At the end of April and beginning of May, I enjoyed a fantastic holiday on Fleet Bay in the Solway Firth. Each day dawned sunny...
...and the calm days were spent exploring the Islands of Fleet.
Thee Murray's Isles have a large cormorant colony which is surrounded by a gull colony. I was saddened to see a noisy party in 4 SOT/recreational kayaks paddle close under the rocks. The cormorants all
IMPORTANT PASS NORTH RACE POSTPONEMENT NOTICE - PLEASE POST
------Original Message------
From: Norm Desjardins
To: Tom Mayberry
Cc: normandesjardins@hotmail.com
ReplyTo: Norm Desjardins
Subject: IMPORTANT PASS NORTH RACE POSTPONEMENT NOTICE - PLEASE POST
Sent: May 21, 2011 06:27
Todays' PASS North super late model event at White Mountain Motorsports Park has been postponed due to rain in today's forecast. A make up date will be announced as soon as possible.
From: Norm Desjardins
To: Tom Mayberry
Cc: normandesjardins@hotmail.com
ReplyTo: Norm Desjardins
Subject: IMPORTANT PASS NORTH RACE POSTPONEMENT NOTICE - PLEASE POST
Sent: May 21, 2011 06:27
Todays' PASS North super late model event at White Mountain Motorsports Park has been postponed due to rain in today's forecast. A make up date will be announced as soon as possible.
Daycraft Skinz Notebook
Second in the series of Daycraft notebook reviews, this is the Skinz notebook, finished in silver with a curious "tattoo"-style design on the front cover. I have just checked the Daycraft website and can find no reference to this line, so I guess it is new for 2012. There are two notebooks in this line, the other sporting a beige cover with crossed Colt .45 revolvers.
This notebook is slightly smaller (102mm x 146mm) than the Animal Pals notebook, and finished in the same Italian polyurethane soft leatherette, though the finish has a definite cow-leather grain to it, rather than the fine pigskin grain on the Animal Pals notebook. The material is a bit thin, so you can see in the picture where it has been folded in and glued to the boards if you look carefully. It is shipped with a sheet of temporary tattoo stickers, complete with instructions on how to apply them:
The paper is white, ruled with 6.5mm lines, and decorated with a "tattoo" design at the top of each page which would not be out of place on a motorbike or the small of a rock-chick's back. This paper is excellent - there are 128 pages of 100gsm stock which takes fountain pen ink very well. There is barely any bleedthrough at all with my fountain pens at any rate, and no feathering detectable in any of the ink samples I tested it with. (Sorry, I forgot to take a pic of the reverse, but believe me, there's barely a trace.) The covers are board-like, much stiffer than the Animal Pals notebook and more like a Moleskine.
This notebook is case-bound, and the pages can be made to lie flat for writing on. The styling is not to my taste, but then again I don't think I am in the target audience for this one - I'm guessing it's really for teenagers, and there's nothing wrong with that, especially to introduce young people to fine stationery. My teenage daughter was impressed with this notebook, at any rate.
This is another fine product and I can recommend it. As with all the Daycraft range it is likely to be available widely around Asia and Australia.
Data:
Dimensions: 102mm x 146mm
Cover: Italian PU cover, board
Pages: 128pp, 6.5mm ruled with tattoo design in light grey
Paper: 100gsm white paper
Binding: Case-bound
Other: Includes tattoo sticker
Thanks to Daycraft for the sample.
Daycraft Animal Pals Notebook
Recently I received a small consignment of notebooks (and one sketchbook) from Daycraft, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer. I shall review them over the next couple of days, and I thought I would review this, the Animal Pals notebook, first.
It's an A6-sized pocket notebook with soft covers, and designed with this cute abstract animal design stitched into the lilac-coloured "Italian PU" (sic) cover. Have you guessed what it is yet? Actually this one is a hippo, and is one of a range of five designs, each with a different animal from every continent. The others on the website are penguin and baboon; sheep and panda versions should be available in 2012, if I read the catalogue correctly.
First impressions are that this is a very nicely-made notebook indeed. The cover is soft and flexible, unlike the small Moleskine hard black notebook. At A6 size, it is also slightly larger than the Mole (106mm x 150mm, compared with the Moleskine's 90mm x 140mm). I wonder how hard wearing this cover actually is, though, inside a briefcase or handbag, because from experience, I have found the Moleskine to be pretty tough. I'm also slightly surprised that Daycraft have chosen Italian-made material to cover their notebooks, but they make a feature of "imported" materials for their range. It feels very similar to a soft leather, and only the plastic smell betrays its hydrocarbon roots. There's the regulation pocket inside the back cover for ticket stubs, stamps and receipts, and a baby-pink page-marker ribbon, too.
The paper, which is probably 100gsm stock, is printed with 6.5mm ruled lines. There's also a subtle animal print on some of the pages - you may be able to spot a monkey's tail curling across one of the pages below. The animal prints are very subtle, as I did not notice them at all until I began to write this review; they are more apparent on the photographs.
As far as the paper is concerned, I did not test it in quite the same way that AK from the superb Notebooks Loves Pen blog tested it when she reviewed Daycraft's Signature Sketchbook a little while back. She used a variety of pens including a felt-tip and found some significant bleedthrough. I am a fountain pen user, however, and tested a page with various pens and pencils I had to hand, and found very little bleedthrough. Some of my pens are a fairly stern test of the integrity of certain papers, so I am pleased to report that I could detect no readily-visible feathering or other defects, at least from the paper. I did note some minor changes to the lines of the fountain pen ink where the FP ink met the printed animal designs on the pages, where the printer's ink used (I'm guessing it is oil-based) forms a barrier to the fountain pen ink to bond with the fibres in the paper. This is the most minor of quibbles, probably of no interest to anyone but FP fanatics, and one I only noticed when editing this review. With a ballpoint or pencil, it is not an issue, but on the photo below you can see some thinning of the lines, for example on the sample I wrote with the Kelly Green ink:
With the fountain pens, drying time is normal, though as usual, the Noodler's Bulletproof Black took the longest to dry, hence the smudges on the page. The creamy paper is very pleasant to write on and the 6.5mm gap is a sensible size for most handwriting. It is case-bound, so whilst it does not lie flat on the desk, you can flatten it out to write in.Overall, this is a fun, very well made notebook, which I think would appeal to children or adults who are young-at-heart. It appears to be available widely around Asia and Australia, and Poland, but nowhere else yet in Europe as far as I know.
Data:
Dimensions: 106mm x 150mm
Pages: 128 cream colour pages, 6.5mm lined, animal pattern printed
Cover: Italian PU (polyurethane)
Binding: Case-bound, with pocket inside back cover
My thanks to Mr Foreal Lee at Daycraft for the samples.
Too Much Mana Regen?
I haven't really commented about the upcoming mana cost increases for Holy paladins in 4.2. I'm still waiting to see how things pan out. Though naturally the forums are up in arms over the changes.
But I'm coming to the conclusion that there is too much mana regen running around these days. In a lot of respects, it feels like my mana bar is swinging around wildly during fights these days.
We were doing Heroic Maloriak the other night. On the first attempt, the phases at the end of the fight went Blue->Red->Green->P2. I entered the Green phase with about 40% mana, which in retrospect was a bit too low.
On the second attempt, which was a kill, the phases went Red->Blue->Green->P2. This time I entered the Green phase with 90% mana. This is because the healing needed in Blue phase is pretty light, making it a total regen phase. Pop Divine Plea, cast Holy Lights instead of Divine Lights, etc.
Sadly, a lot of my mana went to waste because WoW crashed on me in P2. It was quite infuriating. Why didn't it crash the previous attempt when I was bone dry?
But this "swinginess" of mana seems too much to me. Bouncing around from 40% to 90% and back down is really weird. If a fight has a regen phase, you can gain a ton of mana back, probably too much.
Personally, I'd rather Blizzard nerf mana regen rather than increase costs. It seems like it would make healing mana more stable and predictable.
But I'm coming to the conclusion that there is too much mana regen running around these days. In a lot of respects, it feels like my mana bar is swinging around wildly during fights these days.
We were doing Heroic Maloriak the other night. On the first attempt, the phases at the end of the fight went Blue->Red->Green->P2. I entered the Green phase with about 40% mana, which in retrospect was a bit too low.
On the second attempt, which was a kill, the phases went Red->Blue->Green->P2. This time I entered the Green phase with 90% mana. This is because the healing needed in Blue phase is pretty light, making it a total regen phase. Pop Divine Plea, cast Holy Lights instead of Divine Lights, etc.
Sadly, a lot of my mana went to waste because WoW crashed on me in P2. It was quite infuriating. Why didn't it crash the previous attempt when I was bone dry?
But this "swinginess" of mana seems too much to me. Bouncing around from 40% to 90% and back down is really weird. If a fight has a regen phase, you can gain a ton of mana back, probably too much.
Personally, I'd rather Blizzard nerf mana regen rather than increase costs. It seems like it would make healing mana more stable and predictable.
The western cliffs of Ailsa Craig.
On our recent trip to Ailsa Craig, we spent time under the western cliffs and the Water Cave before rounding Stranny Point. Unfortunately the cacophony of the birds' calls and the smell of their guano does not come across in this video.
A near miss on the Solway
On the 30th of April, I was enjoying a holiday on Fleet Bay in the Solway Firth. Despite the sun a strong offshore wind meant my kayak stayed firmly on the beach. Actually it didn't! It got blown about 10m from where I left it!
The wind was blowing straight out the bay towards distant Burrow Head.
My anemometer was averaging 28knots on the beach. I watched enviously as Richard was enjoying a
The wind was blowing straight out the bay towards distant Burrow Head.
My anemometer was averaging 28knots on the beach. I watched enviously as Richard was enjoying a
Premium Cross-Realm Dungeon Feature
A Blizzard CM, Zarhym, posts:
First off, I think mentioning the Dungeon Finder was a bit misleading. As I read it, this doesn't have a lot to do with the Dungeon Finder. It sounds like you can invite RealId friends to your group, and then queue up for an instance.
Honestly, I don't really see the point to this feature. There's already a workaround if you want to play with real-life friends regularly. You just roll new characters on the same server. You can save your old characters for times when your group isn't online. And if you're always playing together, then maybe server transfers are a better option.
I don't really see how the economics of this idea will work. This feature sounds like something you pay for ahead of time, that you plan on using multiple times, but not too often. And only one person in the group needs to pay for it.
I don't think that the number of players that would use this service is very high. And the people who would actually need to pay for it is a fraction of that number. So basically, I don't think the amount of money you'd get from this is worth the complaints from the community that "Blizzard is making us pay extra if we want to play with friends".
It also doesn't fit in with previous premium services. Server transfers, et al, are all one-time things. Having a price tag attached to them just serves to keep demand down, and ensures that people only use those services when they really need to. If server transfers were free, people would be jumping around like crazy.
I don't really see the point of decreasing demand for this service. Maybe it serves to ensure that people don't RealId strangers just to group with them again. That you only put "real" friends on your RealId list. This is one thing that could convince me that charging for this feature is a good idea. If there is a significant potential negative effect to this service, depressing demand via pricing is wise.
However, I don't think Blizzard charging for this service is "wrong". Personally, I'll never use it. So for me, having it be optional is better than bundling it in the base package and increasing the price of that.
Complete speculation, but from a software dev perspective, it kind of feels like one faction of Blizzard management didn't really want to spend the development time and effort on this feature. That they thought it would affect too few people to be worth spending money on, and would end up like the barbershop1. But another faction really wanted to work on this feature. Maybe because it would set the stage for future cross-server coordination. So the two factions compromised with the idea that it would be a premium service and so "pay for itself".
Of course, the above paragraph is pure speculation. But to me, the other premium services, and even the pets and mounts, make sense to me as premium services. I may prefer that Blizzard didn't charge for them, but they make economic sense to me. But I just don't see the point of charging for this idea when only one person out of the group of friends would actually end up paying for it. It's ticky-tacky, nickel-and-dime stuff that seems out of character for Blizzard (though maybe not Activision).
1. You can really tell from a lot of Blizzard's comments that they feel that the Barbershop probably wasn't the best use of resources, given the number of people that actually use the feature semi-regularly.
With the continued popularity of the Dungeon Finder, many players have been asking for a way to group up with real-life friends who play on other realms to take on instances together. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about a new feature currently in development that will allow players to invite Real ID friends of the same faction to a party regardless of the realm they play on, and then queue up for a 5-player regular or Heroic dungeon.
As this is a fairly complex service to develop, we don’t have a release date to share quite yet. It’s important to note that as with some of the other convenience- and connectivity-oriented features we offer, certain elements of the cross-realm Real ID party system will be premium-based, though only the player sending the invitations will need to have access to the premium service. We'll have more details to share with you as development progresses -- in the meantime, you may begin to see elements of the feature appear on the World of Warcraft PTR.
First off, I think mentioning the Dungeon Finder was a bit misleading. As I read it, this doesn't have a lot to do with the Dungeon Finder. It sounds like you can invite RealId friends to your group, and then queue up for an instance.
Honestly, I don't really see the point to this feature. There's already a workaround if you want to play with real-life friends regularly. You just roll new characters on the same server. You can save your old characters for times when your group isn't online. And if you're always playing together, then maybe server transfers are a better option.
I don't really see how the economics of this idea will work. This feature sounds like something you pay for ahead of time, that you plan on using multiple times, but not too often. And only one person in the group needs to pay for it.
I don't think that the number of players that would use this service is very high. And the people who would actually need to pay for it is a fraction of that number. So basically, I don't think the amount of money you'd get from this is worth the complaints from the community that "Blizzard is making us pay extra if we want to play with friends".
It also doesn't fit in with previous premium services. Server transfers, et al, are all one-time things. Having a price tag attached to them just serves to keep demand down, and ensures that people only use those services when they really need to. If server transfers were free, people would be jumping around like crazy.
I don't really see the point of decreasing demand for this service. Maybe it serves to ensure that people don't RealId strangers just to group with them again. That you only put "real" friends on your RealId list. This is one thing that could convince me that charging for this feature is a good idea. If there is a significant potential negative effect to this service, depressing demand via pricing is wise.
However, I don't think Blizzard charging for this service is "wrong". Personally, I'll never use it. So for me, having it be optional is better than bundling it in the base package and increasing the price of that.
Complete speculation, but from a software dev perspective, it kind of feels like one faction of Blizzard management didn't really want to spend the development time and effort on this feature. That they thought it would affect too few people to be worth spending money on, and would end up like the barbershop1. But another faction really wanted to work on this feature. Maybe because it would set the stage for future cross-server coordination. So the two factions compromised with the idea that it would be a premium service and so "pay for itself".
Of course, the above paragraph is pure speculation. But to me, the other premium services, and even the pets and mounts, make sense to me as premium services. I may prefer that Blizzard didn't charge for them, but they make economic sense to me. But I just don't see the point of charging for this idea when only one person out of the group of friends would actually end up paying for it. It's ticky-tacky, nickel-and-dime stuff that seems out of character for Blizzard (though maybe not Activision).
1. You can really tell from a lot of Blizzard's comments that they feel that the Barbershop probably wasn't the best use of resources, given the number of people that actually use the feature semi-regularly.
AUTODROME GRANBY: C'EST UN DÉPART
Les nombreux amateurs réunis exceptionnellement un samedi après-midi en avaient long à dire. L'hiver qui semblait interminable semble être chose du passé. Les nuages et même quelques gouttes de pluie n'ont pas découragé les pilotes et équipes. Les sourires étaient nombreux quand le soleil a finalement percé les nuages. 73 bolides ont franchi la ligne de départ afin d'améliorer les ajustements sur leur véhicule en ce début de saison. |
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Autodrome St-Eustache - Journée portes ouvertes
Journée portes ouvertes du 30 avril à l’ASE ILS EN ONT VÉCU DES ÉMOTIONS ! Samedi, le 30 avril se tenait à l’Autodrome St-Eustache une journée «Portes Ouvertes» qui mettait en vedette toutes les disciplines motorisées évoluant sur les tracées de ce complexe motorisé des Basses-Laurentides. |
Le but premier de cette journée était d’initier le public en général à la sensation que ressent un pilote de course dans le feu de l’action. Pour ce faire des simulations de courses ont été organisées avec l’aide de pilotes possédant des voitures équipées d’un espace-passager comprenant un siège de course, ceintures de sécurité et casque protecteur supplémentaires, de quoi accueillir un passager du côté droit de la voiture. Pigés parmi ceux qui avaient remplis des coupons de participations, plusieurs personnes des gradins ont pu vivre la sensasion d’être en course dans des véritables voitures de course lors de véritables compétitions en Sport Compactes., voitures de drift sur le circuit ovale et dans des voitures de compétition sur le circuit routier. Si on en juge par leur attitude à la fin de leur expérience, chacun des « passagers » a et sa dose d’adrénalyne et ont vécu une sensation jamais éprouvé auparavant. Ceux-ci auront la chance de se reprendre, car devant un tel succès, une course «Sensation Sport-Compacte» sera au programme de chacun des événements de stock car qui sera présenté en 2011. Au cours de cette même journée, les plus audacieux on pu s’adonner à la compétition en participant avec leurs propres voitures à une course sur l’ovale ainsi qu’à des sessions d’accélération (drag) de rue. Cette journée a également été agrémentée d’un concours de recrues sur Sportsman organisée par la pilote Isabelle Tremblay en collaboration avec Bertrand Godin, pilote de renom en sport motorisé. L’Autodrome St-Eustache inaugurera sa saison de courses de stock car samedi le 21 mai prochain. Entretemps, il y aura des activités de »Drag de rue» tous les mercredis, jeudis et vendredis en soirée. Pour plus de détails, on consulte nos sites web : autodrome.ca et www.anca-qc.com -30- |
Lonnie Sommerville: PASS North Series Star Speedway Race Preview
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 5.11.11 For more information, visit www.MulkernRacing.com or email TbarrettGWC@hotmail.com Lonnie Sommerville: PASS North Series Star Speedway Race Preview THE STORY Lonnie Sommerville of Saint John, New Brunswick, looks for a second straight Top-5 finish to open the PASS North Series season in the Star 150 at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H., on Saturday, May 14. Sommerville, who has joined Mulkern Racing to compete full-time in the series for the first time, comes off a strong fourth-place effort in his debut at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Sommerville has never competed at Star Speedway, though his home track of Speedway 660 in Geary, N.B., is very similar in size and layout. |
THE FACTS WHO: Lonnie Sommerville, Saint John, New Brunswick TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet CREW CHIEF: Gary Crooks, Mooresville, N.C BEST CAREER STAR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A LAST RACE AT STAR SPEEDWAY: N/A WHAT: PASS North Series Star 150 WHERE: Star Speedway, Epping, N.H. (.25-mile oval) WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday, May 14 PASS North Series LAST RACE: April 30, PASS 150, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (4th) NEXT RACE: May 21, PASS 150, White Mountain Motorsports Park, N.Woodstock, N.H. (.25-mile oval) CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 4th DID YOU KNOW?
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING LONNIE SOMMERVILLE, Driver of the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet, On heading to Star Speedway for the first time in his career: “Star is a little bit of an unknown because I haven't been there. But the first time I went to Hickory, it was a place obviously I'd never been, and I battled with Ben (Rowe) for the win. We went to Gresham (Motorsports Park) last year for the first time and finished third. I'm not scared of going to places I've never been to, it's just having the unknown of it. “From what the guys have said, it's a lot like like (Speedway) 660 up here, which is my home track. I'm pretty anxious to go there. I'm glad we'll get to have some practice on Friday. I'm looking forward to it.” On starting the season on the right foot at Beech Ridge: “We all know if we're going to try and win a championship, we've got to finish Top-5 every week. The alternative to not winning, obviously, is to get a Top-5. So from that standpoint, it was a good day, we had a good car, and I'm pretty sure everyone we raced with knows we had a good car. I think people seriously see us as a contender. “Not to sound arrogant, but everytime we've raced PASS we've run up front. If you put that ingredient with Mulkern Racing, it is a recipe for championships. I've raced with Johnny (Clark) and Ben (Rowe) a bunch of times, and they've beaten us and we've beaten them. I think they're all taking us seriously, but the only issue is going to tracks we've never been to now. Having guys on the team like Tony (Ricci) and Seth (Holbrook) who have been to these places and been good is big for us.” GARY CROOKS, Crew Chief of the No. 48 A.E. McKay Builders/Community Pharmacies Chevrolet, On the outlook for this weekend: “Obviously, it's a race track Lonnie and I haven't even seen before. Fortunately for us, (crew members Seth Holbrook and Tony Ricci) both had some success there. I don't really look at it like it's going to be a challenge, but more like this is a tremendous opportunity that Scott and Vickie Mulkern have given us.” On what the team learned in the season opener at Beech Ridge: “I don't know if we really 'learned' anything, but we definitely confirmed some of our thoughts about the goals and expectations we set for ourselves this season. We confirmed our belief in what we have and what we're capable of as a team.” On Lonnie Sommerville as a driver: “Lonnie doesn't get the credit he deserves as a race car driver. His commitment to win is amazing. I've seen him do things in race cars that some people in the same situation wouldn't do. I've just never seen him quit.” UP NEXT The PASS North Series visits its second straight quarter-mile in the Granite State with a stop at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock, N.H., for the PASS 150... Lonnie Sommerville has never raced at White Mountain, though Mulkern Racing posted finishes of fifth in both of the series events held there in 2010. SOCIAL MEDIA Follow Lonnie Sommerville on the web: http://www.lonniesommerville.com Follow Mulkern Racing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mulkern-Racing-LLC-Fan-Page/103887913023484 Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GWCMotorsports Follow GWC Motorsports Marketing on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/GWCNewEngland
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PASS South NEWS : PASS South Ready to Invade South Boston Speedway on Saturday, May 7th
PASS South Ready to Invade South Boston Speedway on Saturday, May 7th Drivers Head to Virginia for 150 Laps of Super Late Model Racing Action With two stops in both South Carolina and North Carolina in the 2011 racing season, the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South presented by JE Pistons and Roush Yates Performance Products heads to Virginia on Saturday, May 7th, for 150-laps of Super Late Model racing action at South Boston Speedway. The “PASS South 150” event is the fifth points race of the season as the action continues to ramp up in the south. |
South Boston Speedway has been a regular stop for the series over the years. Big names in Super Late Model racing have gone to victory lane at the track in PASS South competition, including Cassius Clark (2006), Johnny Clark (2008), Ben Rowe (2009) and Jimmy Weller (2010), but all of these races were held towards the end of the series season with only one chance for drivers to etch their names in the record book as a SoBo PASS South winner. In 2011, the series will visit the track twice, giving two opportunities for drivers to enter victory lane during the season at the Virginia track. Drivers all over the country as well as from Canada have entered the PASS South races in 2011. Jay Fogleman went to victory lane in the season-opener at Anderson Motor Speedway (SC) on March 12th with Ryan Blaney taking the top honors in the second race at Dillon Motor Speedway (SC) on April 2nd. Series newcomers took over in the following two races with Chris Eggleston winning “The Race” at North Wilkesboro Speedway on April 10th, and then Stephen Nasse claimed his first-series win in the Easter Bunny event at Hickory Motor Speedway (NC) on April 24th. With a depth of talent in the series, a fifth-different winner is possible this Saturday at South Boston. While it is still too early to decide who will be the 2011 PASS South by JE Pistons and Roush Yates Performance Products Super Late Model Series champion, multiple drivers are setting themselves up to take the honor. With one win and four top-10 finishes, Blaney currently leads the points by a small two-point margin over Fogleman. Preston Peltier, Andy Loden and Steven Legendre might not have victories, but they are hanging in the top-five positions of the points, looking for an opportunity to move up the charts. Heath Hindman, Justin Wakefield, Jody Lavender, Jimmy Weller and John Batten round out the current top 10. The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South presented by JE Pistons and Roush Yates Performance Products 150 weekend will kick off on Friday, May 6th, with an optional practice. On race day, May 7th, the pit gates open at 12:00 PM with rotating practice from 2 PM until 4 PM. Grandstands are scheduled to open at 4:30 PM. Time trials roll off at 4:45 PM with the Fan Appreciation trackside happening from 5:45 PM until 6:45 PM. Racing gets the green at 7 PM. Two NASCAR Late Model features join the PASS South Super Late Models for a full night of racing action. For more information on the Pro All Stars Series and the 150-lap event South Boston Speedway, go to www.proallstarsseries.com, or visit the track’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com. |
PASS SOUTH MEDIA: Andy Loden wins PASS South Shoot Out at South Boston
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media, contact Norm Desjardins@ (603) 539-3368 Andy Loden wins PASS South Shoot Out at South Boston FIve races, five different faces in PASS South super late model winners circle The Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South Super Late Models traveled to Virginia's South Boston Speedway on Saturday night and after 150 green flag laps Andy Loden drove to victory lane to earn his first win of the 2011 racing season. |
24 drivers hit the track under the sunny skies and Preston Peltier made it two fast times in a row with a 15.049-second lap. Cale Gale, Loden, Philip Morris, Daniel Hemric, Jody Lavender, Justin Wakefield, Stephen Nasse, Ryan Blaney and David Quackenbush rounded out the top-10 qualifiers. After the redraw Wakefield and Morris started on the front row. Wakefield got a good jump on the start to lead lap one with Morris settling in behind in second. Lavender, Blaney and Quackenbush ran in the top-five positions early. Debris from two cars making contact while avoiding Hemric’s slowing car brought out the first caution at lap seven. Hemric was able to get his car to pit road, but was out for the event. On the restart Wakefield held the point as Lavender tried to make a bid for second, but had to settle for the third position. A few laps later Morris made his move, taking the lead from Wakefield. During the first third of the race Blaney, Quackenbush and Nasse moved their way into the top five. Prior to the halfway mark the yellow flag flew several times for incidents involving Ryan Reed, Quackenbush, Scott Saunders, Steve Legendre, Spencer Wauters, and others. At the crossed flags Morris held the top spot over Wakefield, Mitchell, Loden and Nasse. On a restart just a few laps past halfway Wakefield dropped his machine in front of Morris to take the lead but a few corners later contact sent Wakefield’s sideways and almost in the wall in turn four. He was able to hold on but lost a few positions as Morris regained the lead. After a caution involving Saunders and Weller, Trey Mitchell started on the outside of Morris, edging his way to the lead just before the yellow flag flew again as Alex Fleming’s car came to a stop in turn one after contact with another driver. With Mitchell on the inside and Morris on the outside, Morris took the lead back with Mitchell dropping back through the field, moving Nasse and Wakefield up to the second and third positions. A few laps later, Mitchell brought his car to pit road to the service of his crew. At lap 100, Morris led Nasse, Wakefield, Loden, Blaney, Peltier, Gale, Gaulding, Lavender and Hindman. Loden was the driver on the move over the last 50 laps , using the high line to move into third around Wakefield, then drove to the high side once again to take second from Nasse with just 30 laps to go. When Loden got to the bumper of Morris, he dove low and made the winning move with less than 22 laps remaining. At lap 141 the yellow flag flew for Gale’s car going around in turn four, setting up a dash to the checkered flag. On the restart with Loden and Morris side by side, Morris tried everything he could to get the lead, but Loden held the top spot while Peltier hit the “go button” trying to work his way to the front. With a few laps to go Peltier worked his way to second, and on the white-flag lap he put a nose under Loden in turn one but the defending series champion wasn’t able to hold it on the bottom. Loden crossed the finish-line first, taking the victory, the fifth-different winner in PASS South 2011 competition. “The car was really good,” said Loden. “We can say we beat Philip Morris here. That was a good race with Philip. He drove me clean. There was a little bumping and grinding, but that was fine. “I am happy to finally get some luck and have things go our way. It feels good to finally get here.” Most of the passes made throughout the race were made on the low side, but Loden used the high side to move towards the front.. “Running down on the bottom, it got a little free there. So I moved up to see what it would do, and it stuck. So I decided to stay up there. We ran a clean race and came home with the win.” With three second-place finishes in the first four races, Peltier was looking for a victory, but fell one position short at the end. “Andy had struggled a little bit at the beginning of the season, but they are back on their game,” said Peltier. “To lose to them is really not that big of a deal. The guys gave me a great car. “Man, there is one thing for sure. If it comes down to the end of the race and I am in the top three I am going to put on a show. I tried to steal a win, but came up just a little short.” Morris, who was making his debut in the PASS South Series, tried to be the third first-time winner in a row this season, but wasn’t able to pull off the win finishing third. “The car was a lot better than I was probably showing,” said Morris. “This thing has a ton of horsepower and it is so easy to spin the tires, so I was just trying to keep the back end underneath me and keep it going straight. It started coughing out water there at the end and I couldn’t hold onto it anymore. “We didn’t have a transmission for the restarts here at this track. We were off on that. I am thankful to get to race with these guys. I have a lot of respect for them and what they go through. It is definitely tire management, something we don’t do in Late Models.” Nasse and Blaney rounded out the top five. PASS South will be back in action at Motor Mile Speedway (VA) on Saturday, May 28th, which is also round two pf the 2011 PASS National Championship series. For more information on the Pro All Stars Series, go to www.proallstarsseries.com. Unofficial Results – PASS super late model South Boston 150 - 5/7/2011
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ACT PR - AMERICAN CANADIAN TOUR ANNOUNCES NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY LATE MODEL ALL STAR CHALLENGE CRITERIA
AMERICAN CANADIAN TOUR ANNOUNCES NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY LATE MODEL ALL STAR CHALLENGE CRITERIA For Immediate Release ACT – 050411-25 Waterbury, VT –The American Canadian Tour (ACT) announced today the criteria and format for the first NHMS - ACT All Star event to be held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) over the weekend of August 12-13, 2011. |
The event will be presented as part of the announced INDY weekend at the region’s largest sporting facility, and only super speedway. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Division will join the ACT Late Models as part of an “ALL STAR” weekend for short track, featuring full-fendered ACT Late Models and the open-wheeled NASCAR Modifieds. The American Canadian Tour Late Models are the most popular stock car division racing in the Northeast at a premiere weekly level, competing at twelve (12) weekly short tracks in the region, and also on two of the most popular touring series in the northeast: the ACT US Tour in New England and New York, and ACT Serie CASTROL Edge, throughout the Province of Quebec. Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour said, “We want as many Late Model teams to be able to compete at NHMS for this event as possible. It is great that Jerry Gappens, Vice President and General Manager of NHMS has enough confidence in our Late Model teams to offer us this opportunity. We have tried to develop the safest and most competitive set of criteria for racing at NHMS, based on our “ACT Invitational” experience over the past couple years. The goal is to allow as many teams and fans as possible the unique chance to race and enjoy short track type racing at the Magic Mile.” The event will be based on the ACT sanctioning body’s short track formula using the handicap system for starting spots, heat races, ‘Last Chance’ events, double segments with inversion for the final segment. “We hope many of the short track fans from around the region will plan to spend the weekend at NHMS. This format will be the most unique format for a division ever to participate at a Super Speedway. We think it will be very exciting for both the competitors and fans. We have also tried to keep the event with some cost constraints, which is in keeping with the philosophy of the American Canadian Tour Late Model program throughout the region,” concluded Curley. Many of the ACT affiliate tracks have redesigned their 2011 Late Model schedules to allow their competitors to compete in this first-time event at the NHMS. The following is a brief outline of the criteria for participation in the first ever race of its kind at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 12th and 13th: ELIGIBILITY 1. ACT ‘affiliate’ tracks are: Thunder Road, White Mountain Motorsports Park, Oxford Plains Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl, Twin State Speedway, Kawartha Speedway, Capital City Speedway, Riverside Speedway (NH), Canaan Fair Speedway, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Albany Saratoga Speedway, ACT US, and ACT Castrol EDGE Serie. a) All cars competing from any of the above must be 100% ACT legal---no exceptions. [note: a driver gaining eligibility in a non-ACT legal car will not be allowed to compete in a ‘borrowed’ ACT car] b) Championship points will be issued for both the ACT US, and Castrol Edge Series. c) Only one (1) car per driver will be entered. Second cars will not be allowed. Drivers must start the race in their own cars from the first competitive (non-practice) green flag. 2. Who can enter? a) Any driver who has competed in an ACT Invitational at NHMS over the past two seasons will be eligible to file entry for the NMHS ALL Star Late Model Challenge… b) Any driver who attended an ACT ‘test and tune’ session at the NHMS over the past two years will be eligible to file entry for the NHMS ACT ALL STAR CHALLENGE… c) Weekly drivers from any of the above ‘affiliate’ tracks who are in the top 15 in point standings* or have been in the top 15 in point standings in the 2009 and/or 2010 seasons who receive approval from local track officials and management and final approval from ACT management and officials will be eligible to file entry for the NHMS ACT ALL STAR CHALLENGE. *[MUST BE IN THE TOP 15 IN STANDINGS AS OF MONDAY, JULY 18, 2011] d) Various drivers who do not meet the above weekly track criteria, but who have participated on either the ACT US or Castrol Edge Series from time to time over the past few years are eligible to file entries for approval to compete in the NHMS ACT ALL STAR CHALLENGE. TEST AND TUNE SAFETY AND INSPECTION CHECK There has been a TEST and TUNE scheduled for NHMS for ACT Late Model teams for Tuesday, August 2, 2011. 1. ALL teams that enter the NHMS ACT ALL STAR CHALLENGE TIMELY are eligible to practice during this Test and Tune date ONLY. Attendance for any ACT teams who have participated in a previous ACT test and tune session and/or a previous ACT Invitational at NHMS in 2009 or 2010 will be optional. 2. It is MANDATORY that any teams who have not competed with ACT at either a test and tune session at NHMS or competed in an ACT Invitational at NHMS, and who have entered the NHMS ACT Late Model Challenge attend the scheduled practice session. There will be safety checks and monitoring of those teams before the entry will be accepted for the August 12-13 event. For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963, www.acttour.com, or media@acttour.com. Information is also available at www.nhms.com. -30- |
AIRBORNE SPEEDWAY NEWS: Late surge lands Dupree Airborne opener
Airborne Speedway – May 7, 2011 South Plattsburgh – Defending Airborne DIRTcar Modifed champion Patrick Dupree started 15th in a 30-car car field, reeled in leaders Martin Roy and Greg Atkins on lap 39 and went on to win the Della Auto Group 50-lap season opener Saturday night. |
Dupree started 15th and benefitted early when the race got off to a rocky start. Three yellows were needed to complete the first three laps. His Saranac Country Store/Fournier’s Farm Equipment No. 24 was up to sixth after the three restarts. Laps 4-22 ran under green as Roy, who started 6th, made his getaway. After the fourth caution, he opened up a full straightaway lead while Atkins, Don Scarborough and Dupree battled for second. But on a final restart on lap 34, Roy could no longer shake the pack. Atkins led briefly as Roy faltered on lap 39 and was then overtaken on the outside by Dupree. “I wasn’t saving it,” Dupree said. “I had to race Scarborough hard for third, but my car got better at the end. I think the others faded a little bit. I figured the No. 1 car (Atkins) would go low to get by Roy so I went outside.” Vince Quenneville rose to third place and challenged Atkins for second in the closing laps, but couldn’t get by him. Scarborough held off fast-rising Todd Stone for fifth. Stone had one of the fastest cars in the field, but was victimized by the early chain reaction check-ups and had to come from the rear. Roy, Kris Vernold, Mike Reyell, Mike Phinney and Andy Lindemann completed the top 10. Plattsburgh’s Robin Wood took advantage of a yellow flag with six laps left in the J&S Steel Sportsman feature and won the 25-lap event by three car-lengths. The restart erased Jamy Begor’s large lead. With four circuits left, Wood cleared Begor on the outside. Begor settled for the runner-up spot after having led laps 5-19. Codey Benoit finished third. Bill Thwaits and Shawn Duquette were fourth and fifth. Robert Gordon edged Joe Daniels in a Renegade thriller that saw the lead change five times in the last 11 laps as the pair raced door to door. Defending track champion Kevin Boutin was a nearby third. “I almost tucked down behind Joe at one point, but I decided to try the outside and I’m glad I did,” Gordon said. Boutin pursued Josh Terry for a dozen laps before gaining third. Robbie Favreau was fifth. Chris LaVair of Gabriels won the Mini Modified feature. Josh LeClaire, Kris Clark, Scott Richner and Speedy Bresette were next in line. Josh Durivage of West Chazy won the Bomber feature. Airborne Speedway Della Auto Group 50 Modifieds 1. Patrick Dupree 2. Greg Atkins 3. Vince Quenneville 4. Don Scarborough 5. Todd Stone 6. Martin Roy 7. Kris Vernold 8. Mike Reyell 9. Mike Phinney 10.Andy Lindemann 11.Todd Ormsby 12.Matt Woodruff 13.Craig Reyell 14.Andy Heywood 15.Jason Bruno 16.Jim Ryan 17.Max Viens 18.Jason Durgan 19.Pat McGraile 20.Tommy Jock 21. Gardner Stone 22.George Foley 23.Michel Lebrecque 24.Bryant Trim 25.Leon Gonyo 26. Mike Wells 27.Chris Cayea 28.Daniel Brown 29.Cameron Grady 30. Terry Hayes Contact: Tom Herzig 802-882-8131 |
REVSTAR PR - Une pratique à l'Autodrome Granby
Quelques pilotes se sont rendus à Granby pour participer à une journée d'essais libres samedi dernier dans le cadre d'une journée portes ouvertes pour des pratiques organisée par l'Autodrome Granby. Aucune course n'était prévue au programme puisque cette journée avait pour but de permettre aux pilotes de renouer avec leur bolide avant le début de saison. |
Tous les pilotes présents à la piste étaient anxieux de peser sur l'accélérateur et d'entendre le son de leur moteur. Le niveau d'adrénaline a vite monté durant les 3 pratiques et les pilotes souhaitaient terminer la journée dans une confrontation amicale. L'enthousiasme des 9 participants de REVSTAR a eu raison et Carl Labonté a acquiescé à leurs demandes en organisant une mini course amicale de 10 tours qui ne comptera pas au championnat.
Des recrues qui démontrent beaucoup de potentiel
Le prochain rendez-vous, c'est le 14 mai à l'Audrome Drummond pour une coures d'exibition, alors que la véritable saison s'amorcera le week-end suivant sur ce même circuit. |
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