RICK @ the RACES (22 to 24 June 2012)
22 June Autodrome Granby, Quebec
23 June Brockville Ontario Speedway
24 June Cornwall Motor Speedway, Ont (Rained Out)
Originally, my agenda for the weekend was to attend the Mohawk International Raceway on Thursday, Autodrome Granby on Friday, Autodrome St Valere on Saturday and the Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday. For obvious reasons my plans didn’t materialize.
The Mohawk International Speedway were holding a rare Thursday night show, that featured a 358 Modified SUPER DIRT SERIES race and once finished at work, I planned to dash across the International Bridge from my home in Cornwall. I needed to call in at my house before leaving, and it was at this point I saw my answer phone flashing. It was a message from my sister Anne, relaying the news about my father. Needless to say, I didn’t go racing that night, and sat at home deep in thought. From my front porch chair I could here the roar of the racing engines across the St Lawrence Seaway at the M.I.R. In my absence, Billy Dunn driving the spare Laurent Ladouceur car took the victory.
I spent much of Friday making lengthy Trans Atlantic phone calls and by mid afternoon, I needed to get back to a normal routine and be amongst friends.
I took off for Autodrome Granby in Quebec, for their first ever World of Outlaw Late Model show. As well as the headlining ‘Outlaws’ there was a regular program of Mods and Sportsman.
In the big race, Senoia, Georgia driver Clint Smith led the first 23 laps of the 50 lapper before north country hero Tim McCreadie took over. T MAC held off the current points leader,
Darrell Lanigan of Kentucky to take the victory.
It was good to see my buddy Dale Planck, getting a fourth place, which was a ‘personal best’ for him in the Late Models.
Yan Bussierre was the Modified winner after early leader Steve Bernard was forced to retire , due to mechanical problems.
Prior to visiting Granby, I’d decided against my original plans of staying overnight in Quebec, so once the Modified feature was over , I headed back to Cornwall.
There were more phone calls to be made on Saturday and flights to be booked, but by 4-30 pm I was ready for some racing. Instead of the ‘new track’ I’d planned to visit at St Valere, I set off for my usual Saturday night date at the Brockville Ontario Speedway.
Once again it was good to be amongst friends at this difficult time.
This was the seventh race night of the season at the B.O.S and we were treated to a sixth different Modified winner when Kyle Dingwall took the checkers. We also had a new winner in the Sportsman division , when Ryan Arbuthnott took the win. Joe McNicholls was the Rookie winner while Nick Gauvreau won in the Street Stocks.
Another added bonus on Saturday was the early finish to the nights races, and I was back in Cornwall before 11-00pm.
The next day it was the turn of the Cornwall Motor Speedway to host the World of Outlaw Late Models and I made a point of getting to the track nice and early. It was warm and sunny when I arrived just before 2-00pm and already the big race car hauling trucks of the top teams were parked in the pits.
I like to ‘chill out’ and relax in the control tower during the afternoon as I wait for the events to get under way. I make myself busy and get on with editing pics from the previous days.
On this particular occasion there was something else I wanted to do ! There was an important game taking place in the European Cup and my beloved England Football Team were playing against Italy. The kick off was at 2-45 pm (ET) and I was going to follow it on line.
Not long after the whistle blew to start the game, I glanced out of the window of the tower. The sun had disappeared, and the wind was starting to get up. In the distance the sky looked dark and uninviting.
By 3-00pm we had our first spots of rain, which soon became heavier. At one stage it looked like it might subside, and the packer trucks came out to work the track. I, like the other race fans already there, looked on with optimism. It wasn’t to be, and after an hour of continuous rain it still hadn’t stopped . The organizers had no choice but to cancel , as the down pour continued into the night. Up until then the World of Outlaw Late Models had an unblemished 2012 record with Mother Nature, but unfortunately my local track of Cornwall , had to be the one to blot the copy book. To make things even worse, after a full time score of 0-0 , England got beaten by Italy in penalty shoot outs.
Finally before I sign off , I’d like to thank all the many people who have expressed their sympathy and condolences to me and my family. I’ve been truly overwhelmed by the compassion shown, either in person at the races, or in Face Book and private messages. Although I’m living many miles apart from my ‘actual’ family , it’s been really nice to know that I also have a caring ‘racing family’.