Solid Twin Races for Ranger, Camirand on the Podium but Suffers Engine Failure in the Second Race
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Solid Twin Races for Ranger, Camirand on the Podium but Suffers Engine Failure in the Second Race

Saskatoon, SK, July 28, 2022 – Andrew Ranger had a very strong outing at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, posting two solid runner-up finishes as the NASCAR Pinty’s ended its trip West with Twin 125 races. Marc-Antoine Camirand also scored a strong third place finish for Paillé Course//Racing in the first race but suffered mechanical issues in the second.

Ranger has been quick all day on the short oval in Saskatoon, SK. He qualified his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro in second place, only 0,008 second from pole position. Ranger set up the pace early in the 125-race and took the lead of the field at lap 52.

He was on the top spot when a late caution forced the race into NASCAR Overtime. At the restart, he couldn’t hold his competitor who passed him on the outside and sealed a runner-up finish at the end of the first Leland 125 twin race.

“I had a very fast car. It’s a shame that we couldn’t hold the first place until the checkered flag, but we’re very happy with another strong result”, said Ranger.

After a quick break, the field was back on track for the second twin 125 race and the starting grid was set according to race one fastest times. Fifth at the start, Ranger stayed among the top runners and scored another second-place finish.

“We had a very good trip out West, with three podium finishes -one third place and two second places. We are heading to GP3R with momentum and hoping it continues that way for our biggest race this season”, said Ranger.

On his side, his Paillé Course//Racing teammate Marc-Antoine Camirand had a bittersweet day at Sutherland Automotive Speedway. After post-race inspection at Edmonton International Speedway, NASCAR issued a penalty to car n°96 regarding the mufflers, causing the loss of 12 Driver and Owner Championships points, as well as the suspension for one event of crew chief Robin McCluskey. The team is filling for appeal to this penalty. However, considering the short notice between the reception of the penalty and the event in Saskatoon, the timing was too short to defer the suspension of the crew chief, who served his suspension at Sutherland Automotive Speedway doubleheader.

During practice session, Camirand posted the 15th time, but felt his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro would be quick on the long run. He qualified in 10th place and started to gain some track positions early in the first race.

While fighting for a position, Camirand spun in turn one at lap 41 but managed to avoid any collision and stayed on track after falling to the 15th spot. He then climbed back the field and was running in a tight front pack when he avoided a late-race crash that happened just in front of him. Third when the race restarted for a green-white-checkered, he kept his place and scored his fourth podium finish this season.

“I’m happy with this second strong result during this trip out West. My car felt a little bit tight during the race, but I was able to avoid crashed during the race. We were in a good position at the end, and we’re happy with this podium finish”, said Camirand.

On the second 125-lap race, he was having a good pace early in the race after starting from 9th place. He was running in the top-five, posting fast lap times, but started to lose power on his engine. He retired from the race at lap 61 and scored a 20th-place finish.

“It is not the way we wanted to end the trip, but I guess it’s also part of racing. We’ll be ready to race in Trois-Rivières next week”, he concluded.

Andrew Ranger, Marc-Antoine Camirand and Paillé Course//Racing will be back in action for their biggest event of the year, on August 5-7, on the famous street course of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

KEVIN LACROIX STILL LEADING THE NASCAR PINTY’S STANDINGS AFTER HIS TRIP OUT WEST!
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

KEVIN LACROIX STILL LEADING THE NASCAR PINTY’S STANDINGS AFTER HIS TRIP OUT WEST!

Saskatoon, (SK), July 28, 2022 – It wasn’t an easy race for Kevin Lacroix at Sutherland Automotive Speedway. It was a promising event as the car was excellent, and Kevin Lacroix was confident of a double Top 5. Although he finished 21st and then 7th, he still leads the NASCAR Pinty’s driver standings.

The driver of the  #74 Lacroix Tuning | ESR Performance Wheels | La Boulonnerie car started the day off on the right foot, posting the fifth fastest time in qualifying for the first 125-lap events.

The first of the Leland Twin 125s went very well until eight laps to go. Lacroix was involved in a crash where he was only a spectator, having no place to escape. With the car heavily damaged, he could not finish the race.

“It’s a real shame what happened,” said Lacroix, “because I wasn’t involved in the accident in front of me, but we were so close that I couldn’t get away from the pack, and I was a victim of the collision.”

With a one-hour break between the two races, the team didn’t have enough time to repair the heavy damage, so they elected to run the spare car for the second portion of the night. Kevin Lacroix was supposed to start from the 4th position, but his unplanned switch to a new car moved him to the back of the field.

With 20 cars in front of him and only 125 laps to make it to the front, Lacroix started to climb in the field right from the start. Approaching the halfway point, he had already moved up to 12th place, then was 10th with 25 laps to go. He finally crossed the checkered flag in 7th.

“The result is good for the points, but it’s an event to forget. I am lucky in my bad luck because all my other competitors had a bad race. However, I am not letting that get me down, and I am looking forward to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres and getting to the front!”

The next NASCAR Pinty’s event will be on the streets of Trois-Rivieres August 6-7 for the 60 tours Métal Rousseau.

Camirand Wins Second Victory of the Season in Edmonton, Ranger Claims Another Podium Finish for Paillé Course//Racing
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Camirand Wins Second Victory of the Season in Edmonton, Ranger Claims Another Podium Finish for Paillé Course//Racing

Edmonton, ON, July 24, 2022 – Marc-Antoine Camirand claimed his second win of the season as the NASCAR Pinty’s series began its trip West, Saturday, at Edmonton International Raceway. Paillé Course//Racing had two cars on the podium, as Andrew Ranger finished in a well-fought third place.

 Camirand’s win at the end of the 300-lap race was just the perfect ending to an eventful day for the Camirand Performance crew. At the beginning of the day, the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro was not approved by NASCAR technical inspectors, despite that the team had discussions about new regulations during the week. The crew, led by Robin McCluskey, worked all day to make the changes to the rear suspension but couldn’t make them in time for the practice session.

With absolutely no practice lap, Camirand still managed to qualify in fifth place. Right from the beginning of the race, he showed that he could be a serious contender for the win at the wheel of his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro.

He took the lead at lap 52, and fought great battles, exchanging the first-place multiple times during the 300-lap race. He finally claimed his second win of the season after a NASCAR overtime finish.

“I have the best team I could ever have dreamed of. They made it all possible today, they made the change to the rear suspension, and we were back on track in time for qualifying,” said Camirand after the Bayer 300.

“I had great battles with Lacroix during the race. He had a fast car during the restarts, but after a couple of laps, I was able to take back the lead. I’m very proud to win this second race this season with Paillé Course//Racing,” he concluded.

His teammate at Paillé Course//Racing Andrew Ranger got another great result after his runner-up finish at the Toronto Indy last week, but he had an eventful race. Tenth on the starting grid, he felt he had a fast car but experienced some difficulties early in the race.

“I had a slow leek in one tire, and when it became flat, I spun. I went into the pits to change the tire, but by the time I came back on track, I was one lap down”, he explained.

At the halfway break, he was given the free pass and was able to start from the rear of the field, back on the lead lap.

After that, Ranger managed to climb back the field and fought great battles for the top spots. He finally claimed a third-place finish at the wheel of his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro.

“I was second at some point, but I was not fast enough to fight with Marc-Antoine and Kevin. I’m very happy with my second consecutive podium finish, after everything that happened during the race”, he concluded.

Marc-Antoine Camirand, Andrew Ranger and Paillé Course//Racing will be back on track on Wednesday, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series ends its trip West at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, in Saskatoon, SK, for two twin-125 races.

Dramatic Performance for Parker Thompson as Racing Returns to The Streets of Toronto
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Dramatic Performance for Parker Thompson as Racing Returns to The Streets of Toronto

DATE OF RELEASE:  July 19, 2022

All eyes were on Canadian Parker Thompson as Carrera Cup North America made its first visit north of the border, as two races joined festivities at the 2022 Honda Indy Toronto. The twenty-four-year-old Alberta native entered the event as the top Canadian in the Carrera Cup series, holding second in the Pro-class season standings. With the spotlight shining brightly on him and the No.9 Porsche of JDX Racing, Shell Tap-Up, Surgere, Byer’s Porsche, Renier Construction, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and SSi Artificial Lift, Thompson had two dramatic drives in front of a home crowd. The first of two races featured a thrilling charge by Thompson from the back of the field, while the second showed a hard-fought podium finish. The final results allow Thompson to maintain second in the overall Championship race with ten of sixteen rounds now complete.

From the weekend’s first laps, it was clear that Thompson would have his work cut out for him as he challenged the front of the field on the 2.7-km, 11-turn Streets of Toronto circuit. In Friday’s practice sessions he showed just the 5th and 4th best times. Overnight adjustments allowed Thompson and the white, red, and yellow No.9 to close in on the leaders in Saturday’s Qualifying session. He would post the third-quickest time in a tightly packed top four, earning starting positions on the inside of the second row for both races.

In the opening lap of Race 1 that afternoon, Thompson made an aggressive charge for the lead. With a strong launch past the green flag, he captured second place before turn one and positioned himself for an attack on pole-sitter Trenton Estep. Down the long back straight and into the crucial turn three, the two drivers created a gap against the rest of the field. Thompson made his attack there. Taking the inside line, he cleanly moved past the leader and back onto the racing line before the corner.

Unfortunately, he misjudged his speed at the turn-in point. Instead of attempting the tight, hairpin corner, he bailed into the runoff area. When Thompson rejoined the opening lap, he was 24 seconds behind the entire field. From there, Thompson launched an exciting run back up the rankings. Through 32 laps, he gained nine spots, carefully measuring passes within the tight walls of the Streets of Toronto circuit. When the checkered flag fell, he sat in sixth.

Race 2 in Carrera Cup on Sunday afternoon took place within a condensed timeline after significant incidents in other Honda Indy Toronto events created a delayed start. Again, Thompson showed no hesitation and aggressively pursued positions on the opening lap. In turn one, the JDX Racing driver again made a pass for second place. However, instead of challenging the lead, he then found himself in a defensive position. Kelly Moss Racing driver, Riley Dickinson, showed excellent pace and a relentless attack on Thompson. Thompson countered each of Dickinson’s overtaking attempts in a battle that held watchers’ attention throughout the race. When the checkered flag fell after eighteen laps, the two were still tightly engaged, but neither had changed position. Thompson claimed the second step of the podium.

While the weekend brought Thompson’s first finish outside the top five this year, Sunday’s second-place finish and increasing parity between competitors allow Thompson to maintain his second place in the championship standings. With six races remaining, Thompson closes in on the leader slightly, now sitting 52 points from the top of the rankings. From here, the season moves to Road America on August 6 – 8, 2022. The Wisconsin road course is a personal favorite of Thompson and an event where he won in 2021.
Parker Thompson
“After three years, it was incredible to be back racing on The Streets of Toronto. There is no doubt that my passion for this event shone through in my driving this weekend. We put ourselves in the middle of the action for both races. Early in Race 1, we nearly captured the lead but instead found ourselves off the track in Turn 3 and 24 seconds behind the back of the field. To be able to move back up to the sixth place and salvage some points is a testament to our performance here. In Race 2, we battled start to finish with some very fast competition and came home second. As always, the fans here showed up to make this an event I’ll never forget. We’re still second in the championship, and the standings are only getting tighter. We’ll be ready for more when the series arrives at Road America next month.”

Podium for Thomas Nepveu at the Toronto Grand Prix
Posted by admin on in Miscellaneous News

Podium for Thomas Nepveu at the Toronto Grand Prix

Toronto (Ontario, Canada), July 17, 2022 –  Thomas Nepveu has seen great success on the streets of Toronto! The driver of the #10 Cromwell | Pétrole Bélanger | Home Hardware | Karting Excellence car prepared by DEForce Racing rounded off the second and final race of the weekend to finish in second place on Sunday morning.

The weekend started on a rather difficult note, as the young driver from Oka had to learn a new urban track, lined with walls that can be treacherous at times. In fact, the qualifying session did not go as planned when Thomas grazed the wall. The DEForce Racing team was busy repairing the car in a hurry to allow Thomas to complete the final laps of qualifying.

Starting 13th in the first race, held Saturday at noon in front of an enthusiastic Canadian crowd, Nepveu showed patience and determination. He made some good passes to move up the field to finish  in 11th place.

“I was disappointed with the situation on Friday, but I’m proud of our comeback in the first race,” said Thomas. “DEForce Racing gave me a great car that was extremely fast around the street course.”

Sunday’s race went much better, as Thomas started in 6th place. Indeed, the starting positions are very important on this narrow track where it is difficult to overtake.

“It was a great race,” said Thomas. “The strategy was to be patient and wait for the opportunity to overtake. There were a few incidents on track that worked in my favour as the field tightened up.”

The 20 laps were intense, but action-packed as Nepveu made his way to the front. A missed maneuver between the two drivers in front of Thomas on the penultimate lap gave him the perfect opportunity to pass and take 2nd.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario,” Thomas concluded. “I achieved my best result of the season in my home country. To be able to do it in front of my friends and family was one of the best moments of my career.”