Paris Speedway

2004 Race Reports

 

Friday June 4th 2004


The 2004 Paris season got off to a great start with a large rider turnout on a beautiful night. A strong D1 field was made even stronger by the presence of Jeremy Parsons and Josh Carr from NYS and with track having a little more dirt than normal it provided plenty of traction for the riders to use. The result was a good night's racing with plenty of action to entertain the fans. An encouraging sign for the coming season is that attendance was considerably higher than for last year's opener. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

It is more than three years since Parsons last raced at Paris and in that time he has developed into one of the top riders
on the east coast. He wasted no time in showing the local riders that he was going to be a handful. Sharper from the gate all night he was never headed and had notrouble going through the qualifying heats unbeaten. By the luck of the draw he did not meet Kyle Legault in these and fans were looking forward to a great battle when they would meet in the final. Unfortunately the gremlins got in the way of this when Legault lost a chain while challenging for the lead in one race and was unable to finish it. The points lost as a result left him one short of the total needed to reach the final and it wasleft to Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye and Jeff Orosz to try to prevent a clean sweep for Parsons. However Parsons parlayed another excellent gate and a strong first turn into a comfortable lead and despite a strong ride by Orosz was never in danger of being caught with Hesmer taking third ahead of Heye.

To finish the night a special match race was arranged between Parsons and Legault. Parsons won the toss and chose the inside gate but this time Legault, who had been gating poorly, made a better start and stormed around the outside to take the lead and win comfortably leaving the fans to look forward to the next time Parsons comes north when hopefully they will meet more than once on the night.

Shawn Morrison and Phil Mosquera provided plenty of entertainment in D2 action including a last bend come from behind win by Morrison in oneheat when Mosquera went a little too wide and left a gap which Morrison immediately exploited. Newcomer Mark Priebe made his racing debut in this class and looked right at home in it but it was Morrison, last years' D3 high points scorer, who took the honors with an impressive showing. He had to come from behind to take the final as John Bennett rocketed out of the gate and was in front when he came down at turn three.
Fortunately , although he was right on the race line, the other riders were able to avoid him and Morrison went on to win from Mosquera and Priebe.

In D3 veteran Tom Marriott made a bright start by winning his first two races but it was Corinne Franic who finished on top with easily the best night of her career. She won her last three races including a couple of good scraps with newcomer Doug Beaumont. The latter had bad luck in the first heat when he looked likely to join the ranks of those who get a win in their first win race. He had a built up a comfortable lead only to coast to a stop when his engine gave out.

Other memories of the night - Aaron Hesmer looking sharp from then gate and very fast - Kyle Legault unusually sluggish at the gate - An excellent scrap when Hesmer lead Legault for two laps only to go a little wide out of turn two and had to give up the lead when Legault powered through on the inside going into turn three - Few spills and happily the St John ambulance staff did not have to move all night - no dust and no watering needed during the meeting - Legault overcoming a slow start to catch up with Jeff Orosz before losing his chain - John Bennett starting from the 20 yard line after touching the tapes and then rolling on the restart.

 
Friday June 11th 2004

The weather was perfect for the second week in a row and although the number of D1 riders was down from last week but those who were there provided plenty of entertainment for the fans. For the second week in a row the track did not require watering after racing started which helped move the program along at a good clip.

Unlike last week the St John Ambulance staff were needed to help a couple of riders who came down hard but happily both were able to get back on their bikes and take part in the restart of their races.

Kyle Legault took the checkered flag in the Division 1 final to finish the night on a high note but had some problems in the early going. His gating wasn't up to his usual standard as he was lifting as he left the line and not getting all of his usual driveinto the first time. In his second ride he lifted so high that he had to slow to regain control and was in the unusual position of last place as he came out of turn two. He managed to catch Gary Hesmer and Phil Small but Aaron Hesmer is too good a rider to give that kind of a lead to and he took the win while Gary Hesmer and Phil Small had an excellent scrap for third with Small coming from behind to overtake the 'Hitman" around the final two turns.

Aaron Hesmer rode well all night and was only beaten by Legault but Joe Heye will be hoping for better luck next week.
A snapped chain cost him points in one race when he was in the thick of the action and he then took a heavy fall in the final. In it he dove hard into turn three trying to get his wheel inside Aaron Hesmer and get the inside line, didn't quite make it, lost control and went down hard. Despite this he was able to make to the penalty line for the restart and managed to chase down and catch Gary Hesmer on the final lap to get a hard earned third place.

Credit for the most spectacular tumble of the night goes to Shawn Morrison who got into trouble at turn three when leading, highsided and had the bike come down upside down. Not surprisingly it took him a few minutes and some attention from the St John Ambulance staff before he was up and about. But speedway riders are tough and he not only got back onto his bike for the restart of the race but went on to take second in it after a good battle with Aaron De Veau. However, there was no doubt who was king of the D2 action this week and that was Michigan basedregular Phil Mosquera. He went through the program unbeaten and always seemed to have plenty to spare over his rivals.

In D3 it was another big night for Corinne Franic. Tom Marriott came from behind to beat her in her first race but after that it was four straight wins, one more than last week and another checkered flag. Newcomer Greg Sim did well in his first night of racing but Marriott will want to forget this night as he not only fell three times at the same spot in turn four but also suffered an engine failure.


 
June 18th (Cancelled Rain Logged Track)
 
Friday June 25th 2004

Last week's rainout didn't deter the fans and this week's meeting drew the largest crowd of the season to watch a thoroughly entertaining night's racing. For the first time this year the track was a little dusty by the end of the night but this didn't affect the on track action with all three divisions providing close competition and their share of excitement. This was the first night of the season that the P50 class was included in the program and the four kids who took part in it had a good time. A problem with the tapes meant that the finals had to be started with the release of a rubber band but this did not create a problem and the starts were fair in all of the finals.

Steve Glasgow made the trip from Michigan for the first time this year and rode well as did Gary Hesmer who had his best night for some time and was in the thick of the action. But it was his cousin Aaron Hesmer and Joe Heye who provided most of the excitement in D1 including a dramatic final that took four attempts to complete. Heye and Hesmer lined up next to each other and were level at the crown of the bend when they clashed and both went down. A full restart was ordered and again they led from the gate only for Hesmer, who was on the outside, to go down at the same spot. The referee's decision was for another full restart and this time it was Hesmer who got the jump out of the gate and led Heye out of turn two when behind them Gary Hesmer and Glasgow collided as they exited the turn and crashed heavily. After some help from the St John staff both riders made it out for a third full restart although Glasgow had to borrow a bike to do so. To the relief of the fans there were no more problems and Aaron Hesmer got the early lead and made no mistakes, although pressed hard by Heye, to take the win with Gary H taking third ahead of Glasgow.

There was plenty of exciting action in D2 with the final being perhaps the best race of the night. Shawn Morrison made the early running with Aaron DeVeau right behind him. This lasted for a lap until DeVeau slipped inside him coming out of turn two. He then held off Morrison's challenges until he went a little too wide around the final two turns. Morrison seized the chance to regain the lead and seemed to have the race won but DeVeau found enough drive to catch and repass him on the run to the line and snatch a dramatic victory. Both riders had excellent nights with DeVeau's ability to come from behind using both the inside and outside lines being particularly impressive.

In D3 Corinne Franic made it three wins in a row but had to work hard for her win this week with both Doug Beaumont and Tom Marriott providing strong opposition as did 13 year old newcomer Michael Small riding a 250cc machine. He not only displayed a neat controlled riding style but proved he is ready and able to take on riders more than twice his age when he came through from the penalty line to finish second in one race. In the final Corinne made her usual fast start and led from start to finish but had to hold off a good challenge from young Mr Small who chased hard and closed the gap over the final two laps.

It wasn't such a good night for his dad Phil who hit the fence hard in his final heat in D1 with fortunately the only damage being to his equipment. Nice gesture by Corinne Franic when she stopped to give her dad a pillion ride for her victory lap, an act that was repeated by Aaron De Veau after his win. For those not familiar with them, as both John Franic and Larry De Veau are themselves past riders, this highlighted the family aspect to the sport here in Canada.
Friday July 2nd 2004

The show continues to get better week by week. A 23 rider turnout meant a big 34 race program which was choc-a-bloc with exciting action. The fans continue to turn out in increased numbers and the biggest crowd yet this summer went home happy after a night's racing that featured lots of passing and some close finishes. Add in nine falls and a rider doing a 450 degree pirouette and it all added up to great entertainment for the fans.

Although the most dynamic action came from the experts in D1, all three divisions provided their share of the excitement with four riders going home particularly happy having snagged their first race wins of the year. They were 13-year-old Michael Small, who looks as if he will quickly becomea crowd favorite, Chris Houtby, Mark Priebe and Greg Sim.

With nine riders chasing four places in the final in D1 there was an edge to the action in the qualifying heats as riders simply couldn't afford to drop many points. Aaron Hesmer got off to a good start when he headed Jeff Orosz home and Joe Heye blasted around Gary Hesmer to win his race. Kyle Legault had to work a bit harder for his win as he reared at the gate and lost ground to Greg Starcevic who put in a good ride and held onto the lead until Legault powered through on the third lap. Starcevic was again in the thick of the action in his next race when he and Steve Glasgow battled for the first lap before Orosz came from the back to get the win. Gary Hesmer was in fine form and only dropped one point in his early heats to put himself in line for a place in the final but his last race was a tough one as it included both Legault and Orosz. As they came to the tapes for it only Joe Heye had clinched his place in the final and all three riders needed points to join him. The matter was settled suddenly and spectacularly on the third lap. Orosz was chasing Legault when he lost control around turns one and two, did a full 180 degree turn to face back down the track, struggled through another 180 degrees as he fought to regain control and then went too far around and earned a disqualification by shooting shot across the inside line before rejoining the race. This dropped him down to the Consi which he won comfortably.

The final was another cracker of a race. Legault again reared as he left the gate but this time he tangled with Joe Heye and both hit the deck and left Legault on the penalty line for the restart. In this Aaron Hesmer got the early lead and all eyes were on Legault to see if he would be able to mount a challenge. He gave it his best effort and got past Heye on the second lap and Gary Hesmer on the third but at the front Aaron put in a fast, smooth error free ride and still had two lengths to spare at the line as he took his second main event win in a row.

Good news for the fans is that Jeff Orosz's work schedule should enable him to race in most of the meetings in July so they can look forward to lots more exciting racing before the month is over. Although Shawn Morrison and Aaron De Veau headed the qualifiers in D2 it was Chris Houtby who came from the back to catch and pass Morrison to complete his best night yet and win his first main event. Mark Priebe was another to show improved form and it was good to see John Cooper back on the track after an absence of several years. An indication of just how competitive racing is this year at this level is that there has been a different main event winner each week and the competition can only get better when Phil Mosquera is able to get back into action.

In D3 Doug Beaumont shook off the bike problems which hampered him last week and was the only rider to go through the night unbeaten including a start to finish win in the Main in which he was followed home by Corinne Franic, Michael Small and Tom Marriott. The latter two had several good dices on the night including one in which the youngster outfoxed the veteran to come from behind and get the win with a neat inside pass.
Friday July 9th 2004

 

Cloudy weather brightened into a pleasant evening for the Symes Catering sponsored race night. R iders were quick to express their approval of the excellent track conditions and responded with some good racing and went home happy with the increased payout available for the night.

Racing got off to a slow start when problems with the tapes not releasing properly caused several restarts of the early heats. This was followed by a more unusual delay when a young bird, apparently still unable to fly, scurried back and forth on the track causing an adult bird to swoop down as it tried to protect it. Finally the fledgling was guided onto the center green where it was caught and released over the safety fence to end the problem.

While the fast and exciting action in D1 is the focus of the program for most fans, the standard of racing in D2 has improved week by week and is now extremely competitive. With Phil Mosquera back on the track after missing a couple of weeks due to a work injury and John Perry ending his retirement to get back into action, the scene was set for lots of good racing and that's what we got with each rider having some success.

Right off the bat Mosquera showed he was ready to race when he reared at the gate, held it and came from behind to catch Shawn Morrison for the win. However, it was Aaron De Veau who looked the likeliest winner as he strung together three impressive wins including beating both Perry and Mosquera in the process before coasting to a stop with bike problems in his final heat. With only the top four going to the Main event mistakes were bound to be costly as Shawn Morrison found out when his wheel seized and brought him down when he was in second place. Despite a win in his final heat he had to be content with a place in the Consi which he won with John Bennett powering inside John Cooper to follow him home. The expected battle in the final didn't happen. Mosquera launched from the gate and was clear of Perry when the latter went wide at turn three, blocking Houtby and leaving a huge gap around the inside which de Veau used to surge through to second. He managed to narrow the gap by the third lap but Mosquera responded to the challenge and had plenty to spare at the line.

In D1 the battle for the final place in the Main went down to the last qualifying heat with Gary Hesmer needing a second place finish to earn it at the expense of Joe Heye. Although Kyle Legault had the race in hand, Hesmer seemed to have second place sewn up only to slide off and out of the Main. For the first time in three weeks this went off without a hitch with Legault taking a comfortable win as Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye Marc Gauthier followed him home.

Corinne Franic took the D3 Main for the fourth time in five attempts and was only beaten once on the night when young Michael Small came from behind to pass her with a nice inside move in a qualifying heat. Chasing Franic home in the Main event were Small, Tim Murray and Graham Wale who was appearing in his first final.
Friday July 16th 2004

 

Overnight rain left water on the track in the early afternoon but the combination of hard work by Dave Havill and a sunny afternoon dried the track out and allowed racing to take place. The number of riders was down from recent weeks which meant a shorter than usual 19 race program.

As this ran smoothly and there was plenty of time, a handicap race was run for the first time this year as the final race of the night.

Most spectacular spill happened when Corinne Franic looped as she left the line in a heat race and went down hard. Happily she was only winded and after being checked out by the St John Ambulance staff was able to make the restart and came from the penalty line to take a gutsy second place.

Kyle Legault was in good form and reeled off wins in his first three heats although he had the crowd on the edge of their seats when he picked up more traction than he expected, wheelied down the back straight and just recovered in time to avoid the end boards yet still found the drive to just stay ahead of Joe Heye and Aaron Hesmer as they came around the inside of the turn. Next race Legault had bike trouble and borrowed Corinne Franic's bike. This time Hesmer and Heye turned the tables on him and pinned him back in third in a close race. Fortunately for Legault he was able to get his own bike back in action for the final where he drove around Heye and Hesmer and grabbed the lead out of turn two and took an easy win with Heye outduelling Aaron Hesmer for second with Gary Hesmer in fourth place.

John Perry topped the qualifiers in D2 when his main rivals dropped points, Aaron De Veau with engine failure in one heat and Shawn Morrison getting a DNF when he overdid it in his first race and did a 270 degree spin while leading on the final lap. It was a different story in the final as Morrison led it from start to finish for an excellent win while De Veau overtook Perry for second with a neat move. However, it looks as if Big John is rounding into form just in time for next week's "Dean Bencsics Memorial Night" .

It is now five wins in six D3 main events for Corinne Franic as she had a tapes to flag win. However her competition is getting tougher and Doug Beaumont headed her home twice on the night but had to settle for third in the race that counted. Finishing second was Tim Murray who had easily his best meeting yet including his first win of the season.

In the handicap Morrison off scratch made the running for the first lap before Gary Hesmer took over the lead. However, Legault made short work of his back marker position and got through to take the lead on the third lap. A lap later Heye made it through to second while Aaron Hesmer made it a 1-2-3 for the backmarkers when he got past his cousin Gary with a lap to go.

Friday July 23rd 2004

 

The memory of Dean Bencsics is alive and well as confirmed by the success of the second annual, Steel City Riders sponsored, Dean Bencsics Memorial meeting at Paris. For the second year in a row it drew easily the largest crowd of the season who enjoyed a 31 heat race program enlivened by the presence of Craig Estelle and Jeremy Parsons, two of the very best East Coast American riders. The combination of good weather and an excellent race track set the stage for good racing and the riders responded to give the fans lots of entertainment.

Last year's event featured a memorable final in which Estelle defeated Kyle Legault after a race long battle and fans were looking forward to more of the same and they got it almost right away when Parsons and Legault met in the first Div I heat. Legault messed up his start and had to chase hard to close the gap on Parsons before slipping inside him for the lead on the third lap and then wowing the crowd as he got a little more traction than he expected and wheelied down most of the back straight before getting his wheel down in time for the corner. In the next heat Aaron Hesmer put in fast smooth ride to defeat Estelle who got the crowd going when he overcooked it and almost got into trouble on the front straight. Joe Heye then won the next race so the battle was on between the big five for the four places available in the final. Although most of the attention was on them there was still plenty of other exciting racing to watch including a four lap battle between Phil Small and Marc Gauthier with Gauthier coming from behind to grab a late win. Heye was the rider who had to settle for a berth in the Consi which Gary Hesmer won with a strong ride.

In the final Legault grabbed the lead from the gate followed by Hesmer, Parsons and Estelle. Parsons took over second at the start of lap two but by that time Legault had the race in hand. After Estelle moved up to third Hesmer tried to power around the outside of him at turn three and went down hard. As he was unable to get up this brought out the red flag but as by that time the leaders had completed their third lap the race was called.

Div 2 provided its share of excitement with Aaron De Veau going unbeaten in the qualifying heats and being joined in the final by Phil Mosquera, Shawn Morrison and John Perry. However, it was Mosquera who got the early lead and although De Veau moved up to second, Mosquera seemed to have things in hand when Morrison wiped out, bounced and hit the boards hard on the third lap. The race was immediately red flagged and, as the leaders had not completed that lap, this meant a full restart with Morrison off the penalty line. After attention, he made it to the line for this but justice was done when Mosquera led from start to finish while behind him John Perry took second ahead of with De Veau.

In Div 3 Corinne Franic started brightly but a fall during the night exacerbated an elbow injury from the week before and she struggled thereafter. It was the opposite for Michael Small. He started slowly and got better as the night progressed. To the delight of the fans he came from behind in the the final to catch and pass early leader Tim Murray and despite being mounted on a 250cc bike was able to hold onto the lead and take the checkered flag for his first main event win. A great night indeed for the youngster but it was a toss up who was happiest with his win, Michael or Dad Phil!


Friday July 30th 2004


Once again the Paris track defied the weather and was able to run on a night when the odds seemed stacked against them. The forecast set the probability of precipitation at 60% and there was heavy rain to the south in the afternoon. As a result a number of fans stayed home but those who came out enjoyed some good racing and the rain gods co-operated as the first raindrops of the night did not fall until the riders came to the tapes for the final race and the meeting was over and the fans on their way home before rain came pouring down.

In Div 1 Aaron Hesmer and Kyle Legault continued their battle for the season High Points lead at Paris. Hesmer had a two point lead at the beginning of the night and that battle will be resumed next week as they each defeated the other once in the qualifying heats while winning their other races. A win for Legault in the final means that the gap is now down to a single point. Legault provided much of the entertainment as he was not gating well and had to come from behind to get a win in three of his four qualifying heats.

In their first outing Hesmer made the running for the first two laps and closed the door on his rival when he probed the inside at turn one. However, he left a tiny gap coming out of two and Legault was through in a flash to get the win. Next time they met Legault looped at the gate and went to the penalty line for the restart. Although he made it through to second place on the first lap he could make no impression on Hesmer who took a comfortable win with a fast smooth ride. Joining these two in the final were Joe Heye and Greg Starcevic who had easily his best meeting of the season and was particularly sharp from the gate. However the result was never in doubt as Legault simply ran away from the rest and won by a full quarter of a lap. Too bad that the race wasn't timed as he looked extremely fast and it could well have been the fastest time yet had it been recorded.

Aaron De Veau was impressive as he topped the D2 standings although he didn't have things all his own way. Chris Houtby also rode well and twice beat De Veau to show that all he needs to do to become a power at this level is improve his gating. De Veau got his first taste of D1 racing when he filled in a gap in the program in one race and showed that he is close to being ready to move up a level Tim Murray continued to improve in D3 racing and had his best meeting yet as he topped the scorers in the qualifying heats. However, although hewas first from the gate in the final, Corinne Franic slipped through a gap at the second turn and never looked back as she took the honors for the sixth time in eight meetings.


Friday August 6th 2004


Better weather this week brought out a bigger turnout of both fans and riders including Colorado based Bobby Richards who made the long trip to ride here and at Belleville. The end result was another good night's racing that may be best remembered as being the night young Michael Small first raced on a 500c.c. bike. As it turned out, in all three classes it was a night for the younger riders.

In Div 1 Kyle Legault and Aaron Hesmer continued their battle for the Paris High Points Award. Legault changed his bike set up to sacrifice his speed from the gate in favor of more power and boy did that work. Although slower off the line he was usually in the lead by turn three and simply ran away from the rest of the riders, winning most of his races by close to a quarter of a lap. But for losing a chain, while leading, in his
first heat he would have been unbeaten on the night with only Joe Heye managing to stay ahead of him for a lap. However although Legault beat Hesmer three times during the program no one else could and the points lost in his first outing meant that by the end of the night Hesmer doubled his points lead to a scant two. This struggle will definitely be resumed next Friday. Aaron and Gary Hesmer took the top two places in the qualifying heats with Heye and Legault completing the field for the final. Rob Dixon overtook Bobby Richards to win the Consi before Legault quickly moved through the field and scorched away to take the Main form Aaron Hesmer and Joe Heye with Gary Hesmer biting the dust on the third lap.

In D2 Aaron De Veau finally put it all together and won the lot. He came close two weeks ago only to lose the final but this time made no mistake and led all the way for the win although he had plenty of opposition with Phil Mosquera and Chris Houtby chasing hard. Mark Priebe took the Consi but it was a bad night for John Bennett who returned to the track after a three week layoff only to fall in three of his four races.

In D3 Michael Small was mounted on dad Phil's 500cc bike for the first time apart from practice. His first race gave little sign of what was to follow as he seemed to park it on the turn and slid off on the second lap. After that it was a different story. Released form the frustration of not having enough power on his 250 cc bike to catch slower riders, he simply reveled in having the speed to match his ability and went unbeaten for the rest of the night. Although not fast from the gate, he now had the power to take him where he wanted to go and had little trouble coming from the back although he was sent to the penalty line for the restart of one race in which he misjudged his line as he overtook veteran Tom Marriott and brought him down. Despite this he worked his way through the field and had the lead by the third lap. In the Main event he was in front coming out of the second turn and cheered on by the crowd took the win from Doug Beaumont, Corinne Franic and Tim Murray. Definitely a night to remember for Michael and there should be many more to follow.


Aug 13th (Cancelled Rain Logged Track)
Friday August 20th 2004

 

A complete reversal of the weather from last week.  Very light spotty rain throughout the afternoon and early evening stopped just before the 8.00pm race time and not only allowed the meeting to be run but provided an excellent race surface.  With not even one fall during the night,  the program zipped along and was completed in two hours.

While, as usual, the most spectacular show was from the D1 riders some of  the best races of the night were in D2 and D3 with veteran Graham Wale in sprightly form.   He had an entertaining tussle in his final heat race swapping positions back and forth with another veteran Paul Martin, making a welcome return to the track, and then had an even better outing in the Consi.  In this Tim Murray grabbed the lead but Wale battled hard as he tried to come from behind to get what would have been his first ever win.  With the crowd urging him on he came close to catching Murray on several occasions  but a final burst left him a length short at the line.  It was another first for Michael Small who made it nine wins in a row on a 500cc bike and went through the program undefeated for the first time finishing ahead of Corinne Franic, Tom Marriott and Doug Beaumont in the main.

It was another Kyle Legault night in D1.  He dropped his only point when he slowed and dropped back on the last lap of one race with a mechanical problem but otherwise was just too quick for his rivals.   Joe Heye had his best meeting for sometime with three wins but he missed the gate in the main and although he caught Gary Hesmer, had to settle for third behind Legault and Aaron Hesmer.  The other riders had their moments with Marc Gauthier going well and Rob Dixon impressing when he pinned Aaron Hesmer back in fourth in a heat race.

D2 action has provided excellent racing in recent weeks and despite the absence of Phil Mosquera tonight was no exception  Not only is the racing competitive but the standard is excellent with several of the riders ready to move up to D1 next year.   Aaron De Veau topped the qualifiers with Chris Houtby and Shawn Morrison right on his heels with all three having their share of success during the program.  In the main it was Houtby who grabbed the early lead but Morrison took it away from him with a nicely judged outside pass around turns three and four.   Thereafter he never looked like getting caught and took the win with De Veau slipping inside Houtby for second.
 
Friday 27th August 2004

The forecast thunderstorms for the area stayed away and a big 23 rider field was on hand for the final Friday night race of the season. The track surface was a bit deeper than usual and provided ample opportunity to ride inside or outside and the riders responded with some top rate racing. Kyle Legault in particular reveled in the grip available and put on quite a show for the fans in his final outing of the season at Paris. Instead of using his usual tight line in the turns he chased the dirt, used it to advantage on a wide line and was much too fast for his opponents. He won all but oneof his races by a comfortable margin dropping his only point when he went too wide and bounced off the fence while leading. He dropped to third and was unable to catch Aaron Hesmer who, for the second week in a row, prevented him from going through the program unbeaten.

Gary Hesmer had his best meeting of the year and finished with a well deserved second place in the Main behind Legault with Joe Heye just edging out Aaron Hesmer for third. These two riders had the best race of the night as they served up a classic four lap battle with Hesmer on the inside just having the edge as they went shoulder to shoulder for the first two laps. Heye then got just a little more drive to move in front and hold on over the last lap for a thrilling win. Great stuff to watch.

More exciting racing in D2 with John Perry back in action. With Mosquera, De Veau, Morrison, Perry and Houtby all capable of winning, one of them would not make the final and the competition between them was so close that only Phill Mosquera had booked his place in the final as the riders came to the tapes for the final heat. In this a fall by Shawn Morrison decided the issue and relegated him to the Consi. The main event provided the anticipated close race with De Veau overtaking Mosquera for the win and Perry getting by Houtby for third. Mark Priebe had a better night including a win in the Consi when early leader Morrison went down after a spectacular 180 degree spin. However, the best move of the night was not on the track. Although battling with Morrison for season high point honors, De Veau was quick to lend him his bike when Morrison's had problems with his own and needed to borrow one or miss his race. Nicely done Ace!

In D3 Tim Murray had an excellent night and topped the scorers in the qualifying heats but it was young Michael Small who won the final for the third week in a row from Corinne Franic, Michael Small and Doug Beaumont. Small's run of consecutive wins came to and end earlier in the night when he went down twice in a race. Another happy youngster was Michael Martin Evans who won the Consi in his first outing of the year.
 
Saturday 4th September 2004

 

This day is the big event of the year for the D2 and D3 riders. They are the stars of the show as the D1 riders are not part of the program. A warm afternoon saw 21 riders take to the track to try to add their names to the list of those who have won these coveted trophies in the past. Unfortunately, the hot day made it difficult to keep the moisture in the track and this caused some problems as the meeting progressed.

Over the years pre-race favorites have often had their problems at this event. This year the first favorite bit the dust, literally, in the very first heat. Michael Small has dominated D3 racing over the last month but he missed the gate and found his way blocked as he tried to drive around Tim Murray, slid out and down against the fence. Despite winning his remaining three qualifying heats he missed a place in the top four by a single point. It began to look as if someone had put a hex on the favorites when points leader Corinne Franic looped at the gate and came down hard at the start of the second heat. She was able to make the restart from the penalty line but showed the effects of her spill and could only finish second behind veteran Graham Wale who was delighted to notch his first ever race win.

These meetings often throw up an unexpected performance and in D3 it was Wale. He continued to pick up points including a second win and was tied with Franic for the lead after the four qualifying rounds with Doug Beaumont and Murray a point further back. These four moved on to the top scorers race. With the title going to the rider with most points over the meeting and any tie broken by the order of finish in the last race, it meant that whichever rider won it would be crowned as champion. It was Doug Beaumont who grabbed the early lead and although chased by Franic for all four laps held on to take the title while Wale finished third despite bouncing off the boards on the third lap.

Things went pretty much according to form in the early heats in the D2 title hunt with all the favorites picking up points. After three rounds Aaron De Veau and John Perry were both unbeaten and looked certain to make the final four. However Perry missed the gate completely in his next race and was still in last place as they started the final lap. In a desperate effort to move up he dove hard into turn three and hit the second place rider bringing him down in the process. Although Perry managed to say upright and cross the line in second place he was disqualified because of the incident. One heat later he was out of the meeting, ejected for arguing his case too vociferously with the referee.

With De Veau having won his fourth heat and Phil Mosquera heading Chris Houtby home in their heat, it meant that De Veau had a comfortable three point lead over the other two with only the top scorers race left. He went on to take that race and the title in style by going through the program unbeaten with Mosquera finishing second, Houtby third and American Dave Clark fourth.

A fine effort by De Veau who confirmed by his polished performance that he is indeed ready to move up to D1 next season where he could well be joined by both Phil Mosquera and Chris Houtby.

Another rider to catch the eye during the afternoon was Quebecer Jocelyn Lesieur who crashed spectacularly in his first race but recovered well and won his final two heats to finish fifth overall.


 
Sunday 5th September 2004


Brian Hollenbeck's best days are still ahead of him which suggests that they could be very good days indeed. Still a teenager, this quiet American let his riding do the talking on Sunday night when he outpaced some of the top East Coast riders to win the fourth round of the Blendzall sponsored East Coast Speedway Series at Paris.

He didn't look like a winner when he came home in third place in his first heat. However, this wasn't too surprising as it was his first time on the Paris track and the riders who beat him, Craig Estelle and Joe Heye, both finished in the top four at the end of the night. A second place finish next time out left him in danger of not making the final but he turned things around and was unbeaten after that.

The battle for a top four finish and a place in the final was very close with only two points separating the top six riders after four rounds of racing. Jerry Harman had 15, Estelle, Aaron Hesmer, Heye and Rob Dixon were on 14 with Hollenbeck on 13.

Heye, Hesmer and Dixon were all in the same heat in the final round so something had to give. Heye came around the outside of Hesmer and grabbed the lead when he beat him to the inside line at turn three and held on for the win while behind them Dixon slid off and out of contention. More drama in the next heat when Hollenbeck faced off with Harman and got the win he needed to keep his hopes alive. Estelle then won his race to join Heye and Harman on 18 points and in the final. That left Hesmer and Hollenbeck tied on 17 pts with the tie breaker being the result when they met during the program. This was the race in which Hollenbeck got his first win, so he was in and the unfortunate Hesmer left to ponder his fate on the sidelines.

Unfortunately for Harman he had blown his motor and had to ride a borrowed bike in the final and was never in the hunt. With all of the marbles on the line it was Hollenbeck from the outside gate who grabbed the lead and held off a strong challenge from Heye to get the win, with Estelle third and Harman fourth.

Apart from the finalists Rob Dixon had easily his best meeting at Paris and rode impressively while of the younger brigade getting a chance to race at the D1 level, Aaron De Veau confirmed that he is ready for regular D1 racing with a healthy 13 point score.

Special thanks to Mr. Duncan Luke for his work and preparation of the above results