What a difference a week makes. Good weather and the Vintage Rally at the Fairgrounds brought out the fans this week and were it not for 50 or so who opted to watch for free at a distance from the top of the bank, the attendance would have been well over 200.

There was still a shortage of D2 and D3 riders which meant that these classes were combined for the night. Also, with nine D1 riders on hand this meant that the qualifying heats were run with only three riders in each and unfortunately bike problems caused a couple of heats late in the program to start with only two riders.

Despite that there was plenty of good fast entertaining action to keep the fans entertained with all of the top riders on song. Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and Joe Heye made it through to the final with a couple of points to spare but the competition for the fourth place in it was very tight with every point vital to the riders involved. Typifying this was Gary Hesmer's effort in his final heat. Needing points, he successfully outduelled his cousin Aaron for lead for the first lap only to have his bike fail. After coasting the length of the back straight he jumped off and starting pushing his bike for what would have to be a full lap and a quarter if he was to score points as a finisher. Sadly, after a gutsy effort that covered three quarters of a lap he accepted help to push him the rest of the way home which meant a disqualification and no points. Much to his chagrin that cost him a place in the final and he showed how he felt about that by an emphatic win in the Consi.

The final provided plenty of excitement with Joe Heye providing most of it. He got the lead out of turn two and held it until Aaron Hesmer got past him on the second lap. Pushing hard in pursuit he went into the third turn a bit too hard, swung around a full 180 degrees as the other riders roared past, lifted and finally came off. However, he managed to keep the bike going and remounted to finish fourth, a poor reward for his efforts. Hesmer made it three Main event wins in a row with Jeff Orosz and Marc Gauthier finishing second and third respectively.

After a first ride spill Corinne Franic dominated racing in D2 and went through the rest of the night unbeaten. George Lavender showed a good turn of speed in his first outing against D2 opposition and came from behind to overtake Terry Rideout for second place in the Final. Kudos also to young Michael Small who looped at the gate and came off hard in an early race. After missing a couple of starts he posted a fine win in his last race of the night.

With several riders choosing to leave early to take part the first round of this year's National Championship at St.-Alex in Quebec on the following night,  the result was a shorter than usual program.   However, Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and Tim Murray all kept faith with the fans and took part in the meeting, before setting out to make the long trip to St-Alex overnight.   One good sign was there were sufficient riders to enable separate classes to be run for D2 and D3 riders for the first time in three weeks.

With Aaron Hesmer not at his best on the night, he was suffering from a bout of food poisoning,  D1 came down to a battle between Joe Heye and Jeff Orosz.   Heye earned gate choice in the final by beating Orosz in two of the three times they met and chose gate 1 instead of his favourite gate 2 as he tried to make it two Main event wins in a row.   It looked as if he had made the right choice as he rocketed off the line and had a clear lead as he went into the turn.  However, he bobbled it and went very wide which enabled Orosz to zip through and take over the lead and that was how it finished despite a strong effort by Heye.  Behind them Hesmer was third while Phil Small dropped out with engine trouble.

In D2 Corinne Franic looked the likely winner as she won her first two heats but went down in her next race and was done for the rest of the night.  Happily, despite needing on track attention from the ambulance staff including a ride back to the pits for further checking, she was up and about before the end of the meeting.     Kudos to Terry Rideout and Tim Murray who both executed perfect laydowns when Franic went down in front of  them.  It was good to see them react immediately to the situation and respond accordingly.   Each rider in the class managed a win on the night with Terry Rideout just edging out George Lavender on the night by a single point.

In D3 Tom Marriott started off with a win in his first ride of the season but by the end of the night it was Graham Wale who came out on top, a point ahead of Peter Fornal.  Not that Peter will mind too much as he had a couple of wins on the night, his first of the year and equal to his total for all of  2005.  Not only that, but one of them was in the last race and earned him his first checkered flag lap.

With all the regular riders back in action this week there was plenty of action to entertain the fans in the 22-race program which ran smoothly with only one restart throughout the night. 

Although the D1 field quickly separated into two groups, those who were going to make it to the Main and those who were headed for the Consi, there  was plenty of good racing as the top four battled one another for gate choice in the final.  Joe Heye continued his recent run of good form and with only  one loss, to Jeff Orosz, topped the qualifiers and this week chose gate two for the final.  This didn't change the outcome as for the second week in a row he had to settle for second place.  This time, however, it was Aaron Hesmer who beat him off the line and scorched to the victory to make it three  different Main event winners in three weeks.  A great finish to the night for him and the perfect way to celebrate his 21st birthday, albeit one day early. Jeff Orosz overtook Gary Hesmer, another rider in good form lately, for third place in what has become a very competitive D1 after Aaron Hesmer dominated the early part of the season.

In D2 rookie George Lavender got his first Main event win in this class.  Although he doesn't yet slide his bike in the traditional manner, he has found a race line that works for his flat-track riding style and is quickly becoming a hard man to beat at this level.  Despite her best efforts Corinne Franic was unable to find a way past him and had to settle for second ahead of Terry Rideout and Tim Murray.

This week D3 included newcomer Trevor Farrington.    Unfortunately magneto problems meant that his bike would not run but thanks to Tom Marriott he was able to ride in the meeting.    Tom moved up to D2 for the night to allow Farrington to share his bike and race in D3.  While it may be a night he will  remember it wasn't a successful one as he crashed into the wall in his third ride.  That meant that the last couple of heats were match races between  Peter Fornal and Graham Wale.  Fornal just edged out Wale in both of them to make give him a 3-2 edge on wins on the night and his first overall win.

Once again Paris defied the odds and was able to run despite a flooded centre green and plenty of rain in surrounding areas.  Thanks to Dave Havill's hard work, the result was an excellent race track that had a little more grip than usual on a night that dedicated to Stan Bradbury's contribution to speedway in Canada.            

Unfortunately equipment problems caused the withdrawal of a rider after the program had been set and this meant that there were only three riders in each D1 heat.  Even so they provided plenty of action and the competition to reach the main event was very tight.  With one round of qualifying heats left only Jeff Orosz seemed sure of a place in the final while the other five starters were still in the hunt with only two points separating them.            

Having failed to score in his first ride when he lost a chain while leading, Joe Heye was one of those needing a win to be sure of making the final.  He chased Orosz hard for three laps and there was contact on the last lap which caused Orosz to go down.   He picked himself up and after pushing his bike for most of the back straight got it to going again to finish and get the points needed to earn gate choice in the final.              

Strangely, having gate choice for the final hasn't proved to be an advantage at Paris this season and for the fifth meeting in a row the rider with it couldn't convert that advantage to a win.   Orosz lifted as he left the line and was last into the first turn and never in the hunt.            

Instead it was Heye who had the lead and held it to the finish although Aaron Hesmer came within half a wheel of catching him on the second  lap.  Behind them Orosz closed up on Gary Hesmer but a nice move by Hesmer on the final turns covered the outside line and held off Orosz's challenge.            

There was some excellent action in D2 between Terry Rideout and George Lavender. Rideout favoured an outside line to combat Lavender's flat-track style of riding and had the edge in the qualifying heats.  

However, it was Lavender who was first off the line in the final.  Rideout went wider and wider as he tried to blast around the outside to catch him and finally overdid it and hit the fence on the third lap which brought out the red flag to finish the race with Mark Engel and Tim Murray getting second and third behind Lavender.            

It was Graham Wales's turn to dominate in D3 with four wins and a dnf in his five starts.  Michael Martin-Evans' season debut was eventful.  He managed a win, fell and remounted four times during the night and earned a disqualification for crossing the inside line, although only the  referee seemed to have seen that phantom transgression.

Finally some good weather on race day.   That helped to bring out the largest crowd of the season for the resumption of SPG promoted Saturday night racing and they got lots of exciting racing to keep them entertained.              

With nine D1 riders signed up for the program that meant three man heats for the second week in a row in that class but the riders still provided plenty of entertainment as they battled for a place in the final.   Bobby Muszynski in particular was in fine form scorching to wins in his first three heats as did Aaron Hesmer.  They seemed certain to be in the final with Joe Heye, Mike Buman and Gary Hesmer battling for the other two places. 

Gary H got a break in his final heat when he missed the gate and went down after clipping Rob Dixon's rear wheel going into the first turn.   He could well have been put back on the penalty line for the restart but the referee ruled all four back on the line and Hesmer took advantage of his good fortune to storm out of the gate and win the rerun and earn himself a place in the final.                

The next heat promised to be a cracker with Muszynski, Aaron Hesmer and Buman all in the hunt for a spot in the final.  It lived up to expectations but only for one lap.   Hesmer grabbed the lead but all three were in a tight group as they crossed the line.  Unfortunately Muszynski overdid it and came off at the second turn and the race was red flagged.   After attention from the St John Ambulance staff he limped back to the pits but was unable to come out for the restart.  

Hesmer won this but only after being passed and then repassing Buman in another good race.    Heye won the final qualifying heat to book his place in the final and drop Muszynski to the Consi.  Muszynski made it out for that and won it comfortably from Dixon. One mistake spoiled his night but he showed that he is rounding into form with the Nationals less than a month away.             

The final was an anti-climax.  Aaron Hesmer rocketed out of the gate and was a length clear as the others got started.  After that the result was never in doubt as he took the win to complete a perfect night for him with Heye, Buman and Gary Hesmer following him home.             

D2 provided some of the best action of the night with little to separate Corinne Franic, Phil Small and George Lavender.   In the best race, Small used the outside line to come from the back and get the win with all three of them close together for all four laps.    He tried to do the same in the final heat but this time it was Lavender who came from the back to catch Franic on the last lap and finish on top for the night.             

It was a question of the survival of the fittest in D2, at least as far as bikes were concerned for most of the night.   In the final, a fall and a tapes offence put points leaders Graham Wale and Peter Fornal on the penalty line and it was Trevor Farrington who outpaced Michael Martin-Evans for his first Main event win.

Heavy overcast weather after a day of rain helped produce an excellent race track but surprisingly the rider turnout was low considering that this was the last chance for them to get some track time in before next week's National Championship. 

The feature of the night was the welcome return to racing of 1998 National Champion Chris Hesmer for the first time since he dropped out of the sport in 2000.             

His first heat was a family affair with Rob Dixon the odd man out as he lined up with three Hesmers, Chris, brother Aaron and cousin Gary.  No fairy tale return for Chris though, as Aaron powered past him to get the win.  Nonetheless it was a big night for him as he made the Main event and showed that all he needs is a bit more racing to get fully race fit and be right back in the thick of the action. 

As it was he was part of the best race of the night when he held off Jeff Orosz for three laps and went shoulder to shoulder with him for more than half a lap before Orosz got around him for the win.               

With Joe Heye dropping points when he crashed spectacularly after clashing with Gary Hesmer as he tried to overtake him, only Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz had booked a spot in the final with one round of qualifying heats left.  With only two points separating the other five, wins were vital to make the Main and Heye and Chris Hesmer responded to get through . 

Gary Hesmer fell a point short but went on to win the Consi from Phil Small and Dixon who deserved more reward for his efforts on the night. He misjudged the start by a fraction of a second in one race and spectacularly demolished the starting tapes while earlier he wowed the crowd as he spun out coming out of turn four, did a full 360 degree turn, clipped the grass on the inside of the track and still managed to keep going and finish the race.               

The final lacked that kind of fireworks as Aaron Hesmer sent a message to the others that he is ready for the Nationals with his seventh Main event win in ten meetings here at Paris.   He led from start to finish and proved once again that the shortest route is usually the fastest as he rode a tight line for all four laps as he headed home Orosz, Heye and (Chris) Hesmer in that order.             

With only six riders the D2 and D3 the classes were combined for the night.  D3 regulars Graham Wale and Trevor Farrington did well at the higher level but it was the usual trio of George Lavender, Corinne Franic and Terry Rideout who battled for top honours.    In the end it was Franic who overcame a first race fall to break Lavender's string of Main event wins with Rideout finishing second, Lavender third and Wale fourth in the final.             

Originally planned to be a three round event, this year's National Championship came down to a single race at Paris when both the St-Alexis and Welland rounds were rained out. 

Incredibly the tail end of hurricane Enrico made it three for three rainouts on Sunday but thank heavens the weather cleared up and the meeting finally went ahead on the Monday afternoon rain date.

One result of the wet weather was a grippier than usual track that played its part in one of the most entertaining meetings seen here in a long time. Although sadly Nick Fafard wasn't on hand to defend his title, the meeting was replete with more than enough drama, thrills, spills, restarts, talking points and downright good racing to keep the fans in the edge of their seats throughout the meeting. 

After all, how often do fans get to see all this in one night: a race that took five attempts to complete with three of the four riders eventually back on the penalty line: a race having to be stopped as the referee hadn't realised that track workers were still repairing the safety fence when it was started: a rider coming back from injury finishing second on his first outing of the season: a mix up between the second and third places finishers at the medal presentation and much more besides.

Kyle Legault flew back from the UK to try to regain the title he won in 2003 and 2004 and solidify his chance of getting a UK work permit to continue to race there next year.  He achieved his aim by going undefeated on the night but the result was closer than it seemed from the scorechart.  

It took him half a lap in his first heat to get in front of Jeff Orosz but he had problems next time out when Bobby Muszynski beat him to the first turn.  They were level on the back straight when they collided.  Both struggled to stay on their bikes before Muszynski went down as they entered the turn and slid hard into the fence while Legault laid his bike down.   It was very fortunate for him that the race was stopped as by then he had lost his chain, probably when they collided.  Muszynski was able to get back on his feet after a length delay for treatment by the St John staff but reluctantly had to withdraw from the meeting.   Legault easily won the restart.

Earlier Aaron Hesmer had shown in his first heat that he was a serious threat to win the title.  He missed the gate and was only third going into turn three.  His attempt to power around the outside was balked when Marc Gauthier drifted wide and he dropped well back of the leader Adam Mittl.   Unfazed by this, two very fast laps later saw him take the lead with a powerful dive inside Mittl as they entered the turn.

After only two rounds the chase for the title looked to be a two man affair with Legault and Aaron Hesmer both unbeaten and two points clear of the field.   They met in the next round with Hesmer having the advantage of an inside gate and anticipation and tension was high as they came to the tapes. 

Up they went and so did Hesmer as he looped off the line and went down.  With his bike still on the track the race had to be stopped so he went to the penalty line for the restart.  In this he clearly jumped the gun and that brought about another restart with Hesmer now 20 yards back and the recipient of a warning from the referee.  Things may have looked bleak from him but he didn't give up and a determined effort saw him recover to finish second.  This kept his title hopes alive although he won't be on Joe Heye's Xmas list for the way he forced his way inside him on the last lap, a move that sent Heye out to the fence and back to fourth place.

Legault and Hesmer both won their remaining heats and were joined in the final by American Cam Rafferty and Jeff Orosz.  Rafferty rode very impressively throughout in his first outing of the season coming back from a very serious ankle injury while Orosz finished no worse than second in each race but finished behind each of the other finalists when they met.   The scores at that time were Legault 20, Hesmer 19, Rafferty 17, Orosz 16.  So, although Rafferty could still snatch the title, it was pretty much a two-man affair and with a tie in points broken by the placings in the final heat it meant that effectively Legault and Hesmer were as good as tied going into it.

Legault got the best of the start with Hesmer in hot pursuit.   He narrowed the lead to a couple of lengths at the end of the second lap only for the title to be decided in dramatic fashion as his primary chain snapped and beat him across the finish line as it flew high in the air.  It was a cruel end to the night for Hesmer who deserved better for his efforts.  Not only did it take away any chance he had to catch Legault and win the title, it also cost him second place on the night as Rafferty inherited this in both the heat and overall standings when the tie-breaker rule was applied. 

Other riders to catch the eye on the night included: Joe Heye who finished strongly with a couple of wins after losing points early with a broken chain and in his battle with Aaron Hesmer: Adam Mittl who finished in fifth place without ever looking like winning and wowed the crowd in one race by charging back to finish third despite a 360 spin in the first lap: 15-year-old Mike Buman who  could have finished fifth with a win in his final race only to lose points with a fall and Marc Gauthier who surprised with his seventh place finish.

A cool, cloudy night and the smallest crowd of the season made tonight's race something of an anti-climax after all the action served up at the Nationals on Monday. With the traditional staging of the CSRA D2 and D3 championships on the Labor day weekend being rained off they were run as part tonight's meeting but with a reduced field of riders.

Veteran Graham Wale was a popular winner of the D3 class. He was a comfortable winner as he went unbeaten on the night although he owes his win to Phil Small whose bike he rode for most of the night after his own machine gave up the ghost. Fittingly, his main rival this year, Peter Fornal finished as runner-up to him while promising rookie Trevor Farrington had a rough night with a couple of falls.

The action in D2 was much more competitive but despite this it was another maximum effort by the winner. Two years ago Corinne Franic just missed winning the title when she finished second in her final race. Things didn't go well for her in last year's event but a determined Corinne made sure that it would be a different story this year. She parlayed good gating and mistake free riding on an inside line to win her races. The only time she was really challenged was the final top scorers race which was one of the most entertaining of the year and the only really memorable one during the meeting. Corinne grabbed the lead and for all four laps had to fend off repeated challenges from Michael Small as he powered around his favourite outside line. They swapped the lead back and forth and were side by side as they crossed the start line for laps two and three while right behind them Katalin Davis probed for a way through on the inside and Terry Rideout stayed on the pace. Going down the back straight on the final lap Davis was level with Small and all four riders were within four or five bike lengths. A final blast around the turns by Small wasn't quite enough to catch Franic but gave him second place in the race and on the night. All four riders got a very well deserved round of applause for their efforts.

D1 action on the night will be remembered most for the mechanical problems experienced by several of the top riders. A excellent first race win was all she wrote for Chris Hesmer as his bike broke down on each of his other three. Jeff Orosz had to push home for three quarter of a lap to pick up a point in his first outing while Aaron Hesmer twice lost his chain during the night.

The second of these came in the final and Orosz was the beneficiary. Starting off the penalty line for breaking the tapes he was well back as Hesmer lost his chain going into turn three and not realising where Dixon was, balked him as he coasted out to the fence. By the time Dixon got clear, Orosz had zipped past and he went on to win from Dixon and Small. This was unfortunate for Dixon who otherwise would have been in position to win his first ever Main event.