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WCC November 28, 29 & 30th 2008 Race Report - Autodromo Mobile 1 Racing CircuitAuthor - Ken Pieschke Santiago, Dominican Republic Friday Practice--without bikes The WCC contingent was very familiar with the expression "Dominican Time" by the time Friday rolled around. Throughout the week we waited on word of the shipping container with all the WCC race bikes. Franklyn Dominguez and George Butler were on the phone constantly as well as on site at customs as there were some issues in clearing customs. Yes, that meant the girls practiced without their bikes or gear on Friday. We arrived Friday morning at the track expecting the container around 10AM. Once we figured out that it wasn't going to show, the stress level started rising among the girls. A couple of the girls (Maude, Marie-Josee, Vanessa) had arranged to borrow bikes and get some track time. I had brought my riding gear down in carry-on luggage just in case a ride presented itself. It was obvious Friday morning that no spare rides were available. I loaned my leathers to Maude so she could get some laps in on her rented Dominican bike. The other girls were a little taken aback and were longing for some track time. In only what can be described as a karmic event, the WCC "team" came together as a group and started sharing leathers, helmets, bikes, gas and tires in order that everyone could take some laps while waiting for the container. As the Race director for the past two seasons, I have never seen the girls co-operate so closely. It was really touching (literally brought a tear to my eye) for me to witness this and proved once again my decision to get involved in the WCC was absolutely correct. So after a long day at the track the container finally arrived at 8:40 PM. Thanks to the supreme efforts of Roland Boucher, Joey Mcrae and Michel Sabourynsky, all the bike crates were off loaded by 10PM. The plan was to arrive at the track early Saturday morning to uncrate the bikes and get on track. Saturday Practice and Qualifying Everyone worked hard to prepare for the days activities, bikes and gear, secured in the Banos (washrooms) were hauled out to the pit area. I must say the facilities at the racetrack were excellent. Each pit had a cement pad with 4 or 5 electrical outlets and running water. The PA system worked flawlessly (and loudly). A small issue arose when the canopy for covering the WCC pit did not show up as planned. In a continuation of the Friday co-operation, Marie-Josee loaned pieces of her canopy cover to help out the other girls. I did a recon tour around the track facilities and "found" a tarp. These were strapped to the canopy frame to provide some degree of shade for the racers and crew. The track was very accommodating to the WCC with the help of George Butler and Franklyn we managed to arrange a 1-hour "free" session for just the WCC racers. The girls used their initial experience from Friday's sessions along with the Saturday morning practice to prepare for qualifying, which would be a timed 15-minute session. The qualifying times recorded were used to set the grid for Race 1 but were deemed "unofficial" due to inconsistencies from the "semi-automatic" timing system used by the Dominican Race organization. The grid for Race 2 was set using the results from Race 1. Qualifying Results* 1. Marie Josee Boucher, Excel Honda Sunday Race 1 The WCC racers lined up on the mock grid as per typical race procedure and were sent out for their sighting lap. Vanessa Gareau spotted some debris on the track and the girls sat on the start grid for a few minutes while this was cleaned up. As the girls readied for the second sighting lap another delay occurred as the Dominican and Canadian National anthems were played. The heat was starting to get to everyone but the lady racers kept their cool. Through the efforts of George Butler, the Dominican officials allowed Kevin Graham and myself to start the WCC races. I acted as grid marshal and Kevin as the starter. As the green flag flew the girls launched their bikes. Marie-Josee and Gigi lead the pack through the first lap. M-J gradually pulled a gap on Gigi, which she maintained. Gigi was having some handling issues as her tires were overheating in the hot Dominican sun. But as always, Gigi soldiered on without any complaining and finished a strong second to Marie-Josee. The battle for third was being waged behind between Vanessa Gareau and Natalie-Catherine Provost. The end of race 1 saw Natalie taking a well-deserved third place. Vanessa Gareau took 4th and Josee Bouchard 5th. But the real excitement was in the pack fighting for 6th thru 10th places. I had the pleasure of being invited to the Race Control tower where I had a great view of the racetrack. Anissa Burachynsky, Roxanne Gravelle, Maude Labrosse-Legris, Manon Lemire and Kana Matsumoto had an epic race long battle for 6th. Multi passes each lap and a near miss between Roxanne and Kana coming on to the back straight. Props to Roxanne for making the save of the weekend! Maude showed she is going to be a great racer as she was the surprise of the weekend with her new found speed (must have been because she was on a borrowed bike!) After a bad start Maude started passing people on every lap. Once she got past Anissa for 6th, all the other girls collectively upped the pace and the battle was on. For at least 6 laps it was head to head for the 5 "Novices" as the crowd went berserk. The cheering and whistling could be heard over the ever-present track announcer and screaming bikes. It was thrilling and caused goose bumps for those who witnessed (and heard) it. When the dust settled it was Maude taking 6th followed by Anissa, Kana, Roxanne and Manon. An interesting side note, the race was scheduled for 10 laps, but a scoring glitch saw an extra 3 laps added to the race, partly due to the fact the start line was on the back straight with the finish line on the front straight. I was so proud of all the WCC racers as they completed the race with true Canadian grit. Race 1 Result 1. Marie-Josee Boucher, Excel Honda Sunday, November 30, 2008 Race 2 Later in the afternoon, the WCC racers lined up the second leg of the double header. This race start was textbook, as we had some experience with the Dominican track marshals, even though we couldn't understand Spanish, the universal language of racing prevailed. The start was carried out without a hitch although the race was shortened to 8 laps as the girls were starting to get heat exhaustion. In a repeat of the first leg Marie-Josee and Gigi lead the pack with M-J gradually pulling away. Natalie was in third with Vanessa close on her heels. After a brief battle Vanessa took over third and Natalie rode a solid 4th where they would finish. Josee Bouchard was in fifth until her shifter failed and she was forced to pull into the pits. Once again I was in the race control tower observing the race. The "novice" racers again stole the show! Multi-position changes per lap and no one was giving an inch in an awesome display of close but clean racing. Anissa managed a small gap on Kana and Maude who battled hard for 6th swapping positions at least 6 times in the last 3 laps. Maude ended up edging Kana for 6th at the finish. Manon Lemire and Roxanne Gravelle battled for 8th with Manon surprising everyone with some newfound speed. Manon used this to her advantage to maintain 8th to the finish line. Roxanne settled for 9th as she was remembering her close call in Race 1. The Dominican fans and racers alike mobbed the ladies racers when they returned to the pits. Posing for pictures and signing autographs on calendars, posters and helmets. Race 2 Results 1. Marie-Josee Boucher, Excel Honda Summary I would be remiss not to thank the people who made this event happen. First and foremost on the list are Franklyn Dominguez and Vanessa Gareau who almost had to sacrifice their race weekends to help the promoters make this happen, The WCC cannot thank you two enough, job well done above and beyond the call of duty. Next is George Butler who bent over backwards to make the WCC contingency feel welcome. From hosting the group at his favourite restaurant, to bringing food and drinks to the track for us, thanks George. Special mention goes out to the Canadians who were there to help. The container unloading team of Roland Boucher, Joey Mcrae and Michel Sabourynski worked tirelessly until all the bikes were safely out of the container with Rob Cousineau being drafted into duty for the reload effort. WCC mechanic J-P Brunet was working non-stop all week not only helping the WCC racers but also working on the Dominican race bikes. A real special mention goes to Andrew McCormick (Vanessa's Nephew) who was there every time there was something that needed doing. It was refreshing to see a young person with such an incredible work ethic. A big thank-you to Kevin Graham of Orion Motorsports for helping to make this race a success as well as Rahul Dua of GoLo Racing representing Hot Lap Events. Kudos to Frank Wood for a job well done under trying conditions, he was a welcome sight for everyone everyday, thank-you Frank. A very special thank-you to our Dominican connections, Eddy and his son Eddy, Ambiorix Diaz, Alberto Diaz, Kiurys Martinez (aka Super). As well as Michel and Xavier from Crew 300 for hosting a great party Thursday evening after the Television appearance by the WCC contingent.
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