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Other series racing

  • Bourque Battles In Toronto

    Toronto, ON (July 10, 2011) Canadian NASCAR driver Pierre Bourque hit the streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place this past weekend for round number five of the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. The race was part of the Toronto Indy weekend and run in front of thousands of enthusiastic racing fans. As he piloted the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Bourque was looking to show the capabilities of his race team.

    During the practice session Bourque had some setbacks. “The #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine came in to pit lane for a routine check and discovered a problem with the starter. Bourque returned to the track for more laps and returned and upon a second stop to replace the starter noticed oil leaking from cracked bell housing. That would end our practice session with only one third of the time elapsed” explained Bourque.

    The practice troubles made qualifying difficult and Bourque was only able to manage a twenty sixth best qualifying run. “Have the practice troubles put us behind the eight ball” said the driver. “But I knew the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine is a strong car and I was determined to make up for that during the race” stated Bourque.

    With the drop of the green flag on the 100km event Bourque began making good on his mission. “The

    #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine felt great” said Bourque. “I was able to make some passes and gain positions and move up to sixteenth and still had two thirds of the race to go. I felt we were in for a good afternoon” he added.

    Sadly troubles recurred in the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine that would dash those hopes. “We had something break in the back end of the car” explained a disappointed Bourque. “It’s just one of those things that happen but it’s frustrating when we’re making such good progress and heading for a very good finish, likely in the top ten” he stated.

    Pierre Bourque will race the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge next in the Canadian Tire Series on Saturday July 23rd at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC. “We had a strong car last year in BC and everybody was super competitive. Last year we actually got airborne in the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge after some contact which gave the fans and the driver plenty of excitement” said Bourque. “It’s a wonderful track and facility and I’m looking forward to getting back there” he added.

    About Aaron’s, Inc.: Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN and AAN.A), the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership, specialty retailing and rental of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances and accessories has more than 1,575 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron’s has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit http://www.shopaarons.com www.shopaarons.com.

    About Telus Mobility: Telus is unique in the Canadian market because we now operate three distinct wireless networks: 3G+, 3G (CDMA) and Mike (iDEN). When you choose Telus, you get clear and simple pricing, the latest and greatest devices, an exceptional client experience plus Canada’s fastest 3G+ network. More information:

    About Mahindra USA Farm Equipment Sector

    Houston, Texas-based Mahindra USA Farm Equipment Sector is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra LTD, and part of Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES) – the largest tractor company in the world by volume. Mahindra’s professional-grade tractors are built with heavy-duty components that allow them to outperform other tractors in their class and are designed to provide consumers with the ability to push more, pull more and lift more, so they can do more, in less time.

    For more information on Pierre Bourque, go to http://www.pierrebourque.com and http://www.twitter.com/pierrebourque

  • Whissell Gains Tens Positions in Toronto

    July 10, 2011. Calgary, Alberta’s Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford had a tough start to the weekend during round number five of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this past weekend in Toronto. On the city streets during the Toronto Indy weekend Whissell would give all he could following a number of setbacks and be rewarded for his hard charge during the race.

    During the practice session Friday afternoon Whissell had his hands full with the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “It was very strange” he explained. “First the car was loose, then it was tight and it was very difficult to get a handle on things” he stated.

    With the qualifying session only a couple of hours after qualifying the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team could only make limited changes. “Unfortunately the car still wasn’t right during qualifying we paid the price for it” said Whissell.

    Following qualifying the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team went to work determined to correct the problems and give Whissell a better handling car for the 100km race. They were not completely successful

    Whissell battled some brake issues early in the race and ran into difficulty. “I was racing with the #50 car and approaching a part of the track that gets a little wider” explained Whissell. Unfortunately I pushed him a little bit wide before the track widened out and he hit the wall. I’m sorry about that it was totally unintentional” he added.

    Still with a loose race car Whissell did begin to make progress in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “I had to just do the best I could with what I had” said Whissell. And with a determined effort he managed to begin moving forward in the field.

    In the closing laps Whissells effort had him within sight of a top ten finish. Still with a loose handling race car he would spin late in the race and it would cost him several positions. Still with an ill handling car he gained ten positions during the race and finished fourteenth. “With the kind of car we had today I guess it’s not bad to go from twenty fourth to fourteenth” he said. “We’ll be digging a little deeper into the car to determine the cause of those brake issues, nothing was immediately visible after the race” he added.

    This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend. In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com and race fans are invited to follow him on twitter, @jarradwhissell You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

  • Top Five For Kennington In Toronto

    July 10, 2011. DJ Kennington’s push toward the top of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship standings continues. Following a fifth place finish in race number five on the streets of Exhibition Place in his #17 Castrol Edge Dodge Kennington moved from up to second in the championship.

    Action began for the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team on Friday with practice on the 1.755 mile temporary street circuit. Kennington set about his usual routine to make sure the set up on the car was right for the conditions. “The team did a great job and we were up near the top the time sheets” said Kennington

    Kennington backed up his practice performance with a strong sixth place qualifying effort. “I didn’t want to overdo it and the track had changed a little but I was happy with how the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge performed” he stated.

    As the green flag waved Saturday afternoon Kennington expected plenty of action during the race. “With a large field of 33 cars and a few part time racers I just wanted to make sure we had another good finish” said Kennington. The Castrol Edge Dodge would run inside the top ten for the entire race.

    Kennington was running fifth as the laps wound down but then was passed and dropped back one spot. A late race caution flag set up a green, white, checker dash to the finish. On the final restart Kennington took advantage of the bunched up field and regained the spot with an aggressive pass. “I knew things would be pretty wild at the end and fortunately the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge had plenty of horsepower left and I made the pass” explained the driver.

    The fifth place result also moved Kennington up to second place in the overall championship. “I’m glad we moved up a spot” said Kennington “but we’ve still got some work ahead of us. We head out to the west now and we’ve had wins at both Vernon and Saskatoon and we’ll be expecting good runs from the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge at the next two races” he added.

    DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team will next be in action during the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Western swing on Saturday July 23rd at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC. Once again this year fans will be able to watch all twelve races on TSN.

    Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest team news in several ways. Race fans should bookmark the team website http://www.djkracing.ca www.djkracing.ca and follow them on twitter, http://www.twitter.com/djkracing www.twitter.com/djkracing and look for the new DJK Racing Fan Page on Facebook.

  • Broken Shock A Handful For Thorndyke

    July 10, 2011. David Thorndyke and the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet team came looking for another solid effort during round number five of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series in Toronto this past weekend. The 100 km stock car race was part of the Toronto Indy weekend the team looked to back up their strong showing at Mosport two weeks earlier.

    The plan for the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet was simple during practice. Make sure the car was working well, and stay off the concrete walls that line the track. “I just tried to get used to the track again” said Thorndyke “and we did that” he added.

    The #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet did not have a great qualifying run and Thorndyke would start the race from the thirtieth position. “Our plan for the race is always the same” explained Thorndyke. “Take it easy, let the race sort itself out and just run our race, don’t worry about the other guys” he stated.

    As the race progressed Thorndyke’s plan was working well. “The race was going pretty well” he stated. “I’d gained a few positions and wasn’t really pushing the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet too hard” he added.

    With the race laps ticking away Thorndyke had moved the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet forward about ten positions and appeared headed for another very good finish. It was during these late stages that he felt the handling change dramatically. “It wasn’t too bad on left hand corners, but on the right handers it would wheel hop, so I dialed some more rear brake into the car but couldn’t go too far” explained the diver.

    Thorndyke would take advantage of a late race caution to make a pit stop to have the problem checked. He brought the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet to pit road and the crew determined it was a broken left shock. Thorndyke returned to the race and nursed the wounded car home to a twenty third place finish. “Considering the handling of the car it wasn’t too bad” said Thorndyke. “We gained seven spots during the race and the car is in good shape except for that left front shock” he added.

    David Thorndyke and the EVT Chevrolet team are next scheduled to race during the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres the weekend of August 6 & 7th. For more NASCAR Canadian Tire Series information log onto http://www.nascar.ca www.nascar.ca and to learn more about the #67 Thorsons EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet team go to http://www.promotiveracing.com www.promotiveracing.com

  • Early Exit For Tremblay In Toronto

    Early Exit For Tremblay In Toronto

  • Beauchamp Has Strong Run In Toronto

    Beauchamp Has Strong Run In Toronto

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Gary Grant www.thegarageblog.com” align=”alignright” width=”261″][/media-credit]July 10, 2011. Ron Beauchamp Jr. had another solid effort in the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge during round five of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this past weekend on the streets of Toronto. The event was part of the Toronto Indy weekend and Beauchamp put on a strong display during the race and gained five positions during the race and finished just outside the top ten.

    The early part of the weekend was a struggle for the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team. The car simply wasn’t handling as hoped and Beauchamp brushed the wall during practice. “It was pretty loose and I was hanging on and just ran out of race track” explained the driver.

    The practice troubles would relegate Beauchamp to the slower group of qualifiers which handicapped their qualifying performance. “We made a few changes before the qualifying session and we were the fastest car in our group, but being in the slower group just didn’t give us the chance to really show how good the car was” said Beauchamp.

    When the race began Saturday afternoon Beauchamp immediately began moving forward in the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge. “We tightened the car up again after qualifying and it was even better” said the driver. Within only a few laps Beauchamp was running in the top ten.

    Ron Jr. continued his push for positions the entire distance of the 100km event. A late caution set up a final two lap dash to the finish. Now inside the top ten Beauchamp looked to finish strong. “When the race restarted I got battling with the #8 car through corner two and it continued all the way around through three explained the driver. “After that we were side by side and the track gets narrow and I was forced to back out of the throttle when we were bumping and I lost a couple of spots”.

    Though they didn’t get the top ten finished they’d earned, Beauchamp was pleased he had gained positions and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge performance on road courses is much improved. “Our road course program has really made some gains” said Beauchamp. “When we get to the last couple of races we’ll be very strong. Now I’m looking forward to a couple of good oval track outings” he added.

    Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge Team will compete in all twelve races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. The next event takes place July 23rd at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC. Once again this year all events will be broadcast on TSN. Fans should check their local listings for times. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and http://www.mopar.ca www.mopar.ca For series information check out http://www.nascar.ca www.nascar.ca.

  • Two in a Row: Andrew Ranger Wins NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Streets of Toronto 100

    Two in a Row: Andrew Ranger Wins NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Streets of Toronto 100

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    After qualifying in the second position, everybody knew that Andrew Ranger would be strong so it was no surprise when he won the Streets of Toronto 100.

    Ranger took the lead on lap 12 after Jason Bowles, who started on pole and led the opening 11 laps, had a spark plug problem. The result was Ranger scoring his 18th NASCAR Canadian Tire Series win and second in a row in Toronto while Bowles got an 11th place finish.

    “I’m really happy to be on the podium again like that in first position,” he said. “We came here with the goal to win and its what happened. I really proud for Dave Jacob. He prepared me a really good car this weekend and to have PVH on board and Dodge to do those two events in Ontario and Quebec, I’m so happy just to be here on the podium first. It’s just something that’s unbelievable, but its always been a big goal.

    “I was trying to be patient and my plan was to be behind Jason the whole race and do something at the end, but I think Jason had something with his engine and I was able to pass him on the straightaway. Other than that, I tried to save my car all race long. A couple places where I slide a lot, I burned the rear tire and I was nervous because I knew at the end every time I came here, a caution came out with three laps to go. I was trying to be patient and save my rear tire and it happened again – the caution came out. I was nervous. I saw Scott right there, tried to do a little move on the outside.”

    Series points leader Scott Steckly stayed in the top five the entire race after starting third to finish second.

    “It was a definitely a good day for the Canadian Tire Dodge,” he said. “We ran in the top three all day; we were just patient. I was trying to save the car for the end of the day and we definitely still had a good car at the end. I was better than Andrew in a few spots and thought I might be able to get him there, but all in all, second is a good day.”

    Road course expert Robin Buck finished third, followed by Kerry Micks and D.J. Kennington

    “Well, it was pretty good,” he said. “I knew starting back in seventh I had to be patient. Typically here we get a lot of cautions and the cars go away quick, especially near the end, so my strategy this year has been pretty simple – just be really patient, as long as possible, and its been working out. The Quaker State Dodge did really well today. We passed a lot of cars at the end and a lot of breaks, just watching for other people’s weak spots on the track and making our moves when I had to. At the end, I think Micksy must’ve had a problem or something because he came in, just slowed up and was able to get by him.”

    After making the engine change yesterday before qualifying, Mark Dilley came home to a sixth place finish, followed by L.P. Dumoulin, Dom Thomson Jr., Peter Klutt and Brad Graham.

    Championship contender J.R. Fitzpatrick looked to finish second late in the going, however had to come to pit road under the final caution for a flat tire. As a result, he finished 19th, which has him now sitting third in points, 108 points behind Steckly. Kennington moved to second behind Steckly, now 80 points back.

    The race had three full course yellows, while having a bunch of minor incidents in between.

    The first full course yellow came out on lap three when Joey McColm made heavy contact with the turn five wall after contact with another car. Under this caution, Steve Mathews brought his car down pit road and parked it due to breaking an axle.

    The second full course yellow came out on lap 12 when Isabelle Tremblay and Dexter Stacey wrecked while battling for 14th. Tremblay was done for the day, while Stacey continued soildering on to a 12th place finish. Under this caution, the No. 3 team made a driver change as Kevin Dowler jumped in the ride, replacing Jason Hathaway, who broke his wrist a couple weeks ago. Hathaway was credited with a 20th place finish.

    The last full course caution came on lap 31 when Jason White stalled in turn eight and had to be pushed off of the track.

    The next race for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is the A&W Crusin’ The Dub 300 at Motoplex Speedway and Event Park on July 23rd.

  • Will Power Scores Eighth Pole in a Row in Toronto; Dixon second

    Last year, Will Power won the Honda Indy Toronto and in beginning the quest to go back-to-back, Power won the PEAK Performance Pole Award at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Power’s lap of 59.5771 seconds gives him his fifth road course pole award of the season and eighth in a row over the past two seasons.

    “I think it’s impossible to get a good balance around this place with so many different surfaces and the bumps,” he said. “So you got to make the most of it.

    “It seems impossible to put a perfect lap together, too. You gain somewhere on one lap and you lose it somewhere else. It’s such a fun track because you absolutely ring the car’s neck in every possible way, under brakes, on power, everywhere. It’s always fun.

    “I don’t think qualifying is a big deal because I really think you can come from the back and win this race. It’s just that sort of track. Plenty of passing, lots of mayhem.”

    Scott Dixon qualified second to start on the front row for the second time this season with a lap of 59.6646 seconds.

    “It was pretty tough,” he said. “As I said yesterday, I think the track’s very demanding, more so this year with the bumps, just where you got to try to get the speed out of the car.

    “Qualifying was pretty smooth for us for the first two groups. I think the big question for most people today was how much you’re actually going to gain on the reds. Maybe some speculation they weren’t going to be much quicker at all. Turned out they were. So, you know, pretty decent. Little disappointed with Q3. We might adjust. Had enough in it. I’m sure Will didn’t get the most out of his lap as well. At least we’ve made improvements. The cars are quicker and obviously quicker to the No. 12 that’s been dominating on the road courses. Pretty happy all in all. Pretty confident both Target cars will be strong in the race.”

    IZOD IndyCar Series Points Leader Dario Franchitti qualified third (59.900), followed by Mike Conway (59.9330) and Graham Rahal.

    “I thought that my car was good,” he said. “That last Fast Six, I didn’t get the most out of it. I kept screwing up one corner and eventually got it halfway right, by which point was about lap five. Probably the best of the tire had gone. That was totally my fault. I didn’t get into rhythm quick enough. So ended up third.

    “I felt we probably had enough to get close to these guys, maybe not ahead. But P3 is all right. I think I’m happy with the way that the Target car is on black and red tires. We’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow.”

    Franchitti set the track record at the beginning of the session in the first round of qualifying with a lap of 59.3535 seconds, however it was Power who had the quickest lap during the Firestone Fast Six Qualifying round.

  • Esteban Guerrieri Scores Third Consecutive Sonoco Pole Award in Toronto

    On July 9th, the Firestone Indy Lights hit to the 11-turn temporary street course at Exhibition Place in Toronto, which saw Esteban Guerrieri score his third consecutive Sonoco Pole award with a lap of 1 minute, 2.986 seconds. With the pole, Guerreri gave team owner Sam Schmidt his 42nd pole award.

    “Since the beginning, everything worked quite well,” he said. “We were quick yesterday and we didn’t put any tires, we saved the tires for qualifying this morning, and I was feeling good straight away. I love the circuit, I love the city, the atmosphere, everything, so I had a lot of fun. The reward for the guys is the best I can give them, so I’m very grateful to them and to my sponsors.”

    Stefan Wilson will join him on the front row (1:03:45) after losing his quickest lap (1:02:8714), and what would’ve been his first pole start, due to a local caution on the course.

    “I felt like I got the best out of my car and pushed it to the limit,” he said. “Unfortunately I still had my last lap taken away with the yellow flag, so I’m pretty upset about that. It felt amazing; the car felt good. We made some really good changes this weekend and I was definitely a contender for the pole. It’s just heartbreaking to get that taken away. It just gives us more motivation to go for the win tomorrow.”

    Wilson’s teammate Peter Dempsy qualified third, followed by Anders Korhn and Josef Newgarden.

    Gustvao Yacaman got sixth, followed by Duarte Ferreira and Bruno Andrade. The race in Toronto on the 1.755-mile course will mark Andrade’s Firestone Indy Lights debut.

  • Will Power Looks For His Second Straight Win in Toronto

    Will Power Looks For His Second Straight Win in Toronto

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”150″][/media-credit]There are times that one driver’s misfortune can turn into another’s good fortune and that was the case for Will Power. When Helio Castoneves was on trial for tax evasion charges, Roger Penske was looking for another driver to potentially replace him.

    As they say, the rest is history, but since getting together with Penske,  that now has him working with both Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe.

    “Both very good drivers,” Power commented. “I think that we all have a good relationship and work very well together. I think that we get the most of the car that we can because of each other’s feedback.”

    It has also brought lots of success, including a special win at Sonoma last year.

    “I think most my memorable win would have to be Sonoma last year after breaking my back there a year earlier and coming back and having a perfect weekend winning that race,” he said.

    So far this year, things have been quite solid for Power as in the nine races this season, he has three wins, four poles, six top fives and seven top 10s.

    “It’s been quiet, in one way, a little bit mixed up,” he said. “We’ve had a few different winners, but its just proven to be very tight, very competitive, and it’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying it actually, more relaxed this year.”

    The last race for the IndyCars didn’t work out that good for Power, however, as he wrecked on lap 90 after having contact with another car early on pit road.

    “You don’t want to have two bad races in a row,” he said when asked if there’s added pressure this week. “It’s always possible, but I think I just need to put my focus on this weekend and forget about what happened, which I’ve done.”

    Power’s chances at going back-to-back look strong as he led the final practice for the IZOD IndyCars on Friday.

    “I think is great for racing because it has a slippery surface, very long back straight,” he said of the Toronto course. “It’s always good to put a good show on and it’s a track that you can come back from a lap down to win so it’s a place that everyone enjoys coming to.”

    Through his experience in racing, Power has learned many lessons, though the one he calls the top lesson is patience.

    “I think patience is definitely something in IndyCar that you really need,” he said. “I think that is the key to winning a championship – being patient at the right time. Its always about having a good balance between patience and aggression.”