That's what a new poll from Insider Advantage says.
Looking at the crosstabs a couple things jump out:
-They only have the black electorate at 25%. Survey USA, Rasmussen, and PPP all have it at 33%. That doesn't mean that IA is wrong, but it does help explain why Obama is doing so much worse in their poll than in others.
-They also only have Obama receiving 64% of the black vote at this point, which would be unusually low for him.
We'll see how the race moves over the last six days.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
A post I regret
About a month ago I wrote a post where I took the numbers from our tracking poll, distributed the undecideds in the proportion of current candidate support, and used them to help assess which races were headed for runoffs.
My intent was not to say that x candidate would beat y candidate by z margin if the election was that day, but to show how the relative standing at that point might or might not imply a runoff was in the future.
I should have known, however, that in contests for offices like Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor where there is little or no media coverage any bone I threw a campaign would be used for maximum advantage.
Later the same day an e-mail came out from Janet Cowell's campaign claiming based on the analysis that Janet was the candidate best positioned to cross the 40% mark.
Then Friday of that week Walter Dalton declared that we said if the election was held that day he would win by ten points. That made me cringe because the reality is I did not say that. I said that if the undecideds were distributed in the levels of current candidate support that Dalton would have 33 and his closest opponents would be at 23. Undecideds breaking in the same percentages as current candidate support is a big if and is a lot different than saying Dalton would win by ten if the election was that day. Hampton Dellinger fairly disputed Dalton's characterization in an email to the press later that day.
What really got me was an email from David Young today. He claimed that his 19-16 lead in this week's tracking poll was outside the margin of error! Their claim was based on their own extrapolations of the undecideds to 100.
I'm sorry but taking a poll with over 50% undecideds, distributing those voters in the same percentages as the 43% who are decided, and then claiming to have a lead outside the margin of error just is not correct. A three point lead with a +/- 2.8 MOE is a statistical tie and it is not accurate to claim it as anything else.
I'm not mad at the Cowell, Dalton, or Young campaigns for the claims they've made. It's my fault for writing that stupid post in the first place. But I hope campaigns will be more accurate in their portrayal of our numbers from here on out.
My intent was not to say that x candidate would beat y candidate by z margin if the election was that day, but to show how the relative standing at that point might or might not imply a runoff was in the future.
I should have known, however, that in contests for offices like Treasurer and Lieutenant Governor where there is little or no media coverage any bone I threw a campaign would be used for maximum advantage.
Later the same day an e-mail came out from Janet Cowell's campaign claiming based on the analysis that Janet was the candidate best positioned to cross the 40% mark.
Then Friday of that week Walter Dalton declared that we said if the election was held that day he would win by ten points. That made me cringe because the reality is I did not say that. I said that if the undecideds were distributed in the levels of current candidate support that Dalton would have 33 and his closest opponents would be at 23. Undecideds breaking in the same percentages as current candidate support is a big if and is a lot different than saying Dalton would win by ten if the election was that day. Hampton Dellinger fairly disputed Dalton's characterization in an email to the press later that day.
What really got me was an email from David Young today. He claimed that his 19-16 lead in this week's tracking poll was outside the margin of error! Their claim was based on their own extrapolations of the undecideds to 100.
I'm sorry but taking a poll with over 50% undecideds, distributing those voters in the same percentages as the 43% who are decided, and then claiming to have a lead outside the margin of error just is not correct. A three point lead with a +/- 2.8 MOE is a statistical tie and it is not accurate to claim it as anything else.
I'm not mad at the Cowell, Dalton, or Young campaigns for the claims they've made. It's my fault for writing that stupid post in the first place. But I hope campaigns will be more accurate in their portrayal of our numbers from here on out.
Area Police Departments get K-9 help
The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has handed out nearly 100-thousand dollars in grants to bolster local police K-9 programs. The foundation was launched when Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger donated a dog and bulletproof K-9 vest to his hometown police department of Findlay Ohio. The department’s dog was shot and killed in 2006. After making the donation Roethlisberger decided to make similar donations in every city the Steelers visited in the 2007 season. Today he turned his focus closer to home giving grants to Pittsburgh area departments including the city of Pittsburgh, Fox Chapel, Brentwood and Homestead. Homestead police chief Jeff says the grant will allow his department to put a dog back on the street for the first time in nearly a year. Roethlisberger says he hopes to make more grants during the 2008 season.
Canada Aims High Heading to Brands Hatch (DRT)
Already comfortably in the top-ten of the current A1GP Nations Standings, sitting ninth on 75 points, 25 points clear of tenth placed Portugal, Canada's sights are firmly set on a potential top-six finish. A mere six points separate Germany, the out-going A1GP World Champions, in sixth place on 83 points and Canada in ninth with Ireland (83) and the Netherlands (80) in between.
While the Canadian team has already enjoyed its best ever A1GP season, with rookie racer Robert Wickens steering his way to victory in Round 7's Sprint race in South Africa in addition to four other podium finishes, Brands Hatch could seal the deal on the team's stellar progress competing around the world with lots to play for heading into the final Sprint and Feature races.
Hinchcliffe will return to the cockpit of the 550bhp A1GP car for the first time since Round 2 in the Czech Republic last October. The 21-year-old, capped a total of eighteen times for Canada - with a highest placing of second alongside seven top-ten A1GP finishes last season, is looking forward to his debut on the 2.62-mile Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.
"I'm really looking forward to being back at Brands Hatch," said Hinchcliffe. "I attended last season's race to support A1 Team Canada and I'm pumped to actually be the guy driving there this year. The team's already proven itself to be a consistent force and I'm confident we can go out there and keep that momentum going. The points battle is pretty tight where we're at but we all know what's achievable if everything goes our way. Brands also marks the last time we'll be racing the Lola-Zytek A1GP car so hopefully we can give it a good send off and put on a great show for the British crowd."
Hinchcliffe will be joined in the United Kingdom by his fellow Atlantic Championship racer, Daniel Morad. The 18-year-old from Markham will again undertake Friday morning's 'Rookie-Only' session for Canada having performed the role over the course of the previous three A1GP race meetings.
"As always I'll be working to make sure we get a good base set-up on the car," Morad commented. "I'd like to crack the top-three in the rookie session this time. I've definitely got an eye on landing the race seat for next season so I'm keen to keep showing I can do a good job. I've been learning as much as I can with each opportunity. I know I'm capable of doing a full weekend but in the meantime I'll do all I can to help the team and James this weekend and hopefully I'll get my shot next season."
Sunday's 20-minute Sprint race starts at 11am GMT (6am EST) with the 70-minute Feature race starting at 3pm at Brands Hatch (10am EST). Live Feature race streaming will be available via - www.a1gp.com / Setanta Sports Canada will broadcast Round 10 from the United Kingdom as a tape-delay starting at 8am EST on Monday 5th May - www.setantanorthamerica.com
A1GP Top-Ten Standings - Round 9/10: 1st Switzerland (150), 2nd New Zealand (121), 3rd France (111), 4th Great Britain (99), 5th South Africa (92), 6th Germany (83), 7th Ireland (83), 8th Netherlands (80), 9th CANADA (75), 10th Portugal (50)
Photo Credit: 'Toronto's James Hinchcliffe returns to duty for A1 Team Canada' - Jakob Ebrey Photography // Copyright-free A1 Team Canada images are available for download at www.a1gp-photo.com/can // From A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
Chuck Daigh has passed away (4/29/2008)
From Ed Moody
Chuck Daigh won the 1963 Players 200 at Mosport
Chuck Daigh passed away this morning. Chuck built hot rods prior to WW II and ran at the Dry Lakes. After his duty in the paratroopers he worked for Bill Stroppe preparing the famous Mexican road race Lincolns and riding as co-pilot in three of those races. He joined Pete DePaolo Engineering where he managed the west coast semi-factory Ford stock car team.
While at DePaolo's, he helped build the Battlebirds as well. He worked for the Rathmann Chevrolet NASCAR stock car team. After Rathmann's Chevrolet stock operations shut down he left to work building the Reventlow Scarab Sports Car and Formula One cars. In recent years he rebuilt two of the Reventlow F1 desmodromic valve motors for collectors.
As a driver, Chuck won the Willow Springs and Santa Barbara Sports Car Main events driving a Kurtis 500S - Lincoln that belonged to Frank Kurtis. He later won the Main Events at Paramount Ranch and Santa Barbara driving the Trountman-Barnes Ford powered sports car special. Chuck won several more big sports car races with the front engined Scarabs, including the Los Angeles Times Riverside Grand Prix in 1958.
He also won the big Nassau main event with a Scarab. Daigh drove for Ferrari at Le Mans and co-drove the winning Ferrari at Sebring one year. He later drove the Reventlow Formula One car in international races. Chuck tried to qualify at the Indianapolis 500 three times through the years but the cars were not good enough. Daigh also drove for Briggs Cunningham, with the Lister-Jaguars, a few times.
There are additional links about Daigh and his career here and here.
Chuck Daigh won the 1963 Players 200 at Mosport
Chuck Daigh passed away this morning. Chuck built hot rods prior to WW II and ran at the Dry Lakes. After his duty in the paratroopers he worked for Bill Stroppe preparing the famous Mexican road race Lincolns and riding as co-pilot in three of those races. He joined Pete DePaolo Engineering where he managed the west coast semi-factory Ford stock car team.
While at DePaolo's, he helped build the Battlebirds as well. He worked for the Rathmann Chevrolet NASCAR stock car team. After Rathmann's Chevrolet stock operations shut down he left to work building the Reventlow Scarab Sports Car and Formula One cars. In recent years he rebuilt two of the Reventlow F1 desmodromic valve motors for collectors.
As a driver, Chuck won the Willow Springs and Santa Barbara Sports Car Main events driving a Kurtis 500S - Lincoln that belonged to Frank Kurtis. He later won the Main Events at Paramount Ranch and Santa Barbara driving the Trountman-Barnes Ford powered sports car special. Chuck won several more big sports car races with the front engined Scarabs, including the Los Angeles Times Riverside Grand Prix in 1958.
He also won the big Nassau main event with a Scarab. Daigh drove for Ferrari at Le Mans and co-drove the winning Ferrari at Sebring one year. He later drove the Reventlow Formula One car in international races. Chuck tried to qualify at the Indianapolis 500 three times through the years but the cars were not good enough. Daigh also drove for Briggs Cunningham, with the Lister-Jaguars, a few times.
There are additional links about Daigh and his career here and here.
Democratic Race Six Days Out
I don't know that the reason Bev Perdue has solidified her lead in the polls over the last week or so is that voters like the fact that she's running a positive campaign. She was already leading by 8 when she made the pledge and last week her lead was only up to 9.
I'm pretty sure the reason she's up to 14 now is because she made the pledge though. Sound inconsistent? No. More important than any goodwill the pledge built with voters is that it caused Richard Moore's campaign to go off the deep end. And that's why Perdue's lead has expanded.
During the bomb throwing stage of the race things were going well for the Moore campaign. Their negative ads were a lot more effective than Perdue's. The polls were closing in. I think if things had continued on like that Moore would have won the primary because the race was being played on a field that was favorable to him.
By putting an end to her negative ads, Perdue changed the game. It's been pretty clear the last few weeks that the Moore campaign hasn't figured out how to respond. At first it seemed like they laid off a little bit. They started running some positive ads again. The numbers didn't move so last week they decided to ratchet up the negativity to a whole new level.
The KKK thing may have been a stretch but the 'Confederate hats' press conference was a truly ridiculous (and counter productive) act of political showmanship. It was an indication that the campaign had gotten in so deep that they had sort of lost track of reality and how people would react to their actions.
I have not talked to one person who thought that was a good move. I know undecideds who it moved into the Perdue column. I know Perdue supporters who were so enraged they said they wouldn't vote for Moore in the fall if he managed to pull off the nomination. And I know Moore supporters who were embarrassed for their candidate. But I don't know anyone who thought it was anything but a stupid move.
Richard Moore is a good politician and has a good team. They've already come back from the brink once in this campaign. But they have a whole lot of ground to make up in not a lot of time.
I'm pretty sure the reason she's up to 14 now is because she made the pledge though. Sound inconsistent? No. More important than any goodwill the pledge built with voters is that it caused Richard Moore's campaign to go off the deep end. And that's why Perdue's lead has expanded.
During the bomb throwing stage of the race things were going well for the Moore campaign. Their negative ads were a lot more effective than Perdue's. The polls were closing in. I think if things had continued on like that Moore would have won the primary because the race was being played on a field that was favorable to him.
By putting an end to her negative ads, Perdue changed the game. It's been pretty clear the last few weeks that the Moore campaign hasn't figured out how to respond. At first it seemed like they laid off a little bit. They started running some positive ads again. The numbers didn't move so last week they decided to ratchet up the negativity to a whole new level.
The KKK thing may have been a stretch but the 'Confederate hats' press conference was a truly ridiculous (and counter productive) act of political showmanship. It was an indication that the campaign had gotten in so deep that they had sort of lost track of reality and how people would react to their actions.
I have not talked to one person who thought that was a good move. I know undecideds who it moved into the Perdue column. I know Perdue supporters who were so enraged they said they wouldn't vote for Moore in the fall if he managed to pull off the nomination. And I know Moore supporters who were embarrassed for their candidate. But I don't know anyone who thought it was anything but a stupid move.
Richard Moore is a good politician and has a good team. They've already come back from the brink once in this campaign. But they have a whole lot of ground to make up in not a lot of time.
Spheramine: Conservatism in Cell Therapy for Parkinson's
Last month’s “Science Matters” column in START-UP highlighted some newly reported cell therapy work in Parkinson’s disease, but suggested that there may be fundamental limitations to any therapy strategy based on restoring dopamine—be it through implanting dopamine neurons or via existing drugs. The good news is that cell replacement therapy at least offers a new experimental model for studying Parkinson’s. And unlike the early days of cardiac cell therapy, where early human studies led to an inappropriate rush into large Phase II trials that disappointed and soured the field, for lots of reasons, clinical progress in PD has been gradual.So what to make of the Bayer-Titan Pharmaceuticals Spheramine program to deliver human retinal pigment epithelial cells locally into the brain? The cells, which produce dopamine (apparently at a fairly constant concentration), live on little microcapsules, stay where they are put, and don’t require use of immunosuppressants to prevent rejection. All good things. And yesterday’s presentation at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Meeting in Chicago of four-year data from a six-patient pilot study showed motor score improvement in patients of 48% at one year and 44% at four years. "Not much in the way of loss there," noted investigator Roy Bakay of Rush University Medical Center, who presented the data.
Because it is delivered locally, Bayer and Titan see Spheramine as an improvement over oral dopamine drugs, which have systemic long-term effects linked to movement disorders. Undoubtedly, the opportunity is part of what attracted Titan’s CEO, Marc Rubin, formerly head of global R&D for Bayer Schering Pharma, who joined Titan last fall.
But many propose that to be effective, cells have to do more than produce or process dopamine: No matter how local or efficient the delivery of dopamine may be, they may also need to integrate into the neural circuitry to be effective. Indeed, the ability to restore the natural biology of a system is one of the rationales – and challenges – of cell replacement therapy.
Because of the cell type, Spheramine can’t do this. So we wonder, from a business perspective, how the added regulatory risk of a cell therapy – and in the case of Parkinson’s trials, the long development time – can be worth the effort when it does not also maximize the benefits of the technology. It’s a lot to go through to prove a decades-old delivery system.
Bayer expects to have data from a 71-patient Phase IIb trial of Spheramine sometime in the third quarter this year. The AANS abstract discussing the Phase IIb trial design noted that 71 patients were randomized and underwent surgery with “tolerable adverse effects.” At least those data should give Bayer and its Berlex subsidiary more leverage in settlement negotiations with the family of a patient from the Phase IIb program, which sued when the patient developed immediate and serious symptoms after receiving a Spheramine implant.
Republican Race Six Days Out
Our new poll yesterday showed that Fred Smith has closed to within five points of Pat McCrory.
What's interesting is that over the last month McCrory's level of support has remained remarkably stable. He was at 35% in the first poll of the month, went up to 36, down to 34, and now back to 36 for the last two weeks. So it's not like he's losing support.
He is remaining stagnant though, while Smith is on the climb. Smith started the month at 23%, went to 26, had a one week blip back to 25, then went up to 29 and now 31.
My guess is that conservative voters who were undecided between Smith, Bill Graham, and Bob Orr have started moving into the Smith column because they realize he's the only one with a chance.
It is hard to predict what will happen this final week, especially with 21% of voters still undecided. I am particularly interested to see what impact Bill Graham's tv advertising will have. Orr and Graham have combined for 11-12% in our last four polls, which is not a good enough performance to cause a runoff. But if they managed to push their level of support into the 25% range, say 15% for Graham and 10% for Orr as undecideds break and Graham steps up his campaign, we could see the McCrory-Smith dynamic end up at 39-36 or 38-37.
My guess is that even our final poll will not make it much more clear what's going to happen on Tuesday because I still think 10% or more will report as undecided. It may be that those folks end up not actually voting, or make decisions based on relatively spurious reasoning.
We'll know this time next week!
What's interesting is that over the last month McCrory's level of support has remained remarkably stable. He was at 35% in the first poll of the month, went up to 36, down to 34, and now back to 36 for the last two weeks. So it's not like he's losing support.
He is remaining stagnant though, while Smith is on the climb. Smith started the month at 23%, went to 26, had a one week blip back to 25, then went up to 29 and now 31.
My guess is that conservative voters who were undecided between Smith, Bill Graham, and Bob Orr have started moving into the Smith column because they realize he's the only one with a chance.
It is hard to predict what will happen this final week, especially with 21% of voters still undecided. I am particularly interested to see what impact Bill Graham's tv advertising will have. Orr and Graham have combined for 11-12% in our last four polls, which is not a good enough performance to cause a runoff. But if they managed to push their level of support into the 25% range, say 15% for Graham and 10% for Orr as undecideds break and Graham steps up his campaign, we could see the McCrory-Smith dynamic end up at 39-36 or 38-37.
My guess is that even our final poll will not make it much more clear what's going to happen on Tuesday because I still think 10% or more will report as undecided. It may be that those folks end up not actually voting, or make decisions based on relatively spurious reasoning.
We'll know this time next week!
Brighton Speedway set to launch "a season that is all about the fans"
BRIGHTON, ON - Brighton Speedway is opening the season on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 and launching into a season that is all about the fans. The Coca-Cola Full Throttle Season Opener is affordable to every fan at $2.00 admission with a food bank donation. Introducing the FAB FOUR, Bainer�s Radiator Canadian Modifieds, Brighton Automotive Pro Stocks, Bill�s Johns Comp 4 and Picture This Signs and Design Pure Stocks, to the fans of the 1/3 mile clay oval is just the beginning of a schedule that is filled with fan favourites, and chances for the fans to win.
New for 2008 is the Fan Appreciation Reward Program where each and every fan of pedal to the metal, dirt flying, gear grinding racing action has the chance to win two tickets, from Have Bus Will Travel Transportainment, to the World of Outlaws finals being held at The Dirt Track at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday, Oct. 29 to Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. Sponsored by Adecco, Trenton, Subway, Trenton & Campbellford, Custom Carts, Trenton, Brighton Auto Repair, National Car Rental and Have Bus Will Travel, the package includes 4 nights accommodation with 3 hot breakfasts, 3 day tickets & Pit Passes to the World of Outlaws, World Finals, and as many of the daytime extras that can be jam packed into the adventure.
This new Fan Appreciation Reward Program is available to anyone who completes a registration form, available starting opening night. This program has been custom built for the fans at Brighton Speedway every week, while in attendance, fans swipe their card to be entered in weekly and random draws held throughout the entire racing season including monthly draws for tickets to other exciting racing events throughout Ontario. The most valued fans, with the highest rates of attendance will be entered in the season ending draw for the World of Outlaws Finals, (must be of legal age to be eligible for this prize only). Be sure to enroll and be recognized as the valued fan that you are.
All fans will feel their value with the return of Fan Appreciation nights. Scheduled for May 17th, June 21st, July 26th, August 16th and September 20th, fans will have the chance to meet and greet their favourite drivers while the drivers share their appreciation with giveaways and autographs for everyone.
Add these Fan specific activities to a jam packed schedule of the Fab Four, SOS Sprints, School Busses, Spectator One-on One Racing, Gord�s Water VanTastics, Late Models, a Monster Madness 3 day Weekend and the always favoured Tim Horton�s Kids� Club, there really is something for every fan at Brighton Speedway.
The Coca-Cola Full Throttle Season Opener is May 3rd, 2008. $2.00 and a food bank donation will have every fan on the edge of their seats. The green flag flies at 7:00pm. For more information and to see the complete season schedule visit www.brightonspeedway.com.
From Angie Rinaldi / BSP
New for 2008 is the Fan Appreciation Reward Program where each and every fan of pedal to the metal, dirt flying, gear grinding racing action has the chance to win two tickets, from Have Bus Will Travel Transportainment, to the World of Outlaws finals being held at The Dirt Track at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday, Oct. 29 to Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. Sponsored by Adecco, Trenton, Subway, Trenton & Campbellford, Custom Carts, Trenton, Brighton Auto Repair, National Car Rental and Have Bus Will Travel, the package includes 4 nights accommodation with 3 hot breakfasts, 3 day tickets & Pit Passes to the World of Outlaws, World Finals, and as many of the daytime extras that can be jam packed into the adventure.
This new Fan Appreciation Reward Program is available to anyone who completes a registration form, available starting opening night. This program has been custom built for the fans at Brighton Speedway every week, while in attendance, fans swipe their card to be entered in weekly and random draws held throughout the entire racing season including monthly draws for tickets to other exciting racing events throughout Ontario. The most valued fans, with the highest rates of attendance will be entered in the season ending draw for the World of Outlaws Finals, (must be of legal age to be eligible for this prize only). Be sure to enroll and be recognized as the valued fan that you are.
All fans will feel their value with the return of Fan Appreciation nights. Scheduled for May 17th, June 21st, July 26th, August 16th and September 20th, fans will have the chance to meet and greet their favourite drivers while the drivers share their appreciation with giveaways and autographs for everyone.
Add these Fan specific activities to a jam packed schedule of the Fab Four, SOS Sprints, School Busses, Spectator One-on One Racing, Gord�s Water VanTastics, Late Models, a Monster Madness 3 day Weekend and the always favoured Tim Horton�s Kids� Club, there really is something for every fan at Brighton Speedway.
The Coca-Cola Full Throttle Season Opener is May 3rd, 2008. $2.00 and a food bank donation will have every fan on the edge of their seats. The green flag flies at 7:00pm. For more information and to see the complete season schedule visit www.brightonspeedway.com.
From Angie Rinaldi / BSP
Mosport Kart Club 1st Event Preview
MOSPORT, ON - This Saturday, May 3rd, Mosport Kart Club will be hosting their first race of the year at 3S Go-Karts, Sutton. Registration opens at 7:05am so be early to avoid the line ups. The first class will go on track at 9:00. Track layout will be SENNA counter-clockwise. Visit the Simcoe Kart club website for images of the various track layouts.
Mother Nature is threatening to challenge the driving skills of all the members, but this is not a bad thing. This makes better drivers out of all of us. If you can race in the rain (and sometimes snow), then dry pavement should be a piece of cake.
Established in 1980, Mill Valley Trophies began as a small, home-based store offering trophies and awards to the local community, along with the area's first computerized engraving system. Today, Mill Valley Trophies can offer its customers a full range of corporate awards, trophies and plastic engraving of signs, name badges and more in a remarkably quick turnaround time.
Their employees are fully trained in the latest engraving technology and pride themselves in keeping up with the constantly-changing engraving environment. The trophies that MKC participants receive are produced from the imagination of the creative experts at Mill Valley Trophies. For more information, go to www.millvalleytrophies.com
For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.mosportkartclub.com
From Paul Evans / MKC
Mother Nature is threatening to challenge the driving skills of all the members, but this is not a bad thing. This makes better drivers out of all of us. If you can race in the rain (and sometimes snow), then dry pavement should be a piece of cake.
Established in 1980, Mill Valley Trophies began as a small, home-based store offering trophies and awards to the local community, along with the area's first computerized engraving system. Today, Mill Valley Trophies can offer its customers a full range of corporate awards, trophies and plastic engraving of signs, name badges and more in a remarkably quick turnaround time.
Their employees are fully trained in the latest engraving technology and pride themselves in keeping up with the constantly-changing engraving environment. The trophies that MKC participants receive are produced from the imagination of the creative experts at Mill Valley Trophies. For more information, go to www.millvalleytrophies.com
For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.mosportkartclub.com
From Paul Evans / MKC
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Freedom Corner to soon become City owned Monument
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Tonya Payne would like to see the city take over ownership for Freedom Corner in the Hill District. The Monument is currently owned by the Urban Redevolpment Authority. Ms. Payne says she does not forsee any problems in the city acquiring the monument because she is on the board, Senator Jim Ferlo who is on the board has already donated $500 to a trust fund for the monument and the Mayor's chief of staff is on the board as well. After the URA Board approves transition the City council of PIttsburgh would have to approve it, followed by the Mayor.
Pharmacy Automates Prescription Pick-up
A pharmacy in Bethel Park is letting customers pick up their prescriptions similar to the way they pick up cash. Med-Fast pharmacy says it's the first in the region and possibly the country to install an APM, or automated product machine. It allows customers to pick up their prescriptions 24 hours a day, regardless of whether the pharmacy is open. Customers enter their birthdays and a PIN on touch screen, and indicate whether they would like to ask questions of a pharmacist. A local pharmacist is on call 24 hours a day to answer questions. Then the machine dispenses their medications, which are filled manually inside the store before being placed into the machine. The APM cost about $150,000 and has been operating for about two weeks.
Cordaptive Was a Red Rag to FDA Bull
In an article in this month's IN VIVO, we suggested that Merck’s presenting Cordaptive to FDA might be likened to waving a red rag at a bull.Admittedly, we added a few mitigating statements, and the overall tone of the article was positive, reflecting a number of analysts' bullish outlook for the drug. Cordaptive is, after all, a seemingly uncontroversial combination of extended-release niacin (an age-old product with plenty of safety data) with the anti-flushing agent laropiprant, whose effects are, we're told, restricted to just that--minimizing the nasty (but non-fatal) side-effect that has limited niacin's uptake.
In the event, though, the bull/rag analogy was right on: FDA yesterday issued a not-approvable letter for Cordaptive. (And, adding insult to injury, it said it didn't like the name, either.)
Ok, so given recent events, we probably all should have seen this coming. FDA also late last week rejected Merck’s application for a fixed-dose combination of Singulair and Claritin, as we reported here (and updated here.) Notwithstanding FDA’s rather stringent requirements for all combination drugs (sponsors must prove each component’s safety and efficacy as a standalone and show that the combination affects neither), one might be forgiven for suspecting that the red rag is actually a combination drug application on Merck headed paper.
Merck is after all one of the ENHANCE sponsors (alongside Schering-Plough); that saga called into question the clinical effectiveness of yet another combo, Vytorin. It probably didn't help that Merck also recently halted enrolment in one Cordaptive trial that was designed similarly to ENHANCE.
Still, ENHANCE’s effects have rippled—and will continue to ripple—far beyond Whitehouse Station. FDA this month poured cold water over Isis’ cholesterol-lowering hopeful, mipomersen—yes, the one that Genzyme in January agreed was worth $325 million up front and up to $825 million in development and regulatory milestones. The partners need outcomes studies, the Agency says, for all indications other than the highly specialist, and life-threatening, familial hypercholesterolemia. (Luckily for Genzyme, the deal terms aren’t confirmed, so watch out for lower-value Version B of the deal--and, we'll venture to suggest, a tonne more regulatory contingencies and conditional language in tomorrow's term-sheets.)
Now Merck’s doing outcomes studies with Cordaptive, but results from their 20,000-patient THRIVE trial won’t be out until 2012 or so. Small wonder, then, that some analysts have already removed four years’ worth of revenues for the drug, and its follow-on, MK-0524b.
This is the last thing Merck needs. From 2010, $4.2 billion worth of its products start to lose patent protection—Cozaar/Hyzaar that year, and Singulair two years later. Cordaptive and its follow-on could have helped fill about a third of that hole, according to analyst Catherine Arnold at Credit Suisse; now they’ll barely have any impact at all.
Nor does FDA’s harsh stance on safety requirements and outcomes studies bode well for two further Merck late-stage candidates. Can CETP inhibitor anacetrapib survive the aftermath of Pfizer’s torcetrapib blow-out? And does taranabant (a cannabinoid receptor inverse agonist) really have a chance, given FDA’s unswerving rejection of Sanofi-Aventis’ rimonabant (Zimulti)?
Merck is after all one of the ENHANCE sponsors (alongside Schering-Plough); that saga called into question the clinical effectiveness of yet another combo, Vytorin. It probably didn't help that Merck also recently halted enrolment in one Cordaptive trial that was designed similarly to ENHANCE.
Still, ENHANCE’s effects have rippled—and will continue to ripple—far beyond Whitehouse Station. FDA this month poured cold water over Isis’ cholesterol-lowering hopeful, mipomersen—yes, the one that Genzyme in January agreed was worth $325 million up front and up to $825 million in development and regulatory milestones. The partners need outcomes studies, the Agency says, for all indications other than the highly specialist, and life-threatening, familial hypercholesterolemia. (Luckily for Genzyme, the deal terms aren’t confirmed, so watch out for lower-value Version B of the deal--and, we'll venture to suggest, a tonne more regulatory contingencies and conditional language in tomorrow's term-sheets.)
Now Merck’s doing outcomes studies with Cordaptive, but results from their 20,000-patient THRIVE trial won’t be out until 2012 or so. Small wonder, then, that some analysts have already removed four years’ worth of revenues for the drug, and its follow-on, MK-0524b.
This is the last thing Merck needs. From 2010, $4.2 billion worth of its products start to lose patent protection—Cozaar/Hyzaar that year, and Singulair two years later. Cordaptive and its follow-on could have helped fill about a third of that hole, according to analyst Catherine Arnold at Credit Suisse; now they’ll barely have any impact at all.
Nor does FDA’s harsh stance on safety requirements and outcomes studies bode well for two further Merck late-stage candidates. Can CETP inhibitor anacetrapib survive the aftermath of Pfizer’s torcetrapib blow-out? And does taranabant (a cannabinoid receptor inverse agonist) really have a chance, given FDA’s unswerving rejection of Sanofi-Aventis’ rimonabant (Zimulti)?
Maybe we’re being too cynical. Maybe it’s just a question of time: time for THRIVE results to pour in, and/or for Merck to sort out whatever the actual problem is with its Cordaptive NDA. “We plan to meet with FDA as soon as possible and submit additional information to enable the agency to further evaluate the benefit/risk profile of MK-524A,” was all a Merck spokesman would reveal to IN VIVO Blog. (The European regulators this month approved the combo--albeit as Tredaptive--though as we saw with rimonabant, a green light across the Atlantic is irrelevant to FDA.)
So nobody knows what’s wrong, and we’ll only spend one paragraph speculating. It’s tempting to assume that laropiprant is the culprit, since this is the only NCE component of the cocktail (and a couple of journal papers point to elevated liver enzymes associated with the compound). Merck’s Senior Director for Cardiovascular Clinical Research, John Paolini, MD, PhD, told us in March that since laropiprant--a selective prostaglandin D2 receptor-1 antagonist--acts on the final step in the flushing pathway, the chances of any unwanted additional effects are reduced, at least in theory. The company also boldly ventured that Cordaptive’s safety profile is “similar to that of extended release Niaspan.” But “similar” may well not be good enough (assuming this theory is right). Particularly when you’re tampering with a side-effect that, if uncomfortable, is hardly fatal.
What we know for sure is what my quicker-off-the-mark colleagues have already said: there’s no such thing as a low-risk drug. Certainly, combination products don’t any longer represent no-brainer life-cycle extension tools. When it comes to getting past the FDA bull, it seems they’re up there with even the newest of NCEs.
What we know for sure is what my quicker-off-the-mark colleagues have already said: there’s no such thing as a low-risk drug. Certainly, combination products don’t any longer represent no-brainer life-cycle extension tools. When it comes to getting past the FDA bull, it seems they’re up there with even the newest of NCEs.
photo by flickr user pmorgan used under a creative commons license
Indiana Results
Hillary Clinton 50
Barack Obama 42
PPP's first Indiana poll shows Hillary Clinton with a solid lead in the state.
Her support is coming from the same groups that she usually does well with- women (54-39), whites (54-38), and older voters (55-36).
Obama's strongest performances, as usual, are with black voters (73-21) and voters under 30 (50-40).
It's not clear which candidate is benefiting more from Indiana's open primary. Clinton has a one point lead with Republicans, but Obama is up 52-37 with those voters who don't identify with either party.
Full results here.
Barack Obama 42
PPP's first Indiana poll shows Hillary Clinton with a solid lead in the state.
Her support is coming from the same groups that she usually does well with- women (54-39), whites (54-38), and older voters (55-36).
Obama's strongest performances, as usual, are with black voters (73-21) and voters under 30 (50-40).
It's not clear which candidate is benefiting more from Indiana's open primary. Clinton has a one point lead with Republicans, but Obama is up 52-37 with those voters who don't identify with either party.
Full results here.
Republican Tracking Poll: the Other Stuff
Robert Pittenger is pulling away in the contest for Lieutenant Governor. He is now at 25%, with Greg Dority his closest competitor at 10%. Jim Snyder and Timothy Cook are further behind with 8% and 6% respectively.
The Republican race for Superintendent continues to show a high level of undecided voters. Former co-speaker Richard Morgan leads, as he has in all our polling, with just 16%. Eric Smith and Joe Johnson are at 10% and 9% levels of support respectively.
Elizabeth Dole has a commanding 81-12 lead over challenger Pete DiLauro.
Full results here.
The Republican race for Superintendent continues to show a high level of undecided voters. Former co-speaker Richard Morgan leads, as he has in all our polling, with just 16%. Eric Smith and Joe Johnson are at 10% and 9% levels of support respectively.
Elizabeth Dole has a commanding 81-12 lead over challenger Pete DiLauro.
Full results here.
Republican Tracking Poll: Governor
Pat McCrory 36
Fred Smith 31
Bill Graham 6
Bob Orr 5
Elbie Powers 1
There is no doubt that Fred Smith is whittling away at Pat McCrory's lead. It peaked at 12 points the first week of April and has gone down every week since then- to 10, then 9, then 7, and now 5.
That seems to be an indication that Smith's attacks on McCrory are working- but did they come too late? Smith's movement had been slow and steady, and with just one week left it may not be enough time to make up the rest of the gap. Smith has plenty of personal wealth, he'll need to make a huge investment this last week to pull ahead.
Another interesting factor is that Bill Graham is going on the air. At this point I would say there is no chance of a runoff with McCrory and Smith both in the 30s and around 20% still undecided. But if Graham can somehow push his support into the teens in the next week it may keep either of the front runners from hitting the magic 40 mark.
Full results here.
Fred Smith 31
Bill Graham 6
Bob Orr 5
Elbie Powers 1
There is no doubt that Fred Smith is whittling away at Pat McCrory's lead. It peaked at 12 points the first week of April and has gone down every week since then- to 10, then 9, then 7, and now 5.
That seems to be an indication that Smith's attacks on McCrory are working- but did they come too late? Smith's movement had been slow and steady, and with just one week left it may not be enough time to make up the rest of the gap. Smith has plenty of personal wealth, he'll need to make a huge investment this last week to pull ahead.
Another interesting factor is that Bill Graham is going on the air. At this point I would say there is no chance of a runoff with McCrory and Smith both in the 30s and around 20% still undecided. But if Graham can somehow push his support into the teens in the next week it may keep either of the front runners from hitting the magic 40 mark.
Full results here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Flamboro Speedway April 26, 2008
Here is a 170-picture Gallery from the Flamboro Speedway season opener on April 26. Unofficial results are available on the track's website. Dave Franks' new site is located here. Thanks Dave!
Dueling Presidential Polls
Two new North Carolina polls out this morning with somewhat divergent outcomes:
-Rasmussen has Obama up 14.
-Survey USA has Obama up by only 5.
Who knows?
In the Democratic race for Governor, Survey USA shows the same five point movement in Bev Perdue's direction that we did this week. Her lead over Richard Moore in their poll goes from 4 to 9, while it went from 9 to 14 in our poll.
Their Republican gubernatorial numbers show Fred Smith pulling within a 36-32 margin of Pat McCrory. We'll have our numbers in that race out in a little bit- they are nearly identical to what SUSA is showing.
Should be an interesting final week.
-Rasmussen has Obama up 14.
-Survey USA has Obama up by only 5.
Who knows?
In the Democratic race for Governor, Survey USA shows the same five point movement in Bev Perdue's direction that we did this week. Her lead over Richard Moore in their poll goes from 4 to 9, while it went from 9 to 14 in our poll.
Their Republican gubernatorial numbers show Fred Smith pulling within a 36-32 margin of Pat McCrory. We'll have our numbers in that race out in a little bit- they are nearly identical to what SUSA is showing.
Should be an interesting final week.
Inside Track Short Track Contingency Program... All Ads in PDF format
Click here or on the image at right to download a PDF file (under 3 Mb) of all the Inside Track Short Track Contingency Ads that appeared in Volumes 12.01 and 12.02 of the magazine.
We got a little overzealous handing out copies of 12.01 (especially) at the winter racing shows and we are extremely short on copies of this issue. Our original plan was to send several copies to each person who had an ad in an issue, but the shortage makes that impossible.
Feel free to download, save and print this file for your purposes. Or you can send this link (http://www.insidetracknews.com/images/ITMN_Short_Track_Contingency_Pages_2007_2008_sm.pdf) to anyone who might be interested. We apologize for not being able to send everyone all of the issues promised.
We thank everyone for their participation and support. Watch for details of the 2008 Inside Track Short Track Contingency Program shortly.
Shaw Motorsports - Flamboro Report April 26, 2008
For the first of two practice sessions, driver Jason Shaw was not happy with the push in the centre of the corner, however the car was handling well and turning some good lap times. The crew made an adjustment to the anti-roll bar for the second practice session that proved to correct the problem with the push, however there was now a loose off condition that required some attention. A shock change was made and tires were changed around to decrease the stagger and thus hopefully reduce the loose off condition for the one and only heat race.
The #82 Castrol Oil Ford Fusion lined up 9th for the heat race consisting of 10 cars while the skies cleared and the threat of rain was replaced with a dropping temperature and increased winds. After receiving the green flag, Jason ran side by side with the #56 for the first two laps until Jason had to dart high and the #56 low to miss the spinning #95 in centre of turn 4 bringing out the caution and putting the #82 into 8th. Before lap 3 was complete, Jason passed the #34 to gain 7th and then one lap later got around the #86 to obtain 6th. A battle to get into the top 5 started on the 7th lap and when the #41 and #95 got together on the last lap, it was the #82 who would slide between the two to take the checkered flag in 5th. Jason was happy with the handling of the car, however the crate motor seamed to lack power coming off the corners and he felt that the other cars were pulling away from him at that point.
With the #44 of Steve Laking on the pole, Jason sat in 9th for the start of the 25 lap feature. While the cars were running a few hot laps prior to the green flag, the #37 pulled into the infield with mechanical difficulties, putting the #82 up to 8th before the green flag was displayed. Jason ran the first two laps, side by side with the #29 before he was able to gain the position as well as two more on the same straightaway to take 5th. The #44 remained in the lead followed by the #07, #52, #8 and then the #82 to round out the top 5 and while the #44 pulled away by 10 car lengths, the #07 slid backwards, allowing Jason to move into 4th.
Caution came out on lap 11 for the #56 who may have had help getting turned sideways by the #75. With the #56 moved to the back and the #75 maintaining his position as an uninvolved car, the #82 restarted 4th were he would remain until lap15 when the right front tire went down, sending Jason towards the pits were it looked like their night would finish. Before Jason could limp off the track, the caution came out for cars spinning in turn 2 so the Shaw crew ran to the pits to get the right front changed and get the #82 back on the track to hopefully gain a few spots during the remaining 10 laps.
The Shaw crew had the #82 back on the track in the 15th position before the started displayed the green flag to restart the race. Unfortunately for the Shaw team, the spare right front tire had lost 10 pounds of air pressure while the race was going on and although it was still full of air, the car would not handle correctly and Jason pulled off the track to watch the final laps from the fence. It is hoped that the bad luck will be an isolated case limited to the first night of racing and things will look much better for the next race to be held on (Saturday May 3rd also at Flamboro Speedway). Congratulations goes out to the #44 of Steve Laking who got his first win of the season on the first night out in his very sharp, newly constructed Spira Fire Protection sponsored Chevy.
In other racing news, it was the first night for the Spira Racing mini-stock program where Shaw crew member Dave Hagedorn piloted the #88 Spira Fire Protection Ford Mustang. Dave qualified well and put the car into the 30 car feature to start 13th. Dave (Hags) was able to finesse the #88 throughout the 25 lap feature and into a 7th place finish. Dave, and car owner Ken Spira will be sharing the driving responsibilities throughout the season as time permits with their commitments to the Shaw Motorsports Team who congratulate the Spira Racing Team on a job well done and for the added entertainment they provide at the speedway.
From Shaw Motorsports // Photos courtesy of Dave Franks Photos
AIM Autosport - Grand Am Race Report -VIR
The track was dry by race time with overcast skies. Brian would take the green and settle into third place and a lead group of three started to pull away from the field. Brian was within striking distance of the leader.
A full course caution on lap eight had the team call Brian in for a timed fuel stop on lap eleven. The #61 would exit the pits P8 and by lap fifteen, was back up to P4. Brian sat in a group of DP cars caught in slower traffic presenting few opportunities to pass but he was running faster times than the DP cars ahead. Brian was sitting P2 when another full course caution came out. The team pitted for tires, fuel and a driver change.
To this point in the race, Brian had the fastest lap.
With Mark at the controls, the #61 came out P6 in good position and ahead of some of the main series rivals. He was closing on the cars in front and set a fast lap of 1:15:501 on lap 36. Mark kept a consistent pace and moved to P3 through traffic and eventually P2. Pit strategies played into the hands of the #61 and Mark would go P1 before coming in for a splash-and-dash to get them to the end of the race.
Back on track P4, Mark then encountered a back marker. Coming up on some GT traffic, and under braking, Mark hit the rear of the back marker and officials called in a stop and go penalty for the contact. Unfortunately it would turn into a drive through and a stop-and-go when there was some miscommunication about where Mark should stop to serve the penalty. He would re-enter the track P7.
The day�s third full course caution bunched up the field but there would be lapped cars and GT traffic to deal with on the restart. Mark would make it up to P6 but was running out of laps. He would continue to make his way through traffic and close the gap to the car ahead.
In the end, the AIM Autosport Exchange Traded Gold #61 Ford Riley would cross the checkers P6.
After the stop-and-go I got a bit frustrated commented Mark. It was pretty annoying to be blocked by lapped traffic, hitting me through the turns. The penalty hurt us in that regard. He continued to say :The car was great though. A bit loose and hard to handle at the end, but we are happy to bring the car home for some much needed points.
Brian Frisselle commented, "The Ford Riley was very fast again and both Mark and I turned some very quick laps. But sometimes traffic, especially lapped, cars can be tough to deal with and we got caught in a situation that cost us some track positions. We are on the edge of getting a good result. It is just a matter of time."
AIM Autosport principal Ian Willis summed up the days results. Even though it was our second highest series finish the whole team is diasappointed with the end result. Everybody on the team did a fabulous job and we know that a podium is in our future......we just can't wait.
The team has a couple of weeks to regroup before heading to the next round of the Rolex Grand Am Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California May 16-18
AIM Autosport Facts: Established in 1995, AIM Autosport has a mandate to identify, train and manage emerging motorsport talent. AIM has provided many young drivers with a solid foundation on which to build a career in professional racing. The success of the AIM driver development programs has been achieved through the dedication of our employees and the ongoing support of our commercial and technical partners. Away from the track, AIM Autosport serves the needs of the racing community with a purpose-built preparation shop situated in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario. AIM currently fields the #61 Exchange Traded Gold Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype in the Rolex Grand Am series with drivers Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle. The team continues to support the Star Mazda series and is developing a team for the 2009 season.
From Chris Jameson // Level Ten Communications
Monday, April 28, 2008
Claritin/Singulair Update: Merck Says Safety Isn't the Issue
We don't know what the issue with the Schering-Plough/Merck combination is, but now we know what it isn't.
Merck called us in response to our post on the "not approvable" letter for a fixed-dose combination of the blockbusters Singulair and Claritin. The letter, Merck says, did not raise any safety or tolerability issues.
We speculated that the letter must have had something to do with a recent notice from FDA suggesting a possible connection between Singulair and suicidality. Apparently that is not the issue--though we still suspect that whatever the issue is may have seemed weightier with that concern in the background.
Merck also pointed out that--contrary to what our post implied--the Singulair/Claritin combo is being developed under its own partnership agreement, separate from the Vytorin joint venture. Our bad.
We still think our point is valid: there is no such thing as a "low-risk" drug development plan.
Just ask Merck about Cordaptive....
Merck called us in response to our post on the "not approvable" letter for a fixed-dose combination of the blockbusters Singulair and Claritin. The letter, Merck says, did not raise any safety or tolerability issues.
We speculated that the letter must have had something to do with a recent notice from FDA suggesting a possible connection between Singulair and suicidality. Apparently that is not the issue--though we still suspect that whatever the issue is may have seemed weightier with that concern in the background.
Merck also pointed out that--contrary to what our post implied--the Singulair/Claritin combo is being developed under its own partnership agreement, separate from the Vytorin joint venture. Our bad.
We still think our point is valid: there is no such thing as a "low-risk" drug development plan.
Just ask Merck about Cordaptive....
Genzyme/Isis’ Mipomersen Development Hits A Snag
Talk about bad timing. You could almost feel sorry for Genzyme signing a $1.9 billion development and commercialization deal with Isis for mipomersen just days before ENHANCE data shook up the long-held belief that lower LDL equals better cardiovascular outcomes.Mipomersen is based on the same lower-is-better lipid theory, after all. In fact, the drug targeting apolipoprotein B-100 has been shown to reduce cholesterol and other atherogenic lipids by more than 40 percent beyond reductions achieved with current standard lipid-lowering drugs.
Given the uncharted regulatory environment post-ENHANCE, we weren’t surprised to hear that Genzyme and Isis are pushing back their development timeline for mipomersen. IN VIVO speculated as much in February, and sure enough FDA is requesting more data to support an NDA filing than the firms had originally banked on.
The revised development plan calls for filing in 2010, not 2009, for an initial indication in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia – a rare, orphan drug indication. It is the planned filing for a broader indication in patients with high cholesterol at high risk of cardiovascular events, including heterozygous FH, that could face a more significant delay, until 2012 or potentially beyond.
While FDA has guided Genzyme and Isis that reduction of LDL-cholesterol is an acceptable surrogate endpoint for accelerated approval for patients with hoFH, the agency is requesting two carcinogenicity studies to be included in the filing, rather than the one the firms had been planning to have completed in time for the submission.
For the broader indication, FDA is requesting a cardiovascular outcomes trial, three words that would send a tremor through even the most deep-pocketed big pharma. Outcomes data means long, expensive trials. Take for example Merck/Schering’s ongoing outcomes trial for Vytorin, IMPROVE IT, which is enrolling 18,000 patients with data anticipated in 2012.
Genzyme and Isis management are assuring investors that they can run a significantly smaller outcomes trial given the high-risk patients that will be enrolled, but that remains to be seen.
The one outcome that is clear is that the cost of developing mipomersen just went up.
And that leads to yet another snag: the transaction hasn’t officially closed. It’s expected to this quarter, but before the door shuts on the deal, there may still be an opening for Genzyme to re-negotiate. Both chief execs were less than forthcoming when asked about re-negotiating, which makes us think some changes are likely.
One line item Genzyme might look to gain an edge on is the development costs. Under the original agreement, Genzyme is responsible for paying all but $75 million of the development costs, meaning it would bear the brunt of the outcomes trial.
The deal also includes a pretty hefty upfront payment - $325 million – but the bulk of the regulatory and commercial milestones hedge Genzyme’s risks. Only $50 million of the $825 million in development and regulatory milestones are related to the homozygous FH indication, with the rest of the allotted payments falling to a heterozygous FH indication, a non-FH indication and approval of a follow-on product.
Read more about mipomersen and the latest regulatory setback at “The Pink Sheet” DAILY.
by Jessica Merrill
The Pink Sheet Daily
The Pink Sheet Daily
Delaware Speedway: Geared up for the 2008 regular season
DELAWARE, ON - Delaware Speedway is geared up for opening night this Friday evening! The line-up for the evening features the three fastest Delaware divisions: the Peterbilt of Ontario Super Stocks, POWERADE Open-Wheel Modifieds and APC Late Models and is held in support of Jesse's Journey.
As part of the larger Jesse’s Journey Walk Across Canada in a Day campaign, by making a minimum donation of $5 fans and competitors will have to opportunity to walk the 1/2 mile track before the event to add to walking totals from around the region. The fundraiser will take place beginning at 7:00 PM. For more information on that program can be found at www.delawarespeedway.com.
The Peterbilt of Ontario Super Stocks boast a great lineup of drivers for the 2008 season with over twenty-two pre-registered. Windsor’s Ray Morneau (#98) is set to defend his championship against a field of experienced drivers and a handful of new challengers. In a Super Stock coming of age story, the pair of Krown JRL graduates Andrew Perkins and Darrell Lake feel they are in a position to compete strongly in 2008.
“Darrell and I have learned a lot these past four years,” said Perkins in a practice day interview. “We’re ready to go up and try to compete for a championship.”
Perkins faced a tough run by the end of last year after a rivalry developed between his #3 and Jeremiah Rabideau (#51) of Glencoe. A series of incidents cost both drivers positions and points.
Additionally, Matt Humphrys (#04) of St. Marys will be joining the class, moving up from Challenger Motor Freight Trucks. The division will also see the entry of Kris Lawrence taking reigns his father’s #28 Pontiac Ventura. Duane Manning of Komoka had previously been keeping the seat warm for Kris after the passing of Dave Lawrence at home in 2006 season. Kris has previously competed successfully in the speedway’s Krown JRL, where his brother Jordan will be racing in the senior division for he first time this year.
The POWERADE Open Wheel Modifieds will be as exiting as ever in 2008. The last season saw plenty of bumper-to-bumper, sidebar to sidebar action in this class of speed machines. The past three seasons have seen three different champions with Jamie Cox (#3) of Dorchester, Barry Newman (#1) of Springfield, and Mark Watson (#20) of Ailsa Craig. With hot shoes like Paul Shipway (#88) of Ailsa Crag and David McCullough (#39) of Glencoe gaining more and more experience, the division is expected to be as fiercely competitive this season as it was last season.
The APC Late Models are also expected to be wildly exciting this season. Jesse Kennedy will be defending his championship and special event wins at the PartSource 140 and APC 300. Scott Lindsay is widely expected to be a contender in 2008 along with the likes of “Rocket” Ron Sheridan (#52) of Strathroy and Dion Verhoeven (#77) of Kerwood.
Anticipation is high with the return of Delaware racing legend Steve Robblee (#28) of Dorchester. The Windsor area will be well represented this season with the addition of Duke Sawchuck to the Dan Delisile team of racing. Doug Stewart will be joining the fray with his #2 late model, and Chad Rijnen will be making the jump to Late Model from Super Stock, driving the #33 JR Motorsports entry.
Team APC / CANUSA will be represented by Jamie Ramsay (#42) of St. Thomas. As well, Brandon Watson, a young-gun from the Barrie area is rumoured to be trying his hand at the Delaware oval on opening night. Also returning to competition in 2008 will be Al Lebert of Stoney Point in a new-style late model and Rick Emery of Ruscom.
Numerous contingency sponsors are also announcing their intentions to be apart of the Delaware Program. Five Star Race Car bodies will be providing a body package for the year end banquet and the APC 300. Other top equipment manufacturers such as Holly Carburetors, Edelbrock, Brodix Cylinder Heads, and MSD Ignition will be providing prizing for the competitors at the end of the year. Locally, McColl Racing Enterprises, Larry Knott Fibreglass Fabrication, Leaf Racewear, John Saunders Racing, APC / CANUSA and Exeter Toyota are all an important part of the program in 2008. Further details on these programs will be announced in the near future.
The gates will fly open at 6:00 PM on Friday with the racing beginning at 8:00 PM. You won’t see racing this intense on television, don’t miss a lap!
From John Houghton // Announcer / PR // Delaware Speedway
As part of the larger Jesse’s Journey Walk Across Canada in a Day campaign, by making a minimum donation of $5 fans and competitors will have to opportunity to walk the 1/2 mile track before the event to add to walking totals from around the region. The fundraiser will take place beginning at 7:00 PM. For more information on that program can be found at www.delawarespeedway.com.
The Peterbilt of Ontario Super Stocks boast a great lineup of drivers for the 2008 season with over twenty-two pre-registered. Windsor’s Ray Morneau (#98) is set to defend his championship against a field of experienced drivers and a handful of new challengers. In a Super Stock coming of age story, the pair of Krown JRL graduates Andrew Perkins and Darrell Lake feel they are in a position to compete strongly in 2008.
“Darrell and I have learned a lot these past four years,” said Perkins in a practice day interview. “We’re ready to go up and try to compete for a championship.”
Perkins faced a tough run by the end of last year after a rivalry developed between his #3 and Jeremiah Rabideau (#51) of Glencoe. A series of incidents cost both drivers positions and points.
Additionally, Matt Humphrys (#04) of St. Marys will be joining the class, moving up from Challenger Motor Freight Trucks. The division will also see the entry of Kris Lawrence taking reigns his father’s #28 Pontiac Ventura. Duane Manning of Komoka had previously been keeping the seat warm for Kris after the passing of Dave Lawrence at home in 2006 season. Kris has previously competed successfully in the speedway’s Krown JRL, where his brother Jordan will be racing in the senior division for he first time this year.
The POWERADE Open Wheel Modifieds will be as exiting as ever in 2008. The last season saw plenty of bumper-to-bumper, sidebar to sidebar action in this class of speed machines. The past three seasons have seen three different champions with Jamie Cox (#3) of Dorchester, Barry Newman (#1) of Springfield, and Mark Watson (#20) of Ailsa Craig. With hot shoes like Paul Shipway (#88) of Ailsa Crag and David McCullough (#39) of Glencoe gaining more and more experience, the division is expected to be as fiercely competitive this season as it was last season.
The APC Late Models are also expected to be wildly exciting this season. Jesse Kennedy will be defending his championship and special event wins at the PartSource 140 and APC 300. Scott Lindsay is widely expected to be a contender in 2008 along with the likes of “Rocket” Ron Sheridan (#52) of Strathroy and Dion Verhoeven (#77) of Kerwood.
Anticipation is high with the return of Delaware racing legend Steve Robblee (#28) of Dorchester. The Windsor area will be well represented this season with the addition of Duke Sawchuck to the Dan Delisile team of racing. Doug Stewart will be joining the fray with his #2 late model, and Chad Rijnen will be making the jump to Late Model from Super Stock, driving the #33 JR Motorsports entry.
Team APC / CANUSA will be represented by Jamie Ramsay (#42) of St. Thomas. As well, Brandon Watson, a young-gun from the Barrie area is rumoured to be trying his hand at the Delaware oval on opening night. Also returning to competition in 2008 will be Al Lebert of Stoney Point in a new-style late model and Rick Emery of Ruscom.
Numerous contingency sponsors are also announcing their intentions to be apart of the Delaware Program. Five Star Race Car bodies will be providing a body package for the year end banquet and the APC 300. Other top equipment manufacturers such as Holly Carburetors, Edelbrock, Brodix Cylinder Heads, and MSD Ignition will be providing prizing for the competitors at the end of the year. Locally, McColl Racing Enterprises, Larry Knott Fibreglass Fabrication, Leaf Racewear, John Saunders Racing, APC / CANUSA and Exeter Toyota are all an important part of the program in 2008. Further details on these programs will be announced in the near future.
The gates will fly open at 6:00 PM on Friday with the racing beginning at 8:00 PM. You won’t see racing this intense on television, don’t miss a lap!
From John Houghton // Announcer / PR // Delaware Speedway
Dickies Expands RCR partnership to include associate sponsorship of the No. 29 NASCAR Cup Series team
Dickies and RCR began their partnership in 2006 as the official provider of work apparel for RCR. The opportunity to increase their involvement into team partnership with RCR was the next logical step in a successful relationship.
"Dickies has been part of the NASCAR family since 2001. The company's sponsorship of the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is an important part of our marketing efforts and a perfect fit with the Dickies brand, said Jon Ragsdale, vice president of marketing and Business Development for Dickies. "This year we are expanding our NASCAR portfolio by becoming an associate sponsor on the No. 29 car driven by Kevin Harvick. Harvick and team owner Richard Childress are perfect embodiments of the hard-working men and women that wear Dickies products and we look forward to seeing Dickies in victory lane."
Harvick is currently fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings with two top-five and four top-10 finishes in the season's first eight races. Dickies will use Harvick in local promotions, store visits, midway track displays and hospitality programs.
"Dickies has been a great partner of RCR the past couple of years so we're very happy to have them expand their program to the No. 29 Cup Series team," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "The entire RCR team is proud to wear Dickies durable workwear in the shop and at the track so we couldn't be more excited about moving to the next step and proudly display the Dickies logo on the No. 29 car with Kevin Harvick."
About Dickies: Since its beginnings in Fort Worth, Texas in 1922, the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company has grown from a humble manufacturer of bib overalls into a global brand powerhouse, with DICKIES work pants, shirts, denim, outerwear, school uniforms, outdoor gear, medical and chefs apparel and an extensive licensing program offering sturdy head-to-toe clothing options for hardworking men and women of all ages, professions, regions and interests. Williamson-Dickie operates through subsidiaries in North America, Canada and Europe as well as exclusive distributorship around the world.
About Richard Childress Racing: Richard Childress Racing ( www.rcrracing.com) has earned more than 180 victories and 11 NASCAR championships, including the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series owners' point title and six in the Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Truck Series. Its 2008 Cup Series lineup includes Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's), Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil) and Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T). Its 2008 Nationwide Series lineup includes Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T), Bobby Labonte and Stephen Leicht (No. 21 Chevrolet) and Burton and Scott Wimmer (No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express).
From David Hart // Director of Communications // Richard Childress Racing
Targa NF President’s Challenge turns up the heat on carmaker competition
ST. JOHN’S (April 15, 2008) – The President’s Challenge for Manufacturers, a new competition that pits automakers in a week-long, head-to-head contest for corporate bragging rights in Canada’s longest and toughest motorsport event, will be a feature of the 7th annual Targa Newfoundland, event organizers have announced.
The new competition creates a level playing field so that manufacturers’ entries in both the Grand Touring and Targa competition can compete for the President’s Cup, a prestigious award signifying overall achievement in design, performance, durability and competitive spirit.
The challenge of Targa has drawn some of the world’s great car companies to the annual international rally through central and eastern Newfoundland. Since the event’s inception in 2002, corporate titans like BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Subaru have supported entries in the grueling six-day contest.
“We have had outstanding support from the community of car manufacturers in Canada,” says Targa organizer Robert Giannou. “Each has come here for their own reasons, and each has thrilled and entertained the many thousands of fans that follow the event here, across Canada and all over the world. We are indebted to each and every one for their contribution to the event.”
While the carmakers have frequently won class and category honours and filled their trophy cases with awards, there has never been an opportunity to compete directly with each other on a level playing field, Giannou says.
“In their business, auto manufacturers must succeed in the face of ferocious competition unlike nearly any other industry. Indeed, they thrive on competition and they have demonstrated that at Targa in their individual classes. But they have never been able to compete against each other in a meaningful way that acknowledges the differences in their products. The President’s Challenge for Manufacturers creates that opportunity,” Giannou explains.
For 2008, manufacturers entering two or more cars are automatically entered in the President’s Challenge. Manufacturer-entered competitors in Grand Touring Equipped, Grand Touring Unequipped, Modern Standard Specification, Modern Modified Specification, Modern Hybrid and Open are eligible. Both entries do not have to be in the same category: For example, one could be in Modern SS and one in GT Equipped, giving companies the option of picking the challenge that best suits their products and marketing goals.
Entries are scored on their finish within their category at the end of the event, with points allocated on the basis of their finishing position: First in category is one point, second is two points and so on. The combined score of the two entries (or the two best entries in the case of a company with three or more entries) will be compared, with the lowest aggregate score winning. A simple mechanism will be in place to settle a tie.
“We have searched for a way to create a competition that acknowledges and respects the differences in design and sporting character of a wide range of vehicles, and of the marketing efforts of the companies that make them. This competition accepts the legitimate differences between unlimited performance potential of a car in the Open division and the sporting nature of a car best suited to the Grand Touring competition, and puts them in a competition that lets each excel at what they do best,” says Giannou.
The beauty of the formula, Giannou says, is that it doesn’t give an advantage to any one category within the event. “We expect the competition to be very, very close,” he says.
The 7th annual Targa Newfoundland will start and end in St. John’s and will cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland over six days, including up to 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa Stages. The event starts with registration and technical inspection in St. John’s on Saturday, September 13, and concludes back in the city on Friday, September 19, 2008.
Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Holland, the Bahamas and the U.K. for the first six editions of Targa Newfoundland. Entries continue to arrive daily for the 2008 event. Targa Newfoundland is owned and organized by Newfoundland International Motorsports.
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Information:
Media: Doug Mepham (613)966-4969
Sponsors: Scott Giannou (709) 576-7537
Competitors: Dave Harty (709) 722-2413
Targa Website: www.targanewfoundland.com
Official charity: Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador www.easterseals.nf.ca
Dave Harty
Registrar/Marketing
Targa Newfoundland
September 13th-20th, 2008
Ph (709) 722-2413
Toll Free: 1-877-332-2413
Email: daveh@targanewfoundland.com
www.targanewfoundland.com
The new competition creates a level playing field so that manufacturers’ entries in both the Grand Touring and Targa competition can compete for the President’s Cup, a prestigious award signifying overall achievement in design, performance, durability and competitive spirit.
The challenge of Targa has drawn some of the world’s great car companies to the annual international rally through central and eastern Newfoundland. Since the event’s inception in 2002, corporate titans like BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Subaru have supported entries in the grueling six-day contest.
“We have had outstanding support from the community of car manufacturers in Canada,” says Targa organizer Robert Giannou. “Each has come here for their own reasons, and each has thrilled and entertained the many thousands of fans that follow the event here, across Canada and all over the world. We are indebted to each and every one for their contribution to the event.”
While the carmakers have frequently won class and category honours and filled their trophy cases with awards, there has never been an opportunity to compete directly with each other on a level playing field, Giannou says.
“In their business, auto manufacturers must succeed in the face of ferocious competition unlike nearly any other industry. Indeed, they thrive on competition and they have demonstrated that at Targa in their individual classes. But they have never been able to compete against each other in a meaningful way that acknowledges the differences in their products. The President’s Challenge for Manufacturers creates that opportunity,” Giannou explains.
For 2008, manufacturers entering two or more cars are automatically entered in the President’s Challenge. Manufacturer-entered competitors in Grand Touring Equipped, Grand Touring Unequipped, Modern Standard Specification, Modern Modified Specification, Modern Hybrid and Open are eligible. Both entries do not have to be in the same category: For example, one could be in Modern SS and one in GT Equipped, giving companies the option of picking the challenge that best suits their products and marketing goals.
Entries are scored on their finish within their category at the end of the event, with points allocated on the basis of their finishing position: First in category is one point, second is two points and so on. The combined score of the two entries (or the two best entries in the case of a company with three or more entries) will be compared, with the lowest aggregate score winning. A simple mechanism will be in place to settle a tie.
“We have searched for a way to create a competition that acknowledges and respects the differences in design and sporting character of a wide range of vehicles, and of the marketing efforts of the companies that make them. This competition accepts the legitimate differences between unlimited performance potential of a car in the Open division and the sporting nature of a car best suited to the Grand Touring competition, and puts them in a competition that lets each excel at what they do best,” says Giannou.
The beauty of the formula, Giannou says, is that it doesn’t give an advantage to any one category within the event. “We expect the competition to be very, very close,” he says.
The 7th annual Targa Newfoundland will start and end in St. John’s and will cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland over six days, including up to 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa Stages. The event starts with registration and technical inspection in St. John’s on Saturday, September 13, and concludes back in the city on Friday, September 19, 2008.
Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Holland, the Bahamas and the U.K. for the first six editions of Targa Newfoundland. Entries continue to arrive daily for the 2008 event. Targa Newfoundland is owned and organized by Newfoundland International Motorsports.
-30-
Information:
Media: Doug Mepham (613)966-4969
Sponsors: Scott Giannou (709) 576-7537
Competitors: Dave Harty (709) 722-2413
Targa Website: www.targanewfoundland.com
Official charity: Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador www.easterseals.nf.ca
Dave Harty
Registrar/Marketing
Targa Newfoundland
September 13th-20th, 2008
Ph (709) 722-2413
Toll Free: 1-877-332-2413
Email: daveh@targanewfoundland.com
www.targanewfoundland.com
Edelweiss Speedway season preview
GATINEAU, QC - by Martin Bélanger - The car show and press conference announcing the major events of 2008 was done this past Saturday in the parking lot of the Vieux-Duluth in Gatineau. Many cars along with several fans were present for the first activity of the season for Edelweiss.
The speedway always had the support of the drivers and also a good fan base. To recognize that, Edelweiss decided to give back to the community by getting involved with two foundations which are the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society. Each foundation will have a fundraiser night at the speedway.
On Friday, July 4th, it will be the Heart and Stroke Foundation night with the presentation of the first edition of the ``Simone 50``, fifty laps for the modifieds which will also be a Syracuse qualifier. The event was name after the loss of Simone Belhau, who died from a heart disease last summer. Simone was Serge Lagace's wife.
The Canadian Cancer Society will have their night on Friday, August 15 with the feature race of 50 laps for Pro-Stock. This race will be named the ``Carole Legault 50`` in honour of Carole Legault, the wife of pro-stock driver Denis Gauvreau. Carole passed away in 2005 after a long battle against cancer.
Each night will have a fundraiser to help out both foundations. The money will be collected in many ways, with the help of JGV Design who will provide stickers in hearts for the heart foundations and ribbons for cancer, the drivers will be invited to participate. Drivers will sell to the fans these stickers and the racecar that will sell the most will receive a gift certificate of $150 from Vieux-Duluth for the heart foundation. We are still looking for a restaurant for the cancer.
Also on these fundraiser nights, the fans will also be able to buy stickers and put them on the car they think will be the feature winner. Everyone that will choose the winner will get a coupon good for a free hot-dog and a soft drink for another race program.
In addition, 1 dollar of each entry on the fundraiser night will go to the foundation. The Speedway is committed to equal each entry for the two events. It will be a total of 2$ for each fan that will go to the foundation.
Along with these two fundraiser nights, many other big events are planned throughout the year. The always spectacular Empire Super Sprints will make three stops this year on July 18, August 15 and September 19. These cars can reach speeds up to 170 km/h and are always popular at Edelweiss.
The Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge is returning again this year after a successful race last year when 38 cars showed for the 100 lap event. Beside the ``Simone 50``, the modified will start the season with a 50 lap feature event that will also be a Syracuse Qualifier.
In Pro-Stock, there will 2 events to watch, the ``Carole Legault 50`` which will also be a Mohawk Race Parts event and the MrDIRTcar Pro-Stock series that will stop at the track on Friday, September 5th. The winner of this 100 lapper will receive a cool $1500 for his win.
The Semi-Pro class will have again this year the Street Stock Challenge on Friday July 4th, last summer, this race had attracted many outsiders. This class will close the year in fashion with a $600 to win 50 laps feature race on Friday, September 19. Many drivers are expected.
With the help of several sponsors a new bonus program will start this season. Coffrage 20-20 will sponsor the hard-charger prize in the modifieds, the driver that make the most passes through a feature will get a $100 bonus at the end of the night. At the end of the year the driver that will have accumulated the most passes will get an extra 750$.
Each class will also have the halfway bonus award. In the modifieds, Total Race Supply will give a gift certificate of 50$, Micheline Richard of Royal Lepage Group will donate 50$ in the Pro-Stocks, Dépanneur Tassé 307 will present a gift certificate of 20$ value in the the Semi-Pro class. DLP Motorsports is offering a 25$ gift certificate in the Mod-Lite category and Quickie convenience stores will provide a 20$ certificate in the 4 cylinders class.
Mr.Gas is also involved with the hard-charger award in both the Semi-Pro and 4 cylinders, the 20$ gift certificate will alternate between the two classes. Kenyon Racing will sponsor the hard-luck award by giving a 50$ gift certificate to driver who had bad luck. It is a total of over $5,200 in prize and money that the drivers will receive this year.
A new category is starting this year; the Mod-Lite class will begin. These small cars who are run by 600cc and 1000cc motorcycles engines can reach incredible speeds. Dean Pronovost, the instigator of the project, believes that the Outaouais Region is a great spot for this class.
Already nearly 10 cars are projected to start the year. If you want to have a preview of this class, the speedway will have a 2-day practice session next week-end on Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th. Some drivers from the Toronto area will be present to help out the new drivers.
With only 3 weeks left before the start of the new season, we are expecting a lot of action in 2008 at Edelweiss. With the Mod-Lite practices during next week-end, the other classes will have their own session on Saturday, May 10th and the season will officially start on Friday May 16th with the presentation of a 50 lap feature race plus a Syracuse Qualifier for the modifieds on Dupont and Dupont night. Be there!
The speedway always had the support of the drivers and also a good fan base. To recognize that, Edelweiss decided to give back to the community by getting involved with two foundations which are the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society. Each foundation will have a fundraiser night at the speedway.
On Friday, July 4th, it will be the Heart and Stroke Foundation night with the presentation of the first edition of the ``Simone 50``, fifty laps for the modifieds which will also be a Syracuse qualifier. The event was name after the loss of Simone Belhau, who died from a heart disease last summer. Simone was Serge Lagace's wife.
The Canadian Cancer Society will have their night on Friday, August 15 with the feature race of 50 laps for Pro-Stock. This race will be named the ``Carole Legault 50`` in honour of Carole Legault, the wife of pro-stock driver Denis Gauvreau. Carole passed away in 2005 after a long battle against cancer.
Each night will have a fundraiser to help out both foundations. The money will be collected in many ways, with the help of JGV Design who will provide stickers in hearts for the heart foundations and ribbons for cancer, the drivers will be invited to participate. Drivers will sell to the fans these stickers and the racecar that will sell the most will receive a gift certificate of $150 from Vieux-Duluth for the heart foundation. We are still looking for a restaurant for the cancer.
Also on these fundraiser nights, the fans will also be able to buy stickers and put them on the car they think will be the feature winner. Everyone that will choose the winner will get a coupon good for a free hot-dog and a soft drink for another race program.
In addition, 1 dollar of each entry on the fundraiser night will go to the foundation. The Speedway is committed to equal each entry for the two events. It will be a total of 2$ for each fan that will go to the foundation.
Along with these two fundraiser nights, many other big events are planned throughout the year. The always spectacular Empire Super Sprints will make three stops this year on July 18, August 15 and September 19. These cars can reach speeds up to 170 km/h and are always popular at Edelweiss.
The Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge is returning again this year after a successful race last year when 38 cars showed for the 100 lap event. Beside the ``Simone 50``, the modified will start the season with a 50 lap feature event that will also be a Syracuse Qualifier.
In Pro-Stock, there will 2 events to watch, the ``Carole Legault 50`` which will also be a Mohawk Race Parts event and the MrDIRTcar Pro-Stock series that will stop at the track on Friday, September 5th. The winner of this 100 lapper will receive a cool $1500 for his win.
The Semi-Pro class will have again this year the Street Stock Challenge on Friday July 4th, last summer, this race had attracted many outsiders. This class will close the year in fashion with a $600 to win 50 laps feature race on Friday, September 19. Many drivers are expected.
With the help of several sponsors a new bonus program will start this season. Coffrage 20-20 will sponsor the hard-charger prize in the modifieds, the driver that make the most passes through a feature will get a $100 bonus at the end of the night. At the end of the year the driver that will have accumulated the most passes will get an extra 750$.
Each class will also have the halfway bonus award. In the modifieds, Total Race Supply will give a gift certificate of 50$, Micheline Richard of Royal Lepage Group will donate 50$ in the Pro-Stocks, Dépanneur Tassé 307 will present a gift certificate of 20$ value in the the Semi-Pro class. DLP Motorsports is offering a 25$ gift certificate in the Mod-Lite category and Quickie convenience stores will provide a 20$ certificate in the 4 cylinders class.
Mr.Gas is also involved with the hard-charger award in both the Semi-Pro and 4 cylinders, the 20$ gift certificate will alternate between the two classes. Kenyon Racing will sponsor the hard-luck award by giving a 50$ gift certificate to driver who had bad luck. It is a total of over $5,200 in prize and money that the drivers will receive this year.
A new category is starting this year; the Mod-Lite class will begin. These small cars who are run by 600cc and 1000cc motorcycles engines can reach incredible speeds. Dean Pronovost, the instigator of the project, believes that the Outaouais Region is a great spot for this class.
Already nearly 10 cars are projected to start the year. If you want to have a preview of this class, the speedway will have a 2-day practice session next week-end on Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th. Some drivers from the Toronto area will be present to help out the new drivers.
With only 3 weeks left before the start of the new season, we are expecting a lot of action in 2008 at Edelweiss. With the Mod-Lite practices during next week-end, the other classes will have their own session on Saturday, May 10th and the season will officially start on Friday May 16th with the presentation of a 50 lap feature race plus a Syracuse Qualifier for the modifieds on Dupont and Dupont night. Be there!
New plan for downtown buildings
The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation has inked a deal to preserve the outside of a several buildings near the new PNC building downtown while development of the building interiors continues. In a complicated purchase and swap plan involving the city, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and N&P Properties the foundation will develop a few low-rise buildings on the corner of Market St. and Fifth Ave. while at the same time aquiring the right to preserve the façade of another building on that corner in perpetuity. This portion of market street links market square with fifth avenue right where the new park is being built as part of the PNC skyscraper. The buildings will feature retail on the first floor and residential above. PPG has created a special color palate for use on some of the buildings. One is covered with blue and ivory colored terracotta that dates back to 1928. Duquesne light is getting involved with a façade lighting project to highlight the architecture.
New Commissary Approved
U.S. Representative Tim Murphy, Republican from the 18th District, says the Commissary Board voted today to build a new commissary in Pittsburgh on Business Route 60 in Moon Township. There is no construction timetable as yet, but in the meantime, military personnel can continue to use the store at the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility, which is scheduled to remain open for a few more years.
Murphy says there will be a number of contributors to the building, including Allegheny County and the Defense Commissary Agency, so it's important to establish the design and funding so it can be built as soon as possible.
Murphy says there will be a number of contributors to the building, including Allegheny County and the Defense Commissary Agency, so it's important to establish the design and funding so it can be built as soon as possible.
Alcoa Foundation Awards $1.2 million
The Alcoa Foundation has awarded $!.2 million to three Pittsburgh non-profits, bringing its total for the past five years in Allegheny County to $11 million.
$600,000 goes to the August Wilson Center for African American Culture now under construction downtown. The grant will be used for permanent exhibits and for the currently touring exhibit of Teenie Harris photos with an accompanying dance performance--both will wind up at the center's opening in 2009.
The Carnegie Library will put its $400,000 toward improving childrens' sections in several branches and for renovations and new construction on the North Side and in the Hill District.
$200,000 will be used by the Children's Institute to study the feasibility of an "Environmental Pediatric Room" --a "clean room" with reduced toxins and exposures. Autistic children would live there for a few weeks to a few months. Friends and family could go in and out, enjoying the clean air, water and organic food in a beautiful setting. Dr. Scott Faber said the hope is the children would undergo biomedical change in that environment, especially de-toxifying chemicals and heavy metals in their bodies. There could be improvements in the immune system, language and socialization, along with a decrease in repetitive behavior patterns.
$600,000 goes to the August Wilson Center for African American Culture now under construction downtown. The grant will be used for permanent exhibits and for the currently touring exhibit of Teenie Harris photos with an accompanying dance performance--both will wind up at the center's opening in 2009.
The Carnegie Library will put its $400,000 toward improving childrens' sections in several branches and for renovations and new construction on the North Side and in the Hill District.
$200,000 will be used by the Children's Institute to study the feasibility of an "Environmental Pediatric Room" --a "clean room" with reduced toxins and exposures. Autistic children would live there for a few weeks to a few months. Friends and family could go in and out, enjoying the clean air, water and organic food in a beautiful setting. Dr. Scott Faber said the hope is the children would undergo biomedical change in that environment, especially de-toxifying chemicals and heavy metals in their bodies. There could be improvements in the immune system, language and socialization, along with a decrease in repetitive behavior patterns.
TOYO TIRE CANADA INC. extends sponsorship agreement for Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship
TORONTO, ON – April 28, 2008 – Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship officials announced today TOYO TIRES has extended its commitment as the presenting sponsor of the Championship.
“I am very pleased to announce the extension our TOYO partnership today,” said Touring Car President John Bondar. “As we continue to grow the Championship into the premiere racing series in the country, we are looking for partners that believe in our product and want to help us grow it. TOYO is one of those companies and we’re thrilled they are on board,” he added.
As an integral part of the sponsorship, Touring Car competitors will be using TOYO’s next generation of competition radial, the new TOYO PROXES R888, exclusively for the entire season.
The PROXES R888’s unique compound was designed using the latest TOYO RACING Technology that will enable racers to compete with maximum performance. It has improved cornering grip from its stiffer bead construction, and semi-slick shoulder area, as well as better braking response from its continuous centre contact.
It also has a durable, special tread rubber compound that maintains optimum temperatures for maximum handling capabilities, even during extended periods of competition. For the benefit of the competitors Toyo has set up a significant purchase discount and cash-back program for all competitors.
“TOYO’s affiliation with Canadian touring car racing goes back six years and over that time we have always been impressed with the continuous improvement in the caliber of both the competitors and the events themselves,” said Bruce Bridgman, National Manager, Marketing & Strategic Planning, Toyo Tire Canada Inc. He added, “At TOYO we are extremely excited to be part of this Championship and that the PROXES R888 has been selected for use by all competitors.”
About the Canadian Touring Car Championship - Boasting Canada’s best drivers in today’s hottest touring cars the Canadian Touring Car Championship consists of two classes of competition, over eight weekends, with races held in Quebec and Ontario.
From the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship
Win a Have Bus Will Travel NASCAR adventure at Kawartha Speedway
FRASERVILLE, ON - The 2008 racing season at Kawartha Speedway kicks-off Friday, May 30th and just being there to watch the opening night green flag fall could see you checking-out the NASCAR Canada Day at Michigan International Speedway, August 15th to 17th.
Again this year, Kawartha has teamed-up with Have Bus Will Travel to award a deluxe package worth $600.00 to MIS for the 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race and the Carfax 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series event. The winner's package also includes Have Bus Will Travel's unique brand of 'transportainment' - with 2 nights' accommodation, breakfast, a pit road pass and access to the NASCAR Canada hospitality tent at MIS.
To enter, just fill-out a ballot at the Have Bus Will Travel display at Kawartha's season opener - Friday, May 30th. You'll see a great show on the track, with Late Models, Limited Lates, Thunder Cars and Mini Stock racing...plus OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models on the track - and you could be on your way to NASCAR Canada Day at Michigan International Speedway, August 15th to 17th.
To wrap-up the 2008 season, Kawartha Speedway will again host the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series finale – the Dodge Charger 250. Have Bus Will Travel will be back at the track and will hold a draw to award a NASCAR race tour gift certificate worth $625.00 for a trip to the Sprint Cup/Nationwide Cup event of the winner's choice.
For details on the complete Kawartha Speedway schedule, including the ACT Summer Sizzler 200 - Sunday, July 13th visit www.kawarthaspeedway.com. Learn more about NASCAR race tours with Have Bus Will Travel by clicking on www.havebus.com .
By Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR
Again this year, Kawartha has teamed-up with Have Bus Will Travel to award a deluxe package worth $600.00 to MIS for the 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race and the Carfax 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series event. The winner's package also includes Have Bus Will Travel's unique brand of 'transportainment' - with 2 nights' accommodation, breakfast, a pit road pass and access to the NASCAR Canada hospitality tent at MIS.
To enter, just fill-out a ballot at the Have Bus Will Travel display at Kawartha's season opener - Friday, May 30th. You'll see a great show on the track, with Late Models, Limited Lates, Thunder Cars and Mini Stock racing...plus OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models on the track - and you could be on your way to NASCAR Canada Day at Michigan International Speedway, August 15th to 17th.
To wrap-up the 2008 season, Kawartha Speedway will again host the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series finale – the Dodge Charger 250. Have Bus Will Travel will be back at the track and will hold a draw to award a NASCAR race tour gift certificate worth $625.00 for a trip to the Sprint Cup/Nationwide Cup event of the winner's choice.
For details on the complete Kawartha Speedway schedule, including the ACT Summer Sizzler 200 - Sunday, July 13th visit www.kawarthaspeedway.com. Learn more about NASCAR race tours with Have Bus Will Travel by clicking on www.havebus.com .
By Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR
Canadian Kyle Marcelli shows speed in F2000 debut
Upon the completion of Tuesday's shake down we had Wednesday to prep the car before the first official test day on Thursday. Thursday proved to be a difficult day for the team as they suffered electrical problems all day. However, Marcelli was able to make it out for the last session to get some valuable seat time. "Unfortunately we lost the entire day to try set up changes to the car, but it was good to make it out for the last session to give Kyle a chance to learn the track and the new car," said team owner Brian Graham.
Friday witnessed two official 25 minute sessions, the team used this time to make the set-up changes to the car that they were hoping to try on Thursday. Saturday morning qualifying vastly approached. It proved to be lap record setting with warm conditions, good rubber laid down and minimal wind. With over 40 cars on track it was crucial to put together a good lap in qualifying without traffic.
"It's important to start at the front for the race, especially here at V.I.R as it is a tough track to pass on. If you're able to get a clean lap in qualifying then you should be in good shape, if you can get a clean lap with a draft you will be in even better shape. I was able to get a clean lap in passing only one car into the climbing S's, I crossed the stripe with a 1.55.9 almost 2 full seconds faster than last year's pole time but that only put me 7th on the grid, unable to get in another clear lap we were forced to save tires for the race," said Marcelli.
The green flag dropped for the start of round one in the F2000 championship series, with a big accident in corner one a full course yellow quickly came out. Two laps later the field went green and Marcelli quickly moved up multiple spots to settle into 4th. With four cars battling for 3rd place it allowed 1st and 2nd to get a gap. Going back and forth lap to lap Marcelli crossed the stripe 5th for round one of the championship.
Sunday mornings qualifying witnessed similar conditions, with Marcelli bettering his time crossing the line with a 1.55.8 which earned him a 5th place starting spot for the feature, it just goes to show how tight the field is. With 40 plus cars roaring across the stripe to take the green flag at the famed circuit Marcelli again saw himself in a race long battle for third place. With a four car train fighting it out all race long Marcelli crossed the stripe nose to tail taking another well earned top five finish.
"Obviously you're always going for a win, but we had to look at the big picture here. It's a long season ahead of us with twelve races to go in the championship, two top fives is a good start to the season now we just have to go for the wins," said Marcelli.
After the first weekend of competition Marcelli and the Brian Graham racing team leave Virginia International Raceway sitting 4th in the overall championship and 2nd in the team championship.
The next round is in Brasselton, Georgia at Road Atlanta where they will be seeking a win.
For more information visit www.kylemarcelli.com
MOSPORT'S VICTORIA DAY SPEEDFEST SCHEDULE COMPLETE
The three-hour Sundown Grand Prix endurance race into darkness returns for its fourth consecutive year with GT and Touring cars, such as Acuras, BMWs and Porsches battling for overall and class wins. One of the more popular endurance races in Mosport's rich 48-year history, the Sundown Grand Prix has roots that stretch back more than 40 years to the early days of the 4 kilometre road circuit. Featuring an iconic list of past winners, including Roger Penske, Bill Brack, George Eaton and Ludwig Heimrath, Sr., the Sundown Grand Prix provides a stern test for teams and drivers where exacting pit and fuel strategies are a must in order to win.
Headlining this year's Victoria Day SpeedFest is the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship. Known for its large fields and intense wheel-to-wheel racing that features many of today's hottest touring cars from marques such as BMW, Honda, Lexus and Acura, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship has points races for both the Touring and Super Touring classes on the weekend schedule.
Joining them on track are two exciting SCCA championships making the trip north- the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. Both series are comprised of fields of identical cars that are showroom stock with a few minor race modifications.
The Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup returns to Mosport after a one-year absence with new title sponsorship from Playboy. Designed to develop young drivers, the series is an integral part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder, with the champion winning a Mazda ride in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship.
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup is a new developmental road-racing series for young drivers ages 16 to 26. The Series features identical cars powered by the all-new, high-tech 2.0-litre four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine rated at 170 horsepower and nearly 300 ft.-lbs. of torque in racing trim. The Series recently announced the field of 30 drivers that will compete in the inaugural season following a selection camp in Phoenix, Arizona. Four Canadians were among the final 30 selected from more than 600 applications from across North America (David Richert, 25, Niverville, Man., Adam Kretschmer, 21, Brampton, Ont., Andrew Cordeiro, 24, Woodbridge, Ont. and Chris Holman, 20, Burlington, Ont.).
In addition to all the on-track action, Mosport's popular Victoria Day weekend fireworks show returns to light up the night sky on Saturday evening beginning just after dark. Also included with paid admission is access to the race team paddock and the Motorsport Expo & Marketplace, which features an interesting array of racing souvenirs and displays.
Mosport SpeedFest ticket-holders can use their passes for admission to the adjacent Mosport Speedway half-mile oval for the Auto Workers Community Credit Union Saturday Night Stock Car Racing, presented by PartSource. Racing starts at 6:30 pm. The fireworks show should be visible from the Speedway's grandstands.
A three-day SuperTicket is just $45 until May 14 ($55 at the Gate) and each ticket includes free parking and access to the fireworks show. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult admission. Single day tickets are also available.
An advance three-day weekend general camping pass is just $30 (For tents or pop-up trailers). Advance RV passes are $50 for the weekend.
For more information about Mosport tickets and camping, call the Mosport Hotline at
1-800-866-1072 (Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET) or visit online at www.mosport.com. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster.
-30-
From Lee Bailie, Mosport
Democratic Tracking Poll: Everything Else
Senate:
Kay Hagan 36
Jim Neal 8
Marcus Williams 4
Duskin Lassiter 3
Howard Staley 2
The question at this point isn't really whether Hagan will win, but by how large of a margin.
Treasurer:
David Young 19
Janet Cowell 16
Michael Weisel 8
For the last few weeks Young has been on tv and Cowell hasn't, and Young has taken the lead. Cowell will be for the last week though, so this race seems likely to continue to be a close one.
Superintendent:
June Atkinson 35
Eddie Davis 17
Atkinson has maintained a steady lead in our polls for months.
Auditor:
Beth Wood 27
Fred Aikens 20
Like Atkinson, Wood has shown a steady margin throughout our polling.
Insurance:
Wayne Goodwin 21
David Smith 18
Goodwin moves back into the lead after a tie the week before.
Labor:
Mary Fant Donnan 12
John Brooks 12
Robin Anderson 11
Ty Richardson 9
This race is headed for a runoff and at this point all of the candidates have a decent chance of being in it.
Full results here.
Kay Hagan 36
Jim Neal 8
Marcus Williams 4
Duskin Lassiter 3
Howard Staley 2
The question at this point isn't really whether Hagan will win, but by how large of a margin.
Treasurer:
David Young 19
Janet Cowell 16
Michael Weisel 8
For the last few weeks Young has been on tv and Cowell hasn't, and Young has taken the lead. Cowell will be for the last week though, so this race seems likely to continue to be a close one.
Superintendent:
June Atkinson 35
Eddie Davis 17
Atkinson has maintained a steady lead in our polls for months.
Auditor:
Beth Wood 27
Fred Aikens 20
Like Atkinson, Wood has shown a steady margin throughout our polling.
Insurance:
Wayne Goodwin 21
David Smith 18
Goodwin moves back into the lead after a tie the week before.
Labor:
Mary Fant Donnan 12
John Brooks 12
Robin Anderson 11
Ty Richardson 9
This race is headed for a runoff and at this point all of the candidates have a decent chance of being in it.
Full results here.
Open Testing Day - Friday, May 23rd at Kawartha Speedway
By Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR
FRASERVILLE, ON - The 2008 racing season at Kawartha Speedway takes the green flag in just a little more than a month's time. To make sure everyone is ready for the opening night – Friday, May 30th – the track will hold their annual open practise session a week before. Friday, May 23rd is a chance for drivers and teams in all 4 of Kawartha's weekly divisions to see how their cars perform, as well as the opportunity to hone their driving skills after a long, snowy winter away from the sport.
To add true meaning to the word 'open', the speedway is making track time available to any car, from any racetrack or touring series. Speedway General Manager Derek Lynch says he had received calls from some drivers that had heard about Kawartha's practise day in the past and decided that they'd open the doors to anyone this year. "It's a chance for our fans to see some cars that wouldn't usually race with us on a Friday night", says Lynch. "We think it may also help us plan for the possibility of adding a special event later this year – or even a couple of years down the road."
The speedway has heard rumours that some of the teams from nearby Brighton Speedway may show-up, just to have the opportunity to 'play' on one of the country's premier asphalt racing facilities. There's also the chance that some of the DIRT modified drivers from the Kingston area, who usually compete Saturday nights at Brockville Ontario Speedway could make the trip to get some track time on a different type of racing surface. There could even be an Empire Super Sprint car team or 2 in attendance, as that series prepares for their first ever event at Oswego Speedway. Public Relations staff at Kawartha will also be sending invitations to selected racers, tracks and sanctioning bodies.
Gates open at 2:00, with on-track practise sessions being run on a rotating basis starting at 3:00. Admission for spectators or participants is just $10.00 per person. Be sure to mark it on your calendar. The annual open practise day Friday, May 23rd at Kawartha Speedway – on Highway 28, near the 35/115 intersection, just south of Peterborough. For additional details and a look at the complete 2008 racing schedule, check www.kawarthaspeedway.com.
FRASERVILLE, ON - The 2008 racing season at Kawartha Speedway takes the green flag in just a little more than a month's time. To make sure everyone is ready for the opening night – Friday, May 30th – the track will hold their annual open practise session a week before. Friday, May 23rd is a chance for drivers and teams in all 4 of Kawartha's weekly divisions to see how their cars perform, as well as the opportunity to hone their driving skills after a long, snowy winter away from the sport.
To add true meaning to the word 'open', the speedway is making track time available to any car, from any racetrack or touring series. Speedway General Manager Derek Lynch says he had received calls from some drivers that had heard about Kawartha's practise day in the past and decided that they'd open the doors to anyone this year. "It's a chance for our fans to see some cars that wouldn't usually race with us on a Friday night", says Lynch. "We think it may also help us plan for the possibility of adding a special event later this year – or even a couple of years down the road."
The speedway has heard rumours that some of the teams from nearby Brighton Speedway may show-up, just to have the opportunity to 'play' on one of the country's premier asphalt racing facilities. There's also the chance that some of the DIRT modified drivers from the Kingston area, who usually compete Saturday nights at Brockville Ontario Speedway could make the trip to get some track time on a different type of racing surface. There could even be an Empire Super Sprint car team or 2 in attendance, as that series prepares for their first ever event at Oswego Speedway. Public Relations staff at Kawartha will also be sending invitations to selected racers, tracks and sanctioning bodies.
Gates open at 2:00, with on-track practise sessions being run on a rotating basis starting at 3:00. Admission for spectators or participants is just $10.00 per person. Be sure to mark it on your calendar. The annual open practise day Friday, May 23rd at Kawartha Speedway – on Highway 28, near the 35/115 intersection, just south of Peterborough. For additional details and a look at the complete 2008 racing schedule, check www.kawarthaspeedway.com.
A1GP Team Canada: Hinchcliffe Back for Brands Hatch Finale
The 21-year-old Toronto-resident will return to A1GP duty making just his third start of the season having led Canada in the opening two rounds of the current ten-round campaign in the Netherlands and Czech Republic respectively last September and October. While Hinchcliffe will fulfill race duties in the United Kingdom the team will again rely on the talents of 18-year-old Daniel Morad in Friday morning's 'Rookie-Only' session - the Markham racer set for his fourth A1GP meeting in the role having accompanied the team to South Africa, Mexico and China already this year.
Both Hinchcliffe and Morad are new to the 2.62-mile Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit but the team is confident in its driver line-up, a blend of youth and experience, with two points scoring finishes the clear objective heading into the weekend. Currently sitting ninth in the A1GP Nations Standings, a double points score from Hinchcliffe in the Sprint and Feature races should help cement Canada's best ever placing in A1GP following a tenth place finish in the inaugural 2005-06 season and an eleventh place finish in the 2006-07 championship.
Having come close to opening the scoring for Canada earlier this season in his outings at Zandvoort and Brno, Hinchcliffe is keen to rejoin the team which has subsequently gone on to score one win, five podiums, and two pole positions with Robert Wickens behind the wheel. James' own record in A1GP boasts eighteen starts over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons with seven top-ten finishes and a Sprint race podium to his credit. Heading to Brands Hatch having already started his quest for the 2008 Atlantic Championship title in North America, the Ontario racer's looking forward to top-and-tailing the current A1GP season for Canada.
"I'm excited to be heading to Brands Hatch for the A1GP season finale," stated Hinchcliffe. "Any opportunity to drive for Canada, and in particular with the strength of talent within the team, is obviously a good thing. I know I'm facing a bit of a challenge given I haven't raced the car since October and I'm new to Brands Hatch but having seen the form enjoyed by the team and Robbie (Wickens) in recent events it certainly raises my prospects for another strong weekend. I have to thank the team again for the opportunity to race and here's hoping for a great finish to a great year!"
Mark Gallagher, whose Status Grand Prix outfit operates A1 Team Canada on behalf of Seat Holder Wade Cherwayko, commented; "We're excited to have James return to the line-up. When he drove for us earlier the team had just gone through a major transformation and ultimately with a new crew we weren't quite up to speed at the start of the season. This is the perfect way for James to come back as we've subsequently been very competitive. He'll get the benefit of that experience now and no doubt recognize the difference when he gets out on track.
"With James racing Daniel will continue to be our rookie driver at Brands, continuing to build his experiences in A1GP with a view to competing for us in the future. He's doing a great job for the team and while we'd be keen to try him in race conditions - with a top-six series finish potentially on the cards for A1 Team Canada we've opted for James' experience this time round in the belief he can add to the points tally accumulated by Robbie."
A1GP Top-Ten Standings - Round 9/10: 1st Switzerland (150), 2nd New Zealand (121), 3rd France (111), 4th Great Britain (99), 5th South Africa (92), 6th Germany (83), 7th Ireland (83), 8th Netherlands (80), 9th CANADA (75), 10th Portugal (50)
Photo Credit: 'James Hinchcliffe will round out the A1GP season for A1 Team Canada' - Jakob Ebrey Photography
From: A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
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