Past Events Home Page
2003-Ontario-Lyndsey Monster Trucks and Tough Trucks
2003-Ontario-Canadian Truck Nationals
2003-Ontario-QDMA Mud Drags
2003-Ontario Off Road Racing Association Round 2
2003-BC-Kamloops Short Course Racing-Round 1
2003-Ontario Off Road Racing Round 1
2003-Ontario-Gopher Dunes Good Friday Mud Fest
2002-Ontario Off Road Racing Association Round 4
2002-Ontario-Oshweken August Long Weeken Mud Races
2002-Alberta-Lethbridge Tough Trucks
2002-Ontario-Canadian Truck Nationals
2002-BC Kamloops Short Course Round 2
2002-Ontario-Oshweken Canada Day Mud Races
2002-Ontario Off Road Racing Association Round 3
2002-BC-Kamloops Short Course Round 1
2002-Ontario Off Road Racing Association Round 1
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ONTARIO OFF ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION ROUND 4
Article and pictures by Wes Kibble
More pictures available online at Off Road Action Webshots
"All I heard was get out, you're on fire!" said Sonya Morrisette as she sat cross-legged on the ground, looking at the race truck perched on top of the large round hay bale; her nerves obviously shaken. Her boyfriend and driver of the beautiful #403 Chevy, Kevin Kern, wandered around the truck, inspecting the damage and wondering how the hell he got up there in the first place. It happened on the second to last lap of Sunday's Heavy Metal Feature race. As Kevin and Sonya came into corner number one rubbing fenders with another racer, they got a little to close to the hay bales that mark the corners. They went up...and never came back down! As the poor truck was stuck on top of the bale, the hot exhaust caught the dry hay on fire! Thanks to the quick actions of the corner worker, the flames were extinguished quickly, but not before the fans were treated to an awesome smoke show.
This folks, is the typical action of the Ontario Off Road Racing Association drivers! On the August long weekend, spectators at the Mohawk Motorsports park, near Oshweken, ON, were provided with all kinds of action, including the fiery antics of the OORA drivers as well as the mud bogs on the other side of the complex. The short course racing on Saturday was a little dusty...actually very dusty, due to the water truck not showing up until after the race. The Class 1600 buggies ran their qualifying heat first, and the dust kept the passing to a minimum. Except for Ray Jennings (66), who showed some incredible driving by coming from the last row to place first, most everyone placed where they started. The Heavy Metal drivers decided to run the qualifying round as time trials for safety reasons because of the heavy dust. This meant that each vehicle would run one at a time, with the fastest time for 3 laps becoming the winner. Even though it was only one vehicle on the track at a time, there was still some breakage. Dave Guignard (800) in his beautiful black Chevrolet ended up running off the course when he broke a tie rod end. Ed "Pacman" Sanderson, in his yellow # 400 Hummer look a like, broke the front driveshaft hanger bearing in practice, and was forced to run in 2wd for the remainder of the weekend. During the qualifying race on Sunday, he proceeded to break the sector shaft in his steering box, forcing him off the track rather quickly! After the Heavy Metal guys ran, 3 tough trucks came out to play. Jim Taite, in his Tracker, took first place, while Sonya Morrisette and Ross McMaster's son finished second and third respectively in the first race they had ever driven in. The drivers elected to run the Saturdays feature race on Sunday morning due to the dusty conditions.
The temperature on Sunday was a lot cooler and the track was in ideal condition, thanks to JP Atkinson and other racers that worked throughout the night with the water truck and tractor. The broken vehicles were fixed overnight and everyone was anxious to race. The first set of races for the day was actually the feature races for Saturday. In the 1600 Buggy class, Bob Joseph in his #33 single seater finished just ahead of Ray Jennings in his equally tricky #66 two seater. These veteran drivers have very fast cars and have been battling each other all year for the championship. In third, it was JP Atkinson (611), followed by the 2001 Rookie of the Year Jeff Zoskey (600) and Randy Guenther (612), who is vying for this years Rookie of the Year honours. In the big trucks, it was actually the smallest truck that was ahead at the checkered flag. Neil Martel in his#747 Ranger was the only Class 7 at the start of the season and elected to run with the Heavy Metal guys. Since then, Kevin Aube in his #789 S-10 has come out to the last few races and runs as the only truck in Class 7. Dave Guignard lead right from the start in his big black #800 Chevy, but blew a corner on the second to last lap, allowing Neil to slip through on the inside. In the end, it was Neil Martel (747) in his black Ranger in first place, followed by Dave Guignard (800) in his big black Chevy, Kevin Kern (403) in his brightly coloured Chevy in third, Ric Tichbourne (447) in his Dirt Eater Chevy in fourth and Ed Sanderson (400) in his Hummer looking vehicle in fifth.
The second race of the day was actually the qualifier for Sunday’s racing. The two mini trucks put on a great show as they ran side by side for the whole race. Susy Papais enjoyed her first race truck ride with Kevin Kern. She enjoyed it so much that both Susy and Kevin's regular co driver, Sonya Morrisette, have begun discussing reviving the powder puff class. If any ladies are interested in racing, let them know!
Kevin and Sonya's haybale incident was definitely the highlight of feature event. The race was stopped as Dave Guignard (800) was about to start his last lap. Dave enjoyed his first victory lap of the year, but the smoke show of Kevin Kern defiantly but put a damper on his spirits. Again, it was Neil Martel (747) near the top in second in his Ranger, followed by Ric Tichbourne (447) in his Dirt Eater Chevy, current Heavy Metal points leader Ed Sanderson (400) in his yellow Hummer thing, and of course Kevin Kern did not finish the race. In the 1600 Buggies, it was Ray Jennings (66), followed by Randy Guenther (612) in his highest finish this year, Bob Joseph (33) who drove most of the race with his eyes completely full of mud, Ross McMaster in his two seater and JP Atkinson (611) brought home fifth. Jeff Zoskey (600) limped his dying engine around for last place. Kevin and Sonya managed to get their burned truck mobile again, allowing Sonya to run it in the tough truck class for a second place finish. Again, Jim Taite in his Tracker finished first, followed by Sonya and Ross McMaster's son.
The Ontario Off Road Racing Association hosts many races throughout the southern portion of the province. While most of the vehicles run in the 1600 and Heavy Metal class, there is definitely an increase in other classes. There are two Class 7 Mini Trucks, a Class 10 buggy and Jim Taite's Tracker is legal for Class 6. There are two Class 10 buggies being built and they should debut before the end of the year. Class 6 is an interesting class in that the participants take a stock vehicle, add safety equipment such as a roll bar, etc and go racing! The economical class is starting to get some interest and hopefully we will see some competition for Jim. As mentioned before, there is also some interest in the powderpuff classes. In fact, I am willing to bet that the next race that both Sonya Morrisette and Susy Papais are at, we will see these ladies out racing against each other. After a few years of low car count, the club is on the rebound with a lot of new racers. Some are building new cars, some are dusting the cobwebs off old ones. In fact, there are a number of competitive race cars available for those looking to get involved at a decent price. For more information on the Ontario Off Road Racing Association and off road racing in Canada, contact me at wes.kibble@rogers.com
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