Flamboro Registration Meeting

Flamboro Speedway hosted the annual General Meeting and Driver Registration on Sunday, January 31st, and released a number of big and exciting changes for the coming 2010 stock car racing season, the foremost of which is the speedway's founding involvement in the new Ontario Speedway Association (OSA). "The OSA has been established to create a more unified approach to attract fans, advertisers and competitors for the betterment of racing in Ontario," announce event coordinator Gerry Paxton. "Flamboro Speedway is proud and excited to be a founding member of this industry-driven organization."

The official OSA press release is available HEREfor more information on association directives and speedway participation.

Specific to Flamboro Speedway, the first announcement set the tone for the year: the schedule and promotion focus wil be on home track classes, specifically Late Model, Thunder Car and Mini Stock divisions. The completed 2010 event schedule will be released at the Performance World Auto show in Toronto on March 12th. There is still potential for some special events to be a part of the racing season, but the basis of the Saturday night program will be the three core classes every week. Opening Night has been confirmed as April 24th for Thunder Cars and Mini Stocks, with Late Models joining the weekly program early in May. The Late Model division will close in early September, giving teams a couple of weeks to prepare for their return at the Oktoberfest Classic Weekend - October 2nd and 3rd.

There has been an overhaul of the point fund format and an adjusted system has been introduced for 2010. This summer Flamboro Speedway will score both the driver and car owner in the chase for the championship. Individual driver performance will continue to earn driver's points in chasing the championship and will be used in determining their performance standing and appropriate handicap. In addition to the trophy chase, car owners will earn points for their team's performance each time their car competes. The owner's points will determine the standing for the point fund payout.

The new system will encourage race teams to keep their cars racing every Saturday night, even if the primary driver is unable to compete. There is no best-of condition in the 2010 system, and there is no limit to the number of different drivers who can compete for an owner. The driving championship will be earned by a single driver's performance, removing the complication of driving teams out-performing single drivers. Owner's were reminded that while there is no limit to the number of drivers who can compete in their car, every driver must have a valid Flamboro Speedway registration in order to compete. Also, drivers are limited to competing in 1 division at any event.

A referee line will be added to the speedway surface early in the season. This new marking will be drawn through the corners and onto the straightaways to clearly mark references for two racing lanes. The intent of the cosmetic addition is to give drivers and officials a reference point for racing in the corners. Driver reaction to the announced change was mixed, with several drivers voicing concern over who would draw the line and how that would affect their racing lane. It was explained that the "Diamond" line around the speedway has been of great concern in recent seasons as drivers have caused many incidents by not respecting their racing colleagues. Too many times a battle has turned sour when competitors force each other into wrecks. The new marking will be a guideline for competitors who race side by side. If two wheels cross over the line - by the outside car crowding down, or the inside car drifting up - the Starter is within his right to penalize the offender with a black flag motion. The referee line is a tangible measure for determining a racing foul, along the same conditions as the goaltender's crease or a baseball foul line.

A reminder was also offered to all drivers prepping their car for the new season: Car numbers must be readable by the Scorers, as per the rule book. Numbers are to be block styled and in a clearly visible contrast colour to the body paint. Those cars whose numbers are deemed inappropriate by the scoring team will be given notice, and have 1 week grace to get their numbers fixed. Failure to make the necessary changes will result in a forfeit of performance and the car and driver will not be scored on the speedway until their number is fixed.

There were many additional announcements specific to the Flamboro Late Model division that follow a number of off-season driver meetings where feedback on rules and procedures was received and considered. First announced was a new promoter provisional for any Saturday night show that allows the promoter to add a non-qualified car to the tail end of the feature lineup, to a maximum of a 24 car field. The conditions are that the team must be present in the pit area prior to the start of the night's program and have attempted to qualify by participating in practice or in a heat race. The next announced change is that green flag re-entry to the race track will be permitted during feature racing. And finally, that all restarts in the Late Model feature race will be lined up side-by-side as in the original start format. The specific ruling is outlined in the new rule book for all new procedures.

Procedure changes for the 2010 Late Model Triple Crown tournament were also announced, along with scheduled race dates. The new race format will include time trials to determine the top-12 starting positions, followed by a qualifying race to fill the field. The race dates are scheduled as: May 29, July 3 and August 7.

Additional Late Model rules discussions will take place on Wednesday, February 24th. The topics of the meeting will include potential changes to the Late Model tire rules and other scheduled events. Those interested in participating in the meeting should contact Race Director Don Cox for more information.

Once again, all competitors - registered and interested - are highly encouraged to read and familiarize themselves with the new 2010 rule book. There are changes and new additions that you should know before entering onto the speedway for competition. Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse.