RICK @ the RACES (1/2/3 May 2015)
2 May Brockville Ontario Speedway (Practice Day)
3 May Cornwall Motor Speedway
As we said goodbye to April, and welcomed in the month of May , my part of the north east got treated to plenty of summer like weather. There’s been a lot of sunshine and the temperatures were higher than the seasonal normal.
This past weekend, my original plans were for the season openers at the Can Am Speedway ( Lafargeville NY ) on Friday and the double-header at the Cornwall Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday. Things didn’t work out as planned, due to various reasons. Cornwall’s races had to be reduced to a Sunday only show, as track conditions were in doubt.
My camera equipment and other stuff were got ready Thursday night in readiness for a dash to the Can Am Speedway straight from work on Friday.
My alarm clock normally goes off each morning at 4-45 am in order to get me at work for my 5-30 am start time, but for some reason, on Friday it failed to wake me. At 8-00 am, the day light peeping through my bedroom windows woke me from my deep slumbers, and panic set in. A quick phone call to the office was made, to advise them what had happened, and hastily , I managed to be at work at 8-30am.
As you can imagine, as a working truck driver, this most certainly meant a late finish. It sure did ! and it wasn’t until , after 7-30 pm that I got done for the day. This scuppered any plans for the two hour drive to Lafargeville. I then had to be content with a quiet night at home with a cold beer.
On Saturday, with the Cornwall Motor Speedways event being cancelled, I made other plans. First port of call was a quick visit to the track, to check on the status, and chat with fellow members of staff before heading west-bound down Highway 401.
The Brockville Ontario Speedway were holding a Practice Day , that was scheduled to get under way at 1-30 pm.
After Brockville, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do ! Cornwall’s Sunday show had an early start with the pit gates opening at 11-00 am in the morning, so it limited my options . I really enjoyed my self the previous week at Fulton, and was really tempted to go there, but the three hour drive home afterwards wouldn’t give me too much rest. The Evans Mills Speedway near Watertown NY, was a lot nearer to home, and seemed like a better idea, but I was still keeping my options open.
I arrived at Brockville just before things got started, so moved straight to the middle. There were plenty of cars and drivers from all the tracks divisions, in attendance, all eager to get those vital testing laps in, before next weeks season opener.
Once I’d got myself a good batch of pictures it was time to wander around the pits and catch up with friends. As usual when I’m at the B.O.S , I made my way to the Sportsman car of Tabatha Murphy.
‘Tabs’ and her dad Ralph have been good friends for a number of years and they were the first ever race team to ‘plug’ my Rick @ the Races web site on their race car.
I also talked to the Kenny Polite team, who have just switched over from Sportsman to 358 Mods.
It was a really hot and sunny day and Promoter Paul Kirkland was wearing his Crocodile Dundee hat to keep cool as he drove his ATV around the pits.
By now it was 3-00pm and time to head somewhere else, if I was looking for a dose of evening racing.
As I got in to the HHR , Evans Mills seemed the most likely way to go, until I saw my cel phone flashing. I’d got a message from my friends, ‘Tech Man Ted Lasage” , his daughter Chanty , family and a few friends that were camping at the Speedway, back in Cornwall.
They wondered where I was, and asked if I was going to join them.
Shall I go to Evans Mills or head back to Cornwall ?
After a bit of thought , joining my friends and being home a lot earlier, sounded like a better option in preference to a late night and very little sleep.
I was soon back on the 401 heading east-bound. By 4-45 pm I was pulling into the camping field at the Cornwall Motor Speedway, and soon spotted Ted’s camper.
I spent time socializing with them before heading back to my house, located the other side of town.
Sunday morning I was up bright and early, and after a short detour to buy another alarm clock ! , and pick up a supply of Tim Hortons for my camping friends, I was at the Speedway camp ground by 10-30.
There was a lot of racing taking place for this, earlier than usual season opener, and the hot laps were scheduled to start at 2-00 pm . I took my place out on the middle, to get my pictures while Ted began his duties ‘Teching’ the cars.
All the divisions were racing with the headline events being a 100 lap Sportsman race , plus twin 25 lappers for 358 mods and Pro Stocks.
The Mini Stocks and Semi Pro’s were also in attendance and there respective features were won by Marc Dagenais and Nico Leblanc.
Anyone who lives in the Cornwall area of Ontario will tell you, we have a shortage of family doctors, which is a fact I can personally vouch for ! but this Sunday we had an extra one in town.
Danny ‘the Doctor’ Johnson from Rochester , New York was paying us a visit, and made things look easy, by taking both of the 358 Modified features. The first was from a front row starting position, and the second was from the rear.
We had a rare win by Alexandria’s Rosco Garreau in the first Pro Stocks feature, while Jocelyn Roy of Quebec took the second one.
I must admit, I had mixed feelings about the 100 lap Sportsman race . This division has a bit of a reputation for ‘wrecks’ and plenty of cautions when there are a lot of them in extended lap races, and I wasn’t wrong. I lost count of how many times the yellows had to come out, before local driver Shane Pecore took the checkers.
Although the race went on for quite a while, it didn’t delay the program too much , and the last race on the program (for the second Pro Stock feature) was all done before 9-30 pm.
So, the Cornwall Motor Speedway successfully got it’s first dirt race of the year under it’s belt and I’m now looking forward to the the next race which takes place in two weeks time after missing a week for ‘Mothers Day’