Sunday, June 24, 2012

Boland, Hinbest, Stewart victorious at Canadian Nitro Nationals

Winners declared in PMRA, Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and PBSS over weekend at TMP's Cayuga Dragway

CAYUGA, ONTARIO (June 24, 2012) – The third session of the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series presented by Wiseco Performance Products was completed today at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park during the track's Canadian Nitro Nationals.
 
Three-time PMRA champion Bruce Boland returned to his winning ways capturing the PMRA final, Michael Hinbest drove his Top Dragster to his first win in Quick 32 Sportsman Series racing, and Pete Stewart took another win in the PBSS.

Boland, of Hamilton, Ontario, driving his 1941 Willys Pro Modified, took his first win of the season, defeating Kenny Lang of Grande Point, Manitoba in the final round. Boland also qualified number one for the race with a 6.005-second, 238.05-mph pass, his fourth straight number one qualifying run in PMRA racing.

Lang struggled after leaving the line, while Boland motored on to a solid 6.008, 237.71 drive over Lang's 9.824, 94.14. Semi-finalists were Rocky Dilecce of Mississauga, Ontario and Eric Latino of Whitby, Ontario.
 
Hinbest, of Orangeville, Ontario, marched through a strong field of Top Dragster entries in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series to meet up with Top Sportsman driver Spencer Hyde in the event final. With his supercharged ERD-powered Mike Bos dragster, Hinbest left first and drove to a 6.551, 198.09 win over the 7.043, 196.82 of the 1968 Camaro of Hyde, from Stratford, Ontario.
 
On his way to the final, Hinbest, who qualified number four, took out Top Dragster finalist Bill Moloughney of Shawville, Quebec. Victor Puglia of Clarence Center, New York and Brody VanDerGeld of Cambridge, Ontario were semi-finalists.

On the Top Sportsman side, Hyde, who also qualified fourth, met up with and defeated the supercharged 1957 Chevy of Paul Martin of Breslau, Ontario in the class final. Darrin Grubb of Pine River, Ontario and Bob Bauer Jr of Elma, New York were semi-finalists.
 
After qualifying 13th in the field, Pete Stewart rode his Pro Bike Suzuki GSXR to the PBSS win over Milton, Ontario's Ted Glinny with his Pro Bike Kawasaki Ninja. Stewart, of Toronto, Ontario, ran a 9.47 at 145.67 to best Glinny's 8.467 at 154.74. The win was Stewart's second in PBSS racing.

Semi-finalists were Pro Bike rider Mike LaLande of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, and the Pro Sled entry of Jeff Lippert of Amherstburg, Ontario.
 
With the three events completed in the 2012 season, Boland leads the PMRA with 838 points. Second is Jeff Roth of New Dundee, Ontario with 798 points, and third is Jack Grainy of North Tonawanda, New York with 797 points.

The team of Michael Hinbest and Katie Ward (the two drivers share racing events) leads the Quick 32 Sportsman Series with 698 points, followed by Hyde with 658 points, and Top Dragster driver Mike Everitt of Stratford, Ontario with 645 points.

Pro Bike rider John Orfanidis of Toronto, Ontario is ahead in the PBSS points race with 600 points, followed by the Pro Sled entry of Chris Bondi of Aurora, Ontario with 596 points and another Pro Sled rider, Jeff Lippert.
The next event for the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the PBSS will be the Community Weekend at Cayuga Dragway 
August 3-5. The next event for the PMRA is at the IHRA Mopar Nitro Jam Nationals at the Grand Bend Motorplex July 20-22, then the PMRA returns to Cayuga with its companion series for the Community Weekend event.

The Pro Modified Racing Association, www.PMRA.ca competes with its two companion series, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, www.Quick32.ca and the Pro Bike & Sled Series, www.PBSS.ca travel and compete together throughout the racing season, offering an exciting and diverse package of drag racing action.

For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher at Bruce@PMRA.ca

Photo Credit: Bruce Biegler ~ www.DragRaceCanada.com and Dave Erauw Photography ~ www.erauw-photo.com