Pick a race, any kind of race and you’ll find it coming up
ON TRACK
There are some big events coming for local race fans in the next 10 days, including a track reopening, a pair of rare weekly night shows, and a major motorcycle road race at Canada’s top road course.
For the first time in several years, racing engines will be heard on the former Cayuga Speedway, now called Jukasa Motor Speedway.
Scheduled for Aug. 26-27, the APC Series Late Models will take to the big oval in two 75-lap races, plus a Super Outlaw 75-lapper. Presented by Rankin Construction, and known as the Late Model Summer Shootout, the two-day event is the first race since the recent rebuilding of the 51-year old paved oval.
“We will be ready for next weekend,” said Alex Nagy, Jukasa’s general manager, who has overseen the final stages of the restoration and rebuilding of the track along with the facility’s major mechanical and electrical systems.
“We have the track repaved, new safety walls and fence, a new pit road, and a new scoreboard,” he added.
“There is still some stuff ongoing, but all the infrastructure is there.”
Practice and qualifying will take place Aug. 26, with racing the next day. A general admission seat is $40, reserved $45, children 12 and under are free, and seniors receive a $10 discount.
Former NASCAR Cup driver Ken Schrader is coming to race in the event. The Missouri native is no stranger to the track, competing here before, including the Canada Day Shootout in 2002.
Also coming to Jukasa, is multitime Mopar Canadian Superbike Champion and Canadian Motorsport Hall of Famer Jordan Szoke, who will performing trials demonstrations with his family.
But this coming weekend, Szoke will be in racer mode as the Lynden resident will be looking to secure his third consecutive Superbike series championship on the road course of Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
This is a doubleheader weekend for two-wheel racing, and along with the Superbikes, racing will be held in the Pro Sport Bike, Amateur Superbike, Amateur Sport Bike, and the Kawasaki Ninja 300 Racing Series.
“We are excited to welcome back some of the best two-wheeled road racers in North America — the action is truly amazing,” said Myles Brandt, president and general manager at CTMP.
“And with 2017 marking the 50year anniversary of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, we proudly celebrate a momentous year within the motor sport community.”
Ticket prices for the Aug. 18-20 event range from $20 for singleday entry to $60 for a weekend pass. Camping is available, and children 16 and under are free with paid adult admission.
This Saturday, Flamboro Speedway has a full card of oval track racing, plus a 100-lap Lucas Oil Sportsman Series race, all for a $10 bill for the main grandstand. And then, on Aug. 21 the Millgrove track will present the Gold Rush 100, an Outlaw Super Late Model race with prize money of $10,000 for the winner.
Another rare non-weekend event will be held at Ohsweken Speedway, the Aug. 24 running of the Triple Crown Showdown.
This is a good opportunity to witness the mighty Big-Block Modifieds, which will be competing in a Super DIRTcar Series event. This is the second time the series has toured to Ohsweken.
Scheduled to compete in this race will be Canadian ex-patriot Stewart Friesen, formerly from Niagara-on-the-Lake but now residing in New York state. Not only has Friesen won the Super DIRT Week 200 several times, he placed second in the recent NASCAR Camping World Truck race held at Eldora, Ohio.
Making their third appearance at Ohsweken will be the GoNuclear Late Models, and the homebased Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars will be competing. Winner payouts are $2,000 for the Late Models, $3,000 for the Sprint Cars, and $6,000 for the Modifieds, but management has thrown in some incentive: the track is offering $25,000 if a driver can will all three events, and $5,000 for winning two races, all in addition to the posted awards.
Racing begins at 7:30 with tickets costing $30.
Weekend winners: Round four in the Flat Track Canada Series was held recently at Flamboro Downs with racing in 12 classes for motorcycles and ATVs. The big winner was Leamington’s Brodie Buchan in Expert DTX and Open Expert on his Honda. Other winners include Liam Caskie of Brantford in the 50-cc class, Oakville’s John Kehoe in Veteran, and Dylan Biekx of Kingsville in 250 Novice … Dylan Westbrook won the 25-lap A-Main in Southern Ontario Sprint action at Humberstone Speedway Sunday, but the Turner brothers made the Oakland resident work for his victory. Cory and Ryan Turner, both of Caistor Center, hounded Westbrook but could not get by him, with Cory taking second and Ryan rounding out the podium … Edmonton’s Stefan Rzadzinski and Xavier Coupal of St-Jean-SurRichelieu won rounds seven and eight respectively in the latest Nissan Micra Cup Series, held during the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres over the weekend …
Among the feature winners at Flamboro Speedway Saturday night were Kevin Albers of Brantford and Shawn Chenoweth of Plattsville, who each won a Late Model main, Dundas’ Rodney Rutherford and Hamilton’s Nick Troback each with a Super Stock feature win, and Dan Nanticoke of Ohsweken, who won both Pro 4 Modified features.