RICK @ the RACES (9/10 May 2014)
9 May Autodrome Granby, Que
10 May Brockville Ontario Speedway
As mentioned before in my reports, most of the events I attend, apart from Saturdays and Sundays, all depend on my shifts at work. During the regular season, I can usually be finished in time on Fridays for my local Mohawk International Raceway, but when it comes to other tracks, it all depends on what time I get away. The M.I.R season is yet to start so this past Friday, providing I could be finished work by 5-00 pm , I had other plans. My car was packed and ‘fuelled up ‘on Thursday night, so if I got lucky, I’d be ready to make a dash.
Well, as a truck driver, I can never really be sure when I will get finished, but at around 4-15 pm I was arriving back at my terminal in Cornwall, Ontario. My trailer was ‘dropped’, the paper work completed within 45 minutes and I was ready to clock out dead on 5.00 pm. My racing destination was Autodrome Granby, Quebec, which was scheduled to start at 7.00 pm. With the recent opening of the new Autoroute 30, the drive there from Cornwall can now be done in two hours, so I would just about make it for the first race.
I rolled in to the parking lot just after 7.00 pm and was very pleased to learn that the roar of engines I could hear, was only hot laps. I hadn’t missed anything !
It was their opening night and they had a full program of 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stocks and the Sport Compacts. While the hot laps were coming to an end, I managed to sit down for a bite to eat and grabbed a Poutine and Pogo from the pits food stand. I even had a chance for a few quick chats in the pits before the racing got under way.
The first familiar faces I saw were the Chris Raabe Team, who, like me would normaly be at M.I.R on a Friday night.
Also parked in the pits I spotted my friends Steve ‘the Hurricane’ Paine from Waterloo NY and Dave ‘Bulldog’ Bissonnette , from Cornwall who was there with his Pro Stock. Another car of interest was the Modified # 37 that had Steve Poirier piloting it.
Steve was back driving a Modified after changing to Sprint Cars several years ago.
Once the races commenced, I took up my position on turn three and four to get some pictures. Although Granby is a great track to be spectator high up in the grandstands, I have to admit, it’s not one of my favourites places for taking pictures. With the all fencing and inner jersey barriers picture taking opportunities are very limited.
First Feature race of the night was for the Sports Compacts which was won by Patrick Renaud.
During the Intermission, it was time to go chatting again and their seemed to be plenty of my Quebec friends there that night. Former 360 Nitro interviewer Caroline Champigny who’s now part of Granby’s media department, and Officials, Alain Pivin and his son Eric the starter. Helping Caroline with the filming was Yvan Lacroix who I always enjoy chatting with. 
The former Vintage Modified driver has a wealth of knowledge and he told me he’d been a regular at the track since he was six months old !
The Modified Feature was a 75 lapper and and lasted longer than expected due to a red flag situation when Kayle Robidoux flipped. Winner was long time Modified driver Claude Brouillard of Sorel-Tracey, who, for many laps fended off the challenging Alain Boisveret.
The Sportsman race followed this which was won by Dany Gagne. With the time now past the 11-00 pm curfew, the Pro Stock Feature had to be cancelled.
So after leaving home at 5-15 am in the morning, doing an eleven and a half hour work day, then a dash up to Granby for a night of racing, I was home in Cornwall by 1-30 am in the morning. I had a good lay in bed on the Saturday morning before getting ready for my next excursion.
It was the Brockville Ontario Speedway’s season opener, and with Mother Nature providing us with a dry and sunny day, it got me even more excited about being there. I left home earlier than normal for my trip down the ‘401’ and was there in good time to watch the new cars arriving.
As you’d expect for the start of the season, there were a lot of nice ones making an appearance. Too many to name, but the one that really caught my eye, was the 358 Modified of Bobby Herrington # 25.
I did my usual wander of the pits, and as normal, chatted with Ralph and Tabatha Murphy. Their own Sportsman car wasn’t quite ready yet, so were borrowing the # 38 car of Luke Whitteker.
It turned out to be a great night of racing, with Stephane Lafrance taking the Modified Feature, Dylan Evoy the Sportsman and Todd Raabe, the Street Stocks.
After the Rookie Sportsman Feature, which was won by Connor Dawdy, I made my exit, missing Quincy Roberts get the win in the 4 cylinder Rookies.