WWS to Unveil Lucas Cup at Final ’05 Event

Courtesy Joshua Paxton, Paxton Motorsports Marketing

Toronto, ON – This Sunday October 9th the Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series will make Canadian motorsport history when they crown the first ever grassroots stock car racing champion and unveil the Lucas Cup.

In its inaugural year the WWS, an organization that came to life in October 2004 with the mandate of uniting and strengthening grassroots stock car racing, has accomplished more than any one imagined. The series’ original group of three (Flamboro Speedway in Hamilton, Peterborough Speedway and Kawartha Speedway of the Peterborough area) swelled to a group of seven within the first three months of the program’s existence (adding Barrie Speedway and Sunset Speedway of the Barrie area, Delaware Speedway in London, and Mosport Speedway in Bowmanville), and has since climbed again with an addition this past August (adding Varney Motor Speedway of Mount Forest to the fold), bringing the total participating Ontario speedways to eight.

The promoters and technical directors have worked diligently over the past few months, and will continue through the winter, to bring the rules packages of the WWS Late Models, the premiere grassroots division of Ontario, in line to allow competitors to visit facilities freely with minimal changes to their equipment. So far this program has attracted more than 200 race car drivers to its roster, each excited about the opportunities presented, and each focused on becoming the Lucas Cup champion of Lucas Oil WWS grassroots stock car racing.

The Lucas Oil WWS will celebrate its first anniversary this weekend at Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colours Classic, presented by Lucas Oil Products, the grand finale of the 2005 WWS grassroots stock car racing season. Heading into the event, which will host races for both conferences of WWS Late Model competition, drivers Tom Walters (of Barrie) and David Elliott (of Acton) lead their respective conferences, with Walters leading overall. Both Walters and Elliott are new to the point lead, having bumped off previous top contenders John Gaunt (of Barrie) and Pete Vanderwyst (of St. Thomas) the weekend before in competition at Lucas Oil Flamboro Speedway in Hamilton. Championships will be determined this weekend in the final races of the season, with Elliott and Vanderwyst just six points apart for a WWS Conference title, and Tom Walters and John Gaunt separated by 60 points for the overall Lucas Cup title.

One of the most exciting aspects of the WWS program is that the battles don’t stop at the top. The WWS will award the top 40 grassroots drivers of the program, split 20 to each conference of competition. With over 100 competitors to each conference there are serious scraps through the middle and at the bottom of the top 20 standings for paying positions. To come first overall and win the conference championship (and potentially the Lucas Cup) pays $3500; to finish 20th in your conference pays $1600; with $100 increments for each place in between. To finish 21st overall earns a handshake, a pat on the back, and a “Best of luck next year.”

The Lucas Cup, which will be unveiled for the very first time this weekend, was specially ordered by the Lucas Oil WWS, a glimmering vision of pride and achievement that will rival any other award in sports. The cup itself is just one of three in the world, and after this weekend will become all original when it receives the name of the first ever Lucas Oil WWS grassroots stock car racing champion.

The Lucas Oil Weekend Warrior Series, the BEST in grassroots stock car racing, see you there!

PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY – AUTUMN COLOURS CLASSIC
PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL PRODUCTS

SATURDAY – QUALIFYING, STARTING AT 3:30PM
SUNDAY – MAIN EVENTS, STARTING AT 1:30PM

WWW.PETERBOROUGHSPEEDWAY.COM

OR VISIT www.WeekendWarriorSeries.com

CASCAR ON TV!

Watch the final event of the 2005 CASCAR SUPER SERIES Season on Saturday October 16th on SPORTSNET!

EAST and ONTARIO Regions on Saturday October 16th @ 1:30PM EST
WEST and PACIFIC Regions on Saturday October 16th @ 12:00PM MST

***this is a 90 minute program***

REPLAYS:
EAST – Monday October 18th @ 2:30PM EST
ONTARIO – Thursday 21st @ 1:00PM EST
WEST – Sunday 17th @ 1:00PM MST
PACIFIC – Thursday 21st @ 1:00PM PST

For more info visit www.cascar.ca

Canada to host TT style motorcycle race

By John Hopkins

SYDNEY, NS – A motorcycle road race in the classic tradition of the Isle of Man is slated for Canada next fall.

The Cape Breton Festival of Speed was unveiled at a press conference in Sydney, NS yesterday. The event, which will be headlined by a motorcycle race on a 52km road circuit, is due to run Sept. 20-23.

“This is such an important day in motorsports in Canada, and in particular in Nova Scotia,” said Maureen Carroll, chair of the Cape Breton Festival of Speed.

Present at the announcement were Isle of Man TT veteran Ian Lougher of Wales, Isle of Man Tourism Minister David Cretney and Canadian racer Pat Barnes, who tackled the fabled Isle of Man event in 2004.

“With some paving, these beautiful roads will offer a suitable challenge for some of the best riders in the world,” Lougher, a seven-time Isle of Man TT champion and the current Production 600 lap record holder, said in a press release accompanying the announcement.

“There are some fast stretches and the only things I don’t see which are part of the Isle of Man are the pubs around the circuit, which I’ll miss, and the stonewalls lining the roads, which I won’t miss. I definitely want to come back next year for the race.”

Lougher toured the track on Tuesday and said he expects it to be faster than the Isle of Man circuit. Barnes predicted a top speed of 210 mph.

“An Isle of Man style competition and the Festival of Speed will raise the profile of racing in Canada, giving more exposure to Canadian riders,” said Barnes in the release.

Practice for the Cape Breton Festival of Speed is slated for the Wednesday and Thursday of the race week (Sept. 20-21), with a motorcycle charity ride planned for the Friday. Race day is Saturday, Sept. 23, and the week will conclude with a “Show and Shine” for cars, trucks and motorcycles on Sunday.

The event is the brainchild of the Membertou First Nations community and Canadian car racer and event promoter John Graham. Bernd Christmas, CEO of the Membertou Development Corporation had been working with Graham on a separate project earlier this year when they hit upon the idea of a TT-style motorcycle race.

Graham traveled to the Isle of Man for this summer’s TT event along with Membertou Chief Terry Paul.

Yesterday’s press conference was held in the Membertou Trade & Convention Centre in Sydney.

NEWS FLASH: CSC Racing Products Inc.

Jenn at CSC Racing Products has announced that they now have SA 2005 SNELL rated helmets in stock!

The shipment arrived yesterday afternoon and are on display in the CSC showroom, in a variety of sizes and styles.

CSC is located in Newmarket, ON. CLICK HERE for directions.

SUPER DIRT WEEK: Decker Fastest For Third Straight Year In Eckerd 200 First Round Time Trials

By Tom Skibinski, DIRT Modified Series Reporter

Syracuse, NY — October 5, 2005 — For the third straight year, three-time Eckerd 200 Billy Decker set fast time in first round qualifying for big-block Modifieds during Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds. The Unadilla, N.Y. speedster hopes he can finally put the two together on Sunday and drive away for his fourth career victory in DIRT MotorSports NorthEast's biggest event of the season.

"We haven't won from the pole yet so we've still got some work to do," said Decker, 40, who set back-back-back records the past two Octobers before settling for a single-lap clocking of 28.588 sec. (125.927 mph) in the 34th edition of Super DIRT Week. Last year Decker set the all-time Syracuse standard of 126.993 mph (28.348 sec.) around the historic Moody Mile but finished 11th after placing fourth the previous year. He scored wins in 2001, 2000 and 1998, time trialing among the six fastest on each occasion although never securing the pole.

Decker will make his third straight pole-position start in DIRT MotorSports NorthEast's signature race on Sunday, with Danny Johnson, Brett Hearn, Todd Burley, Pat Ward and Jimmy Phelps joining him in the front three rows to begin the 200-mile main that boasts a lucrative $50,000 first-place prize.

"Our recent success around here is just a product of a good team and I'm fortunate to be surrounded by some really good people. During practice I saw a lot of cars were in the 29s (seconds) and I thought I might just have a chance at another record. But the track stayed a little too narrow and I took what I could get. You're always on the edge running at Syracuse, I didn't want to get too wild because one slip up could drop you back as far as 20th," said Decker, who led only six laps in the 2003 Eckerd 200 before pacing last year's field for the initial 31 circuits.

For his fast time in winning the traditional Dick "Toby" Tobias Memorial Pole Award, Decker earned $2,500 from Burdick Ford. Ironically, Tobias (1975-77) is the only other driver to set fast time on opening day for three consecutive years. Johnson, driving a brand new TEO mount, kept pace by claiming the $1,500 Behrent's Performance Warehouse Outside-Pole award. Johnson will start second in Sunday’s big event after posting a time of 28.651 seconds in Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway owner's Jay James' no. 27 J&J Shop-Planned Poultry Renovations machine.

"I'm involved with a great team, that and a good motor are what it takes to be successful at Syracuse," said Johnson, 45, who only time trialed among the six-fastest on two other occasions --- third in 1989 and fifth in 1990. The open-wheel veteran from Rochester, N.Y. captured the prestigious Eckerd 200 in 1997. "Its a brand new car so I was mostly concerned with getting comfortable going into the corners. We got some tips from Bobby (Hearn, chassis builder) and the car got better as the day went on. I might've been able to go faster getting into the turns a little better but I was still cautious, you just don't want to put a white stripe on your car for no reason."

Hearn was the 39th car out of 64 to take time and the Sussex, N.J. standout posted the third fastest lap (28.804 sec.) steering the no. 1 Gable Auto Stores-Page Trucking/TEO around the smooth Syracuse Mile. "Any time you can get in the top-six on the first day is a great way to start the week," said Hearn, 47, the all-time career leader at Super DIRT Week with six pole awards. However, his last Eckerd 200 triumph came in 1995. "Maybe we can finish it off this time with a win on Sunday for a change. Last year we over-drove in the turns so that was on my mind this time around. And at Syracuse you have a lot of time for your mind to rewind the laps and try to see where you could've gained more speed. Still, a front row spot in our heat (Friday) is a good place to be."

1992 Hoosier-Sunoco Mr. DIRT Sportsman champion Todd Burley chauffeured the 11th car to take time and emerged as the first of those same top-six drivers to go under the 29-second barrier, ending up fourth quickest (28.854 sec.) on the day. Just two cars later, Decker's teammate Pat Ward (28.878 sec.) was clocked with the eventual fifth-fastest time while Jimmy Phelps (28.941 sec.) from Baldwinsville, New York took the final position up for grabs for Sunday’s Eckerd 200. The 2005 SDW field was the fastest in history as a record 44 cars were clocked under 30 seconds.

Burley from Spencerport, New York set his best time in a secondary no. 62 Mullen Industrial Handling-Industrial Tire/Bicknell car that sported a JanCen motor from Buffalo, N.Y. builder Mike Janis. "We've got some good equipment so I was looking at a top-15 run coming in, but after timing sixth fastest in practice I had some higher expectations," said Burley, whose primary Enders-powered BRP entry soured before running under the clocks. Enders was still featured in three of the top-six drivers (Decker, Hearn, Ward) while Johnson boasted Morrison power and Phelps had another JanCen powerplant under the hood. "Fourth is great in a back-up car, but that's just one day. I've never been good saving fuel or tires at Syracuse and that's what it takes to survive out here. Other than that, its not too hard to get around when the motor's running good."

Aboard John Wight's second Gypsum Express Special, Ward quietly settled into the top-six with one of the best opening-day performances of his 30-year short-track career. "I'm happy to be locked into the race already, its a lot of pressure off right from the start," said Ward, 48, who hopes to improve upon his best-ever third-place finish from a year ago. "I screwed up in turn two, just didn't lift enough in the middle and got too high. I might have had a chance at a front row spot but I knew Billy was going to be the one to beat. I'm pretty satisfied because at least we're in the ballpark and can fine tune a little more during the week."

While Decker, Hearn and Ward ---and even Johnson for a few weeks--- have been members of DIRT MotorSport NorthEast's Elite 11 throughout the season, Phelps was granted that same status in late September and his six-place timing did nothing to diminish his new role. "It's kind of neat being in the group now, these guys are certainly the best of the best," said Phelps, a season-long follower of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series. The Baldwinsville, N.Y. pilot registered his fast lap aboard the H&H Motorsports no. 98H Mohawk NorthEast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer ride. "We were still a little bit off today but we have a super motor that made up for it. I think we definitely have a car that's capable of winning. If we can execute our plan and get a little luck, we'll just hope for the best and see what happens on Sunday."

Seventh and eighth-place starting positions will be awarded following Thursday’s second round of time trials with the remainder of the Eckerd 200 field coming from Friday’s Dynomax Triple 20’s and the 'Dig Safely New York Shootout' last-chance qualifier on Sunday.

Super DIRT Week XXXIV action continues on Thursday with DIRT 358-Modified time trials also scheduled in the afternoon beginning at 3pm. Action then moves over to Brewerton Speedway for a 75-lap 358-Modified Super DIRT Series event. Round two of the big-block DIRT Modified time trials are slated to start at 12:30pm with practice opening up the day's activity beginning at 10am.

SKIDMARKS: Rookie campaigner Carey Terrance was the lone casualty in the morning practice session as his LaFrance powered no. 66x T&D Enterprises/TEO entry careened into the first turn wall and was knocked out for the remainder of the week. Terrance acted quickly, opening up his wallet in time to purchase a new TEO chassis that had been on display in the pits. The replacement of a motor and other key components could not be made in time to afford the Akwesasne, N.Y. newcomer a chance to run under the clocks ..... Of the DIRT 358-Modified entries currently registered, most cars took advantage of a special small-block practice session staged following Modified time trials. Frenchman David Hebert from St. Damase, Quebec in his no. 1H Equipe de Course-Freightliner Granby/Bicknell entry posted the fastest (30.305 sec.) time on the smooth Syracuse Mile for an average speed of 118.792 mph. Big-block regular Vic Coffey took time alongside the small-block brethren and his 32c Sweeteners Plus machine finished second quickest among those that took participated in the special small-block 'Happy Hour.'

The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver, Zippo Lighters and F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.

SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIV MODIFIED TIME TRIALS: DAY 1
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER AWARD
1 28.588 125.927 91x Billy Decker / Unadilla,NY $2,500 - Burdick Ford Pole
2 28.651 125.650 27J Danny Johnson / Rochester,NY $1,500 - Behrent's Performance Outside Pole
3 28.804 124.983 1 Brett Hearn / Sussex,NJ
4 28.854 124.766 62 Todd Burley / Spencerport,NY
5 28.878 124.662 42P Pat Ward / Genoa,NY
6 28.941 124.391 98H Jimmy Phelps / Baldwinsville,NY
7 29.017 124.065 39x Tim McCreadie / Watertown,NY
8 29.037 123.980 M1 Tim Fuller / Edwards,NY
9 29.055 123.903 91 Billy Decker / Unadilla,NY
10 29.085 123.775 1J Bobby Varin /Sharon Springs,NY
11 29.097 123.724 7X Steve Paine / Waterloo,NY
12 29.119 123.631 4 Andy Bachetti / Sheffield,MA
13 29.153 123.486 98 Eddie Marshall / Ridgefield,CT
14 29.168 123.423 74B Frank Cozze / Wind Gap, PA
15 29.172 123.406 1H David Hebert / St. Damase,QUE
16 29.204 123.271 1y Gary Tomkins / Clifton Springs,NY
17 29.218 123.212 2 Ronnie Johnson / Duanesburg,NY
18 29.256 123.052 32C Vic Coffey / Leicester,NY
19 29.260 123.035 115 Kenny Tremont / West Sand Lake,NY
20 29.272 122.984 12A Jack Johnson / Duanesburg,NY
21 29.285 122.930 62T Todd Burley / Spencerport,NY
22 29.297 122.879 19 Kenny Brightbill / Sinking Spring,PA
23 29.317 122.796 44Sx Matt Sheppard / Waterloo,NY
24 29.327 122.754 1Ha Tim Hindley / Monticello,NY
25 29.359 122.620 1b Gary Tomkins / Clifton Springs,NY
26 29.426 122.341 77X Dale Planck / Cortland,NY
27 29.490 122.075 3H Justin Haers / Phelps,NY
28 29.494 122.059 USA1 Richie Tobias,Jr. / Annville,PA
29 29.496 122.050 125 Kyle Strickler / Sinking Spring,PA
30 29.552 121.819 86 Billy Pauch / Frenchtown,NJ
31 29.553 121.815 44S Matt Sheppard / Waterloo,NY
32 29.556 121.803 3B Chad Brachmann / Wheatfield,NY
33 29.572 121.737 26 Ryan Godown / Ringoes,NJ
34 29.576 121.720 45 Wayne Jelley / Pittsfield,MA
35 29.724 121.114 29H Jimmy Horton / Neshanic Station,NJ
36 29.744 121.033 85 Ricky Elliott / Seaford,DE
37 29.781 120.882 24 Chris Shultz / Pawling,NY
38 29.783 120.874 14J Alan Johnson / Phelps,NY
39 29.808 120.773 20 Stewart Friesen / Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
40 29.840 120.643 00 Doug Manmiller / Wyomissing,PA
41 29.873 120.510 5 Rick Laubach / Quakertown,PA
42 29.961 120.156 1H Tim Hindley / Monticello,NY
43 29.975 120.100 99B Chuck Bower / Lansing,NY
44 29.982 120.072 56 Vince Vitale / Phoenix,NY
45 30.031 119.876 21 Donnie Corellis / Averill Park,NY
46 30.085 119.661 96 Todd Milton / Auburnn,NY
47 30.227 119.099 41 Keith Brightbill / Mohnton,PA
48 30.342 118.647 29B Jeff Brownell,Jr. / Waterloo,NY
49 30.377 118.511 151KB Brian McDonald / Cornwall,ONT
50 30.483 118.099 42 Pete Bicknell / St.Catharines,ONT
51 30.589 117.689 29Bx Jeff Brownell,Jr. / Waterloo,NY
52 30.612 117.601 5a Rick Laubach / Quakertown,PA
53 30.697 117.275 37 Scott Flammer / West Milford,NJ)
54 30.699 117.268 32Cx Vic Coffey / Leicester,NY
55 30.911 116.463 44 Sebastien Gougeon / Drummondville,QUE
56 30.994 116.152 88x Jeff Strunk / Bethel,PA
57 31.174 115.481 18 Sean Beardsley / Central Square,NY
58 31.187 115.433 1X Todd Stone / Middlebury,VT
59 31.397 114.661 37x Scott Flammer / West Milford,NJ
60 31.708 113.536 10X Richie Pratt,Jr. / Sewell,NJ
61 31.923 112.771 66P Jared Petruska / Wayne,NJ
62 32.036 112.374 48too Dave Rauscher / Waterloo,NY
63 33.106 108.742 55 Perry Francis / Akwesasne,NY
64 33.460 107.591 USA1 Bob Hamm,Jr. / Windsor,NY
65 -NT- ----- 3 Brett Hearn / Sussex,NJ
66 -NT- ----- 6J Tom Sears,Jr. / Clay,NY
67 -NT- ----- 7Xx Steve Paine / Waterloo,NY
68 -NT- ----- 26 Rick Richner / Niagara Falls,NY
69 -NT- ----- 27 Danny Johnson / Rochester,NY
70 -NT- ----- 37K Kyle Jacobs / Hogansburg,NY
71 -NT- ----- 39 Tim McCreadie / Watertown,NY
72 -NT- ----- 42Px Pat Ward / Genoa,NY
73 -NT- ----- 66 Vince Gagliardo,Jr. / Kenhoist,PA
74 -NT- ----- 66X Carey Terrance / Akwesasne,NY
75 -NT- ----- 74 Frank Cozze / Wind Gap, PA
76 -NT- ----- 88 Jeff Strunk / Bethel,PA
77 -NT- ----- 98Hx Jimmy Phelps / Baldwinsville,NY
*Top-6 locked into front three rows.
- 77 Cars Entered

KARTING: Oktoberfest Grand Prix Preview

They’re Back! For the final chance to descend on the go kart track at Bingeman’s Park in 2005 for the 24th running of the Oktoberfest Grandprix hosted by the Waterloo Regional Kart Club.

The kart racing community looks forward to this opportunity to not only attend a great racing event but also the chance to participate in all of the activities that Oktoberfest has to offer.

Many of the host clubs top racers will be anxious to show what they can do on their home track. The result will be close exciting racing that will provide lots of excitement for enthusiastic racing fans from the tri-city area who have supported this event for years.

The event starts with an open practice for all competitors on Friday October 7th from 3PM to 6PM. The racing starts at 7:30 AM on Saturday October 8th with heat races to determine starting positions for the feature race in each class. The feature races are starting at 9:30 AM. In the case of rain the races will be held on Sunday October 9th.

To stage an event of this magnitude takes a lot of planning and preparation. Many people are required to supervise the on track activities and to keep the racing safe and fair. As with any event of this size it takes many others behind the scenes to make sure the event is a success for all those that participate. All of the volunteers are members of the Waterloo Region Kart Club.

Those who take the time to come out and watch the stars of tomorrow are sure to go away with a smile on their faces.

For more information contact:
Brad Buckler 416-209-4058
Website www.wrkc.on.ca
Email bbuckle@asco.ca

McIntosh races into Europe with Team Canada

Courtesy Stuart Morrison Public Relations

Vancouver, Canada (October 05, 2005) Vancouver’s Sean McIntosh arrived in Germany today ahead of the second round of the inaugural A1 Grand Prix Series, hosted at the EuroSpeedway, Lausitz this weekend, 7th-9th October.

Promoted as the ‘World Cup of Motorsport,’ the A1GP Series debuted at the end of September before a sell-out crowd at Brands Hatch, England with 25 nations represented on the maiden grid. McIntosh steered Team Canada to a top-ten finish in the hour-long feature race having tested the team’s Lola-Zytek for the first time just a handful of days before the first round.

Sean returned to Brands Hatch last weekend for the season finale of the 2005 Formula Renault UK Championship. The five-time winner just missed out on the title, having challenged all the way to the final round, but he comfortably sealed the runner-up position courtesy of his eighth podium finish of the year.

With his regular-season commitments completed, Sean’s attention quickly turned to this weekend’s A1 Grand Prix event on the 14-turn, 4.53km road-course configuration at Germany’s EuroSpeedway in Lausitz.

”I’m excited to be getting back into the Team Canada car in Germany,” McIntosh said. “I’m now totally free to concentrate on competing in the A1 Grand Prix Series and I look forward to getting more valuable seat-time in the car. Brands Hatch was a real learning experience, especially given our limited time testing the car but the team really came together and we met our objective of a top-ten, points-scoring finish.”

The 20-year-old added, “I’m sure our learning curve will continue at the EuroSpeedway, it’s a new track for me and it’s the first time I’ve raced on a half oval, half road course circuit since I competed at Phoenix back in 2002. At least with the Brands A1GP race under my belt I know what to expect from practice, qualifying and the sprint and feature races. It’ll be another challenging weekend but I can’t wait to get back on track for Team Canada!”

Germany marks the second stop on A1GP’s 12-round, six-continent schedule.