RICK @ the RACES (21 to 23 June 2013)
21 June Mohawk Raceway, Hogansburg NY
23 June Cornwall Motor Speedway , Ont
After taking a rare night off, the previous week, I was back at the Mohawk International Raceway, straight from work on Friday night. This weeks program was minus the Mod Lites, and the Pro Stock division that were doing a Dirt Series race at Autodrome Granby that night.
As an addition to the program, the Go Nuclear Late Models were there, as their tour moved into our area. With the big World Of Outlaw Late Model race taking place at the nearby Cornwall Motor Speedway on the Sunday, quite a few big names were spotted at the M.I.R.
Driving a borrowed car , regular WoO hot shot, Chub Frank was there and won the Feature. ( incidentally, Chub Frank was one of the first ever WoO Late Model winners that I photographed after his Rolling Wheels Victory in August 2005).
Other winners at the M.I.R were Carey Terrance (Modifieds) Dylan Evoy (Sportsman) and Jean Marc Larose (Bandits).
Once again it was raining for most of Saturday in my home town of Cornwall , and the forecast for Brockville was much the same. It was still raining pretty hard at about 3-30 pm, my usual departure time, so I decided not to risk a wasted trip. As it turned out, the B.O.S got lucky, and the racing survived yet again, even though I wasn’t there to see it.
On Sunday, Mother Nature was in a good mood at last, towards the Cornwall Motor Speedway fans, as the World of Outlaw Late Models came in to town.
I was there early and watched from my retreat in the control tower as the teams arrived. Last year, when these guys were scheduled to appear a big rain storm around lunch time put an end to things, but on this occasion, it was warm and dry and everything looked good until later in the evening. The radar indicated rain some time after 10-00pm. With this in mind, the show was put on, with the minimum of delays, and only a ten minute intermission was taken.
The First Feature of the night ( prior to the intermission) was for the Semi Pro’s and was won by Pascal Racette. Following this Shane Pecore won the Sportsman Novice Feature.
The radar continued to show a thunderstorm on its way, so after a quick break, the World of Outlaw Late Models came out for their 50 lapper. The early running was made by local favourite Tim McCreadie, (who earlier in the night had ran a few hot laps in the Gage Morin, Doug Young owned Modified).
McCreadie looked set for a win until he was sidelined with a mechanical issue on lap 28. Darrell Lanigan who’d been running a distant second, inherited the lead, and was able to hold off challenges from the chasing Clint Smith and Bub McCool. It was the second Canadian win for Lanigan who had also won the inaugural World of Outlaw Late Model show, at the Brighton Speedway (Ontario) on the Thursday night ( 20 June).
I must also mention the good showing of my buddy Lee Ladouceur who was making his WoO Late Model debut in the loaned car of Greg Belyea.
After Darrell Lanigan’s Victory Lane ceremony the 358 Mods were out on track next for their Feature, as the skies got darker. Kyle Dingwall took the lead with eleven laps to go, but as the race got nearer to the checkers, the rain began to fall. The race had to be stopped short , and Dingwall was declared winner.
For obvious reasons, no Victory Lane presentation was made, and the Sportsman race which was to follow, got postponed until next week.
