Courtesy David P. Hilton, V.P. BARC, www.meandawgracin.ca
October 05, 2005, Epsom, On – The Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge Series and the British Automobile Racing Club Ontario Centre (BARC-OC) have agreed to a partnership for the 2006 Race Ontario Season. This is a first for both organizations.
BARC has been asked to assemble a Management Team for this race series for the 2006 season. The BARC Team will undertake all aspects of managing and promoting the Ontario Formula 1600 Series.
There are 28 highly experienced drivers and crew participating in the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship Series and BARC considers this race series to be one of the premier championships of the CASC Race Ontario 2006 season. The BARC team will work closely with the Ontario Formula 1600 Championship Series and the other CASC Race Ontario organizing clubs to ensure the continued growth of this race series.
The BARC team is Greg Adamkowski who will act as Series Manager, Pat McDiarmid will be the Operations Manager, Scrutineering and Technical issues will be handled by David Bayley, Series Administration will be managed through Amy Wong, and David Hilton will handle the Marketing and Promotions
The BARC Team is looking forward to meeting with the series competitors and getting a start on the 2006 race season together.
The Ontario Formula 1600 Challenge Series is a long standing race series comprised of members from Ontario and Quebec. The Ontario F1600 Challenge sponsored by Dunlop tires is a competitive, economical, and very enjoyable series of races designed to challenge everyone from the budding Professional to the seasoned Master and of course welcoming rookies of all ages. The average grid of F1600 only in 2005 was 23 cars.
http://ontariof1600challenge.freeservers.com/
The British Automobile Racing Club is an Ontario Race organizing club 250 members strong. BARC (known as BARC-OC - the British Automobile Racing Club - Ontario Centre) is a volunteer organization that organizes and participates in motorsports activities. Our mission is ...To be the club of choice for competitors, volunteers, fans and sponsors of motorsports in Ontario ... Our culture is one of ... Continuous improvement in everything we do, driven by teamwork and innovation and governed by the need to act with integrity ...Our members and alumni compete and win in motorsports events in Ontario, across Canada, and throughout the world. BARC organizes several motorsports events every season;
- the Molson Indy Toronto
- the Grand Prix Of Ontario and Canadian Touring Trophy CASC-OR regional races at Mosport, the Ice Prix Of Ontario CASC-OR ice race at Minden, Ontario
For more information and details on the new partnership visit http://www.barc-oc.com/
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Pro Modified Racing Association Champion to be crowned in final event for 2005 at Lancaster Motorsports Park
Courtesy Bruce F. MehlenbacherOctober 12, 2005, CAYUGA, ON – The final event of the Pro Modified Racing Association, www.ProModifiedRacing.com (PMRA) season is scheduled for Friday, October 14 at Lancaster Motorsports Park presented by: G-Force Race Cars, Jan-Cen Racing Engines and Oddy's Racing Inc.
Joe Lilienthal from Kenmore, NY leads the PMRA point standings followed by the Grainy Brothers Beretta with Jack Grainy of North Tonawanda, NY. Tied for third is Dave Earhart of Strathroy, ON, with his ’02 Camaro, and Kasey Janzen of St. Catharines, ON, with his Lumina.
Other New Yorkers scheduled to compete include Mark Mitchell of East Otto in his wild-looking “Rude Stude” Pro Modified, and Utica's Fred Jacobs with his 1994 Chrysler LaBaron.
The New Yorkers will face some other heavy competition from Southern Ontario at Lancaster, including Bruce Boland of Hamilton and his Corvette who sits sixth in the standings.
Qualifying is scheduled for 5:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., with eliminations to start at 8:45 p.m.
Lancaster has a long tradition in motorsports. With both a drag strip and a paved oval track, Lancaster has presented the best in racing to fans of Western New York and Southern Ontario.
Lancaster Motorsports Park, situated in Clarence, New York, is a one-eighth mile drag strip under International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) sanctioning.
For information about Lancaster Motorsports Park call 1.716.759.6818 (Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET) or visit online at http://www.lancasterracing.com/.
In its first year of operation, the PMRA will provide fans in Ontario, Quebec, and New York the opportunity to see and hear popular Pro Modified racing in the class known as “the world’s fastest doorslammers.”
The PMRA is a self-governing organization with its own set of technical and safety rules based on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Pro Modified division. Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class offers a widely-diverse group of race cars with different types of 2000-horsepower engines propelling the cars down the quarter-mile in the 6.20-second range at 230 mph.
For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher mehlenbacher@promodifiedracing.com
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Team Cobalt Third Among Grand-Am Cup Manufacturers: Rain turns season-ending race into a tactical crap shoot
Courtesy Dave ArnoldWARREN, Mich., Oct. 8, 2005 – Team Cobalt finished its first year in Grand-Am Cup professional road racing competition third among nine veteran manufacturers who put cars on the starting grids in the ten races.
The 2005 season ended today at VIRginia International Raceway where the 65 cars battled ever-changing weather conditions ranging from downpours to light showers to drizzle, the occasional dry track spell, and six full-course caution periods.
Team Cobalt’s top finishers were Delphi engineer Ed Magner and Jim Holtom, driving one of three ScadaPack Cobalt SS Supercharged entries fielded by Mike Kuznicki’s Georgian Bay Motorsports in Carp, Ontario, CAN. They were ninth in the Sport-Touring class.
Eleventh were GM Performance Division development engineers Chris Berube and Dave Thilineus, in another GBM Cobalt. “This race was development driving in the extreme,” said Berube, the Division’s small cars vehicle performance manager. “The Cobalt’s front-wheel drive configuration was such a huge advantage over cars like the BMWs and Mazdas. In the jobs Dave and I have, we do a lot of wet track driving, and we’ve both raced in the rain, but at these speeds with over 60 cars all around you, and all kicking up water spray, your eyeballs are on sticks the whole time.”
Added Thilineus, a ride and handling development engineer who was part of the team which developed the Antilock Braking System (ABS) for the Cobalt, “This race and the entire season have been a great way to compare Cobalt against our competition.”
“When you convert a production car into a race car, you can enhance the car’s performance characteristics,” he added. “What we’ve done with the Cobalt SS Supercharged is emphasize the production car’s already-substantial acceleration, braking and handling attributes.”
“I’m proud of Chris and Dave,” said John Heinricy, director of the GM Performance Division. “They do a great job in the office, and today they did a great job on the race track under some really tough conditions.”
Ken Wasmer is small car program engineering manager for the Division, which provides engineering and parts assistance to teams racing the Cobalt SS Supercharged. He noted the season’s success.
“We won three races in our first season, had three other podium finishes and qualified on the pole once,” Wasmer said. “This is a very strong first season. What we learned about the Cobalt SS Supercharged in these races will be analyzed over the winter months. When the 2006 season opens at Daytona International Speedway in January, our plan is to be even stronger. We have to be, because our competitors aren’t going to go lie on the beach until then.”
The third Georgian Bay team Cobalt, driven by 18-year old sensation Jamie Holtom, son of Jim Holtom, retired 12 laps into the race when a fuel pump failed. At Mosport last June, Jamie became the youngest race winner in the history of the Grand American Road Racing Association at age 17 years and nine months.
The fourth Cobalt is owned by Bo Roach, who shares his car with Tom Lepper and drives on behalf of Franklin American Mortgage. They finished an uncharacteristic18th at VIR.
In 2004, the GM Performance Division introduced the 205hp Saturn ION Red Line and the 400hp Cadillac CTS-V. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged was added last January. In 2006, the Performance Division’s lineup will be joined by the 395hp Chevrolet Trailblazer SS and two upgraded Cadillacs – the 443hp XLR-V and the 469hp STS-V.
The VIRginia International Raceway race will be televised Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. on SPEED
Sunoco’s Ultra 94 team gets four new membersAdriano Bilotta, Devin Cunningham, Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Morad assigned to Ultra 94 team for 2006
Release prepared by Russ Bond AgencyMOSPORT, ONTARIO Eleven drivers took part in the fourth Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Evaluation Day on Friday, October 7, at the Mosport Driver Development track, and of those, four were chosen to represent Sunoco’s Team Ultra 94 for the 2006 running of the Bridgestone Academy F2000 series.
Adriano Bilotta, Devin Cunningham - the first driver from Quebec to be selected - Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Morad were the four drivers chosen. “This is a huge honour,” said Bilotta. “I was a little worried because I had a few spins, that I thought would hurt my chances, but they didn't, so I am really happy to join the Ultra 94 team for 2006.
The youngest of the group, Kyle Marcelli, made a huge impact with his car control and speed. “I am really excited about this opportunity,” Marcelli said. “Thanks to Ron Fellows, Sunoco and ASN Canada for this opportunity.” Devin Cunningham, from St-Bruno Quebec, is the first driver from Quebec to join the team. “I really had this opportunity circled on my calendar for a long time,” Cunningham said. “To join this team for 2006 was one of my goals for this year. It is one of the main reasons we come to Ontario to race. The program Ron Fellows and Sunoco have put together here is fantastic for young drivers, and I am honoured to be chosen to represent Sunoco next year along with my teammates.”
The final member chosen, Daniel Morad had a nervous few moments before his name was called. “I was really worried,” Morad said. “They called three names the normal number of drivers selected and I wasn’t called. Then they announced my name fourth - they did them alphabetically - and I was extremely happy. I have some great teammates on the Sunoco team for 2006, and I feel like we will be able to do a good job for both Sunoco and Ron Fellows.”
Fellows, like in the past, told how difficult it was to pick four of the 11 drivers. “It gets harder each year, but luckily this year, with the help from Sunoco and the Bridgestone Academy, we were able to select four drivers.” This year, the four drivers all come from different classes within the karting championship, and that shows the level of competition in the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship. Bilotta is the World Formula Senior Champ, Marcelli competes in Formula Junior, Cunningham in Rotax Max Sr, and Morad is vice champion of Formula Senior.
“It shows the classes we have in the championship are all capable of developing some impressive talent,” Fellows added.
The four drivers will compete in the 2006 Bridgestone Academy F2000 series, and they have a ‘tradition’ to uphold. The last three years, a Sunoco Team Ultra 94 driver has won the championship, starting with Matt Champagne in 2003, Frank Launi in 2004, and Marco Di Leo in 2005.
Sunoco Team Ultra 94 fast facts;
The Sunoco Team Ultra 94 drivers are chosen from over 300 drivers in the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels. Out of the 300 drivers, ten are invited to the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Evaluation Day, and from those ten, two are invited to join the team. The selected drivers are given a fully funded scholarship to compete in the Bridgestone Academy F2000 series. Sunoco also sponsors the series and is proud of the school’s 13 year injury free record, the personal coaching and the track time that the drivers receive.
In 2003, inaugural team members Matt Champagne and Jordy Vorrath finished one-two in the series, with Vorrath taking the ‘most poles’ award. Aaron de Heus came home fifth in the 2003 championship.
The 2004 members were 2003 Formula Senior Champion Juliana Chiovitti, multi-time Formula Senior race
winner Frank Launi, who won the 2004 championship and consistent Rotax Max Senior front runner Jamie Holtom. The 2005 team consists of 2004 double class winner Marco Di Leo, Formula Senior race winner Matt Pritiko, and Formula Senior driver Robert Wickens.
The 2006 Sunoco Team Ultra 94 drivers are Adriano Bilotta, Devin Cunningham, Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Morad.
ALSTAR DRIVERS' MEETING
From Sue Chisholm....
The 2006 SHOULDICE STONE ALSTAR Drivers' Meeting will take place on Sunday November 20th in Collingwood at the Blue Mountain Resort. The meeting will be in the Wider Room (same as last year).
TIME: 2:00 p.m. to 4: 00 p.m.
AGENDA: Registration and Information for the 2006 Racing Season.
See you there.
For More Info: 519-371-7588 Email: thebeach@bmts.com or visit www.alstarseries.com
SUPER DIRT WEEK: Eckerd 200 Modified Finale Postponed Indefinitely At NYS Fairgrounds
By Tom Skibinski, DIRT Modified Series Reporter
Syracuse, NY — October 9, 2005 — For the second time in Super DIRT Week history, the headline Eckerd 200 for DIRT big-block Modifieds on Sunday has been delayed due to rain. Only once before has DIRT MotorSports NorthEast's premier open-wheel event been held past the scheduled date and that was in 1977 when the Modified main was eventually run off in the Spring of '78. The 2005 finale has been postponed indefinitely.
"We're facing a forecast of rain for the next five days with even worse conditions expected on Monday," said SDW events coordinator Tonya Moschell. "We plan to work cooperatively with the competing race teams and members of the State Fairboard to establish a date that will be satisfactory for all parties involved."
Moschell further clarified that the Eckerd 200, when rescheduled, will be a non-points race toward the overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Championship and the only two Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series events remain at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 16 and Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Oct. 23 during the Atlantic Coast Championships.
The 34th edition of the Eckerd 200 opened with both green and yellow flags waving due to an ongoing mist in the air which glazed over the Syracuse Mile. Pole-sitter Billy Decker paced the 45-car field even when the green appeared all by itself with 15 laps showing the scoreboard.
Pennsylvanian Rick Laubach brought out the first caution period under racing conditions on lap 31 when his yellow no. 5 Lincoln Auto Body/TEO shredded a tire exiting turn three and slid into the outside retaining wall. The water pump belts failed on fellow Keystone State pilot Jeff Strunk's no. 88 BPG Racing/TEO mount to incur a second slowdown on lap 38 and yellow lights appeared for the final on lap 52 when DIRT officials declared the track unsafe due to the sprinkles that continued to fall.
The field was brought down pit road and remained parked there as team crews rushed out to cover their prized machines with tarps. After another hour of light rain came to an end, Public Address Announcer Joe Marotta then made the call to bring out the "parking lot packers" and a hundred vehicles toured the track in hopes of saving the surface. However, showers returned shortly thereafter and the formal announcement was made to postpone the race at 7 o'clock.
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.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
Syracuse, NY — October 9, 2005 — For the second time in Super DIRT Week history, the headline Eckerd 200 for DIRT big-block Modifieds on Sunday has been delayed due to rain. Only once before has DIRT MotorSports NorthEast's premier open-wheel event been held past the scheduled date and that was in 1977 when the Modified main was eventually run off in the Spring of '78. The 2005 finale has been postponed indefinitely.
"We're facing a forecast of rain for the next five days with even worse conditions expected on Monday," said SDW events coordinator Tonya Moschell. "We plan to work cooperatively with the competing race teams and members of the State Fairboard to establish a date that will be satisfactory for all parties involved."
Moschell further clarified that the Eckerd 200, when rescheduled, will be a non-points race toward the overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Championship and the only two Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series events remain at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Oct. 16 and Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway on Oct. 23 during the Atlantic Coast Championships.
The 34th edition of the Eckerd 200 opened with both green and yellow flags waving due to an ongoing mist in the air which glazed over the Syracuse Mile. Pole-sitter Billy Decker paced the 45-car field even when the green appeared all by itself with 15 laps showing the scoreboard.
Pennsylvanian Rick Laubach brought out the first caution period under racing conditions on lap 31 when his yellow no. 5 Lincoln Auto Body/TEO shredded a tire exiting turn three and slid into the outside retaining wall. The water pump belts failed on fellow Keystone State pilot Jeff Strunk's no. 88 BPG Racing/TEO mount to incur a second slowdown on lap 38 and yellow lights appeared for the final on lap 52 when DIRT officials declared the track unsafe due to the sprinkles that continued to fall.
The field was brought down pit road and remained parked there as team crews rushed out to cover their prized machines with tarps. After another hour of light rain came to an end, Public Address Announcer Joe Marotta then made the call to bring out the "parking lot packers" and a hundred vehicles toured the track in hopes of saving the surface. However, showers returned shortly thereafter and the formal announcement was made to postpone the race at 7 o'clock.
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.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
SUPER DIRT WEEK: Fuller Powers To Third 358-Mod Series Win In Super DIRT Week Thriller
By Chris Marquart, DIRT MotorSports 358-Modified Series Reporter
Syracuse, N.Y. - October 8, 2005 – Brett Hearn was hot at Super DIRT Week XXXIV. Real hot, like on fire in Death Valley hot.
Heading into Saturday’s Goulds Pumps-ITT Industries 150-lap 'Salute to the Troops' 358-Modified Super DIRT Series event, Hearn already drove the Wentworth Construction Custom Homes-Delaney Heavy Construction-Four Star Transmission Services No. 4* TEO Pro car to a win in the NativePoker.Com twin-20 qualifying heat, and had previously set the fastest time in qualifying.
Now, there was only the headline event to win, but no such luck would be found. Tim Fuller gambled, driving under Hearn when ‘The Jet’ miscalculated a pass on a lapped car. Slipping too high into the turn one/two cinders, Fuller drove the NativePoker.com no. 19 TEO Pro car under Hearn and ultimately sealed the win.
“You only get one or two chances to pass a driver like Brett Hearn,” Fuller commented. “I had the opening and I went for it.” For the third year in a row, the final outcome of the 150-lap 358-Modified event was decided in lapped traffic. “This was typical Syracuse,” Hearn said, dejectedly.
Hearn was on fire all week long, but Mother Nature took it upon herself to help cool the streak. With iffy conditions at best, the race was delayed some seven hours due to drizzly rain. With the event nearly certain to be held in the darkness, and the Syracuse Mile’s notably dark third turn, crews trucked in special generator/light rigs, positioning 12 of the apparatus around the speedway. With the significant amounts of rain, the infield and pit row were quite muddied, and deemed too dangerous for pit stops. The event was split into twin 75-lap segments. This eliminated the pit strategy of the program, and also let drivers race on their right rear more than guessing when they could go hard and when they needed to conserve.
Hearn redrew on the pole, but began to encounter an overheating problem. The car was backwashing water out of the cooling system. On lap 105, the car lost all oil pressure. Luckily, it came back, but it was fluctuating considerably. “We’re lucky to have even finished the race,” Hearn said. “We had terminal motor problems that would have put us out in another 10 laps.”
And that was the best news that anyone could have shared with Tim Fuller. Fuller was second quick in time trials and won the second NativePoker.com qualifier. He pulled position no. 7 in the redraw and was none too pleased with the redraw situation to start with. But from there, the car was a rocket.
“We knew we would have to have some good luck,” Fuller said. “But the car has been good. Still, I thought our chances were pretty limited and a win at Super DIRT Week was a little far-fetched.” But at the half-way break, he found himself second, sandwiched between Billy Decker and leader Hearn
In the first half, Matt Sheppard led the first 17 laps before Andy Bachetti made a wild move entering turn one. Bachetti powered to the outside, pinching down on a lapped car. Setting a brutal pace, Bachetti ended up getting into trouble as traffic checked up and Bachetti hammered the outside wall. Sheppard would later be sidelined with a flat right rear and a broken rear end.
Hearn took the lead at that point, lap 23, and could run away on restarts. Vic Coffey showed some muscle leading into the halftime, but spun on lap 69 after being cut down in turn one and started the second half in seventh. The wreck moved Fuller and Decker into second and third.
In the second half, Decker was able to run Fuller down on restarts, but couldn’t do much in terms of passing the no. 19. “I had a little more gear than Tim did,” Decker said. The gearing difference let Decker chase down Fuller on a restart, but within a lap, Fuller was back on Hearn’s tail.
The field bunched up on Hearn on lap 105 when Ryan Larkin flipped down the back straight. Hearn showed his first signs of weakness during that break in the action, radioing his crew about the engine temperature and oil pressure issues.
The field slowed again on lap 118 when New Jersey’s Mark Forte Jr. slowed in the third turn. The event stayed green through lap 143, and Hearn looked to be on a yo-yo string. As the engine cycle grew more ill, Hearn fell back to Fuller. Hearn could pull away at times, but the situation was not in his favor. Aside of that, the leaders were mired in heavy traffic.
“Our only chance was going to be in the lapped traffic,” Fuller said. “Hearn jumped up in the traffic and he got up too far in the cinders. He had the fastest car and he was the class of the field. But Syracuse isn’t always about the fastest car, but who makes the fewest mistakes.” Hearn skated up the track and opened the door for Fuller, who rolled on through on lap 143. Hearn’s piece held together through the finish, but he could not catch the leaders as the engine soured. Defending race winner Wayne Jelley took fourth ahead of third-generation Syracuse competitor Stewart Friesen.
DIRT MotorSports 358-Modified Super DIRT Series – New York State Fairgrounds - Saturday – October 8, 2005 Event Summary [Official Box Score posted on www.DirtMotorSports.com and can be viewed by first selecting 'DIRT NorthEast' on the Corporate Homepage, choosing 358-Modified SDS, then clicking '358-Modified Series' link on the top left.]
26th ITT Industries/Goulds Pumps "Salute To The Troops" 150
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 7 19 Tim Fuller / Edwards,NY
2 9 91 Billy Decker / Unadilla,NY
3 1 4* Brett Hearn / Sussex,NJ
4 12 45 Wayne Jelley / Pittsfield,MA
5 11 22 Stewart Friesen / Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
6 14 115 Kenny Tremont / West Sand Lake,NY
7 17 43 Keith Flach / Ravena,NY(R)
8 13 42 Pete Bicknell / St.Catharines,ONT
9 34 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
10 22 47S Chris Shultz / Pawling,NY
11 16 21 Donnie Corellis / Averill Park,NY
12 37 10X Richie Pratt,Jr. / Sewell,NJ
13 21 M40 Mark Forte,Jr. / Blue Anchor,NJ(R)
14 29 7 Sam Crogan / Lewiston,NY
15 8 3B Chad Brachmann / Wheatfield,NY
16 6 77X Dale Planck / Cortland,NY
17 10 37K Kyle Jacobs / Hogansburg,NY
18 33 66X Carey Terrance / Akwesasne,NY(R)
19 35 77F Mark Flach,Jr. / Coxsackie,NY
20 25 39 Ryan Larkin / Alford,MA(R)
21 2 28S Matt Sheppard / Waterloo,NY
22 4 32C Vic Coffey / Liecester, NY
23 27 24S Rich Salisbury / Wynantskill,NY
24 31 3W Donnie Wetmore,Jr. / Weedsport,NY(R)
25 28 55 Perry Francis / Akwesasne,NY
26 5 1H David Hebert / St. Damase,QUE(R)
27 26 112B Stephane LaFrance / Casselman,ONT
28 23 151kb Brian McDonald / Cornwall,ONT
29 15 1X Todd Stone / Middlebury,VT
30 36 88 Jeff Strunk / Bethel,PA
31 19 44 Sebastian Gougeon/Drummond,QUE(R)
32 30 66 Jared Petruska / Wayne,NJ(R)
33 32 47M Mike Storms / Wantage,NJ(R)
34 3 4 Andy Bachetti / Sheffield,MA
35 20 26 Rick Richner / Niagara Falls,NY
36 18 26S Scott George / Wilson,NY(R)
37 24 48too Dave Rauscher / Waterloo,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Sheppard (1-17), Bachetti (18-22), Hearn (23-141), Fuller (142-150).
TOTAL LAPS LED: 119-Hearn, 17-Sheppard, 9-Fuller, 5-Bachetti.
LEAD CHANGES: 3 among 4 drivers.
CAUTIONS: 10 for 37 laps; 2 RED FLAGS (lap 75-mandatory pit stop, lap 105).
ELAPSED TIME: 2 hrs. 25 mins. 29 secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 61.865 mph.
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .613 sec.
DIRT MOTORSPORTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Keith Flach.
BEHRENT'S PERFORMANCE WAREHOUSE HARD CHARGER: Alan Johnson.
NATIVE POKER.COM HALFWAY BONUS: Brett Hearn.
GATER RACING NEWS BEST APPEARING CAR & CREW: #37 - Kyle Jacobs.
NYSSCA 'TOP MEMBER' AWARD: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM FAST TIME AWARD: Brett Hearn (29.552 sec/121.819 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM 2ND FAST TIME AWARD: Tim Fuller (29.704 sec/121.196 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Tim Fuller.
RACE ROOKIES(R): 10.
ENTRIES: 45.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
Syracuse, N.Y. - October 8, 2005 – Brett Hearn was hot at Super DIRT Week XXXIV. Real hot, like on fire in Death Valley hot.
Heading into Saturday’s Goulds Pumps-ITT Industries 150-lap 'Salute to the Troops' 358-Modified Super DIRT Series event, Hearn already drove the Wentworth Construction Custom Homes-Delaney Heavy Construction-Four Star Transmission Services No. 4* TEO Pro car to a win in the NativePoker.Com twin-20 qualifying heat, and had previously set the fastest time in qualifying.
Now, there was only the headline event to win, but no such luck would be found. Tim Fuller gambled, driving under Hearn when ‘The Jet’ miscalculated a pass on a lapped car. Slipping too high into the turn one/two cinders, Fuller drove the NativePoker.com no. 19 TEO Pro car under Hearn and ultimately sealed the win.
“You only get one or two chances to pass a driver like Brett Hearn,” Fuller commented. “I had the opening and I went for it.” For the third year in a row, the final outcome of the 150-lap 358-Modified event was decided in lapped traffic. “This was typical Syracuse,” Hearn said, dejectedly.
Hearn was on fire all week long, but Mother Nature took it upon herself to help cool the streak. With iffy conditions at best, the race was delayed some seven hours due to drizzly rain. With the event nearly certain to be held in the darkness, and the Syracuse Mile’s notably dark third turn, crews trucked in special generator/light rigs, positioning 12 of the apparatus around the speedway. With the significant amounts of rain, the infield and pit row were quite muddied, and deemed too dangerous for pit stops. The event was split into twin 75-lap segments. This eliminated the pit strategy of the program, and also let drivers race on their right rear more than guessing when they could go hard and when they needed to conserve.
Hearn redrew on the pole, but began to encounter an overheating problem. The car was backwashing water out of the cooling system. On lap 105, the car lost all oil pressure. Luckily, it came back, but it was fluctuating considerably. “We’re lucky to have even finished the race,” Hearn said. “We had terminal motor problems that would have put us out in another 10 laps.”
And that was the best news that anyone could have shared with Tim Fuller. Fuller was second quick in time trials and won the second NativePoker.com qualifier. He pulled position no. 7 in the redraw and was none too pleased with the redraw situation to start with. But from there, the car was a rocket.
“We knew we would have to have some good luck,” Fuller said. “But the car has been good. Still, I thought our chances were pretty limited and a win at Super DIRT Week was a little far-fetched.” But at the half-way break, he found himself second, sandwiched between Billy Decker and leader Hearn
In the first half, Matt Sheppard led the first 17 laps before Andy Bachetti made a wild move entering turn one. Bachetti powered to the outside, pinching down on a lapped car. Setting a brutal pace, Bachetti ended up getting into trouble as traffic checked up and Bachetti hammered the outside wall. Sheppard would later be sidelined with a flat right rear and a broken rear end.
Hearn took the lead at that point, lap 23, and could run away on restarts. Vic Coffey showed some muscle leading into the halftime, but spun on lap 69 after being cut down in turn one and started the second half in seventh. The wreck moved Fuller and Decker into second and third.
In the second half, Decker was able to run Fuller down on restarts, but couldn’t do much in terms of passing the no. 19. “I had a little more gear than Tim did,” Decker said. The gearing difference let Decker chase down Fuller on a restart, but within a lap, Fuller was back on Hearn’s tail.
The field bunched up on Hearn on lap 105 when Ryan Larkin flipped down the back straight. Hearn showed his first signs of weakness during that break in the action, radioing his crew about the engine temperature and oil pressure issues.
The field slowed again on lap 118 when New Jersey’s Mark Forte Jr. slowed in the third turn. The event stayed green through lap 143, and Hearn looked to be on a yo-yo string. As the engine cycle grew more ill, Hearn fell back to Fuller. Hearn could pull away at times, but the situation was not in his favor. Aside of that, the leaders were mired in heavy traffic.
“Our only chance was going to be in the lapped traffic,” Fuller said. “Hearn jumped up in the traffic and he got up too far in the cinders. He had the fastest car and he was the class of the field. But Syracuse isn’t always about the fastest car, but who makes the fewest mistakes.” Hearn skated up the track and opened the door for Fuller, who rolled on through on lap 143. Hearn’s piece held together through the finish, but he could not catch the leaders as the engine soured. Defending race winner Wayne Jelley took fourth ahead of third-generation Syracuse competitor Stewart Friesen.
DIRT MotorSports 358-Modified Super DIRT Series – New York State Fairgrounds - Saturday – October 8, 2005 Event Summary [Official Box Score posted on www.DirtMotorSports.com and can be viewed by first selecting 'DIRT NorthEast' on the Corporate Homepage, choosing 358-Modified SDS, then clicking '358-Modified Series' link on the top left.]
26th ITT Industries/Goulds Pumps "Salute To The Troops" 150
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 7 19 Tim Fuller / Edwards,NY
2 9 91 Billy Decker / Unadilla,NY
3 1 4* Brett Hearn / Sussex,NJ
4 12 45 Wayne Jelley / Pittsfield,MA
5 11 22 Stewart Friesen / Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
6 14 115 Kenny Tremont / West Sand Lake,NY
7 17 43 Keith Flach / Ravena,NY(R)
8 13 42 Pete Bicknell / St.Catharines,ONT
9 34 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
10 22 47S Chris Shultz / Pawling,NY
11 16 21 Donnie Corellis / Averill Park,NY
12 37 10X Richie Pratt,Jr. / Sewell,NJ
13 21 M40 Mark Forte,Jr. / Blue Anchor,NJ(R)
14 29 7 Sam Crogan / Lewiston,NY
15 8 3B Chad Brachmann / Wheatfield,NY
16 6 77X Dale Planck / Cortland,NY
17 10 37K Kyle Jacobs / Hogansburg,NY
18 33 66X Carey Terrance / Akwesasne,NY(R)
19 35 77F Mark Flach,Jr. / Coxsackie,NY
20 25 39 Ryan Larkin / Alford,MA(R)
21 2 28S Matt Sheppard / Waterloo,NY
22 4 32C Vic Coffey / Liecester, NY
23 27 24S Rich Salisbury / Wynantskill,NY
24 31 3W Donnie Wetmore,Jr. / Weedsport,NY(R)
25 28 55 Perry Francis / Akwesasne,NY
26 5 1H David Hebert / St. Damase,QUE(R)
27 26 112B Stephane LaFrance / Casselman,ONT
28 23 151kb Brian McDonald / Cornwall,ONT
29 15 1X Todd Stone / Middlebury,VT
30 36 88 Jeff Strunk / Bethel,PA
31 19 44 Sebastian Gougeon/Drummond,QUE(R)
32 30 66 Jared Petruska / Wayne,NJ(R)
33 32 47M Mike Storms / Wantage,NJ(R)
34 3 4 Andy Bachetti / Sheffield,MA
35 20 26 Rick Richner / Niagara Falls,NY
36 18 26S Scott George / Wilson,NY(R)
37 24 48too Dave Rauscher / Waterloo,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Sheppard (1-17), Bachetti (18-22), Hearn (23-141), Fuller (142-150).
TOTAL LAPS LED: 119-Hearn, 17-Sheppard, 9-Fuller, 5-Bachetti.
LEAD CHANGES: 3 among 4 drivers.
CAUTIONS: 10 for 37 laps; 2 RED FLAGS (lap 75-mandatory pit stop, lap 105).
ELAPSED TIME: 2 hrs. 25 mins. 29 secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 61.865 mph.
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .613 sec.
DIRT MOTORSPORTS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Keith Flach.
BEHRENT'S PERFORMANCE WAREHOUSE HARD CHARGER: Alan Johnson.
NATIVE POKER.COM HALFWAY BONUS: Brett Hearn.
GATER RACING NEWS BEST APPEARING CAR & CREW: #37 - Kyle Jacobs.
NYSSCA 'TOP MEMBER' AWARD: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM FAST TIME AWARD: Brett Hearn (29.552 sec/121.819 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM 2ND FAST TIME AWARD: Tim Fuller (29.704 sec/121.196 mph).
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Brett Hearn.
NATIVE POKER.COM TWIN-20 RACE WINNER: Tim Fuller.
RACE ROOKIES(R): 10.
ENTRIES: 45.
Contact: DIRT MotorSports, Inc.Tom Skibinski, DIRT MotorSports™ NorthEast Media ManagerOne Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY 13166Phone: (315) 834-6606 Email: media@dirtmotorsports.com, tskibinski@dirtmotorsports.com
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