Autodrome Granby Set to Host Round Two with the “COVID Challenge” – DTD Exclusive
By DON SIMPSON
The first event took place on June 20. Dominic Lussier had managed to convince government officials to allow the track to hold a race that was televised live as well as having fans watching the race on the big screen in the track parking lot, bringing the smells and sounds of cars battling on the track. The event was strictly controlled and went well with the racers. The passion of Dominic Lussier along with his team to get things underway at the Autodrome Granby is clear as they present this second event the “Covid Challenge” on Saturday, July 4th.
The first race, the “COVID Destroyer 50” attracted over 100 cars in the pit area, including no less than 35 358 Modified from Quebec and Ontario.
That event saw a good five-way battle for the top spots between Steve and brother Francois Bernier along with Steve Bernard, Mario Clair, and Michael Parent. In the end, it was Francois Bernier coming home the winner.
Francois explained, “I was really happy to go to victory lane at Granby last week. At Cornwall, the week before, I crashed on the last lap with a broken rear end, but my team worked hard all week to repair the car in order to be ready for Granby. And to come home with the win was fantastic. With Granby being my home track, this is where I am most comfortable, and love racing there. For the next race, on July 4, I will be ready but I’m sure my brother Steve will give me a hard time as he did last weekend. The competition, in general, is very strong, so once age will be looking forward to racing my home track.”
The “COVID Destroyer 50” also had 14 Pro Stocks on hand for their 25-lap feature, won by Yves Hamel. Alexis Charbonneau took home the top spot for the Sports Compact, while Even Racine took home the top spot in the Sportsman Modified ranks.
Track spokesperson Charles-Oliver Lampron stated, “The COVID Destroyer event on June 20 went really well. The drivers responded in a big way, as there were over 100 cars in the pits and you could tell people were excited to be back. We sold close to 400 live broadcasts, which was really good. So overall, we were really happy with the turnout of that event. People were following the guidelines in place as well, which was really important.”
Charles continued, “As for this next event, we were hoping we could get fans in the stands by that date, but unfortunately we didn’t get our approval. We feel we’re getting close, but still, but we have to wait for the official okay. Either way, we knew we wanted to do another event on July 4 and as we’re talking, the response has already been really good. We’ve already got over 30 Modified confirmed and over 25 Sportsman. That number will keep rising as we get closer. So we are really happy with that, and the other two classes that will join them will be announced on Monday night. But overall, we know we’ll get over 100 cars again in the pits which is amazing. I think it shows how much our racers love Dirt racing up here. The support has been nothing but superb.”
Charles later added, “So going forward after the July 4 race, I don’t know if we’ll do another one after if we don’t get our approval for fans in the grandstands. It’s up in the air at this point; we’re really going week by week.”
As in the first race, the “COVID Challenge” will be available as a pay per view webcast and can be purchased by visiting the track website at https://autodromegranby.com/. The pre-race show will start at 5:45 pm. Also, there will be a cinema park with a giant screen for those who would like to watch the racing event just meters away. The cinema park formula can handle 60 cars in the parking lot. It will be on a first-come, first-served basis at a cost of $40 per car. The race play-by-play will be broadcasted over the FM channel. You will not miss out on any of the action.
Lussier and his team at Granby are determined to give fans the best experience possible under these unusual circumstances and will deliver once again a great night of racing.
Set your calendar for July 4 and sit back and relax while Autodrome Granby presents you with the “COVID Challenge!”
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