Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour will look for its ninth different Lee USA Speedway winner in this Sunday’s (April 17) 2011 New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 season opener. No driver has been able to repeat in the eight events held at the 3/8ths mile speedway since 2003.
Three of the previous eight winners will attempt to change that fact on Sunday, as seven-time ACT Champion Jean-Paul Cyr of Milton, VT (2005), ACT’s hottest driver at the end of 2010 Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. from Hudson, NH (2008) and defending NH Governor’s Cup winner Miles Chipman from Epping, NH (2010) have all filed entries. But that leaves over 40 other drivers aiming at their first career ACT win at Lee.
Seven-time and defending ACT Tour Champion Brian Hoar (Williston, VT) is among them. He has only had two career starts at Lee but has finished inside the top ten both times with a 9th in 2009 and a 3rd last season. A win Sunday would make Lee his 12th different track with an ACT victory.
Two veteran ACT competitors will attempt to break into victory lane and earn their first career top fives at the speedway. Milton, VT’s Brent Dragon and Shelburne, VT’s Jamie Fisher are the only two drivers to start all eight events at Lee, but neither has cracked the top five.
Fellow veterans Mark Lamberton of Mooer’s Forks, NY and Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier, VT are among only 10 drivers with multiple top fives in ACT Lee competition. Lamberton earned back to back top fives in 2005 and 2006 including a podium finish. Laquerre picked up his second 5th place effort in the 2010 NH Gov. Cup.
Wayne Helliwell, Jr. of Dover, NH leads the way for former Lee regulars as the multi-time track champion. Helliwell claimed nine feature wins at Lee in 2010 and earned a career best 6th in the ACT visit. He’ll be closely followed by Rochester, NH’s Jeffrey Labrecque, Jr. who turned a lot of heads with his own career best ACT, finish as the NH Governor’s Cup runner-up in 2010.
Several drivers from the Série Castrol Edge will make their trip across the border for the season opener. 2010 Série Castrol Edge Champion Karl Allard of St-Felicien, Quebec will attempt to make his first start at the speedway. He will be joined by fellow Castrol Edge Champion (2006, 2009) Donald Theetge of Quebec City, QC, who has two career ACT starts at Lee. Also making the trek south are Quebecers Yvon “The Bullet” Bedard of St-Nicolas and Princeville’s Jimmy Cormier.
The 2011 ACT Tour season is set to kick off this Sunday, April 17 with the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee (NH) USA Speedway. General admission gates will open at 10:00am with post time at 1:00pm.