Thomson Caps Title Season with Flamboro Victory

The biggest season in the history of the Ontario Pro Challenge series was completed on Saturday, September 25 at Flamboro Speedway, and a strong field of 21 cars made the call for the finale.   A total of 25 different drivers recorded points during the 2010 racing season, including a staggering nine rookies, which exemplifies the amazing growth enjoyed by the program this year.  It was a cool fall evening at the 1/3-mile Hamilton area facility and with the title on the line, reigning champion Dennis Thomson once again showed why he is considered one of the best in the business as he worked his way to the front of the 25-lap main to secure the win and his seventh career OPC crown.

Dale Wilson earned his first Ontario Pro Challenge checkered flag, winning the opening heat at Flamboro

The field was split into three heat races to set the grid for the feature, and the opening qualifier proved to be a big one for freshman driver Dale Wilson, who came from sixth place on the grid to score his first series victory.  Driving the #8 AW Millwrights Chevy Monte Carlo, the Waterloo high school student has been improving steadily throughout the year and this heat race win was well earned and is a signal that the young pilot will be a force for race wins in 2011.  Fellow rookie Owen Smith bagged the second heat race, while the top six drivers in average points per night scrapped it out in the third and final feature with the emerging Dario Valente holding off the lions to steal the checker at the end of the eight-lap dash.

Dario Valente scored the win in the second heat race

The 25-lap feature race took some time to get started as mechanical issues for both Jonathan Sloot and Valente kept the field under yellow, although the drivers were able to use this time to build some heat into their spec Hoosier tires on what was a chilly evening.  Wilson would lead the first five laps from pole before his car’s handling began to tighten, which allowed Kyle Batty (#38 Compassion Canada Chev Monte Carlo) to take over the point for the next stint.

A handful of yellow flags throughout the race benefitted Thomson (#02 Thomson Signs Ford Mustang), as he was able to pick his way to the front steadily, eventually taking over the point from Batty.  From there, the veteran controlled the evening en route to the win.  Josh Nicholson (#66 Firkin Pubs Dodge Charger) finished second at Flamboro to finish up fourth in the overall points.  Primary championship challenger Tim Norris was involved in an early incident that put him to the tail of the field, but he fought his way back to third in the final tally, falling short of the title by 42 points.

With his Flamboro win, Dennis Thomson secured his seventh season title

Ken Nicholson (#99 International Truck and Engine Chev Monte Carlo) was fourth in the order while Batty rounded out the top-five. Milton’s Scott Fletcher was sixth in the #60 Hype Energy Drink Monte Carlo, while freshman Jason Podewis (#7 Chev Monte Carlo) was the top finish rookie on the night in seventh.  Tim Forbes (#04 Midhurst Roofing Ford Mustang), Patrick Freel (#77 Chev Monte Carlo) and Dale Wilson completed the top-10.

Rick Seeley (#16 Monte Carlo) and Owen Smith (#40 Ford Taurus) were 11^th and 12^th on the track, but it was Smith who edged his challenger in the Rookie of the Year race, winning by just seven points over Seeley.  Podewis was also in the hunt, only 15 points off of Smith in the final tally.  The rookies were impressive this season, gaining speed and confidence as the season progressed. 

Owen Smith is the 2010 Ontario Pro Challenge Rookie of the Year

The 2010 season was truly a breakthrough year for the Ontario Pro Challenge series, thanks to the influx of new drivers into the program.  These rookies have now earned their stripes and will go looking to battle with the established leaders in Thomson, Norris, Forbes and the Nicholsons (Ken and Josh).  A couple of new drivers are expected to join the ranks in 2011, and the series will be looking to increase their average car count even more.  This year, the high-water mark was 22 cars at Sunset in mid-July and the average field was 19.  With 26 cars in the province and interest in this great series continuing to grow, the upcoming season promises to be the best yet.

‘Pro Challenge Online’ will be kicking off its post-season editorial program over the next few weeks, highlighting the drivers in the series and some of the stories that unfolded in 2010.  Stay tuned for much more throughout the winter!

Race #10 – September 25, 2010

Flamboro Speedway – Millgrove, Ontario

Heat #1: Dale Wilson

Heat #2: Owen Smith

Heat #3: Dario Valente

Feature:

1. Dennis Thomson  2. Josh Nicholson  3. Tim Norris  4. Ken Nicholson  5. Kyle Batty  6. Scott Fletcher  7. Jason Podewis  8. Tim Forbes  9. Patrick Freel  10. Dale Wilson   11. Rick Seeley  12. Owen Smith  13. Danielle Wilson  14. Bob Hopton  15. Rob Howden  16. Jason Davidson  17. Tim Shanahan  18. Ken Lillycrop  19. Dario Valente  20. Jonathan Sloot  21. Malcolm McMaster