By DON SIMPSON
Good things come in little packages. When it comes to the Mini Stock division they pack a punch. With this the division has seen a big resurgence in this class over the past few years.
Cornwall Motor Speedway and Brockville Ontario Speedway announced that they have banded together to bring a joint series for the Mini Stock class, dubbed the “Mini Stock Showdown.” The Eastern Ontario Mini-Stock Showdown will race four times between the two speedways in 2023.
Thanks to Picard Mobile Truck Repair, JML Custom Services, Matt Boal, 23B Racing and 95 Lynch Racing, more than $1,700 in points funds and sponsorship money have already been gathered, and this could still increase as more sponsors come onboard!
A few months ago, the prospect of a series seemed unlikely as James Clarke, Perrier Picard considered it amongst themselves. Yet when the concept for the series was announced to the Mini Stock Racing community, all were enthusiastic about it.
The initial plan was to launch the series with Brockville Raceway’s Jamie Larocque and Perrier Picard from Cornwall Ontario Speedway. Perrier Picard agreed to take turns announcing hosts for the Mini Stock Series; it ultimately fell through.
Jamie Larocque explainsed, “Myself and Pierre Picard got talking one night about trying to get a miniseries between tracks. So, we started spreading the word last season to drivers, seeing if they would be interested in such a series, etc. Then, recently, James Clarke got the ball rolling and managed to get both tracks to agree to have a miniseries. This series provides an excellent platform for mini stocks to demonstrate their amazing character and capabilities, and it is to be hoped that this will continue in the future.”
Paul Kirkland and Raymond Lavergne have also been working hard to make the Mini Stock class a headline weekly division, and now to have a series dedicated to the Mini Stock division is good for both tracks, considering not long ago it was difficult recruiting race teams to this class. Both Cornwall and Brockville have seen a big rebound in the last few years, so hosting this joint series is a big win for racers and fans.
Brockville Speedway owner Paul Kirkland stated, “The Mini Stock Committee contacted Raymond and myself after putting in a lot of effort to develop schedule arrangements for this series at Brockville Ontario Speedway and Cornwall Speedway. Additionally, it helps to highlight this dedicated series, making it more accessible and appealing to racers near and far, providing fans with some great racing. The fact that this series might draw racers from other tracks besides Brockville and Cornwall will be a win for the track and fans, as they will see some of the best Mini Stock drivers challenge for this series championship.”
As for Pierre Picard, it is somewhat of a dream come true, as he only started racing full-time in the sport during COVID in 2020, winning the Rookie of the Year Award.
Last season, Pierre finished second in points at Cornwall and will return to Cornwall this season to compete for the track championship. However, much of the attention thus far this season has been on making the Mini Stock Series a reality with assistance from numerous people.
Pierre said, “I think it’s going to be a really good and competitive season with all the drivers coming back like Martin Bernard, Carl Gorry, James and Brandon MacMillan. Bob Ray is really determined to make me a better driver. He’s been pushing me all winter. I want to change a few things on my car to make it faster. But this series, which will be held in Cornwall and Brockville, makes me very happy. After discussing this last season with Jamie Larocque, and Brandon MacMillan, I later asked James Clarke, and we agreed to move forward and start the series. As a result, the series is a go, with a good point fund. Everything just seemed to fall in place.”
A key player in all of this is James Clarke regarding the Mini Stock series, James, who raced in the Mini Stocks for a few years, switched to the Pro Stock division last season. But James will be returning to the Mini Stock division this year with an all-new car.
“There’s going to be some really tough competition in this series. With some great drivers returning to the division and the already fast drivers still in the class, it’s going to be one hell of a year for Mini Stocks. A big thanks to Raymond Lavergne and Paul Kirkland for coming on board with the idea and hosting this series. A big shout out to JML Customs Picard Mobile Truck Repair, Brandon MacMillan, Zac Lynch, and Matt Boal for all their help and support in getting this series on the schedule.
The Mini Stock division has really come into its own over the last few years as teams have stepped up and built some very technical cars. The once-beaten-up junker is now a mean and fast race car where the team take pride in the looks of their cars along with more technical set-ups and tuning.
The Mini Stock division is one of the most competitive classes on the track. Over the past few years, fans have grown accustomed to the fantastic racing this division offers every week at any major dirt track event. For this division, the feature has never looked so promising.
