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If the 2006 Maritime Pro Kart Series had an event to be known as the wildcard in
the Championship, this year’s third round would be it. The Scotia Speedworld oval near Halifax, Nova Scotia, was transformed
into a fast, flowing, and incredibly bumpy kart circuit, which featured an area known simply as 'The Halifax Hairpin.' When
asked about his braking point for the hairpin, Senior Light driver Jared Meade simply replied, “When I land.”
This grueling test of man and machine faced drivers Sunday, and the action was fast and furious.
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Junior driver Colin Matheson leads a pack of karts
into
The Halifax Hairpin
(Photo: Danny LeBlanc) |
Novice kicked off the day and a straight fight between Julien LeBlanc (CKRA)
and Jake Poirier (CKRA) developed. In the prefinal, LeBlanc got a run on Poirier and kept the lead, taking pole for the final,
but Poirier had his revenge in the main event and captured his first win of MPKS schedule. Nick LeBlanc (CKRA) finished third.
With second, LeBlanc regained the overall lead of the Novice Championship with 570 points. Poirier's win moved him to
third with 501. A.J. Nason, who missed the Halifax race, is now sandwitched in between with 555 points.
With
over a half-dozen drivers in the Junior championship fight, the action was furious and the juniors had another chaotic race
day: MPKS rookie Cal Vandaalen got the worst of it, making to turn one of the prefinal before catching some air and landing
upside down. The young driver came off the track unscathed and fixed his kart in time for the final. Christian Wyman (CKRA)
also retired from the prefinal on the first lap with a broken tie rod. The race was restarted with the remaining drivers,
and Nathan Kelly (IKC) dominated to take the win. The final also required multiple passes at the start after several drivers
ran wide and spun, but after all was said and done, Kelly took his second MPKS win of 2006. CJ Arsenault (IKC) finished second
while local boy Mitchell Devison (AMKA) was third. Kelly, in his all-conquering #77, moves to the top of the Junior Championship
with 600 points, Arsenault takes second with 527 points, while Benoit LeBlanc (CKRA) is now third with 482 points.
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John Boucher (right, #77) is on Pole for the Senior
Heavy
Final as they await instructions from the Race Director
(Photo: Danny LeBlanc) |
Senior Light was dominated by Gerald Caseley (IKC). Behind the #44, however,
the action was nail-biting. While Caseley qualified pole and went on to lead the whole way in the prefinal, fellow P.E.I.
driver Jonathan Stewart (IKC) battled from mid-pack to finish second and take the other front row spot. Barry Nickerson (AMKA)
lined up third. The final was again dominated by Caseley, but the action behind was intense once again. Moving up to Senior
Light from Junior mid-season is tough, but #71 Joel LeBlanc (CKRA) proved he could race with the big boys. He rocketed from
fourth on the grid in the final and after a daring pass on Nickerson at the 'Halifax Hairpin', finished lap one in second.
LeBlanc then tangled with Stewart, dropped to the rear of the field, and then battled back to finish second at the checker,
trailing only Caseley! Nickerson ran second early in the race before the track’s bumpy nature lead to his second blown
chain of the day. Rob MacLeod (CKRA) followed LeBlanc on the podium. Caseley assumed the points lead at 600, MacLeod dropped
to second at 514, while Stewart remains third with 465 points.
With five Senior Heavies combining for over 65
years of karting experience, winning the division was not going to be easy in Halifax. Twelve-time Maritime Champion Barry
Nickerson (AMKA) started from pole in his trademark #3, with local racer Johnny Boucher alongside. Championship leader Rejean
LeBlanc (CKRA) clocked the third fastest time. The prefinal was a battle between Nickerson and Boucher. The two had run nose-to-tail
for a dozen laps when, with just two laps to go, Nickerson’s chain exploded, spitting teeth at Boucher! He made it through
to take pole for the final, while LeBlanc took over second ahead of Rob Poirier (CKRA). At the start of the final, LeBlanc
got caught out and fell to fourth by the time the field hit the backstretch. Nickerson recovered to second on the first lap,
and took the lead late in the race when Boucher hit a pylon. Poirier held third until LeBlanc made a hair-raising dive-bomb
pass into The Hairpin. Still seaching for his first win of the season, LeBlanc maintained the Senior Heavy championship lead
with 495 points. Poncie Rose is second with 463, while Rob Poirier is clawing his way closer to second, now only 7 points
back in third with 456 points.
Note: All points include the drivers' best two race days of the three raced so far.
The Championships will be settled at the final event of the MPKS Schedule - Burlington
Kart Track in Prince Edward Island on September 17th.
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