Lap 29 the first caution was called and Jr. came in for another quick adjustment and a fuel top-up. The green flag came out again on Lap 40 and by Lap 50 Jr. had worked his way back up to 11th spot.

Another caution flag was flown at Lap 77 and the #14 machine returned to pit road for yet another chassis adjustment and some extra fuel. The SouthFort entry now had more than enough fuel to make it to the end of the 200 laps, but would still need to come in for a tire change. On Lap 122 the third caution flag was flown, due to what appeared to be a blown engine in the #76 car, so Jr. entered the pits one more time to take a right rear tire. The caution came out one more time when a wheel dislodged from the #21 machine and bounced around Turn 2 and the back straight, and so the VMS team came in for one final chassis adjustment. By this time the #14 had been lapped, but the team decided to enter pit road early, and paid the penalty of being sent to the end of the longest line for the next restart. But the SouthFort machine was now handling well, and Jr. was eager to work his way up through traffic.

While circling the track under yellow the rain that had threatened all day began to fall. On Lap 187 the teams were stopped on the track under red flag conditions. In short order the cars were directed back into the infield, and drivers were allowed out of their cars for what seemed would be an extended rain delay. This delay created problems for some teams’ crew members, who had planes to catch or who faced lengthy overnight road trips home. Ultimately, four of the seven VMS team members departed during the rain delay, leaving a barebones team of James Jr., James Sr., and Pit Crew member Herma to finish out the event.

After a ninety-minute delay drivers were called back to their cars and were sent out to help dry the track for twenty-five laps. Track conditions were still questionable when the green flag was thrown, and rain had started to fall once again. Jr. was shown in 7th position on the single-file re-start. After only five more laps another caution was thrown for debris on the track. The last re-start occurred on Lap 194 and on the white flag lap the #30 and #26 cars got together and crashed into the outside retaining wall. Track conditions remained green however, and the #14 was counted 6th across the finish line.

Looking back over 2005 the VMS team has run a solid season with several top-10 and some top-5 finishes. While the #14 team didn’t make a podium appearance this year, the crew solidified its position as a regular top-flight contender in the CASCAR Western Series. James Jr. would like to thank all the members of the #14 team for their ongoing dedication: “Without the effort of the whole team, and especially the countless hours of work by Jim Sr. and Herma, we would not be as competitive and professional as we are."

The driver and crew of the #14 SouthFort Chevrolet Monte Carlo sends their congratulations to the #35 team of Kevin Dowler who won their 5th CASCAR Western Series Championship. Congratulations also go out to the #21 team of Jason White who achieved the title of Rookie of the Year. The #14 team considers it a pleasure and a privilege to compete with these and all the other talented and hard-working teams of the CASCAR Western Series.

The VMS team would also like to thank Canadian motorsports fans for their enthusiastic support both on and off the track. Heartfelt thanks also go out to the team’s dedicated sponsors, without whom racing at this elite level would not be possible: SouthFort Chevrolet (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Dewar Western, Inc. (Edmonton, AB); Boston Pizza (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Advantage Signs (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Quality Group (Edmonton, AB); General Auto & Ag Supply (Lamont, AB); Hydro-Scotford (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Fort Welding & Mechanical Contracting (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); RCS Sheet Metal (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); TriStar Collision (Edmonton, AB); Camtec Inc. (Edmonton, AB); Sears Appliance Outlet (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); MacMillan Photography (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); L & W Automotive (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Aldon Auto Salvage (Lamont, AB); Ellis-Govenlock Accounting (Edmonton, AB); Daytona Composites (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); CanTorque, Inc. (Edmonton, AB); Remax – Zucht Realty Team (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Deciding Factor Investigations (Edmonton, AB), Noyen Construction (Fort Saskatchewan, AB) and H.E.D. Liner Power Boats (Sherwood Park, AB).

For more information on the VMS racecar and team, please access their website at: www.vandomselaarmotorsport.com.

Hankook Championship : a finale to look forward to

Courtesy Championnat Hankook du Quebec

Montréal, September 21, 2005 – The Federation Auto-Québec Hankook Championship season finale is set to be a barnburner in Mont-Tremblant this weekend. Four class champions still need to be confirmed, and in the only class out of contention, drivers won’t shy away from strong performances to score a coveted win on this legendary track.

“We can’t ask for a better place at a better time to end our season, comments series promoter Dominic St-Jean. Our drivers will tackle Tremblant, a circuit where F1 and Can-Am also raced, along with many larger than life champions. It’s in this gorgeous décor, specially now during the Fall Colours Festival, that we’ll pick the winners from the rest. We urge race fans not to miss this event. Tickets will be available at the entrance, and the landscape is breathtaking.”

Touring Hankook
No less than five drivers still have mathematical chances of winning the Championship in Touring Hankook. The current leader, doctor Jocelyn Hébert (Acura Integra), will have to fend off attacks by Yves Bédard (VW Golf GTI), Bobby Hamel (BMW 328i), Jacques Gravel (Hyundai Tiburon) and Valérie Limoges (Acura RSX Type S).

“We’re proud to show up at the legendary Tremblant circuit ahead in the standings, explains Hébert. We’re hoping we won’t experience the same bad luck as last year, when we showed up first and left second in the Championship. We’re up to the challenge and we really want to win to thank our sponsors and mechanics for their efforts and support. It’s going to be a close fight, but that’s what makes this Championship so interesting. Nothing is truly earned until the very end.”

The struggle to be rookie of the year will also be hotly pursued, with current leader Stéphane Carrier (VW Jetta GLX) having to keep Vincent Basile (Honda Civic) and Babu (Hyundai Tiburon) at bay. Musique Plus host Babu is having a rookie season above all expectations, and will be one to watch this weekend. Can he add sporting success to his already long list of accomplishments? We’ll certainly see many of his fans around track.

Excellence Chrysler Formula 1600 Cup
Olivier Bonnet enters the last straight of the season firmly in front, but Franc Roiron and Philippe Gélinas are far from beaten. Philippe will want to redeem the silly technical mistake, which earned him disqualification in Sanair, and Franc has the potential to run in front. “I’m really happy to come back to Tremblant this year since it’s an amazing track I really like, says Olivier Bonnet. Although we enjoy a comfortable lead in the standings, we have to stay alert and give our maximum to finish the season with a bang. The team is pumped up, and we really believe we can go win this one.”

GTO/GTU/GT
The GT classes will again race simultaneously, and Tremblant will bring its share of prestigious drivers from all over, as well as the exotic cars they drive. Now that the GTO title is in the bag for Malcolm Strachan (Chevrolet Corvette Z06), he’ll only need to worry about adding a win on the prestigious Tremblant circuit to his impressive mantle. “This should be a fun weekend for the Konica-Minolta Mobil-1 Corvette team. With the championship secured, we can push for a win without having to worry about points.” This win will be aggressively fought over, with three more Porsches (Jacques Villeneuve, Jules Roy and Jacques Rivard) and one Ferrari (Laurence Stroll) joining the fray.

In GTU class, the title fight boils down to a mano a mano fight between Normand Robert (Mazda RX7) and George Moutafis (BMW M3). The quick Fernando Scattolin (Porsche 911) won’t want to be left out and could get between the two title-fighters.

Finally, the GT title is almost beyond the reach of anybody else but Fernand Leblanc (Porsche 911 RSR), but it almost collapsed at the last minute. After being involved in an incident in Sanair, Leblanc had to rely on a little help from his friends. “After Sanair, we couldn’t make the repairs to our car in time. Fortunately, my good friend Paul Dufresne came to my rescue and let me borrow his 911 RSR, so I’ll proudly run his car under the Dufresne Buses banner. It will really be special if we can put this win in the bag amongst friends, and I’ll be very proud to do it in such a great place.”

Steckly Ends the Season with Ninth Place Run at Kawartha

Courtesy Kyle Erb

Scott Steckly driver of the Erb Group/ International Truck and Engine Pontiac Grand Prix was looking to finish this 2005 CASCAR Super Series season off with a good run this past weekend at Kawartha Speedway. The Erb Group team had to use their backup engine after blowing their primary motor last weekend at Cayuga. Steckly qualified the car in 20th out of 29 cars for the season finale.

The race was held on Sunday, September 18th under sunny skies just outside of Peterborough. Early on in the race the lack of power was evident as Scott struggled just to hang on to his 20th place standing. The biggest story of the race was the driving by #17 DJ Kennington, who at one point in the race was close to lapping the entire field after a long green flag run. The #22 Erb Group car pitted under caution on lap 97 to change a left rear tire and add fuel to the car. As the race went on Steckly continued to move up positions. Although he was 2 laps down to the leader Scott was in 12th place by lap 150 of 250. On the race teams second pit stop they changed the right rear tire on the car. Scott was continuing his was to the front and by the 210th lap he was up into 8th place, ahead of Dave Jacombs and rookie #75 Kenny Habul. It was an exciting finish as veterans Steckly and Jacombs tried to avoid holding up the lead lap cars and still race hard for position. However, rookie Habul was bouncing off everyone fighting for positions but eventually faded back to 10th place.

After the race Scott said “it was great to end the season with a top- ten finish. This year we’ve had great equipment and then something breaks and we get a poor finish. Today, we had an underpowered race car, but with good calls in the pits by crew chief Ken Gropp Jr. we were able to get the most out of the car. I’m really proud of the job the crew did on the car this weekend”. He also said “I would like to thank all of our sponsors for this year; we really appreciated all of their help in making this CASCAR Super Series season a success for 22 Racing”.

Don Thomson Jr. went on to his unprecedented 5th consecutive CASCAR Super Series championship last weekend at Kawartha.

Scott Steckly and the entire 22 Racing team are proudly sponsored by: The Erb Group of Companies, International Truck and Engine Dealers: ALTRUCK, Lewis and Metro; Thermo King of Eastern Canada, CPL Systems, AW Millwrights, Chris Root Precision Machine, D.H. Jutzi Limited, Commercial Babcock, Classy Collectibles, Twin City Graphics, Filtakleen, Duplicolor, Mr. Transmission (Guelph), and Stratford Motor Products, Holiday Inn Express (Calgary and Toronto Airport Area).

Brockville Ontario Speedway home of Saturday night racing, new point fund for 2006

By Steve Young

BROCKVILLE, ON – When Brockville Ontario Speedway swung open its gates for the first time back in 1969, it did so on a Saturday night. In the continuing effort to return to its racing roots the Speedway will again race on Saturday evenings with a DIRT Motorsports Inc sanctioned program for the 2006 season.

"The reality is that many race fans and teams consider Saturday night, race night," said Brockville Ontario Speedway promoter Paul Kirkland. "We've been busy the last couple of months talking to fans, race teams and sponsors alike and for many of them Saturday night seems to work the best."

Kirkland consulted with all sectors of the motorsports community prior to making the change. The track received the blessing of DIRT Motorsports Inc last week before moving forward with the 2006 plan.

"Some people are going to look at this as new competition for other tracks," added Kirkland. "Actually its the beginning of a new era of cooperation with the tracks in eastern ontario and western Quebec. Now there will be three different tracks on three different nights to enjoy."

To encourage just that a new City A-1 Radiator point fund is being introduced. Long time supporter of grass roots racing Bryan Pittman has pledged substantial dollars for the 358 Modified class in 2006. To qualify for this special bonus point fund from the Brockville based business teams must run the BOS on Saturday night and their choice of Autodrome Edelweiss or Cornwall Motor Speedway. The top five points finishers based on results from Brockville and the companion track will be able to tap into the City A-1 point fund cash for 2006.

"Our DIRT Sportsman class will not be overlooked either,"said Kirkland. "The class has grown by leaps and bounds the last year or so and they are an integral part of program for both today and the future. We are working on some special things for them that we hope to announce in the near future."

4th Annual "500 Finale" this weekend at Barrie Speedway

By Scott Fletcher

Milton, On: Team JNE Consulting return to action Sunday September 25 at Barrie Speedway after two weekends off. John and his team are chomping at the bit to get back into it and the team will race the next three consecutive weeks to close out the 2005 OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model Series. Team JNE Consulting is trailing Rob Clarke by 131 points and with three races left, it is a tall task to chip away at this lead.

“We are confident we can close in on that 49 car over the next couple of weeks, our guys have worked hard to get things prepared for the rest of the year, it may come down to 10 points again like last year. We know we can be on the right side this year”. John, referring to the tight point’s battle of 2004: This week’s action will be a Sunday afternoon event.

Saturdays action at the speedway is also the finally to the Barrie Speedway Late Model Division points night. With some of John’s customers and clients battling it out for the title. Best of luck to the 47 of Tom Walters and the 25 of John Gaunt, Waters has a 23-point lead over John and the pair have a win each. Tim Watson in third place and fifth place in points with 2 wins on the year Robin Jongen.

DRIVE FOR RELIEF PARTICIPANTS RAISE OVER $20,000 FOR HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT

Courtesy Bill Janitz, MIS Director of Public Relations

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Participants in the September 12-16 “Drive for Relief” at Michigan International Speedway gave the general public a rare chance to take their personal vehicles around the historic 2-mile oval. The event was held in conjunction with the American Red Cross in response to Talladega Superspeedway’s call to action to all sister tracks throughout International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The week-long event raised over $20,000 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Hundreds of cars made their way to MIS for a lap on the track from Michigan, Ohio, and as far away as Ontario, Canada and Southern Indiana.

“The Drive for Relief proved how giving the Midwest is,” said MIS President Brett Shelton. “Everyone who participated should be commended for stepping up and donating generously to others in need. Our staff at MIS was honored to be able be a part of a fantastic week of giving to the American Red Cross and those affected by Hurricane Katrina.”

Beginning at Richmond International Raceway and its Chevy Rock & Roll 400 weekend earlier this month, ISC-owned tracks began facilitating the collection of monetary donations from race fans to the Red Cross in support of the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Remaining ISC event weekends where fans can donate to the relief fund at track include:

Talladedga Superspeedway: Oct. 1st weekend

Kansas Speedway: Oct. 7th weekend

Martinsville Speedway: Oct. 21st weekend

Phoenix: Nov. 11th weekend

Homestead-Miami: Nov. 18th weekend

For those race fans not attending any of these events, donations can be made to the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts and supporting Talladega’s call to action by visiting, www.racefanshelp.com.

ISC’s corporate office located in Daytona Beach, Fla., committed $1 million in funding and services to jump start the initiative. Funding and services include monetary donations and clothing from ISC’s merchandising subsidiary Americrown.

Mechanical problems stop Micks and PowerWater Ford in CASCAR final

Courtesy Bruce F. Mehlenbacher

September 19, 2005, Peterborough, ON – PowerWater driver Kerry Micks placed a disappointing 27th position in Sunday’s CASCAR Super Series final event of the season at Kawartha Speedway with mechanical problems.

“I’m really happy with our season, there’s not too many drivers that can say they had three wins like we did in the PowerWater Ford,” explained Kerry Micks. “It was one of those years with highs and lows. It’s like we did really great or really bad, there seemed to be no in between.”

D.J. Kennington won the Dodge Ram Tough 250 presented by the Dodge Dealers of Ontario followed by Dave Whitlock and Peter Gibbons. Don Thomson Jr. of Hamilton, Ontario driving the Home Hardware Chevy clinched his fifth consecutive CASCAR Super Series National point championship.

“We had a great team this year and everyone worked really hard,” added Micks. “The PowerWater Micks Motorsports Team’s goal is to win races and contend for the CASCAR championship and we’ll be back next year you can count on that.”

Micks, with three wins this season in the PowerWater Micks Motorsports Ford, finished in seventh position in the 2005 CASCAR Super Series Points Championship.

CASCAR ON TV: Watch CASCAR on SPORTSNET, for information regarding initial airings and replays of Super Series races on SPORTSNET, check your local listings or www.cascar.ca/schedule/tv_schedule.html.