Edition #3 The Official Newsletter of Mitch Brown Racing 2013 TEAM PREPARING FOR BUSY RACING SEASON Throughout Southern Ontario race teams and fans are chomping at the bit awaiting those most famous words in motorsports - DRIVERS, START YOUR ENGINES! On the local front, Ohsweken Speedway is set to drop the green flag on their season on May 17 th while other dirt tracks in the Golden Horseshoe have posted schedules of earlier opening dates. Mitch Brown and his teammates are hoping to start their season off even earlier by heading to a Patriot Sprint Tour race at Merrittville Speedway on April 27 th -an event that opens the Canadian portion of the touring series’ expanding northeastern US/Canadian schedule. The team planned to visit Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway to watch the two-day World of Outlaws show on May 3rd and 4 th but they may side step that event to participate in a Patriot Sprint Tour race May 3 rd at Black Rock Speedway, Dundee NY. They’ll be participating in Ohsweken’s pre- season practice sessions on May 10 th before heading to another Patriot Sprint Tour event at Woodhull Raceway in the Southern tier of New York State on May 11 th, On May 17 th they return to Ohsweken for the Friday night season opener before literally racing east on highway 401 for a Southern Ontario Sprints series race at Brighton Speedway the following night. The Brantford team rounds out the month of May with a three day racing weekend beginning at Ohsweken (May 24th), and two PST events first at Bradford (PA) Speedway (May 25th) and Eriez Speedway (Hammet, PA (May 26 th ). They’ll be back at Ohsweken Speedway for the May 31st events in their regular Corr/Pak Sprint Car division. CP Some of the other Ontario dirt tracks that Mitch Brown has penciled into his schedule for the season include South Buxton Raceway plus Brockville and Cornwall speedways but those events aren’t due to happen until later in the summer. In all, Mitch Brown Racing has close to fifty events scheduled for 2013 but as with most seasons, weather is always a factor. Speaking about weather… One thing about spring and living in Southern Ontario and the American northeast, especially around the Great Lakes, weather is often unpredictable and so far this year has been no exception. Continued –Page 2 MITCH BROWN RACING 401 Erie Avenue, Brantford, Ontario N3T 5L6 (519) 752-9531 [email protected] www.mitchbrownracing.com …. Continued from Page 1 EDITOR’S COMMENTS This April’s rains and cold temperatures accompanied by everything With this edition of our team newsletters the from sleet, to hail and yes to even snow has created a nightmare for clock is rapidly ticking down to the start of the track owners leaving many venues behind schedule with track season here in Southern Ontario and some grooming and lost practice sessions. The Patriots had their season th teams have already tested on the track or opener scheduled for April 13 at Fulton Speedway cancelled because displayed their cars at a number of motorsports of rain and other tracks an d series have been kept busy trying to adjust shows or through local shopping malls. their schedules to compensate for weather disruptions. Mitch Brown unveiled his Haldex/Pro-Fit Health Most recently, Merrittville Speedway had to reschedule their “Test and Club/Brown Auto Service Sprint Car in the special th nd Tune Sessions” from Saturday April 20 to Monday, April 22 in hopes Ohsweken Speedway exhibit at Brantford’s Lynden Park of giving competitors at least one opportunity to shake down their cars Mall Wednesday, April 17, through Sat urday, April 20, before their April 27 th opener. The team’s also been busy refurbishing Jake’s #10 For those who no longer believe in Wiarton Willie and his American Monte Carlo for another season of competition in the Thunder Stock Division at Ohsweken Speedway. groundhog counterpart Punxsutawney Phil - who both predicted spring would come early this year - perhaps the following forecasts This season, the team has the added luxury of having a from the Old Farmer’s Almanac will provide a better picture of new Maxim Sprinter ready to g o as a backup in the event of what’s in store during the racing season. some unforeseen issues during their busy schedule especially while competing in a touring series event. According to the Almanac, April and May will be slightly cooler than normal, with precipitation below normal in the As we head into the season, we are pleased to welcome east and above normal in the west. Brant County Ford. APC (Auto Parts Centres), Total Oil Products and Century 21 Signs to our Summer will be cooler and rainier Sponsorship/Marketing team. than normal, with the hottest temperatures in early to mid- It’s also great to see a few competitors have been busy July, late July, and mid-August. promoting their racing programs leading up to the season. September and October will The Turner family of Caistor Centre and Conor Mahoney of be warmer and drier than Waterdown were promoting themselves and the dirt track normal. scene at some area motorsports shows in late March and early April while others exhibited their cars at selected That’s certainly not the shopping malls throughout Ontario. type of forecast track owners would like Based on published reports, Jeremy Hughes is making that to read about. major jump from Ohsweken’s Mini Stocks to the Corr/Pak Sprint Division, running his familiar #10J. And after a two-year So who do we trust? absence, Brantford, ON car owner Ray Ballantyne will have his The Groundhogs. The Almanac. Or the Government? –Not a chance Sprint car back at Ohsweken with Fenwick, ON native and former Track Champion Tom Huppunen behind the wheel. Ready to Roll - MBR’s new race team hauler Note also that Mitch Brown racing’s refreshed website www.mitchbrownracing.com is now up and running at On a sad note, the racing community lost a couple of dear and dedicated supporters of the sport on April 3 rd and 13 th with the passing of Joe Lapcevich of Stoney Creek and Leone Slack of Caledonia. Details of their passing are noted on pages 7 and 8. As we have said many times, there isn’t a more exciting, colourful and economic entertainment med ium than short track racing. Be sure to catch an event in 2013. Ken Spencer Hey race fans …be sure to check out our new website www.mitchbrownracing.com designed and maintained by . SEASON ENDS FAR TOO EARLY FOR MITCH BROWN AND THE PRO-FIT CORVAIRS Caledonia ousted by Stratford in second round of GOJHL playoffs In a game where neither team could get a cushion, the Stratford Cullitons escaped with a 3-2 victory over the Caledonia Corvairs. No lead was more than one goal during the contest, and the winning goal was scored by Jared Culliton at 13:33 of the third period. The win by Stratford clinched the best of seven series at 4-2. The Cullitons were paced by Culliton, who grabbed one goal. Stratford put up an impenetrable defensive front on the penalty kill, and did not allow Caledonia to score on any of its five power plays. The Cullitons forced the Corvairs goalie Justis Husak to work between the Pipes taking 34 shots. Stratford additionally got points from Ryan Watson, who also finished with one goal and one assist and Jake Ryan, who also tallied one goal and one assist to lead the team in points. Other players who recorded assists for Stratford were Jonathan Langford, Mitch Brooks, and Andrew Barton, who each chipped in one. Caledonia's penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on four Stratford power plays. Stratford was unable to stop the Corvairs from sending pucks towards the net, and Caledonia eventually piled up 42 shots on goal. Photo by The Corvairs were helped by Connor Murphy Phil Armishaw Mitch Brown and the Caledonia who racked up one goal Pro-Fit Corvairs’ run for the GOJHL and one assist. Championship was derailed by the Murphy scored 12:38 into the third period Stratford Cullitons who took the For Mitch Brown … one to make the score 2-2. Ryan Blunt assisted on second round of playoffs 4 games season ended far too early to 2. but another season is about the tally. Caledonia also got points from Spencer to begin Gourlay, who also grabbed one goal and one assist. The Corvairs R ookie Camp is scheduled to begin on Saturday In addition, Caledonia received assists from Tyler Norrie, who had one. June 8th, 2013 at the Haldimand County Community Centr e Nick Caldwell recorded 40 saves for the Cullitons. Stratford incurred 16 minutes in penalty time with eight minors. Caledonia's Husak stopped 31 shots out of the 34 that he faced. The Corvairs incurred 14 minutes in penalty time with seven minors. As of April 22 nd , St. Catharines, London and Cambridge are in the finals of a three-way playoff round to determine the 2012-2013 GOJHL Champion. Although it’s little in the way of a consolation, the early end of the 2012-2013 hockey season means an earlier start to the racing season for Mitch Brown. But knowing the dedication and intensity the youngster put into his leadership role with the Caledonia Pro-Fit Corvairs, you can bet that heart breaking loss to Stratford will take a long time to erase from Mitch’s memories, especially with only one more season of eligibility left in his Junior hockey career.