BOWMANVILLE, ON – With Mother Nature threatening to rain on the Waste Management Services parade, Mosport Speedway was in fast forward on August 14. Fortunately, the weather was kind to the thankful crowd and competitors, and the full schedule of races were completed for the home track Six or Less and Sportsman divisions, as well as the visiting OSCAAR Super Late Models.
OSCAAR Super Late Models
First out of the gate were the ultra-fast OSCAAR Super Late Models. Gambling on beating the weather, Sevens Were Wild as the four heat races, with 7 cars in each, were run with Derrick Tiemersma in his #7 WayFreight car taking two wins, with single victories going to the #7t of Jeff Dunford, and defending series champion Glenn Watson, who won over the #77 of Sault Ste. Marie’s George Wilson.
Seven double file rows of Super Late Models lined up to take the green flag for the 50-lap feature, and taking advantage of his pole position, Dunford led the field into Turn One, with Bowmanville’s Michel Beyore (#54), Wilson, and Tiemersma trailing close behind. A lap nine incident on the front straight sent Drew Spicer (#89) to the pits, and Wilson to the tail-end of the pack, leaving a four-car train, of Dunford, Beyore, Tiemersma and Glenn Watson, battling for race supremacy.
Just before the halfway mark, Tiemersma tucked the nose of the #7 low entering Turn Three, forcing Dunford up the track and wide, giving the Newmarket-based driver a clear shot at the lead. Watson mirrored the move on lap 32 to slip into second place, but although he tried to close the gap, Watson could not wrestle the point from Tiemersma’s grasp. Running out the remaining laps in order, Tiemersma scored the victory by eight car lengths from Watson, Dunford, another five car lengths in arrears.
“Starting fifth, I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me,” stated Tiemersma. “I just drove my tail off tonight.”
Watson admitted that tire wear cost him the chance for victory,
“I think I burned off the right, rear tire. The car got really free in the corners, and I couldn’t get back on the gas as quickly as I needed to.”
Seven cars finished on the lead lap, with Mike Bricknell (#69), past Mosport Late Model champion Ian Bourque (#83), George Wilson (#77) and Lloyd Ritchie (#62) completing the list of top finishers.
The Bob’s Towing Sportsman
With a little technical advice from legendary car builder and tuner Bob ‘Rip’ Rippington, Courtice’s Brad Stevenson in his #77 Sanfords Racing Engines Monte Carlo has put himself into a position to wrestle the points lead away from Mosport multi-champion John Baker Jr.
Starting the night’s activities seven points behind Baker, Stevenson pulled off the three race sweep, earning victories in each of the two, eight lap heat dashes, and holding off Baker for the three car length win in the 20 lap feature.
Lined up side by side on Row Two, Baker was able to clear pole-sitter Bob Kish (#78 Multi Financial Services Chevy) on lap four, Stevenson moving into second place on a lap seven caution period restart. Running nose to tail, Stevenson kept the pressure on the #63 Marksmen Club Monte Carlo, eventually using the long, outside route through the third corner to ease the lead away from Baker.
Inching away, Stevenson took the win, his fourth feature victory of the season, over Baker, and narrowed the points gap to a mere three markers.
“We missed the setup a little, but I had to be patient and just waited for the car to come in,” admitted Stevenson.
Defending series champion Bill Northam (#85 Five Points Mall Pontiac) crossed the stripe in third place, with the #14 Mayhew Auto Nova of Steve Mayhew and Kish’s #78 Monte Carlo rounding out the top five.
The THORSONS EVT Six Or Less
“I finally got my hat trick,” laughed Duane Jeffery following his feature win in the 20 lap evening finale. “I’ve won so many heat races, but I could never take the feature on the same night. This is so sweet!”
Sharing the heat race wins with Anthony DiBello (#27) and points leader Kevin Pickford (#19), Jeffery’s challenge for the sweep began from mid-pack in the feature’s 15-car field.
Immediately on the charge, the #26 Car-Du Camaro quickly forged to the front, and following a three-wide scramble into Turn Three, Jeffery emerged at the point, wrestling the position away from early race leader Heath McDonald (#96 U-Haul Shadow). A lap six tangle between McDonald and Fedele DiBello brought out the caution flag, allowing Anthony DiBello (#27 DAK Enterprises Cavalier) and Drew Smith in the #96 Maddy’s Pub Sunbird to close onto Jeffery’s back bumper. Once again under green, Jeffery pulled away from the field, working traffic with apparent ease, and earning his third feature win of the season.
“I thought I might run into trouble with the traffic, but the guys were great in giving me room to get by,” said Jeffery.
On lap 13, Kevin Pickford’s #19 National Building Supply Skyhawk replaced DiBello for second spot, these two taking the checkers bumper to bumper, while Smith, at the controls of defending champion Jeff Scott’s #96 Pontiac edged out Chris Mulder’s (#89 Link Greenhouses Cavalier) for fourth place.
From Ryan Chalmers, Mosport // Photo Credit - Peter Brand: Photo 1 - OSCAAR feature race winner Derrick Tiemersma Photo 2 - Bob's Towing Sportsman winner of all three races, Brad Stevenson Photo 3 - THORSONS EVT 6 or Less feature race winner Duane Jeffery
