MAY 12, 2012

BY MITCHELL EASTON – The Lucas Oil Canadian Vintage Modifieds (CVM) were back in full form last night, as 18 drivers hit the pavement at Flamboro Speedway for the inaugural race of the 2012 season. It was an evening full of clean racing, but some great bumper to bumper action at the same time. Although there were no true ‘rookies’ in the field, we got to see some returning newcomers, including #50 – Joe Atkinson and #36 – Rich Schurr, mix it up with CVM veterans like #5 – Mike Podd, #00 – Ron Easton, and #92 – Brian Atkinson. Other notable faces included two-time defending champion #18-Jason Keen, and 2011 runner-up #39-Shane Stickel. With a solid field of new and old alike, it was bound to be a great night.

The first race of the season always presents the opportunity to see who has been busy during the off-season – We get to see new cars, new sponsors, and of course, new paint schemes. Most notable of those would be the V8 powered machine of softmore driver Corey Jones, who not only added some flare to his paint scheme during the off-season, but also made a number change from #71 to #82. Another driver turning heads was the #6 of Adrian Donkers, who decided to add a second car to his stable for 2012 – This time powered by a V8 crate motor.

With the heat race starting order determined by random draw, it didn’t take long for the fan favourites to make their way to the front. When all was said and done, former champion #9 – Steve Lyons took heat race number one, followed by #39 – Shane Stickel in heat number two. The finishing order of each heat race then determined the starting grid for the night’s 25 lap feature.

The feature event for the night was presented by the Waterdown Car Show & Swap Meet, being held at the Rockton Fairgrounds on May 26 and 27. With their heat wins, Lyons and Stickel took the front row for the waving of green flag. Despite some side by side action, it only took a few turns for Lyons to get clear of Stickel and take the outright lead… he never looked back. Throughout the rest of the field, it took a little bit longer for things to get sorted out, as a handful of drivers battled their way from deep in the pack to crack into the top 10. #18 – Jason Keen and #21 – Chris Milwain battled door to door with several cars as they made their way through traffic to end up sixth and seventh respectively in the running order. The only caution of the night flew around lap 17 as three cars got tangled in turns 3 & 4 – All three were able to continue. After the restart, Stickel was able to stay glued to the back bumper of Lyons, but just couldn’t do enough to get around him. While dominating the race by leading the field for all 25 laps, Steve Lyons showed that he was still in championship form as he took the checkered flag in the #9 Sheer Metal Products Chevrolet. Rounding out the top five were #39 – Stickel, #57 – Trendell, #92 – B. Atkinson, #5 – Podd. See below for complete unofficial results.

Join us for our next race on June 16, as the Lucas Oil Canadian Vintage Modifieds return to Flamboro Speedway for race number two of the 2012 season. We hope to see you there!

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

Flamboro Speedway – May 12, 2012

1)    Steve Lyons – #9

2)    Shane Stickel – #39

3)    Steve Trendell – #57

4)    Brian Atkinson – #92

5)    Mike Podd – #5

6)    Jason Keen – #18

7)    Chris Milwain – #21

8)    Patrick Reulens – #47

9)    Corey Jones – #82

10) Jeff Shaw – #81

11) Mike Klotz – #46

12) Joe Atkinson – #50

13) Rick Jones – #99

14) Daryl Henwood – #29 (DNF)

15) Rick Schurr – #36 (DNF)

16) Adrian Donkers – #6 (DNF)

17) John Karley – #19 (DNF)

18) Ron Easton – #00 (DNF)

Flamboro plays host to the Open Wheel Weekend featuring the two most exciting series in Ontario– the Can-Am midgets and of course, the Canadian Vintage Modifieds.

Tickets are available at the gate (see rates, click here). Come and see if Jason Keen can back up his championship season and hold off a charging Shane Stickel. Take a look at the new paint schemes and cheer on your favorite driver!

Hope to see you there!

Let’s go racin’!

To see the whole story check out ontariooval.com

Drivers can now get 500 driver cards; two-sided and gloss coated (among other things) for $160.00! What’s really great about this deal? $50.00 goes right back to the club benefiting the points fund.

Get your cards today!

Check out their promo poster:

Car Owner: Randy Keen
Car Info: Chev 1931 coach 250 Engine
Years Racing with CVM: 3
2011 Standings: 1st
Achievements: 2009: Best First Year Driver CVM, 2010: CVM Series Champion, 2011 CVM Series Champion
Sponsors: Oakville Automotive & Diesel Machine Shop
Pit Crew: Randy Keen, Blair Goddard
Goals for 2012: Go for a “Three-peat”

6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, ON

Friday, March 9: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday, March 10: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday, March 11: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Admission Fee’s: Adult $20.00, Students $15.00, Kids (6-12) $5.00, Children 5 and under are free

We hope to see you there!

Car Owner: Podd Family
Years Racing with CVM: Mike 22, Ian 4
2011 Standings: 10th
Achievements: 2011: 10th in points and Most Sportsmanlike with Ian. Terry McCleary Hard Charger Award (tie with Steve Lyons)
Sponsors: Grisdale Racing Products, Burlington Mazda, Competition Racing Engines
Pit Crew: Sean Robinson, Ian McIntyre
Goals for 2012: Win more, break less

Car Owner: Ben Charbonneau
Years Racing with CVM: 6
2011 Standings: 3rd
Achievements: Best first year driver 2005
Sponsors: Scherer Chevrolet Buick GMC
Pit Crew: Sean Paquette, Mike Day, Trish Charbonneau
Goals for 2012: Have Fun!

Website: CharbonneauMotorsports.com