Ford Wins After 50 Year Absence

Episode 111

June 19. 2016

Great Day for Ford and Chip Ganassi Racing

After 50 years Ford comes back to LeMans and wins the GTLE Pro title. Marshall Pruett Racer.com photo

After 50 years Ford comes back to LeMans and wins the GTLE Pro title. Marshall Pruett Racer.com photo

I realize that LeMans is a long way from Northern Maine, however, I must follow up on my 24 Hours of Daytona report from earlier this year. You may recall that the new Ford GT cars had issues during that race and finished many laps behind the winning Corvettes in the GTLM class.

A couple weeks later those same Fords had ironed out some of the new car bugs at the 12 Hours of Sebring yet no win in GTLM.

That all changed when the checkered flag flew at LeMans the #68 Ford driven by Dirk Muller, Joey Hand, and Sebastien Bourdais were atop their class ahead of the 488 GTE Ferrari of Risi Competizone. The Ford vs Ferrari rivalry brought back memories of the race won by Ford with the GT 50 years ago.

Fords also finished third and fourth in class while the Corvettes, last year’s winner in class, struggled with one crashing out in the middle of the night and the other driven by Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, and Ricky Taylor placed seventh in class.

The Corvette driven by Tommy Milner met its demise in the early evening hours after it hit the wall hard in turn one. Marshall Pruett Racer Magazine photo

The Corvette driven by Tommy Milner met its demise in the early morning hours after it hit the wall hard in turn one. Marshall Pruett Racer Magazine photo

Ganassi At Red Bull Global RallyCross Daytona International Speedway

Stev Arpin leads the way in Saturday's Red Bull Global RallyCross in the Chip Ganassi prepared Ford. Photo courtesy Red Bull

Steve Arpin leads the way in Saturday’s Red Bull Global Rallycross in the Chip Ganassi prepared Ford. Photo courtesy Red Bull

Chip Ganassi Racing has won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the Daytona 500  can add one more Daytona victory winning round one of the Red Bull Global Rallycross on Saturday. The Indianapolis based team got into the rallycross racing scene this season and already experienced victory as Canadian Steve Arpin slipped and sliced through round one of the doubleheader weekend at the famous speedway.

Arpin raced his Jacob sponsored Ford to Victory Circle as points leader Tanner Foust crashed hard taking him out of contention in day one. When Foust’s Andrett Autosports team-mate Scott Speed inherited the lead an under hood fire snuffed out any chance for Speed to win.

Tanner Foust Takes GRC Day Two Win

 

Tanner Foust in the Andretti Autosports VW Beetle wins day two of the Red Bull Global Rallycross at Daytona International Spoeedway. Lois Yio photo for Red Bull

Tanner Foust in the Andretti Autosports VW Beetle wins day two of the Red Bull Global Rallycross at Daytona International Spoeedway. Lois Yio photo for Red Bull

I first met Tanner Foust when Danny Raymond and I worked as stage hands for the filming of Top Gear at Spud Speedway March of 2014. Since meeting Foust I have kept track of some of his exploits.

After a disastrous day one result, Foust’s Andretti Autosports mechanics were able to repair his VW in time to race in round two of the Red Bull Global Rallycross at Daytona. Foust credited his crew for an excellent race car. The crew worked all night to get the car to the line and make it competitive.

Foust maintained his points lead in the championship standings by a very slim 4 points over Saturday’s winner Steve Arpin. Foust and fellow competitors race July 2 & 3 at Marine Corp Air Station New River.

Last Chance Motorsports’ Jere Humphrey Oranizes Motorsports Events at Houlton Fair

Four days of motorsports events at the Houlton Fair Kicks Off with Jeep Jamboree Friday July 1. Last Chance Motorsports photo

Four days of motorsports events at the Houlton Fair Kicks Off with Jeep Jamboree Friday July 1. Last Chance Motorsports photo

The fair season in Maine kicks off the 2016 season beginning with the Houlton Fair July 1-4. Jere Humphrey of Last Chance Motorsports has organized four days of motorsports activities in conjunction with the fair.

Some of the events include:

July 1st — Jeep Jamboree & Skills Competition
July 2nd — Lawn Mower Racing & Demo Derby
July 3rd — Full Speed Ahead ATV/UTV Drag Races
July 4th — Terrifying Tuff Truck Competition
Show n’ Go Long Jump
Adventurous ATV/UTV Obstacle Course

For more details about these events and registration requirements go to www.houltonfair.com or visit Humphrey’s Last Chance Motorsports Facebook page.

Austin Theriault at Historic Stafford Springs Speedway

Details about the race at Stafford Springs race. Courtesy Austin Theriault Racing

Details about the race at Stafford Springs race Friday June 17th. Courtesy Austin Theriault Racing

I have not visited the iconic half-mile Stafford Springs Speedway since Bruce Libby and I captured some of the modified races in the mid 1970’s. I was excited to see that Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault was racing there in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East 150 lap race.

The track is famous for its modified racing more than anything else. The night I was there such names as Lennie Boehler, Richie Evans, Geoff Bodine, and Jerry Cook were racing for the win. I cannot remember who won that evening but I know the racing was great and the crowd was huge.

Theriault qualified his Hattori Racing Toyota 9th but had to replace a defective power steering hose and had to start at the rear of the field. The car was sponsored by Webster, Massachusetts based Barry Equipment who supply the logging industry as far as Northern Maine.

After starting in the back of the 22 car field, battling through the pack after a spin in turn 4  and avoiding the “big one” with 9 laps to go, Theriault finished seventh and is fifth in the driver’s points championship.

His next race is the NAPA 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway, Columbus, Ohio July 2nd and then he heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway on the 16th of July for the Granite State 70.

Spud Speedway Kids karts finishers Parker Bosse, Caribou, Kayden Haines, Caribou, and Avery Lloyd, New Denmark, New Brunswick in Victory Circle after the third of the Friday Night Kart Racing Series. NMKA photo

Spud Speedway Kids Karts finishers Parker Bosse, Caribou, Kayden Haines, Caribou, and Avery Lloyd, New Denmark, New Brunswick in Victory Circle after the third of the Friday Night Kart Racing Series presented by United Insurance Kieffer Agency of Caribou NMKA photo

Northern Maine Karting Association Round Three of Friday Night Kart Series

Results from the Friday Night Kart Race Series at Spud Speedway presented by United Insurance Kieffer Agency of Caribou were as follows:

Spud Speedway Kids Kart division winners Parker Bosse of Limestone, Kayden Haines of Caribou, and Avery Lloyd of New Denmark, NB.

Haney’s Building Specialties Junior Champ Karts

1st place Bryan Searles of Presque Isle

2nd place Noah Coventry of Van Buren.

Aroostook Federal Savings & Loan Senior Champ Karts

Damian Theriault, Caribou, takes home his third straight win

2nd place Tom Hale of Westmanland

3rd place  Marcel Bosse of Caribou

NMKA’s next event is on July 8th. Tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Loudon July 17th will be given away as well as free passes to Maine Indoor Karting of Scarborough. As many as three new Senior Champ Karts are expected to make their appearance at the July 8th race.

Let’s go racing,

Tom Hale

Soli Deo Gloria

 

Tom Hale

About Tom Hale

Tom wrote 14 years as freelancer for the Bangor Daily Sports covering motorsports in Maine. Now blogging and concentrating on human interest stories about people and places in racing. He races Champ Karts and owns HTF Motorsports in remote Westmanland, Maine