118 Souris Ave. N., Estevan

306-634-3696Parts: 306-634-5653

E-mail: sales@senchuk.com www.senchuk.com

CALL FOR ALL THE DETAILS!

NO COMPARISONNO COMPROMISE

FORD

NOTHING COMPARES TO GETTING EVERYTHING YOU WANT

9,250O N S E L EC T N E W 2 0 1 3 M O D E L S

IN MANUFACTURER REBATES

UP TO$

O N S E L EC T N E W 2 0 1 3 M O D E L S0%AS

LOWAS APR PURCHASE

FINANCING

RT2 May 22, 2013 Estevan Mercury

Your Member of Parliament308 - 1133 4th StreetEstevan, SK S4A 0W6

Phone: 634-3000

Fax: 634-4835

Offi ce Hours: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mon-Fri

Email: ed.komarnicki.c1@parl.gc.caWebsite: edkomarnicki.com

Estevan Motor Speedway has a new face at the helm of its operations this year.

Long-time board member Lynn Trob-ert agreed to take over the reins from James Gustafson as president at the track’s annual meeting last November.

Trobert had been the track’s secretary-treasurer the year before and has been on the executive off and on for nearly a decade.

“We had our elections and they just kind of asked me or nominated me for president,” said Trobert.

“Because I don’t drive a car (at the track). You kinda need someone who’s neutral.”

Gustafson had been track president since 2009.

Trobert said there are some projects at the Speedway that she’s looking forward to completing.

“As a group, we do have some accom-plishments we want to carry forward with. We have some work at the track to do. We want to get our winner’s circle ready to go so that the fans have a little more access to the drivers. They can come up closer to the front so everybody can see them. That’s one of our goals. Hopefully we’ll get that done, part of it at least, before (the May 17 races).

“We’ve got the wheel-chair access, we want to make a ramp for some of our wheelchair patrons. We’re also working very hard on a fi ve-year plan to carry on, to move ahead.”

Trobert said she’s ex-cited about the growing diversity of drivers at EMS, with more women getting behind the wheel and some new blood getting involved.

“We’ve got a bunch of younger drivers that have started and some are moving up into different classes. I’m really thrilled about that because more people are wanting to drive here and they like our track. We have more Americans that have come back.

“Every driver that comes brings their own little fan base. That means if you get one new driver, you’ve got three or four more pit men, you’ve got family in the stands watching. I think that brings more new people,” she added.

Trobert also noted that the popular year-end enduro race, which attracted a staggering 71 drivers last year, has also helped out on that front.

“We’ve also had some guys that have run that enduro for a few years and now have come in and started racing. We’ve got a lot of female drivers too, so we’re very fortunate in that respect. We have quite a lot of variety.”

Trobert is hoping to get more people involved with the track in terms of input. A cleanup weekend in late April was en-couraging, as more than 40 people came

to help out.“That was absolutely awesome. I

was so thrilled with that. Hopefully more drivers will come out to the meetings and express their ideas.

“I’m hoping more and more people will get involved … coming to us as a board, or to myself or whoever and expressing concerns. A more open (approach) is one of our goals, to be more accessible to the public, fans and drivers.”

The Speedway has a strong variety of events taking place this year. Aside from the regular points nights, the track will feature appearances by super trucks, late models and, of course, the annual stop on the Dakota Classic Modifi ed Tour on July 8.

“The mod tour is the highlight of the season. I just think the excitement of pull-ing out over the little hill there and seeing

all those haulers and people from all over the States … I just can’t wait for that race, it’s a wonderful race and we always get a huge, huge crowd,” said Trobert.

Although she has second-guessed her decision to step into the presidency every now and then, Trobert said she’s optimistic about what lies ahead in the 2013 season.

“I’m quite excited. Some days I won-der, OK, what did I do, but I am actually quite excited about this year. The board I’m working with is a great board. We all have our opinions and we’re all willing to work through them.”

The rest of the executive this year is comprised of vice-president Dale LaBatte, secretary Geoff Mann and general members Jim Harris, Rod Pickering, Ed Turnbull, Keith Cassidy, Tyson Turnbull and Gary Goudy, Sr.

Trobert excited about taking over as president

The popular enduro event soared to new heights last year at Estevan Motor Speedway, with a whopping 71 cars on the track for the September race. Some of them came away looking much like this car.

May 22, 2013 RT3www.estevanmercury.ca

Kelly Henderson needs no introduction in stock car racing circles in these parts.

After his performance the last three years, Rocky Alexander doesn’t need one either.

Henderson has more stock wins than anyone else in Estevan Motor Speedway history, and Alexander has won the season champion-ship for three years running.

Although they are friends away from the track, the two drivers have become rivals of sorts.

“Rocky is my main ri-val. We have a nice friendly rivalry and we get along great. He seems to win more than I do, but I’m hoping to change that this year,” said Henderson, who is from Minot.

Alexander, an Estevan native, agreed that it’s a cordial competition between the two.

“I see it as a challenge every year, no doubt. As far as the rivalry, Kelly and I get along very well. I think of us as pretty close friends, we talk back and forth at the track and have a good conversation.

“It’s just a real treat to race against him and com-pete. It’s nice to be racing against such quality and calibre as he is,” Alexander said.

Part of the respect be-tween the two drivers is that neither of them is reckless on the track.

“I’ve raced many nights against Kelly. We’ve gone lap for lap, door handle to door handle and we’ve never made contact. That is fun,” Alexander refl ected.

Henderson said he’s also a clean driver because “I don’t like fi xing my car.”

One instance of Alex-ander and Henderson going head-to-head was on cham-pionship night at EMS last year. Alexander led Hen-derson by fi ve points in the season standings going in, and the Minot driver knew it would take a lot to snag the championship away.

“I knew it was pretty much out of my hands. If he fi nished, I knew there was no way I’d beat him by fi ve positions. He was on his game. He had a good sea-son,” Henderson recalled.

But Alexander almost didn’t fi nish. Late in the race, he was confronted with a tough decision to make.

“It was a little intense there. We had some prob-lems,” he explained. “We won it by sheer luck. We ran into a caution with three laps to go. My car was bleeding to death, literally. I had a rock through the rad and I was overheating.

“I had to decide wheth-er to sacrifi ce an engine for a championship or try to salvage it, but then the green came out and I (kept going).

The choice to stay on the track ended up costing Alexander a new motor, but

as he put it, “I think it was worth it.”

Alexander would fi n-ish the race in second, with Henderson right behind him, giving the hometown driver the season championship by six points.

Meanwhile, Henderson fi nished second in the stand-ings at three different tracks last year, but wasn’t able to win one.

“It’s not much of a ri-valry, he seems to win every year,” Henderson chuckled. “We get along well though and we have a lot of fun racing together.”

Asked what makes the other driver so good, Alexander and Henderson both gave the same answer: consistency.

“Consistency is what wins championships and he’s consistently at the fi nish line,” said Henderson, who had seven top-fi ve fi nishes himself at Estevan in 2012.

Alexander also noted Henderson’s 13 years of experience behind the wheel as a benefi t.

“Kelly sure has the seat time and the experience behind him. I’m just happy I’ve been able to do as well as I have in the short period of time I’ve been racing cars. Kelly’s got probably 10 championships from different tracks, and for me to bring it home the last three years, local guy, local track, it’s just been a real pleasure,” he said.

In Alexander’s case, he said crew chief Dave Mill-man has been the difference and that the championships started coming when he came on board.

“I can’t say it’s all me, because it’s not.”

Although Henderson has had more than his share of success over the years, he’s still motivated to keep getting behind the wheel.

“It’s what we love to do. I’ve been around it my whole life,” said Henderson, who is now racing a sport mod as well.

“It’s hard to keep up. My dad really lives for it. He’s actually what keeps me going, he works on the cars all winter long while I’m racing.”

While Alexander and Henderson have a lot of wins under their belts, they certainly aren’t the only contenders in the stock car class.

Between the two of them, they named Gregg Mann, Geoff Mann, Ster-ling LaBatte, Dale LaBatte, Austin Daae and Tanner Matthewson as some of the other drivers to look out for.

“That class is getting better and better in Estevan

every year. There’s a lot of fast drivers up there and you gotta be good to win,” said Henderson.

“I go out there thinking they’re all gunning for fi rst place just like I am. If I can

get there fi rst and hold them off, fantastic,” Alexander added.

Those guys will be gunning for Alexander and Henderson, and the targets on their backs, in 2013.

The cream of the stock car cropAlexander, Henderson enjoy duking it out

Alexander Tale of the Tape Henderson

12 Career Wins 16

3 Championships 1

2 2012 Wins 1

234 2012 Points 228

6 2012 Top 5 7

All stats for Estevan Motor Speedway only

RT4 May 22, 2013 Estevan Mercury

BIGSELECTION

for the big dayWedding Favours

Company Gifts & Company Apparel

T-Shirts for an event or special occasion

Downtown Estevan

306-634-6774

Push the Limitsin all the Best Gear!!

Brands from: Downtown Weyburn

306-842-6774Open late Mon. - Fri., Sun. 12-4 • www.xsiv.ca

Since its inception fi ve years ago, the $3,000-to-win, 40-lap feature now known as the McComb Automotive Fast 40 has become a big hit with drivers.

The Fast 40 is one of the biggest events on the Estevan Motor Speedway race calendar each year, at-tracting drivers from all over the United States.

Track president Lynn Trobert said the thinking when the race was introduced in 2009 was to increase the American presence at the track.

“We wanted something to bring these drivers up here. The American races, their purses aren’t that high. Our

purses are very high com-pared to what the Americans’ are,” she said.

“If you’ve got a chance to win $3,000, you’re going to drive a long way to come up and race.”

Arizona Mechanical sponsored the race for the fi rst two years. It was known as the Auto Value Fast 40 in 2011 before McComb took over the title sponsorship.

Originally, the pot was $5,000, all to the winning driver. The prize money was then split up to give $3,000 to the winner, $2,000 to the second-place fi nisher and $1,000 for third place.

For the fi rst four years of the Fast 40, it ran on the

weekend before the Estevan stop on the Dakota Classic Modifi ed Tour, which usu-ally falls on a Monday or Tuesday.

That amplified the hoped-for results, with many American drivers who com-pete on the mod tour also coming up for the 40-lap tune-up beforehand.

“In the last few years, it’s been before the mod tour, so there were actually drivers coming from Nebraska, Iowa and all over the map,” said Sidney, Mont., driver Hank Berry, who is a regular chal-lenger on the mod tour and won it last year after running third in the Fast 40.

“So there’s the best of the best coming from a lot of different places on the U.S. side, and the same up there in Canada. It defi nitely makes it a premier event.”

Trobert noted it’s a big deal for the local drivers as well.

“They look forward to it. Some of them even go so far as to change their paint scheme for it. It’s a good night. They know the crowd is there behind them. Every-body always wants the local drivers to win it.”

Last year, the Fast 40 was moved up to June at

the request of the mod tour, feeling that the feature took away from the lustre of the tour stop.

However, the June date was rained out, and the event ended up taking place on its normal weekend.

But this year there is little choice in the matter. The mod tour has added Jamestown to its list of host tracks, and the tour begins there on the Saturday, which is the same night the Fast 40 would normally be held. So it will take place on June 15, on the second night of the NSTR Super Trucks doubleheader.

“That was beyond our control. We liked it bet-ter then, but the mod tour this year has changed. The starting and everything else

has changed on it, so that wasn’t possible. We were just fortunate enough to do it for three years without getting screamed at,” said Trobert.

“We worked (the trucks) in with the $3,000 to win (feature), so that’s really exciting. I think the $3,000 to win draws a good crowd, so we should have a good crowd both nights because a lot of people want to see what those trucks are about.”

Berry said he’s planning to come up for the Fast 40, despite the date change.

“Some of the guys that drive a lot further to come to the mod tour, maybe they won’t come up. I can’t speak for them. But I’m defi nitely planning on coming. You’ll get a good turnout. I’m just

looking forward to it and looking forward to getting back to Estevan. I don’t get up there very much in a summer, but that track’s been pretty decent to me over the years. (There are) a lot of good people up there to hang out with.

“I just like going to the bigger shows like that. To me, they’re more challeng-ing, you got stiffer competi-tion. It’s pretty gratifying if a guy does win some of those shows. It’s a challenge and the money doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure,” Berry added.

Although some Ameri-can drivers may stop coming, Trobert said some of the rac-ers from further south “have said that they’re committed to coming.”

Fast 40 emerging as “premier event”

Jay Noteboom of Hinton, Iowa, has been one of many American challengers to make the trek to Estevan for the Fast 40 in recent years.

May 22, 2013 RT5www.estevanmercury.ca

Serving the oil patch of Western CanadaLONG HAUL - Canada & US

Although it got off to a slow start, it was an eventful season at Estevan Motor Speedway in 2012. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from last year:

NOTABLEThe year got off to a nightmarish start

for the Speedway, as the fi rst four race dates of the season were rained out. One of them was the McComb Automotive Fast 40, and another was wiped out when the rain began to fall in buckets in the evening after a bright, sunny day.

***Cars fi nally hit the track for the season

opener on June 29, nearly two months after the originally scheduled opener. Spencer Wilson earned his fi rst mod win at any track in the feature, passing Marlyn Seidler on the second-last lap. Williston’s Joe Flory took the stock car feature after getting past

Rocky Alexander late to grab the checkered fl ag. In the hobby feature, Michael Dionne moved into the lead on the fi fth lap and never gave it up.

***The season slate ramped up quickly

after the belated start, with the rescheduled McComb Automotive Fast 40 taking place on July 7. Aaron Turnbull won the $3,000-to-win mod feature by retaking the lead from Travis Hagen with three laps left. Hagen had passed him on lap 28. Austin Daae won the stock car feature after passing Flory on lap 13, while Brad King passed Dustin Byler in the second half of the hobby feature to win that one.

***Estevan’s annual stop on the Dakota

Classic Modifi ed Tour came three days later, as drivers from all over the United States crossed the border to hit the track at EMS.

Hank Berry of Sidney, Mont., was cruis-ing to victory when a yellow fl ag came out with four laps to go. He managed to hold off Steve Arpin to win, and he would later win the entire tour. Tyson Turnbull was the highest Estevan fi nisher on the tour, taking fourth spot, 26 points behind Berry.

In the stock car feature, Minot’s Steven Pfeifer took the lead early and survived a couple of cautions to earn the win. In the hobby feature, Williston’s Eric Sinness passed Brad King on the second-last lap of a caution-fi lled race.

***The weather intervened again on July

21 when a thunderstorm began to move in. King had just won the hobby feature and the modifi ed B-main had just gotten underway when track offi cials decided to cut the program short in the interest of fans’ safety. The grandstands emptied quickly as the storm moved in.

***The stock and mod features were

rescheduled on Aug. 3 to run prior to the race program already slated for that night, making for a long evening of racing. It was a big night for Aaron Turnbull and Alexander. Turnbull fi nished second before father Ed in the fi rst mod feature, then won the second one. Alexander won both stock features on the program. King would win the hobby feature for his second straight victory.

***A week later, Mike Hagen capped off

a tough couple of days with a mod feature win. Earlier in the day, the Williston driver and his son Travis, also a mod racer at EMS, had been pallbearers at the funeral of a close

friend. Hagen started second and held the lead virtually start to fi nish.

Kelly Henderson, who had been run-ning near the top of the point standings all year, picked up his fi rst 2012 win at EMS by outlasting Alexander for the win. Mean-while, Sinness continued a strong year by winning the hobby feature ahead of King. Sinness continued his trend of fi nishing fi rst or second in each of his fi ve appearances at EMS to that point.

***Monster trucks took centre stage at

EMS on Aug. 15, with the Monster Shoot-out attracting a large crowd. The program included a monster truck show, a stunt bike exhibition and a Tuff Truck competition for local drivers. Roughly 1,400 people showed up.

***Although championship night in 2011

was graced by the presence of Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, the season-ending pro-gram in 2012 proved to be just as eventful. Aaron Turnbull entered the evening with a 20-point lead in the season mod standings. By qualifying for the feature, he mathemati-cally locked up the title — or so everyone thought.

However, a dustup with Joey Gallo-way and Mason Big Eagle late in the race resulted in Turnbull losing the championship because of an incident for the second time in three years. And just like the previous time, his brother Tyson ended up with the title after coming all the way from 25th to fi nish second in the feature. Their father Ed ended up winning the race in a cakewalk.

⇢ Pg 6

A look back at the 2012 season

Robby Rosselli, left, and Jordan Durward go nose-to-nose during the be-lated season opener on June 29 last season.

RT6 May 22, 2013 Estevan Mercury

738 5th Street (back door) Phone: 634-3522

24 Hour Service - 7 Days A Week!

• Two Way Radios• Alarm Monitoring

• Safety Checks

"We Dispatch for the Oil Patch"

⇠ Pg 6 Meanwhile, Alexander earned his third straight stock car championship. He led Henderson by fi ve points entering the night, and the two stuck to each other like glue throughout the feature. Alexander ended up fi nishing second in the race, with Henderson right behind him in third. Robby Rosselli won the race. In the hobby feature, Gary Goudy Sr. came from behind to take the championship, overcoming a seven-point defi cit to get past Blaine Durward. Goudy fi nished sixth in the feature, which was won by Brock Beeter for the second straight night.

***Although the points races were done

for the season, there were still three popular events to come in September. For the second straight year, an enormous crowd came out to watch the Eve of Destruction. The event featured a combine demolition derby in 2011, but this time around the main attrac-tion was a fi gure eight trailer race. With each

driver hauling a trailer at least six feet long, mayhem ensued and the track soon became covered in debris. Brian Wenzel was the last driver standing. Meanwhile, Karson Dixon took the rollover contest and Devin Shirley won the truck pull.

***The next weekend saw two more

events to close out the year. On Saturday, the Kickin’ Up The Dirt special featured the INEX Legend cars from the Dakota Legends series, along with races in all three regular classes. The annual enduro race took place the next day, with a massive group of 71 cars hitting the track to smash one another up. The track was littered with bumpers, a tire and other random parts. Mike Zohner was the winner, completing 104 laps by the time the 90 minute race was over.

***The Speedway held its annual awards ban-quet on Oct. 27. Matt Kutz (modifi ed), James Frayn (stock car) and Leevi Runge (hobby

stock) were named the track’s rookies of the year. The Clint Prette Memorial Award, which rewards commitment, loyalty and sportsmanship, was given to stock driver Geoff Mann. Saskatchewan comedian Dez Reed provided the entertainment.

QUOTABLE“In the heat race, I was a little bit ner-

vous. It was a pretty heavy track. But it was nice to see that the track kind of slicked off a little bit, not a whole lot, but it made it so a guy can move around on the track and do some passing.” — Minot’s Spencer Wilson on earning his fi rst career victory in the season opener at EMS on June 29.

“I didn’t know how much of a lead I had. I fi gured (the other drivers) were fairly close, but I tried to stretch it out as much as I could in case it went caution-free … (in) lap traffi c, there were a few of them that were running my line and that was when Kevin (Stoa) was right on my bumper. That made it diffi cult. I thought he was

going to get me right there, but I managed to get him back.” — Aaron Turnbull on win-ning the McComb Automotive Fast 40 after passing Travis Hagen with three laps to go.

“Once I got there, I kinda was with them but I just didn’t have enough to try to make a pass. There were a couple of different lines I tried, and I could kinda get up there and look like maybe I was going to be able to get ahead of them, but I just couldn’t get ‘er done … the track was wonderful. It was awesome, really. ⇢ Pg 7

Memorable season at Speedway

A pack of stock cars, including J.J. Barnstable (1) and Geoff Mann (46), wind their way around a turn during the Aug. 3 race program last year.

Devin Raynard escapes from his vehicle after a rollover during a race program on Aug. 24.

May 22, 2013 RT7www.estevanmercury.ca

1108 4th Street, Estevan

Phone: 1-306-634-7311

Toll Free: 1-866-284-7496

⇠ Pg 6 There were multiple grooves, it was smooth, it was a really good race track they had. They deserve a lot of credit, the guys who prep the track, because I know it takes a lot of work to do that and get a race track right. They did a fantastic job.” — Hank Berry of Sidney, Mont., on taking third place in the Fast 40.

“It was tough because it was winding down, here I am kind of cruising, and then all of a sudden, ‘man, they’re coming, now they’re going to be all over me.’” — Berry on surviving a late caution to win the Estevan leg of the Dakota Classic Modifi ed Tour.

“It was a lot of fun. I wish we could do that more often. I wish we ran here more. We’ve got such a nice track in Estevan, there’s really no better place around here.” — Aaron Turnbull on taking a pair of top-two fi nishes in the extended Aug. 3 program, after a slow start to the year for EMS due to the rainouts.

“I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to win that one Friday night. It meant the world to me, that win.” — Mike Hagen on wrapping up an emotional week with a victory on Aug. 10.

“Nobody wants to be the guy who didn’t get the last push or shove in. It started Friday night, but I think

(the feud) started many races before that. In a nutshell, the three cars were DQ’d. Think of it as fi ve minutes for fi ghting and a game misconduct. Everybody that was involved got the same penalty. We’ll send an report to the IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) and if they want to take supplemental action, that’ll be up to the governing body.” — EMS past-president David Mack on the controversial incident involving Turnbull, Galloway and Big Eagle on championship night.

“It was defi nitely a bit of a surprise, yeah. Honestly, I hadn’t looked at the points all year until the end of the race Saturday, when they told me there was a possibility I might end up with the championship. I just found the right holes to get around those guys. Usually I’m real patient, but I really didn’t waste any time with anybody. Usually I’m not real good through traffi c like that, that’s kind of my brother’s specialty.” — Tyson Turnbull on coming from 25th to fi nish second in the feature and win the season championship.

“I didn’t see who was behind me at all, so I didn’t know what kind of a margin I had. We’ve had an excellent season. I think that’s around 15 wins between the three of us. I don’t think we’ve ever had a year like this before.” — Ed Turnbull on winning the fi nal points feature of the year and wrapping up a successful season for the family.

EMS slate heats up in August

An appearance by the INEX Legends cars was one of the highlights of the Speedway’s season-ending weekend in September.

Speedway marketing director Tracy Lewis-Miller managed to fl ip her car over during the rollover contest held at Eve of Destruction last September.

RecycleThis

Paper

RT8 May 22, 2013 Estevan Mercury

306-634-7977441 4th Street, Estevan

highenergy@sasktel.net www.highenergyperformance.ca

With an agonizingly long winter fi nally having left us (knock on wood), the Southeast Corner Racing Circuit and Trackside MX Park are preparing to start another new season.

The SCRC schedule begins on June 1 in Carlyle. It will run slightly deeper into the fall than usual, with Weyburn hosting the fi nal race program of the year on Oct. 5.

Weyburn will also host the year-end awards banquet that day, a depar-ture from past years when Estevan always played host.

“We asked Weyburn to have the year-end banquet. We’ve been having it here every year. We fi gured it was time for them to fi nally do the work, and also spread it around for families in the area,” said Trackside president Chris Istace.

Although Weyburn is hosting the wrap-up event, Estevan’s two races will remain later in the schedule.

The fi rst program at Trackside will come dur-ing the annual Pure Energy Weekend in late August, with racers hitting the track Aug. 24.

“That’s such a great weekend. You catch car people that come for the

bikes, and the bike people get to catch great car races. It just brings more people to the community and that’s great as well,” Istace said of the annual celebration of racing in the Energy City.

He said he’d like Trackside to be more in-volved with the downtown

car show that takes place on Saturday during the Pure Energy Weekend, but the races at the park take place that day.

“Unfortunately, we’re always busy at the track,” he said.

The other Estevan race day takes place Sept. 14.

Instead of wrapping up the season, it’s the third-last program on the schedule, with the circuit visiting Carlyle on Sept. 21.

Oxbow will host a motocross doubleheader July 6-7, and Carlyle will be the location for a two-day MX school taking place

June 15-16.After redoing some

sections of the Trackside course in 2011, Istace said he’s happy with the general layout now.

“The track is in really good shape, so it’s just a matter of opening it each year and cleaning it up and

tidying it up. We’re happy with the layout, the way it’s going to be this year.”

As for the riders them-selves, he expects numbers in the younger classes to continue to grow.

“I think (entries) might be up, actually. Local-wise, tons of new people are pop-ping up to the track and I think there might be some more interest for those grassroots, fi rst-time racers. I think we might be able to fi nd a few more.”

Still, Istace has said all along that he doesn’t want the SCRC or the local course to get too big, and he reiterated that thought, saying he doesn’t want to compete with the provincial MX circuit for riders.

“We don’t want to get much bigger. We want to keep it low-key, relaxed and fun. I guess it’s a mixed blessing. We do see (some coming from the provincial series).

“But then, we might see some of our riders progressing to that series. They’ve grown up through our series and gotten really good and competitive, and not that there’s better riders there, but they may want to race against more people across the province.”

Trackside gearing up for new MX season

Shelby Eagles (19) and Zach Olmstead ripped up some dirt during the Sept. 29 races at Trackside MX last fall. Racers powered through heats in the morning, before moving on to the afternoon’s fi nals.

May 22, 2013 RT9www.estevanmercury.ca

Courtesy Vehicles

Collision Repair

Custom Paint

1010 6th St., Estevan • Ph: 634-6060; Fax: 634-8340

• 5 Journeymen Autobody Repair and Paint Specialists on Staff

• State-of-the-Art Paint Booths • Hook® Frame Rack

Collision Repair

Custom Paint

PhPhPhPhhP 6363636363444 600606066060 FFF 666343434 8883

Good Luck to All Racers!

Frame Repair

Glass Repair

Glass Replacement

Towing Services

Hail Damage & R.V. Repair

See us for:

Visit us on the web!!www.estevanmercury.ca

After years of slow, incremental prog-ress, the Estevan Drag Racing Association appears to be getting much closer to the construction of a new track.

Having acquired the land and completed a business plan, EDRA offi cials are now pushing forward.

An invitational meeting will be held May 24 to gauge the level of corporate support for the venture, which would see the new track be built just north of Estevan Motor Speedway.

“A number of companies have shown quite a bit of interest in being involved in making this thing happen. We’re going to try to open the door for a bunch of more people to be involved,” said EDRA secretary and past-president Jim Forrest.

Among the people coming for the meet-ing are Phil Gingerich, the track develop-ment director for the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), and Ron Colson, CEO of Track Planning Associates, who did the build plan for the project.

Forrest said the level of corporate sup-port will determine how quickly the group can be holding races on the new track, with

the best-case scenario being 2014.“That probably solely depends on the

kind of support we get. If we get that major support, we could probably be racing next spring. We could get at it and get it done,” he said.

The most important thing is obtaining the means to lay down the actual track.

“The initial thing is you have to get the goods and services, or funding or whatever in place to actually lay down your track. That’s something that has to happen in one piece. A drag strip has to maintain its levelness, its straightness, so it’s hard to build with multiple pieces. That’s a major, major part of your whole plan,” said Forrest.

“I think we’ve dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s to the point where we can show that this is a viable thing. That was absolutely important to us as an organization too. We didn’t want to build a race track and fi ve years from now, have grass growing over it. We’ve got the numbers that say that isn’t going to happen.

“If any place can do it, Estevan can. I honestly believe that. There’s absolutely no better place in the world to tackle a project

like this.”EDRA track development director Greg

Hoffart said the new track will provide another entertainment option for people coming to Estevan for work, and should also help expand the group’s membership.

“There are lots of people coming to town from bigger centres who are looking for something to do. Well, this is another thing that people can do.”

Forrest said the new facility, whenever it does become operational, would open up more possibilities for competition. The EDRA’s initial fi ve-year plan includes po-tentially hosting an IHRA event.

The plan calls for 13 race weekends per year.

“For us, it would be such a tremendous thing to see this through. I think it’ll be a tremendous thing for the community. It’s going to make quite a little motorsports park. We’ll be able to do some pretty major events, probably, in conjunction with the Speedway and the Trackside MX guys. The community

spirit in Estevan makes it possible to have projects like that. Drag racing is something that has been kinda lacking in this corner of the province,” said Forrest.

“It’s a family thing too,” Hoffart added. “It’s not just one individual, it’s a whole fam-ily. They start at eight (years old) and they can race junior dragsters. It’s to bring the family together and parents spend time with their kids. It’s a great sport to be involved in.”

As for this year at the Estevan Municipal Airport, the season opener is June 16 and the third annual Dennis Neelin Memorial goes July 14.

The season fi nale on Aug. 25 will feature the Emergency West twin-engine wheel-stander.

Forrest said it has two blown alcohol engines mounted in the back, with 3500 horsepower.

“From everything I’ve watched, from videos of him, it’s just a tremendous show. This is something people are going to want to come and see.”

Wheels moving on new track for EDRATwo cars get ready to rip down the track during the EDRA’s season fi nale at the Estevan Municipal Airport.

RT10 May 22, 2013 Estevan Mercury

Up and OverByron Mantei (27) and Stephen Saban fl y over the front portion of the track during the Aug. 25 races at Trackside MX.

Trackside MX 2012 winners

EDRA 2012 winnersAug. 25

125 Class, Kade AndersonOpen A, Bryce Reynolds

Open B, Brett FosterOpen C, Jeff MorganVet, Bryce ReynoldsWomen, Kate LeesYouth, Tyson Wall

Beginner, Jericho RachulSuper mini, William Merrett

85 cc, William Merrett65 cc, Jordan Hillrich50 cc, Noah Jacobson

Sept. 29125 Class, Ryan PetersOpen A, Cody RouseOpen B, Josh Mantei

Open C, Ivan VelychkoVet, Gerald Fehr

Women, Kate LeesYouth, Ryan PetersBeginner, Alex Kerr

Super mini, Kayden Hjorteland85 cc, William Merrett

65 cc, Braden Hanson-Gnyp50 cc, Noah Jacobson

Aug. 26Quick 16, Bryon Ludlam

A side, Jake McCawStreet tire, Ron Frayn

Bikes, Glen SchimlJunior dragster, Amanda Wilson

June 24Quick 16, Bryon Ludlam

A side,Tim BowersStreet tire, Matthew Gervais

Bikes, Glen SchimlJunior dragster, Alyssa Doerr

July 15Quick 16, Skip Zentner

A side, Jake McCawStreet tire, Ron Frayn

Bikes, Dave KrahnJunior dragster, Brooke Striha

Local weather - Now & the days to come — www.estevanmercury.ca

May 22, 2013 RT11www.estevanmercury.ca

Complete Paint Service • Expert Collision RepairGuaranteed Work • Fast Friendly Service • Courtesy Vehicles

“CUSTOMER APPROVED RESULTS”

Good Luck Good Luck Drivers!Drivers!

WOOD COUNTRYWOOD COUNTRYESTEVAN MCLEAN TISDALE

Ph: (306) 634-5111 • Fax: (306) 634-8441407 Kensington Avenue, Estevan

306-634-9955#6 Mehler Drive KRJ Industrial Park, Estevan, SK

Season Opener— June 16

Dennis Neelin Memorial— July 14

Season Finale— Aug. 25

EDRA 2013 schedule

The

is your number one source for

local racing news all summer long.

Saturday, June 1— Regular points night

Friday, June 14— NSTR Super TrucksSaturday, June 15

— NSTR Super Trucks and $3,000 to win featureFriday, June 28

— Can-Am Shootout Night 1Monday, July 8

— Dakota Classic Modifi ed TourSaturday, July 20

— Regular points nightTuesday, July 30— Late modelsFriday, Aug. 9

— Regular points nightFriday, Aug. 23

— Championship nightFriday, Sept. 13 — Eve of Destruction

Sunday, Sept. 22 — Enduro race

Estevan Motor Speedway 2013 schedule

June 1— Carlyle

June 15-16— MX school in Carlyle

July 6— OxbowAug. 24

— EstevanSept. 14

— EstevanSept. 21— Carlyle

Oct. 5— Weyburn

Southeast Corner Racing Circuit 2013 schedule

RT12 May 22, 2013 Estevan Mercury

It ’s Great to Know You Got the Best Deal! (306) 453-6741 www.carlylegm.ca

Estevan Motor Speedway Estevan Motor Speedway ALL-TIME WINSALL-TIME WINS

Here are the top 10 drivers in all-time wins in each class at Estevan Motor Speedway:

1. Aaron Turnbull — 252. Mike Hagen — 19

T3. Wayne Johnson — 14T3. Ed Turnbull — 145. Joren Boyce — 96. Allen Kent — 8

T7. Devin Raynard — 6T7. Hank Berry — 6

T9. Steven Pfeifer — 4T9. Jay Noteboom — 4

MODIFIEDS

1. Dana Brandt — 10T2. Daryle Runge — 8T2. Davin Emmel — 8T4. Chris Scholpp — 6

T4. Alvin Dube — 6T6. Les McLenehan — 5

T6. Gregg Mann — 5T6. Rob Curtis — 5

T9. Brad Lisafeld — 4T9. Aaron Turnbull — 4

T9. Owen Bourassa — 4T9. Noel Dube — 4

T9. Brock Beeter — 4

STREET STOCKS1. Kelly Henderson — 162. Rocky Alexander — 12

3. Nathan Burke — 84. Gregg Mann — 4T5. Wyatt Olson — 3

T5. Robby Rosselli — 3T7. Bruce Rudland — 2

T7. Joe Flory — 216 tied at — 1

HOBBY STOCKS

Visit www.estevanmercury.ca for local racing news all summer long.