DRUMMMONDVILLE, QUE. � As lightening lit up the sky in the distance, Alain Bergeron lit up the competition on Saturday night at Autodrome Drummond to score his first 25th Anniversary Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint tour win since July of 2005.
The win came as part of the SMAC Magazine Canadian Invasion series and it was the ninth of his career. It paid him a hefty $2,200.
�It�s been a long, long time,� stated Bergeron after the victory in the caution free Fondations 4 Saisons sponsored 25-lap A-Main. �This feels so much better than last night (3rd place finish at Granby).�
Bergeron�s previous win prior to Saturday night also came at Drummond, a place he�s turned many laps in his racing career in the Mini-Sprint ranks.
�I�ve got 12 to 15 wins here in my career,� commented Bergeron. �I really like this track. It�s better for me because it is very fast and tacky.�
Racing action got underway with Brandon Warner and Tommy Wickham bringing the field down to the green flag with Wickham winning race into turn one for the lead.
Wickham, of Constantia, N.Y., led while Bergeron moved from the inside of the second row around Jeff Cook on lap eight to take the runner-up position away.
Bergeron then began to close in on Wickham as he was attempting to maneuver through slower traffic at the tail of the field.
On lap 12, Bergeron got a run to the outside of turns three and four and he drove by Wickham to take the race lead away.
�The door was open on the top,� said Bergeron. �I kept my foot to the floor and drove by him (Wickham) to get the lead.�
Now the leader, Bergeron was not going to be denied as he worked through traffic to pull away from Cook, who had moved into second on lap 13, to take the checkered.
Cook, of Antwerp, N.Y., ran the very same Maxim chassis that he put on its roof on Friday night. The second place finished garnered him $1,250 for his efforts.
�This is a lot better than last night,� joked Cook. �I thought I had something for him (Bergeron) but I got slowed up in traffic and he got away from me. I needed a couple more laps.�
Michael Parent had his best run of the season as he placed third in his Fisher powered Schnee after starting the race from sixth. �Steve (Poirier) helped me out a little tonight,� commented Parent. �The car was a lot better that it has been. It was nice to finally go out and run well.�
Wickham ended up fading back to fourth while Steve Poirier moved up from the eighth starting position to complete the top five which gave him the current ESS point lead.
ESS/DRUMMOND NOTES: Just as the previous night at Granby, 21 sprints in the pits�A tacky and smooth track made for a caution free evening�Top modified star David Hebert was in the Poirier back-up for the second time in his career and again posted a stout top ten finish, sportsman star Eric Lefebvre was in the Bergeron back-up and like Beaucage the night before he showed top speed�The heavy track produced speeds of over 100 m.p.h. on the radar gun�Point leader going into the event, Lance Yonge, dropped a push rod in his engine and took one lap in the A-Main�Brian McDonald continues to be snake bit as a drive line was ripped out during his heat, he just missed the A-Main green by a matter of seconds�A little trivia: The six car dash draw was a complete match of the first six starters of the A-Main which is also done by a draw�Drummond will also host two more visits on August 2 and 30�Next weekend it�s a visit to the Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night for a $2,000 to win, $300 to take the green event and then on Sunday it�s off to the Cornwall Motor Speedway for the long awaited visit in conjunction with the World of Outlaw Late Models. The WestFront Construction A-Main will pay $2,500 to win and $1,500 for second with $300 to take the green.
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints Fondations 4 Saisons A-Main (25 laps): Alain Bergeron, Jeff Cook, Michael Parent, Tommy Wickham, Steve Poirier, Tim Kelly, Brandon Warner, Lee Ladouceur, David Hebert, Doug Norrie, Justin Barger, Russ Bennett, Anthony Cain, Eric Lefebvre, Daniel Lampron, Normand Beaudreault, James Hanson, Gordy Button, Kayle Robidoux, Lance Yonge, DNS – Brian McDonald.
Lap Leaders � Wickham 1-11, Bergeron 12-25
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 1 (10 laps): Jeff Cook, Brandon Warner, Tim Kelly, Russ Bennett, Daniel Lampron, Eric Levebvre, Kayle Robidoux
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 2 (10 laps): Alain Bergeron, Lee Ladouceur, Steve Poirier, Justin Barger, James Hanson, Brian McDonald, Normand Beaudreault
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 3 (10 laps): Tommy Wickham, Michael Parent, David Herbert, Gordy Button, Doug Norrie, Anthony Cain, Lance Yonge
Normand Beaudreault Construction/Walt�s Hobby Dash � Tommy Wickham
CASH BONUSES:
Fondations 4 Saisons A-Main � Bergeron $200
Ohsweken Speedway Winner�s Bonus � Bergeron $100
National Parts Peddler Halfway Bonus � Bergeron $100
Les Constructions Ultra Blue Collar Award � Cook $100
Lane�s Yamaha Hard Charger � Norrie (5 pos.) $50
Cook�s Contracting Services Bridesmaid Bonus � Cook $50
AMB Moteurs Fast Time Award � Wickham (14.874) $50
HG Associates Pole Award � Warner $50
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers � Cook, Bergeron, Wickham $25
Winner�s Contingencies:
Lucas Oil $115, Griffin Thermal Products $100, Design 500 $100, Mangus Pumps $100, GME Steering $50, Saldana Racing Products $50, Hank�s Performance Products $50, Kreitz Oval Track Products $50, Racing Optics $30, Rod End Supply $30, Area Auto Racing News $25, Brake Man $25, Ultra Shield $10, Pepsi Cola $5
Other Contingencies:
Weld Racing Hard Luck � McDonald $100
ATL � Parent $100
Penske Shocks � Poirier $100
M&W Aluminum Products � Hanson $75
Leaf Racewear � Wickham $75
Design 500 � Poirier $50, Barger $50
Keizer Wheels � Poirier $50
KSE Racing Products � Can $50
Zemco Headers � Poirier $50
Joe Hunt Magnetos � Robidoux $50
Rod End Supply � Cook $30
VMAC Racing � Warner $25
DMI � Yonge $25
Luther�s Way Out Grafix � Parent $25
ISC Racers Tape � Norrie $10
Ultra Shield � Cook $10
Pepsi Cola � Cook, Bergeron, Wickham $5.