RICK @ the RACES ( 3-4 Dec 2011)
Well, what am I going to put in this weeks report ? It’s that time of year when there is no racing taking place. My weekends are being spent, either sitting at home on the couch watching an Ottawa Senators game on TV , or at my desk working behind the PC.
The latter of the two options has kept me busy, doing research for my next ‘RETRO’ report and catching up on stuff that’s been neglected during the racing year. I’d really like to get the ‘RETRO’ reports up to date, but it’s quite time consuming as I sift through all my old records . The 1991 report has started taking shape and with a bit of luck , before the 2012 racing season begins , the years that lead up to 1994 will be done, and I’ll be ‘living in Canada’.
I’ve already had a few race dates for 2012 come my way and have started to fill out my diary. It looks like my first event of the year will be at Autodrome St Eustache, near to Montreal on 15 January for their winter races ‘Challenge Sur Neige’. I went to this event last year and it was a good way to ‘break in’ the racing year.
In February, I’m hoping to get to a race or two under my belt , in Florida when I combine a trip to visit my daughter Carla in Ft Lauderdale . Number one on my hit list will be the Bubba Speedway Park at Ocala, where I’d gain a new track for my Track Chasing totals.
Other possibilities will be either Daytona or Volusia. I will have to wait and see what transpires. If I can pick up a cheap flight, my aim is to fly in to Ft Lauderdale on Wednesday 15 Feb so I can attend the Ottawa Senators Versus the Florida Panthers NHL game that night.
I’m also hoping to get back to the UK at least once next year and have already taken a look at the tentative 2012 BriSCA F1 fixture list . For the first time in the sports history, the countries premier oval racing event (the BriSCA F1 World Final) has been scheduled for the Skegness Stadium on Sept 15. ( yours truly can claim to have raced at the very first stock car event at this track when it opened it’s doors in 1977… check out the ‘RETRO’ report for that year ! )
‘Skeggy’ as it’s known, isn’t one of my favourite tracks so this years World Final does not figure in my plans. It would be much nicer to be over there for the Coventry races on May 5 and Belle Vue (Manchester) on May 7. I visited the old Belle Vue track many times over the years but have yet to visit the new one. As for Coventry, it’s always ‘the place’ to see BriSCA F1’s.
I’ve included the ‘tentative’ UK dates at the end of this report, just in case any of my North American friends are planning a holiday.
It’s a bit too early for most of my local track schedules, but the one ‘big one’ that has been announced , is the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars making their first ever appearance at the Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario on July 29 . It’s awesome to think, that the likes of Kinser, Schatz , Meyers and Swindell could be in action , just ten minutes from my home !
TENTATIVE BriSCA F1 dates for 2012
Mar 25th Belle Vue 1:00pm Mar 31st Kings Lynn 6:00pm Apr 6th Skegness 6:00pm Apr 7th Coventry 7:00pm WQ05 Apr 9th Belle Vue 5:00pm Apr 14th Northampton 6:30pm Apr 21st Birmingham 6:30pm WQ06 Apr 22nd Hednesford 1:30pm WQ07 Apr 28th Kings Lynn 6:00pm Apr 29th Sheffield 1:30pm WQ08 May 5th Coventry 7:00pm May 7th Belle Vue 1:30pm May 14th Skegness UK Open Weekend 6:00pm WQ09 May 15th Skegness UK Open Weekend 12:00pm May 19th Northampton 6:30pm WQ10 May 20th Buxton 1:00pm WQ11 May 26th Kings Lynn 6:00pm WQ12 Jun 2nd Coventry 6:30pm Jun 4th Belle Vue 5:00pm Jun 9th Birmingham 6:30pm Jun 10th Northampton 1:30pm Jun 17th Buxton BSCDA British Drivers Championship 1:00pm Jun 23rd Ipswich 6:45pm WQ13 Jun 30th Skegness Speedweekend 5:00pm Jul 1st Skegness Speedweekend 12:00pm Jul 7th Coventry 5:00pm Jul 14th Northampton Euro Championship Weekend 5:00pm Jul 15th Northampton Euro Championship Weekend 12:00pm Jul 21st Kings Lynn 6:30pm Jul 28th Birmingham WORLD SEMI FINAL #1 6:30pm Aug 4th Coventry 6:30pm Aug 11th Kings Lynn WORLD SEMI FINAL #2 6:00pm Aug 18th Venray (NL) World Cup Weekend 12:00pm Aug 19th Venray (NL) World Cup Weekend 12:00pm Aug 25th Birmingham Under 25′s Championship 6:30pm Aug 27th Belle Vue 5:00pm Sep 1st Coventry 6:30pm Sep 15th Skegness WORLD FINAL 5:00pm Sep 16th Northampton World Masters 1:00pm Sep 22nd Stoke 6:00pm Sep 30th Belle Vue 1:30pm Oct 7th Coventry 6:30pm Oct 13th Skegness 6:00pm Oct 14th Belle Vue 1:30pm Oct 20th Birmingham 6:00pm Oct 21st Northampton 1:00pm Oct 27th Kings Lynn Hallowe’en Carnival Parade 6:00pm Nov 3rd Coventry 6:30pm Nov 13th Belle Vue 1:30pm Nov 18th Birmingham BriSCA / BSCDA Gala Night 6:00pm