This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be a part of the VRRA Vintage Festival held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) outside of Bowmanville, ON. The weather really could not have been better, with comfortable temperatures, plenty of sunshine and no rain! Vintage bikes were everywhere and the action was great.
Mosport has had a face lift, and things are greatly improved – tunnels, parking areas, spectator areas and track surface have all seen extensive work – and everyone was impressed. Thankfully, the place retains all the feel of its 50 years of Canadian racing history and the VRRA takes you right back in time.
Friday’s four practice sessions saw huge participation, yet many bikes were sidelined for the weekend with mechanical problems. The endurance race was exciting, with Team Tenacious taking the P4F1 win and the overall victory. Spank Racing won P4F2 and club president Mike Vinten’s “Three Musketeers” took the P3 Light class.
Saturday was a good indicator of who to watch during Sunday’s finals. Some key players had fast lap times and would have grabbed points in the series, yet engine gremlins, flat tires and crashes kept them from the podium.
From my usual spot on the hill at the start/finish line, I had the perfect view of the track. There are better spots to watch the racing at Mosport, but the action is at the checkered flag!
The first race, Period 3 Light, was easy to follow. Scott Mackenzie won with a commanding lead over Lee Newbury and Ken Pieshke. P4 Light was also won with a front straight gap, but Tyler Waller overtaking Jody Pearce in the third lap was exciting, with Yannick Laflamme coming in third. Jody pulled off with mechanical issues.
Period 1 Open, Period 1 350 and Pre 1950 are run as one race. Doug Forbes took the Open, Jamie Bosson won the JPrecsion 350 class, but the real highlight was the Rudge Match!!! Three pre 1950 Rudge motorcycles took to the track Saturday, but Sunday saw the #89 Rudge of Ingo Reters take the win, with David Sproule in second.
The sidecar race saw Pierre Rochat take an easy win with his Period 3 rig. The 750 cc Rotax two-stroke was too strong for the other rigs (not having to shift gears probably helps). Jean-Guy Ractliffe’s BMW rig was second, with much more action happening in the P2 class, with Gill, Robinson and Holden finishing 1-2-3.
The race not to miss was the Blue Streak Racing Period 4 Heavy! Don Gosen led the entire race on his Ducati 900SS, with Colin Duncan getting closer with every lap. With only four or five bikes lengths between them on the front straight going into the last lap, Duncan took a different line going into turn 2, where Gosen ran into lapped traffic. Duncan’s ZX-7R came across the line in front of Gosen for the win!
Two great races followed, with Tim Ruhl winning P3 Heavy and as the two stroke smoke cleared, Chris Hurst and Patrick Gagnon had won their respective classes in the hugely popular Vintage GP.
The final round of the year, the Quebec GP, takes place at Autodrome St-Eustache on September 7th and 8th. Only two weeks remain before the VRRA awards its number one plate. See you there.
RESULTS:
HB Cycle P3-L
Scott Mackenzie #671
Lee Newbury #550
Ken Pieshke #451
Armour Bodies P4F3
Chris Hurts #573
Tyler Waller #214
Yannick Laflamme #977
JPrecision P1-350
Jamie Bossen #24
Steve Canellos #76
Chris Marshall #46
P1-Open
Doug Forbes #83
Michael Clipsham #108
Joel Nelson #509
Pre-1950
Ingo Reters #89
David Sproule #35
Sidecar P3
Pierre Rochat #119
Jean-Guy Ractliffe #480
Sidecar P2
Mathew Gill #39
Brian Robinson #239
Gary Holden #401
P2-Heavy
Mick Vaclavik #75
Jeff Peters #45
Steve Humphrey #701
Evans Auto P2-Middle
Paul Brubaker #82
Scott Mackenzie #617
Ryan Hunt #476
Warwick Cup
Gary McCaw #31
Dave King #67
Armour Bodies P4F2
Steve Brown #56
Daniel Rinfret #868
Chris Hurst #573
Pre-1965 500cc
Paul Brubaker #82
Gary McCaw #31
Dave King #67
Heidenau Tires P2-Light
Timothy Tilghman #225
Stan Nicholson #70
Richard Midgley #146
Pre-1965 350cc
Don MacPhail #312
Ray Roberts #115
P1-200
Ron Kalaquin #413
Whyte Fitness P3-Middle
Jeff Peters #45
Steve Brown #56
Tim Whyte #254
Motorsport Newman P1-500
Paul Brubaker #82
Gary McCaw #31
Chris Marshall #46
MJ Dreher Trucking P1-250
Stan Nicholson #70
Robert Orr #774
Steve Canellos #76
Blue Streak Racing P4F1
Colin Duncan #590
Don Gosen #73
Paul Robbins #155
Tactcal Products Canada P3-Heavy
Tim Ruhl #241
Jeff Peters #45
Todd Ruston #34
CMR Racing Products VintageGP-M
Chris Hurst #573
Steve Brown #56
Joe Soles #233
CMR Racing Products VintageGP-L
Patrick Gagnon #821
Steve Humphrey #701
Robert Orr #774
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