The weatherman gave the promoters of the 8th Annual Upper
Valley Car Show in West Lebanon, New Hampshire dismal forecasts for
the entire weekend, but sweet little Mother Nature supplied us with a
chilly, partly sunny, Sunday afternoon, allowing a huge crowd to
wander through the Wal-Mart parking lot, and view some beautiful
racecars donned in their Sunday best!
The show was put on by Bear Ridge Speedway and US Cellular,
and featured cars from Bear Ridge, Riverside Speedway, Canaan Fair
Speedway, Legion Speedway, The North Eastern Kart Co., and the Granite
State Mini-Sprint organization. In all, over twenty racecars were on
display, all shined up for the 2008 racing season.
Riverside Speedway was well represented as four beautiful
cars made the long trek south to participate in the show. Those
participants included the Late Models of Russell Clark of Littleton,
New Hampshire, Paul Schartner III and Jeremy Lacoss of Lyndonville,
Vermont, and Angels competitor, Mary Eastman, also of Lyndonville.
"The craftsmanship and paint schemes of these cars were
incredible, stated Riverside Speedway general manager, Dick Therrien.
The economy may be a little slow, but you certainly wouldn't know it
by the immaculate paint jobs, and the number of sponsors painted on
these cars. They have gone all out to showcase their fine machines and
our product to the fans. Even though we were out of our immediate
drawing area, I had the chance to pass out a ton of schedules and pass
along a lot of information about our Speedway to a lot of racing fans.
Many stated that they were going to try and make it up to Riverside
this summer, and hopefully we can entice them to come back. A big
thanks to these generous teams that traveled all the way down here to
display their racecars, as they certainly impressed race fans from the
Upper Valley enough to want to visit our facility. I also want to
thank CV Elms and April, as well as US Cellular for putting on this
fine show. It is well worth the long trip for us, and also a great way
to kick off the 2008 racing season for all." Riverside Speedway will
host their annual Eastman Trophy / NAPA All Star Car Show and practice
day on Saturday, May 3, 2008.
Riverside Speedway is pleased to announce a new bonus program for
the Budweiser Super Stock and River Bend RV Street Stock divisions for
the 2008 racing season.
P&SL Auto of Lancaster, New Hampshire will be sponsoring a
bonus program that will give a gasoline gift certificate to one heat
winner each week in each division. Here's how it will work. The
winners of each heats name will be thrown into a hat for each
division. One name will be pulled and that lucky person from each
class will win a gift certificate for Sunoco gasoline at P&SL Auto.
"I am excited about being a part of this program, and
working to help the racers at Riverside Speedway, stated Scott
Lambert, owner of P&SL Auto. Riverside is a great family entertainment
center here in the North Country, and the track does a lot for the
local economy. This is our way to help the racers with a little extra
bonus!" P&SL Auto also helps out at the Speedway by providing wrecker
support as needed.
"This is a great little program for these divisions here at
Riverside. We really appreciate this special bonus support from Scott,
General Manager, Dick Therrien expressed. This certainly will help out
the lucky winners, and add more excitement to the already competitive
qualifying heats!"
We are starting to see reports that the Indy Racing League is
targeting new events in the Northwest and New England in 2009. The
Indy Cars raced at NHMS but were dropped several years ago because of
the split of two factions and the lack of paid admissions.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway has a totally new look on the
worldwide web. NHMS.com makes its debut with a design that is
informative and fan-friendly.
New features include a fan forum, where guests can share
their experiences at the speedway, offer suggestions, and make new
friends. Audio, video, and photo galleries will offer an inside look
at the activities and growth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Interactive weekly polls will track the pulse of the fans on today's
most important racing questions.
"This is the next step in the evolution of New Hampshire Motor
Speedway," said Jerry Gappens, Executive Vice President and General
Manager. "For our fans, competitors, and the surrounding community, it
is important that we not only provide timely information, but also
give everyone the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas for
the future. The site will also be a showcase for area attractions and
businesses that make New Hampshire such a special place." You can
visit them online at www.nhms.com.
Many 16-year-olds find selecting a career path an increasingly
important part of their lives. SunTrust MOTO-ST Series racer James
Rispoli is in the same situation, although his options are a little
different from those of most kids his age – road racing or dirt track.
Already a rising star on the dirt track racing scene in the U.S.,
Rispoli has now discovered the joys of road racing, and has already
shown potential in that area of the sport as well. The Attica, N.Y.
resident along with teammate Ted Cobb rode the Cycle Dynamics Kawasaki
EX650 to first place in the Sport Twins class of the SunTrust MOTO-ST
Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway March 2 and the
duo are looking to do it again April 25-27 at Virginia International
Raceway.
A New Hampshire native, Rispoli got his start in dirt track racing
at the age of 6. His dad is close friends with Bruce Lyskawa of
Concord, NH, a former racer whose Bruce Transportation Group Team has
a history of launching the careers of some of America's brightest
racing talent. Lyskawa's son Brent, also 16, races and remains close
friends with Rispoli.
While Rispoli found himself moving up the amateur ranks in dirt
track racing, he also longed to emulate one of his great heroes,
seven-time Grand Prix road race World Champion Valentino Rossi.
After making a successful debut as a Novice in the WERA road
racing series in 2006, Rispoli was moved up to the Expert ranks last
season. Riding a Suzuki GSX-R600 he slowly worked his way up to speed,
and ended the season with a third place finish in B Superbike Expert
at the Grand National Finals.
"When I started on the 600 I was getting a little tense," he
recalls. "It was only the last couple of races that I really hit it,
and then I won my first race at the end of the year at Summit Point."
Just before the Grand National Finals Rispoli attended the Kevin
Schwantz Suzuki School, a performance riding school run out of the
Road Atlanta race track by former World Champion Schwantz. While there
Rispoli struck up a rapport with Cobb, an instructor at the school.
Cobb's association with Cycle Dynamics team owner Charlie Benton
led to an opportunity for Rispoli to ride the team's Kawasaki with
Peyton and Brett Sassaman in last October's SunTrust MOTO-ST Series
season finale at Daytona. The bike retired just a couple of hours into
the race, but Rispoli was invited back to the team for this year's
season opener.
The Daytona weekend was an emotional one for Rispoli and the
team, as his mother Loretta died just a couple of weeks before the
event. Rispoli started the three-hour race on the Cycle Dynamics
Kawasaki, but struggled in the early going and was brought in to hand
over the bike to Cobb.
"I was thinking way too much," Rispoli explains. "I don't think I
had my game fully on. But Ted got on there and he kept it together for
us. If it wasn't for him I don't know what would have happened. He was
really fast. It was a very emotional victory."
Once Rispoli got back aboard the Cycle Dynamics bike he enjoyed a
tough fight with the defending Sport Twins champion, the No. 9
Pair-A-Nines Kawasaki shared by Jimmy Filice and Jay Springsteen.
Rispoli got a particular thrill out of battling with Springsteen, a
veteran dirt track superstar who has also excelled in road racing.
"That was awesome," Rispoli says. "He's a big dirt track hero of
mine. I wasn't giving him anything and he wasn't giving me anything. I
had a great time." Rispoli says his dirt track experience has proved
invaluable to his education as a road racer. "Dirt track teaches you
how to adapt to different situations," he explains. "If the tire
starts to go off you can adapt to it, you have a better chance to ride
around it. Anything can happen and you're prepared for it."
He also says his time at the Kevin Schwantz school also played a
big role in his development as a road racer. "The two main things I
learned about were body position and throttle control," he says. "One
of my problems was that, in the corners, I was really aggressive with
the throttle and I needed to smooth it out and relax."
But just because Rispoli has been honing his road racing skills
doesn't mean he's letting the dirt track racing take a back seat. Far
from it. While he was racing the Cycle Dynamics Kawasaki in the
SunTrust MOTO-ST Series season opener in March, he was also scooting
off to nearby Volusia County Speedway for the traditional Bike Week
dirt track races. "I did well in all the dirt track stuff," he
reports, "and I'm so glad I did it again. I won every race I entered."
Unfortunately his week was cut short when his foot got caught in a
pothole on the Volusia track and he suffered a hairline fracture on
his ankle. So, which career path is it for Rispoli? Dirt track or road
racing? Right now it's a little of both. Rispoli intends to continue
racing dirt track this year in the Pro Sport division, working his way
up to an Expert license. He would ultimately like to reach the
pinnacle of the sport, the AMA Grand National Dirt Track Championship,
and square off against another of his heroes, seven-time Grand
National champion Chris Carr.
"I want to ride against Chris Carr at least once," Rispoli says. "I've
been to his American Supercamp, and every time you go you learn
something new." He'd also like to move into the pro ranks of AMA road
racing, perhaps running in the Supersport class.
The options are still wide open for Rispoli, but as long as he
continues to excel in both the dirt track and road race arenas picking
a career path is going to get tougher and tougher. The SunTrust
MOTO-ST Series is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports
Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American
Road Racing Association (Grand-Am), based in Daytona Beach, Fla.,
provides the series with administrative and commercial support. This
report came from SunTrust MOTO-ST PR.
Defending champion Kirk Alexander, Swanzey, NH., jumped into the
lead on lap three and roared to victory in the" Governors Cup 100"
modified race Sunday afternoon at Lee USA Speedway, Lee NH. The win
was Alexander's 27th career victory with the touring series.
Despite early race pressure from Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT, and
then David Pinkham, Buxton, ME, the three-time champion survived a
caution plagued race that was once stopped for an overheating racer
that sprayed water on the racing surface resulting in six cars retired
to the pit area. Pinkham settled for second followed by E.Hartland
CT's
Dale Evonsion, Madison,CT.,veteran Mike Holdridge, and Jon McKennedy,
Chelmsford, MA. making up the top five.
Christopher, Rob Goodenough, Swanzey, NH., Les Hinckley, Windsor
Locks, CT., Ed Dachenhausen, Danbury, CT., and Chris Pasteryak,
Lisbon, CT, finished sixth through tenth.
Sunday's race was also the first of eight guaranteed starter races for
the Sunoco Modified Mania 400 weekend at Thompson, CT. in September.
The next event for the TVMRS will be Saturday April 26, at Monadnock
Speedway, Winchester, NH., for the running of the "Bond Auto Parts
100."
Eighteen year-old stock car racing sensation Joey "Pole" Polewarczyk,
Jr. blistered the American-Canadian Tour field at Lee USA Speedway on
Sunday, taking his second career victory at the New Hampshire
Governor's Cup 100. The Hudson, NH ace took the lead from polesitter
Larry Gelinas after starting third, and dominated the balance of the
event to take the win in just over 46 minutes. Polewarczyk said that
for 2008, his team is "all business.""We're focused on winning the ACT
Late Model Tour title," he said. "We had a checkered flag design on
the car last year, and we decided to leave it off this year, just
black, nothing else. We're all business."Polewarczyk's no-frills car
was the class of the field, at times leading by more than a full
straightaway. Rowley, MA driver Eddie MacDonald won a late-race battle
with Scott Payea, Randy Potter, and Cris Michaud to take second-place
honors. MacDonald finished fifth in a 150-lap event at Greenville,
South Carolina on Saturday night, and flew into New England on Sunday
morning. Michaud, of Northfield, VT, finished third from 19th starting
position over Milton, VT driver Payea and Groveton, NH's
Potter.Unofficially, rookie Ricky Wolf, Jr. of Northwood, NH finished
sixth. Eric Chase, Patrick Laperle, Ron Henry, and Brent Dragon
finished in positions six through ten. Seven-time and defending ACT
Late Model Tour Champion Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT crashed out on
lap 4 after contact with Bobby Baillargeon in Turn 3. Neither driver
was injured.The ACT Late Model Tour travels to Maine's Oxford Plains
Speedway on Saturday, April 26 for the New England Dodge Dealers 150.
For more information, call (802) 244-6963.
Chop-Shop Customs in Woburn, MA will be having an Open House
this Saturday 4/26/08 from 10 a.m- 3 p.m.
Let's check to see what else is happening in northern New England
this weekend. Motorsports action in the north country is coming out
of hibernation. Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH will open up on
Friday night with a five division race card at 7 p.m. SCCA NH will
host an AutoX event at NHMS in Loudon, NH on Saturday and Sunday. Take
your choice on Saturday with All-Star in Epping, NH, Monadnock
Speedway in Winchester, NH, Oxford Plains in western Maine all opening
for the season. Practice sessions that day are set for the Canaan(NH)
paved track and Wiscasset Speedway on the coast of Maine. Dragracing
goes at Oxford Dragway in Maine on Saturday and ET racing at the New
England Dragway in Epping, NH all weekend. Sunday has the Beech Ridge
Speedway in Scarborough, Maine and Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine both
opening up for the season. The same day Lee USA in NH offers Test and
Tuning. For the motorcycle crowd Hemmond Park in Minot, Maine hosts
MotoX action all day Saturday while Jolly Roger Motorsport Park in E.
Lempster, NH will hold an ATV meet all day Sunday. Winterport Dragway
in Maine will hold a Sunday ET meet for the drag crowd.
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