Racing begins with Lockdown Showdown
No fans allowed, but can watch on REVTV Canada and streamed on GForceTV.net
It will be the same, but different, as racing resumes at some local tracks. The same as there will be the sounds of performance engines, the smell of high-octane fuel and the competition of cars and drivers taking to the track to do battle.
But, other than the actual racers and some officials, the stands will be eerily empty and silent. Social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) will be required as well as other measures in accordance with medical and provincial guidelines. Humberstone Speedway, outside of Port Colborne, will open for business June 13 with an aptly named event, the Lockdown Showdown. The DIRTcar 358 Modified main will feature $2,000 to win and there will be $1,000 for the Thunderstock feature winner.
“Racing will take place without fans in the grandstands and all drivers and crews will be practising social distancing,” said track promoter Dave Bitner Jr. “The speedway is continuing to follow all the recommendations established by the Ontario Ministry of Health to keep everyone safe.”
All teams will have to preregister for the racing at Humberstone. The event will be broadcast live on REVTV Canada (formerly MAVTV Canada) and will be streamed free on GForceTV.net.
The Canadian Touring Car Championship has revised its six-event schedule to three two-day events, starting next month. Presented by Pirelli, the CTCC has provided road racing in several classes of fullbodied circuit cars for more than a decade, and is hoping to get most of its 2020 racing completed.
“I believe that all of us are doing the best we can under the circumstances and patience and creativity are among the many qualities we will need in order to conquer this challenge,” said Dominique Bondar, the series general manager. “Racers are an incredibly determined and ambitious group, and so are we. The shortest racing season in history and probably the hardest to win is about to start, and we are ready to take it on.”
But she also notes that racing will abide by the guidelines. “The safety of our staff and competitors is paramount and all restrictions will dictate our direction moving forward.”
The series will start at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in
July with rounds one and two, then to Shannonville for two rounds and will finish at Calabogie in late August with the final rounds.
The Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series plans to open its season June 6-7 at the newly repaved Saint Thomas Dragway, and the race will be held in accordance with present distancing and PPE guidelines.
“Anyone who stands in front of the staging lanes or along the fence in the burnout and starting line area will be required to wear a mask,” said a memo to Can-Am teams. “Lanes will be spread out to every other lane used, with a car length between cars in the lanes.”
Each round’s results will be posted on Facebook in real time and posted under plastic at a designated spot in the pits.
No championship points will be awarded at the Saint Thomas race. The Can-Am executive decided it would not be fair as its large contingent of U.S. competitors cannot take part in the racing.
Which raises an interesting issue. Racing in Southern Ontario plays host to many U.S. teams, and Ontario racers have competed regularly in the states of New York and Michigan. Racing is not alone here, as there are many sports where, in the past, teams travel across the border for competition. This will be an unprecedented dynamic as the pandemic continues.