With 20 cars hitting the track at Flamboro Speedway this past Saturday night (August 7), the Ontario Pro Challenge series once again brought its exciting door-to-door action to the province’s enthusiastic race fans. The competition was elevated on this tight oval, as the heat races were extremely close and the main event featured a couple minor incidents, one big wreck and a good old-fashioned driver versus driver scrap for the win. When the checker eventually flew, series veteran Tim Norris (#88 ApprenticeSearch.com / Lucas Oil Ford Taurus) was the first to arrive at the start-finish line, but he had his hands full thanks to never-ending pressure from reigning champion and point leader Dennis Thomson (#02 Thomson Signs Ford Mustang). The final few laps were thrilling (above), as Thomson searched in vain for a chance to steal the win.
In front of a good crowd at Flamboro, the Ontario Pro Challenge field was split into three heat races to set the grid for the main event. The short 8-lap sprints got started off with a strong run for Kyle Batty (#38 Compassion Canada Monte Carlo), as he was able to stay out in front to score the victory and the pole for the main. Jonathan Sloot (#22 Chev Monte Carlo) picked up the victory in the second heat, giving him the outside of row four for the feature. Lastly, In the quick heat that features the top seven drivers in average nightly points, Josh Nicholson (#66 Firkin Pubs Dodge Charger) was able to hold off Norris for the win, while Thomson clawed his way up to fourth. The OPC field is so competitive that in a short heat race like those run at Flamboro, it is virtually impossible to fight from the tail of the field through to the front. The entire seven-car field crossed the start-finish line in a train. This simply set up for another entertaining main event.
The OPC feature was positioned as the final race of the night, following a 75-lap main for the Grisdale Late Model Series, and the event got off to a inauspicious beginning when contact from behind caused Sloot to loop his Monte Carlo on the exit of turn two, directly in front of the oncoming pack of cars. While many were able to slip by both high and low, the pack had entered the opening corner three-wide, leaving Ken Lillycrop (#00 Monte Carlo) stuck in the middle with nowhere to go. Lillycrop got on the binders, but front bumper to front bumper contact was imminent. The damage put Lillycrop on the sidelines and Sloot to the pit area for hasty repairs. Sloot would battle back to 14th in the final tally.
When the race finally went green, Batty was the driver on the early move as he advanced to the lead and then stretched away quickly from the field as the remainder of the grid scrapped for position. Robert Coverdale (#26 Monte Carlo) and Larry Majuery (#37 Grand Prix) slipped into the early lead positions of the chase pack, but it wasn’t long before Norris and Thomson began working their way through the field, followed closely by Ken Nicholson (#99 International Truck & Engine Monte Carlo). A couple of mid-race cautions allowed the point leaders to close in any gap, giving them the opportunity to re-set their attack on the lead. When the race went back to green on the penultimate restart, Batty had Norris and Thomson on his bumper, and they quickly slipped through to fight it out amongst themselves.
A final caution came out late in the race when Patrick Freel (#77 Chev Monte Carlo) pulled to the inside of the frontstretch, still battling with electrical issues that had plagued him all night. As the field slowed for the yellow lights, mayhem ensued as Malcolm McMaster made hard contact to the turn 3 wall, severely damaging his #85 MMG Financial Chev Monte Carlo (below). McMaster was shaken up in the wreck, likely hurting just as much as his race car, which required some significant work in the pit area to shoehorn back into his trailer. Malcolm took a ride back to his pit in the ambulance, and emerged complaining of overall soreness. This was no surprise, considering the force of the impact.
In the final run to the checker, Thomson shadowed Norris for the last five laps but could neither find a hole or force a mistake, so he sat tight as Norris recorded his second win of the season. Thomson took a strong second place result to maintain his lead in the points, while Nicholson completed the top-three.
Behind the lead trio, Tim Forbes completed an impressive run that featured a great back-story. After engine trouble heading into the weekend left him waiting for a new powerplant, Forbes found himself without a ride when the replacement mill did not arrive in time. Rookie driver and Forbes protégé Jason Podewis stepped to the plate, sharing his #7 Monte Carlo with the series veteran in the heats before turning over the keys to the car for the main event. Forbes took a little time to get comfortable in his new ride , but he came alive in the 30-lap feature as he steadily worked his was to a solid fourth place result.
The top-five was completed by Danielle Wilson, whose team made brake and chassis adjustments following heat races to give her a solid car for the feature. Wilson steered clear of the mayhem and charged when she could, scoring her best finish of the year. Batty would end up sixth in the final tally ahead of Rick Seeley (#16), Dario Valente (#71), Majuery and Bob Hopton (#10).
The next Ontario Pro Challenge race is set for August 21 at Sauble Speedway.
Race #7 – August 7, 2010
Flamboro Speedway – Millgrove, Ontario
Heat #1: Kyle Batty
Heat #2: Jonathan Sloot
Heat #3: Josh Nicholson
Feature:
1. Tim Norris 2. Dennis Thomson 3. Ken Nicholson 4. Tim Forbes 5. Danielle Wilson 6. Kyle Batty 7. Rick Seeley 8. Dario Valente 9. Larry Majuery 10. Bob Hopton 11. Jason Davidson 12. Robert Coverdale 13. Dale Wilson 14. Jonathan Sloot 15. Josh Nicholson 16. Malcolm McMaster 17. Patrick Freel 18. Scott Fletcher 19. Owen Smith 20. Ken Lillycrop 21. Jason Podewis (DNS)
Photos Courtesy of Chip Young
