Rounds 3 and 4 – HIGH
STAKES WEEKEND, Feb. 7 and 8, 2004:
It’s
a Media Frenzy at Leduc as Team 54 Makes Most of NEW Car Debut
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The
much awaited unveiling of the NEW and improved Car 54 was unveiled this weekend
before record crowds and a media frenzy on the High Stakes Weekend. Not unlike
McLaren F-1, Team 54 had to wait until everything was just right before pulling
the curtain down on the faster and shiny NEW Car 54. Bressmer, stampeded by the
media, barely had enough time to complete his class rep duties on Sunday
morning. CFRN TV was there taping footage of new Car 54 as he sped around the
track, showing off his newly overhauled 1.6 liter Chevrolet power. The local
paper, the Edmonton Examiner, pulled Bressmer aside and interviewed the weekend
organizer. Bressmer did not disappoint the fans as he took 2 wins on the
weekend and closed the gap on Car 55, the aging 1979 Pontiac Acadian, belonging
to team boss McKernan. CFRN broadcasted
clips from the event on the Sunday evening news. Clips included Car 24 spinning
sideways in front of the camera for the local news (shameless promotion of Car
24 I say…).
Team 55 will be looking over their shoulder in the
next few weeks as the 2004 points championship is tightening up. Car 55 is beginning
to show signs of the extreme pressure, as other drivers have reported (smelt) a
combination of gas, oil and antifreeze teeming from the tuned headers of Car
55. Maybe the rumored dismissal of the #1 driver of Team 55 is true. Can Sakaluk get sacked? Team boss McKernan, wearing a disguise
of dark glasses, was seen smoking stogies in the trailer of Team 24 over the
weekend. It is possible that McKernan
may simply take over the driving duties from here on. If so, look for Sakaluk to seek another ride next Round.
The sponsors came through BIG TIME as the High
Stakes Weekend was a resounding success. Volunteer draw prizes were made at the
driver’s meeting on Sunday, including an autographed Oiler
print (Jason SMITH) and Oiler tickets. Thanks to the
generosity of the sponsors for a fun-packed weekend of racing. Thanks also to
Andy DeBoon, NASCC president, for all his help ensuring
the track was ready and the event was on time.
The Chevette racers put
a little extra into the weekend with an Australian Persuit
Race on Sunday, the last race of the weekend. This type of race is designed such
that the cars start the race at pre-determined intervals such that, in theory
they will all reach the finish line at the same time. The staggered start times
were based on average lap times from Saturdays’ races. Car 77 started first. Car
54 started the race in 8th, 1 minute behind the leader and Car 55
started last, 1 minute and 4 seconds back. The Feb “7 & 8” weekend was the lucky
charm for Car 78 as he won the Persuit from position
6. Car 81 was sniffing closely behind at
the finish line and narrowed the gap down to 0.7 seconds at the checkered flag.
The next Round is scheduled for Sunday Feb 15,
sponsored by Boston Pizza (