canadian speedway

Matty Ward arrived at the track with his newly purchased bike, as well as Tommy Hensby returning to the track after a year away! Joined by regulars Terry Rideout and Mike Hammond, the night was poised for some fun on a bumpy track!

Heat One:

Newcomer Matty Ward fell as he hooked up on lap 2 which left Tommy Hensby to pass and grab third place, Whilst Terry Rideout held off a hard charging Mike Hammond for a good win.

Heat Two:

Matty Ward again fell in corner 1 leading to restart off the 15 yard line, Terry Rideout held off Mike Hammond for the win as Tommy Hensby was forced out on lap 3 with a broken foot rest leaving Ward to grab 3rd place!

Final:

Again Matty Ward was the focus in his first meeting, he flew from the start grabbing the lead, but the track experience of Rideout led to him to passing on lap 2 and Hammond also showed his skill as he went in hard under Ward in the final corner to grab second place. Hensby's return to the Paris track was a successful safe night aboard Mike Hammond's second bike, following his big crash at Welland last weekend.

Main Final:

1: Terry Rideout

2: Mike Hammond

3: Matty Ward

4: Tommy Hensby

hree riders in attendance on this warm and humid night, provided some good solid racing!

Heat One:

Terry Rideout kept the lead from the tapes, Mike Hammond pushed hard but to no avail. Aaron DeVeau finished 3rd.

Heat Two:

Aaron DeVeau went down in turn 3 and forced a restart, upon which Mike Hammond claimed victory over Rideout and DeVeau.

Heat Three:

Mike Hammond got a great start, but suffered from a speedway nightmare, as he forgot to turn his fuel on, so he dropped back as Rideout and DeVeau went by!

Final:

A tight race by all three, with Hammond coming out champion of the night, with Rideout and DeVeau rounding out the field!

Terry Rideout made his way back from his wedding in Newfoundland, to win the night at Paris Speedway

Heat One:

Terry Rideout kept the lead from the tapes, Mike Hammond pushed hard but to no avail!

Heat Two:

Mike Hammond claimed victory over Rideout.

Heat Three:

Hammond once again, pushed Rideout hard and grabbed the win on lap 4!

Final:

A tight race with Rideout taking the checkered flag ahead of Hammond!

Terry Rideout and Mike Hammond continued their seasonal battle!

Heat One:

Mike Hammond was pushed hard by Rideout to take the win!

Heat Two:

Repeat of the first heat as Rideout pushed hard but could get by!

Heat Three:

Mike Hammond looked good again, Rideout still couldn't get by!!!

Final:

A tight race with Rideout spoiling the heat wins by Hammond, by taking the checkered flag

Three riders in attendance on this warm and humid night, provided some good solid racing!

Heat One:

Terry Rideout kept the lead from the tapes, Mike Hammond lost his chain leaving Aaron DeVeau to grab 2nd place.

Heat Two:

Terry Rideout with the hole shot,  on the 2nd lap Mike Hammond got inside in corners 3 & 4, and were side by side into corners 1 & 2, with Hammond getting by coming out of corner 2 for the win. Aaron DeVeau slid out and remounted to finish the heat.

Heat Three:

Aaron DeVeau got the hole shot on wet slippery track, but slid out in corner 1, The heat was restarted with DeVeau back 15 yards.
Hammond and Rideout were side by side all heat with Hammond coming out the winner!

Mike Hammond got a great start, but suffered from a speedway nightmare, as he forgot to turn his fuel on, so he dropped back as Rideout and DeVeau went by!

Final:

A tight race by all three, with Hammond coming out champion of the night, Aaron DeVeau once again slid out and remounted, and Terry Rideout smacked the wall hard as he tried everything to get passed Hammond, but pulled back when he realized that the boards were in his way!

Friday night. the track was in very good condition, it provided the riders with a much gripper track due to the rain storms on the day, leaving a thicker/heavier stone dust surface!

Heat One:

Terry Rideout gated like he was fired from a rocket with Mike Hammond and Aaron DeVeau behind him! The track was deep & grippy leading to some interesting slides!

Heat Two:

Mike Hammond, won with Terry Rideout and Aaron DeVeau working on different lines try to figure out what was needed to win!

Heat Three:

The same scenario as heat 2, with the riders still adapting to the interesting track surface.

Final:

Mike Hammond gated well from the inside, with Rideout and Deveau hard in pursuit, coming out of 2, Hammond Lifted and had to back off as Terry Rideout took advantage and went around outside. Rideout himself then went wide in 3 & 4 on lap 2, luckily held back Hammond and DeVeau, then again on lap 3, the same scenario for Rideout, this time Hammond was ready, and pounced to grab the win of the night!

The return to the Paris track by Joe Heye was received well by the crowd! His return to 2012 action saw him win the night, but sadly this was marred by an unfortunate incident.

The heats were are won by Mike Hammond, who looked fast and controlled all night, he was joined by Heye, Terry Rideout and Aaron Deveau to enjoy the fun!

Final:

The final race saw some questionable officiating, with Joe Heye crashing out in the first attempt of the final in corner 3, he was somehow put back on the line for the restart which caused some confusion between the other riders, but their questioning was overruled by the officials.

The next attempt saw Mike Hammond move at the start, and all four came back to the line.

So a third and final attempt was made, Heye got the jump and Mike Hammond was left at the back, over two laps he passed both DeVeau and Rideout to grab second place, but was just unable to get to Heye, who took the checkered flag on his returning night at the Paris Speedway!

With vacation time in full flow, only two riders were able to make it out, to give a good showing at Paris Speedway, Friday night!

Mike Hammond and Terry Rideout took to the track and gave the crowd something to cheer about!

Heat One:

Hammond gated well and battled hard to keep Rideout behind him, Rideout was showing some pace, but Hammond held him to the line!

Heat Two:

Rideout suffered a speedway riders nightmare, as his chain came off leaving Hammond to again collect the checkered flag!

Heat Three:

Hammond again gated well, and was feeling the lack of power from his machine as the race progressed, but he was able to fight off Rideout again for the win!

FINAL:

After some frantic mechanical work by Hammond, he managed to get his bike up and running with minutes to spare! Rideout dropped the clutch like a demon and pulled away ahead of Hammond, but then on corner 3, lap 2, Rideout went out wide and Hammond seized the opportunity to dive under Rideout to get the checkered flag on the night! This gave Mike Hammond a perfect 4 for 4 night!

Mike "Hammer" Hammond once again ended the night on a win! In one of the last Friday night events, the "Hammer" once again proved his worth at the Paris Speedway track!

Heat One:

Terry Rideout got the gate followed by Hammond and DeVeau.  On lap 2, Rideout had too much drive going into 3 & went wide opening the door for Hammond to slide under & DeVeau tried to follow suit, but Rideout closed the door and kept him back.

Heat Two:

Hammond jumped the light & went back to penalty line.

Restart: Best race of the night, with lots of fast, tight racing. Terry Rideout gated well, but again he went wide in turn 3 on lap 2, leaving Aaron DeVeau & Mike Hammond to dive underneath, DeVeau fought hard to try pull off a win, but gets wide in 1 & 2 on lap 3 and slides out, but remounts to take 3rd, behind Rideout!

Heat Three:

From the tapes, Hammond, Rideout and DeVeau.

FINAL:

Sadly, the track promoter choose to water the track right before the speedway final, which due to the late night dew, left the track like ice! Which in turn caused a delay as they attempted to fix the problem! After a short delay the riders took to the line with Hammond on the outside gate where the traction was, Rideout in the middle and DeVeau inside! Deveau was battling a clutch problem which ended up with it imploding just as he finished the race! Rideout did all he could to get under Hammond throughout the race, but due to the dicey track conditions, he was forced to safely settle for second place!

Friday night was a damp, but active night, Mike Hammond won the event and looked very smooth and fast in the process, beating out the also fast Terry Rideout. Tommy Hensby returned on his newly assembled bike, and enjoyed a night of learning the new feel!

Saturday, Mike Hammond went south, and rode at the Ohio 1/2 mile event, results will be posted once Mike returns with his update! Past Champion Jeff Orosz was unable to compete at either Paris or the 1/2 mile due to work commitments.

Aaron Hesmer was forced out of racing on Friday night, due to his role in organizing the new Paris Season, but he will be back in the saddle in a few weeks, once the events are running smoothly!

Friday night weather proved to give an excellent track surface. With track curator Mike Zelaska in hospital needing heart surgery, the track was prepped well on race day by the great group of volunteers at the Paris track!

Sadly, due to injuries and scheduling many riders were missing from action. Mike Hammond and Terry Rideout returned for week two, with the addition of fan favorite, Aaron DeVeau added into the mix.

Despite the number of riders available, these three guys all gave a great performance for the large crowd.

With 3 heats run, every rider took a heat win.

Heat One:

Mike Hammond and Terry Rideout fought hard all heat as Aaron Deveau, geared himself up to being in the saddle for the first time in two years! On lap 3, Hammond hooked up coming out of turn 2 and Rideout swooped under to grab a comfortable win!

Heat Two:

Aaron DeVeau proved his liking for the Paris track and led from the gate, with Hammond and Rideout continuing their battles behind!

Heat Three:

This time Hammond was on a mission, and grabbed the lead on lap two from Rideout, and pulled away leaving Rideout to defend 2nd place from a charging Deveau.

Final:

The battle continued as Hammond flew from the gate to keep Rideout back, despite a hard charging last lap, Hammond won by a bike length. DeVeau found the track had changed for him, and was caught off-guard as he trailed behind after using the outside of the track for the whole final.

Suffering from rider scheduling problems and injuries, the field at Paris Speedway was once again spread very thin.

Despite this, the night was action packed with good racing and some spills.

Heat One:

Mike Hammond, Terry Rideout and Tommy Hensby took to the line with a fast start, they all gated well with Mike Hammond pulling ahead of the hard charging Rideout, on lap 2 Hammond slid out on bend 3 leaving Rideout to pull ahead, Tommy Hensby passed Hammond and in the repeat, Hammond swooped around hensby who hooked up tightly and careered face down on the track in corner 4. Trapped under the bike, he arose with leg and hand injury, but was able to continue on through the night.

Heat Two:

Mike Hammond led from the gate to take a comfortable win, with Rideout and Hensby behind him in that order.

Heat Three:

Fun at the gate was the order of this heat, firstly Hammond blasted through the start, and was placed 15 yards back, and on the second attempt, Hensby did the same! He also was put back leaving Rideout alone at the gate, he took complete advantage of the situation and finished the heat well, to take the checkered flag win.

Final:

A close and aggressive battle ensued between Hammond and Rideout, Hensby feeling the effects of the first heat crash was well off the pace. Hammond continued to keep his winning streak going, as he kept a dodging and diving Rideout behind him right to the final flag.

Friday night at Paris Speedway was the best speedway turnout of 2011. The welcomed return to action for Joe Heye following his horrific MX accident in 2009 was a huge highlight of the night. Americans Casey Donholt and Dave Clark paid a visit, joining regulars Aaron Deveau, Tommy Hensby and Mike Hammond at the event. Aaron Hesmer donned his helmet for the first time at Paris for 2011 and two new riders, Kristy Dulaj and Rick Goncalves joined into the action.

The riders were split into ability levels for safety and they all enjoyed some close fast racing! Joe Heye looked as if he had never been away, fast controlled and smooth, he won his first heat and battled hard with Casey Donholt in heat two, showing that his crash didn't put him off bouncing off Casey on lap 2 shoulder to shoulder. His night however, was lost when he was chasing Aaron Hesmer very closely for 1 st place, when his chain came off on the last lap, leaving him to drag the bike back to the pits.

Aaron Hesmer continued his dominance from 2010 and won the final ahead of Donholt and Clark. Dave Clark enjoyed his time on the track, despite a couple of slide-outs in the heats! Mike Hammond worked hard all night, but sadly for him though, he was unable to qualify for the final for the first time in 2011.

The second class of Aaron Deveau, Tommy Hensby, Kristy Dulaj and Rick Goncalves gave 3 heats and a final of close racing, Rick Goncalves on his first outing was fast and battled hard with Tommy Hensby in heat 2 with a photo finish at the line, and despite his overzealous throttle control causing two slide outs, he look like a star of the future! Kristy Dulaj's transition from a top class flat track bike rider to a speedway bike, was seamless, she was fast and consistent, and spent the night chasing Aaron Deveau, a great debut for her and congratulations to both Kristy and Rick for a superb debut night!

With dark heavy clouds looming overhead, a night of racing was on the knife edge, but as the weather gods looked down on the Paris Speedway event, the racing began!

Four riders were only available for the night, with Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and newbie Rick Gonsalves all out with injuries, the on-going injury prone season proved to be a concern for the events.

Despite this, the riders, Mike "Sandvik Man" Hammond, Terry "Newfie" Rideout, Tommy "Monster" Hensby and Aaron "Ace" DeVeau did a great job and provided some superb racing throughout the nights program.

The track was changing throughout the night, and caught out Mike Hammond to his dismay, in his final races!

Rideout and Hammond shared the first two heats, bumping and grinding and taking the win in both. DeVeau and Hensby looked in good form and finished well.

Heat 3 was a cracker, Hammond and Rideout continued their pursuit just ahead of Deveau and Hensby, when Hammond lifted hard coming out of corner one slamming hard into the ground on lap 3, leaving Rideout to pull away with Deveau laying it down behind, Hensby out maneuvered the crash to grab 2nd place behind Rideout.

The final event was the highlight of the night, "Sandvik Man" and "Newfie" were side by side for 3 laps as DeVeau and Hensby chased the hard, but again Hammond was caught out by the dip in corner one and opened the door for Rideout to slam it shut, to grab the well-deserved win!

Canada's Birthday was celebrated by many with parties, BBQ's, family get-togethers and speedway racing!

Yes, Paris Speedway was alive and kicking on Friday night, and the rider and crowd turn-out was very good.

Joining in the celebration was Simon Bennington aboard his 1000cc sidecar, with 'monkey' Todd Vallee hanging off the side, Simon produced some great power laps to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd! The addition of the sidecar is always welcomed by all in attendance!

Mike "Sandvik Man" Hammond, Aaron "Ace" DeVeau, Terry "Newfie" Rideout and Tommy "Monster" Hensby all took to the track for 3 heats and a final race. The first two heats saw the continuation of the Hammond and Rideout battle of the seasonal campaign, they battled hard with Rideout winning both heats. DeVeau and Hensby were spaced out to finish the races.

Heat 3 was interesting for Hammond and Hensby, as Hammond came out of turn 2 on lap 2 and did a 360 degree turn in front of a hard sliding Hensby, who did a great job of showing bike control to avoid a bad collision. Rideout again won the heat with Deveau close behind.
The final of the night was a cracker, Deveau got a cracking start and took the lead for 2 laps, with Rideout chasing really hard, passing Deveau on lap 3, he pulled away to win well. Hammond however, was struggling to keep pace with Hensby behind him, when he caught some unexpected grip and shot under Deveau to grab 2nd place, almost taking Deveau with him as his passenger as he was forced out wide.

With a night of great racing, and a superb fireworks display put on by John Perry, Canada Day was complete.

In addition to the speedway events, other classes are run throughout the night, and two of these classes produce great racing, which are linked to the speedway 'family'.

'Big" John Perry who was an iconic racer a few years ago himself at the Paris Speedway track, has brought his 4 year old son Evan, to ride in the 50cc class, joining Aaron Deveau's son Owen, who is 5 years old also on a 50cc bike. They join another 6 riders to have a great time. sadly for Evan this week, he was a bit overzealous and crashed heavily in corner 3. Luckily he was up and OK and retired from the night after doing so well. Owen is fast and controlled and shows some great future skills to emulate his dad, Aaron!

The ladies Baja races are ridden on 197cc bikes purchased at Canadian Tire. These fun bikes have governors attached when purchased, but with some clever mechanical knowledge, these are removed and the bikes are race-ready!

The ladies involved in this class, 16 year-old Taylor Vallee is joined by her Aunt Tanya Vallee-Rogerson, Sister of speedway rider Tommy Hensby, 17 -year old Emily Hensby, wife of speedway rider Aaron DeVeau, Kim DeVeau and Kary Thompson Sehl, all join in the fun. The past weeks have been fun for most of the ladies, but with Kary Sehl crashing out heavily, and Kim Deveau also crashing breaking her leg, these two ladies are recuperating! This leaves Taylor, Tanya and Emily to have weekly battles, in which some very close and eventful racing takes place. Emily Hensby is leading the seasonal wins, but be assured, she is and will be be chased hard every week by the Vallee's!  

For the first time in 2011, five riders took to the track at Paris Speedway at once. Mike "Sanvik Man" Hammond, Terry "Newfie" Rideout, Tommy "Monster" Hensby, Aaron "Ace" Deveau and newbie flat track lady rider Kristy Dulaj, all had some great moments throughout the night of fun!

Heat One:

The track was looking very bumpy in turns 1 and 3, thus leaving a few heat stopping moments for all riders. From the gate Hammond and Rideout took off and were going well with Deveau close behind, Deveau sadly had a mechanical problem on lap two, to allow Dulaj and Hensby to come through. Rideout pushed hard to escape Hammond's grasp on the last lap to win well!

Heat Two:

Again all five riders flew to the first corner, with Hammond, Deveau and Rideout all side by side, they all stayed tight and as they came into turn one on lap 2, Hammond slid out forcing Deveau to lay it down behind him. The restart was controversial as Hammond was put back for causing the stoppage, but refused to restart until Deveau was wrongfully put back. The ensuing restart was superb, new rider Kristy Dulaj led for two laps until Rideout flew past, Hensby fought hard to hold back both Hammond and Deveau, but was unable to do so as they forced him wide to grab their points.

Heat Three:

Deveau went down on bend 1 on lap two and Hammond over-cooked it and did a 360, Rideout was in control and won again, Dulaj and Hensby wound it on to finish well ahead of a hard charging Hammond.

FINAL:

Deveau and Hammond were side by side for 3 laps, but as they bumped together, Rideout grabbed the ideal opportunity to shoot by to grab the win, Hensby chased down Dulaj who looked to be out of shape, which pushed Hensby to hook-up hard on lap 3 in turn 4, who in-turn, lost his momentum leaving Dulaj to grab the 4th place on the night.

1. Terry Rideout
2. Mike Hammond
3. Aaron DeVeau
4. Kristy Dulaj
5. Tommy Hensby

The junior riders did a great job on their 50cc bikes. History was made for Owen DeVeau in his second heat as he took his first ever checkered flag! Evan Perry was also back on his bike to ride really well! These 4 and 5 year old riders really inspire the crowd and they love to see them having fun!

Baja ladies were joined by new rider Karly Zelaska. She was privy to a first race crash as she hit the dip in turn 3 and careered into Tanya Vallee-Rogerson, as Emily Hensby and Taylor Vallee worked away to complete the race. The second race saw Zelaska ride carefully with Taylor Vallee leaving Hensby to battle with Vallee-Rogerson, with Vallee-Rogerson grabbing the heat win. The final race was restarted much to Hensby's dismay as she got a good start,due to Taylor Vallee quitting on the line. The restart saw Emily Hensby again get a flyer, whilst Vallee-Rogerson had the worst, she entered the first bend in last place and careered into Taylor Vallee, both somehow staying on their bikes! Karly Zelaska followed Hensby's line and pulled away as Taylor's bike quit, leaving Tanya to hunt down Zelaska. On lap 3 Tanya passed Zelaska, but it was too much to chased the dominant Emily Hensby, who took her magic 3rd win of the season!

On a very hot and humid night at Paris Speedway, the lack of rain is taking it's toll on the track surface, despite the gallons of water being applied, the tracks solid mid section caused it to become a dust bowl very quickly! Despite this, the racing has been good and close!

The regular riders, Aaron "Ace" Deveau, Tommy "Monster" Hensby, Mike "Mr. Sandvik Man" Hammond and Terry "Newfie" Rideout all took to the track for 3 heats and a final.

Heat One:

Mike Hammond and Terry Rideout were caught out by an explosive ride from Aaron Deveau, He sped out front being chased hard Terry Rideout, Mike Hammond again caught the dip on corner 1 leaving Tommy Hensby to work hard behind him all race. The "ACE' held on to grab a great win!!

Heat Two:

Coming out of turn 2 on lap 2, Hammond pushed Rideout wide and he went into the fence falling hard, Tommy Hensby did well to miss the fallen Rideout to stop the race. The restart saw Hammond take the lead with Rideout starting from the 15 yard line, he blasted passed Hensby and Deveau, but was unable to catch hammond at the line! Much to the dismay of Deveau who led a great first attempt!

Heat Three:

From the gate a close race ensued, with all 4 riders holding their own, with Rideout grabbing the win.

Final:

Mike Hammond gated first and held the line to the end, Rideout, DeVeau and Hensby finished in that order to complete the night of dusty bumpy racing!

After a week-long vacation, Terry Rideout made a last minute decision to come back early to ride at Paris speedway this past Friday night, and what a good decision this was for him in his quest for Paris track dominance in 2011!

Terry "Newfie" Rideout was joined by fellow riders, Tommy "Monster" Hensby, Aaron "Ace" DeVeau and Mike "Mr. Sandvik" Hammond on a warm summers night.

The track which underwent immense work following a huge thunderstorm in the morning, leaving it half flooded, was immaculately prepared by the Zelaska family, and this proved to be the key for some great racing in all classes.

Heat One:

Major confusion led to an unofficial result, as the race was flagged complete after 5 laps! Mike Hammond was leading the race just ahead of DeVeau, when he slowed after 4 laps and Deveau also slowed to be passed by Rideout, he kept going and Deveau took off, Hammond also realized something was wrong, as Hensby came flying up to him, but he held him back on the last corner to complete the heat!

Heat Two:

Aaron DeVeau had the best race for many years, he took off and pushed hard to take a strong lead, as Hammond led Rideout and Hensby to line!

Heat Three:

This heat was close from the line, DeVeau continued to pace hard as Rideout and Hammond were close behind, DeVeau's bike started to have problems and Hammond and Rideout shot passed, Hensby who was also recovering from a technical problem, saw an opportunity to get passed Deveau, but missed out on line as Deveau took third place by a tire width!

Final:

The demise of DeVeau's engine explosion following the last heat left him sidelined for the final. Hensby, Hammond and Rideout took to the line and with Rideout in gate 1, he took off holding back the challenges and led a very fast race of the equally spaced Hammond and Hensby to the tapes. A successful and worthwhile return to the track for Rideout, but sadly it proved to be a costly night for DeVeau!

With Terry Rideout back from vacation, refreshed and ready to go, he was awaiting the nightly challenges from his fellow speedway riders on Friday night at Paris Speedway. Joined by Mike "Mr. Sandvik" Hammond, Aaron "Ace" Deveau and Kristy Dulaj, they began the nights fun.

Heat One:

Kristy Dulaj was left behind a fast looking Aaron Deveau, who took a flyer into the first bend, but as he entered turn 2 he collided with Terry Rideout and they both went down. The restart saw Mike Hammond take the lead and hold it to the end.

Heat Two:

Mike Hammond again took the lead as the battle ensued behind him, Kristy Dulaj was holding her own for two laps, but then was passed by the ever aggressive Rideout and Deveau.

Heat Three:

Not a good one for Deveau as he crashed out, and was left bike-less as his bike took a bashing. Terry Rideout took the lead in the restart ahead of Hammond and Dulaj to the end!

Final:

With Aaron Deveau out with bumps and bruises and a bent bike, Hammond, Dulaj and Rideout took to the track, Rideout grabbed the start and took off to take the win ahead of Hammond and Dulaj.

The kids on the 50cc bikes were split into two groups and they had some real fun racing hard. Evan Perry made history for himself in his first final win of his racing career in the 'B' Main Final. Congratulations to him and all the other riders for a great show!

With the regular four riders attending, to dedicate the night's event to the sad passing of Graham Wale on this Friday. The riders all showed great respect with a moment of silence to remember "Pirate" Graham at the riders meeting, and the speedway guys all wore back arm-bands in honor of this great guy!

Heat One:

The riders took to the gate and as they flew away, Mike Hammond popped a huge wheelie with Tommy Hensby right behind him, Aaron Deveau and Terry Rideout took off leaving Hammond and Hensby to chase them hard, but on lap 3 Tommy Hensby went out too wide and over cooked the slide, leaving him to high-side hard and feel the effects of the hard hit. After regaining his awareness, he was declared unfit to continue on by the medical staff, and was withdrawn from the night's racing.

The restart saw Aaron Deveau take the lead, and hold off Rideout and Hammond, to take the win!

Heat Two:

This heat also saw a rider fall hard on turn 1, hitting the dip out of turn one, Aaron DeVeau was pushing hard when he went down stopping the race. After some quick mechanical work he was penalized and restarted on the 15-yard penalty line. Terry Rideout took advantage and won the heat as DeVeau pushed Mike Hammond all race.

Heat Three:

Terry Rideout gated well to leave Mike Hammond and Aaron DeVeau to follow his dust, evenly spaced finishing by all riders.

Final:

Another restart was forced as Terry Rideout also became a casualty of the turn 2 scenario. He slid out stopping the race, and the restart saw Hammond pull away from Deveau, who had been showing amazing pace on the prior laps. Rideout could not gain the distance and finished in third place.

Mike "Mr. Sandvik" Hammond arrived at the track pumped up following his 2nd place finish in the Ohio 1/2 mile event in the USA. He was joined by Terry "Newfie" Rideout, Aaron "Ace" Deveau, Kristy Dulaj, new rider Josh Barrick and returning to the Paris Speedway track, Scott "911" Collier and Bart "Crazy Pole" Moskala.

Heat One:

Collier, Barrick, Moskala and Rideout took to the track, with Rideout taking the lead and holding to the end, Moskala and Collier raced hard and looked as if they had never been away!

Heat Two:

Aaron DeVeau riding his reconstructed bike, following an engine blow-up at the recent practice session, took to the line with Mike hammond, and Kristy Dulaj. Deveau took off from the line and did a great job keeping a fast paced hammond behind him, sadly though on lap 3, his bike suffered mechanical problems and packed up, leaving Hammond and Dulaj to pass him.

Heat Three:

Hammond got revenge on Rideout to get the win, as Deveau and Dulaj followed from the gate. Deveau suffered more pain, as he slid out in corner 3 and the restart saw him go off the 15-yard line, but he got passed Dulaj to grab 3rd place on lap 2.

Heat Four:

Bart Moskala, Scott Collier and Josh Barrick entered heat 3. Collier took the lead as he flew from the tapes, but was deemed to have jumped the start and was put back 15 yard on the restart. Bart Moskala took the lead as Josh Barrick was looking smooth and controlled, utilizing the advise from his pit helper Tommy Hensby, who was sadly absent due to bike problems.

Heat Five:

The fun began for Moskala as his confidence was growing, but his lack of current track knowledge forced him to slide out hard, on corner 1 on lap 3. Mike Hammond led Terry Rideout again to the line with Scott Collier following them in.

Heat Six:

Aaron DeVeau with his mechanical problems fixed, showed a commanding display as Kristy Dulaj and Josh Barrick had some fun behind to finish well.

Final:

An action filled final left the crowd leaving with lots to talk about! Mike Hammond, Terry Rideout, Bart Moskala and Aaron Deveau lined up and with a great start by Rideout from the tapes, he left the others in his dust, Mike Hammond hooked up hard and did a 360 in the first corner leaving him out of contention, but on lap 2 Deveau went down in corner 1, fired up he remounted and chased Moskala, who also slid out in corner 3, he also remounted as Deveau shot passed and Hammond was still behind him, he charged hard and grabbed the 3rd place spot as Rideout who was oblivious to the fun behind him, took the checkered flag to win the night!

Riders- Josh Barrick#113, Clayton Isherwood #45, Terry Rideout #81, Mike Hammond #110, and Aaron DeVeau #30

Heat One:

Terry takes the checkered flag after a strong battle. DeVeau comes through the finish line with a solid second. Hammond tried to battle it out but couldn't quite make the move. Clayton showed his "no fear" attitude as he made his way around corner 4 and to the line, first time on a speedway bike. Close behind was Barrick who just couldn't get the feel of the track.

Heat Two:

DeVeau rode hard and showed superior skill as he took the win. Hammond and Terry battle it our for the second place spot. The three riders constantly going hard into all corners and putting on a spectacular show for the fans. Clayton and Josh not to far behind make their way around for another clean race.

Heat Three:

The riders come to the line again for yet another race. All of them anxious to go and get the checkered flag. The light goes on and they take off, DeVeau had forgotten to turn the fuel on. Hammond had a great take off . Rideout and Hammond race to corner one and are handlebar-handlebar most of the race. Hammond makes his move and pushes a bit harder to make the distance between him and Rideout as the white flag goes out .. He proudly takes 1st place ... followed closely was Rideout, Clayton, and Josh. Clayton and Josh learning how to ride the track on a speedway bike, and yet again have a clean run.

Final:

Terry's bike quits on the first lap, Deveau has the hole-shot off the line. Lap 2 Clayton goes down but proves his strength when he gets up and continues to race. Hammond and DeVeau put on an interesting show as they go hard into the corners together. Hammond winning by less then 3 inches. The crowd goes wild !! Josh Barrick makes his way around followed by Clayton and Terry.

The first meeting of the year is always one that is prone to problems as both riders and organizers get back into the swing of things.    This year despite a new promoter, additional classes added to the program, new arrangements in the pits and other changes, things went remarkably smoothly, so much so that it was possible to insert an extra round of qualifying heats to give the riders more track time.     In the circumstances there were remarkable few glitches and the lessons learned will allow for an even better, faster race program as the season progresses and the number of competitors increases.

The track was in good condition and didn't need a lot of work during the night to prevent it getting too dusty although Aaron Hesmer did manage to raise plenty when he did a series of donuts  at the pit gate to celebrate his win in the speedway class.

SPEEDWAY    -   1) AARON HESMER,  2)  GARY HESMER,  3)   TOMMY HENSBY,  4)  MIKE HAMMOND.

Scott Collier made his debut in fine fashion last night at Paris Speedway. With the speedway field being separated into two divisions for the first time this year, Scott took the opportunity to join Tommy Hensby and Mike Hammond to race the night away!

He quickly got into the groove, and worked out 3 wins out of the 5 heats before disappointingly miss out on the final race, due to a violent thunderstorm that came flying in, to cancel the meeting

The Division 1 guys were joined by two American riders, they added to the frey and mixed up the racing. Jeff Orosz joined the debut list and did really well, despite crashing heavily with American Casey Donholt after the track was watered going into turn 2. Both riders were up and walked back to the pits unaided, but will be sore this morning for sure!

Terry Rideout also made his debut in his new white outfit, sensibly taking the first night easy, he did a great job to have some good races with Gary Hesmer.

As mentioned, a violent thunderstorm literally flew into the Paris area at 10:00pm, and a sensible decision was made to cancel the night!

Friday night another hugely successful event took place at the Paris Speedway race track.

The rider and fan turnout were one of the best we have seen for a long time at the track, and all the classes were well represented.

The speedway class saw Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Katalin Davis, Tommy Hensby, Gary Hesmer and Terry Rideout all compete to high level. The Final race was completed with Aaron Hesmer taking the checkered flag ahead of Jeff Orosz, Gary Hesmer and Katalin Davis. The Consi was won well by Terry Rideout.

In one of the most spectacular crashes in recent memory, reigning Canadian Speedway Champion Jeff Orosz, was caught up in a frightening accident in the final speedway race of the night. After Aaron Hesmer's jump in the first attempt, he was put back 15 yards to chase hard C.J. Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and Gary Hesmer in the final race.

Jeff Orosz was charging after a cool calm C.J. Hesmer when coming out of turn 4 on lap 2, he clipped Hesmer's back wheel and lost control of the bike, face-planting himself through the safety fence just in front of Roger Stevens, the event referee. After seeking medical treatment on the track, Orosz was up and walking back to pits behind his totally destroyed bike! C.J. Hesmer's bike was beaten hard and the chain had come off leaving him to actually being forced to lay the bike done in the first corner. At the pit gate riders including the bruised and beaten Orosz, worked frantically to get Hesmer's bike workable for the rerun. The all Hesmer final was a cracker with Aaron still starting 15 yards back, but catching cousin Gary in 3 laps to pass in him in Tomas Gollab fashion around the boards in the dirt! Then disaster again for C.J. Hesmer, while leading well, his chain came off due to the twisted frame of the bike and both cousins were forced to take evasive actions to miss the C.J.! So the night belonged to the hard charging Aaron Hesmer once again!

Mike Hammond, Terry Rideout and Tommy Hensby also starred in their consi-final. Hensby was privy to the best seat in the house, as he followed the fast and close racing between Rideout and Hammond. Rideout dodging in and out to gain the magic pass on lap 3 to take a good win from a great looking Hammond!

Simon Bennington was also at the track with his 1000cc speedway sidecar unit. With Father Gordon, back in the UK, Simon was poised to drive this beast with pillion passenger Todd Vallee holding on for grim death! Simon and Todd worked really well together and had some very fast controlled laps to the delight of riders and fans alike!

Superb night of racing which complimented a huge field of ATV's and flat track bikes!

Come out next week and see another weekly treat at Paris Speedway!

Aaron Hesmer kept his winning streak going in the Speedway class with Jeff Orosz taking second ahead of Katalin Davis while Gary Hesmer had the misfortune of having his clutch disintegrate as the tapes went up in the final.   Davis caught the eye throughout the night with her controlled use of the inside line that enabled her to overtake several rivals on the night.   She has progressed a long way from her early days which are best remembered for a spectacular crash when she flew a long way over the safety fence.  For the second week in a row Terry Rideout came from behind to win the Consi from Mike Hammond.

SPEEDWAY              -      1) AARON HESMER ,   2)  Jeff Orosz,  3)  Katalin Davis,  4)  Gary Hesmer.

Aaron Hesmer completed his 100% run of wins at the Paris Speedway event on Friday night, as cousin Gary left it too late in the final event to just miss out on the win.

The feat for Aaron was also incredible due to two factors as well, one he ran out of gas as he went over the line and he was riding an older upright loaner bike which used to belong to fan favorite, "Tiger" Tom Marriott. Tom's bike had been purchased by GT Tuning Canada last year for use in the training schools, and Tim Murray owner of GT Tuning Canada, had bought two bikes to give a test for the up and coming schools. Aaron showed that he can make any bike a winner, and did a great job blasting around on this older Jawa!

Katalin Davis and Tommy Hensby both arrived at the track and found that the gremlins had been busy on their bikes. Both suffering with intermittent ignition problems which found them riding different bikes throughout the night. Katalin was a bit unsure of riding the 'Marriott' machine so she opted to ride Aaron Hesmer's bike for the night, and Tommy rode both the GT Tuning bikes, before getting aboard his own after some frantic work in the pits.

Katalin rode very well and made the final event, where she finished fourth behind Mike Hammond who was very quick and smooth on a superbly prepared track by Mike Zelaska. The track was privy to a major overhaul this week, and Zelaska's dedication and hard work, was repaid in a superb night of racing for everyone!

Gary Moody came for his first outing of the year, and did a commendable job on the smaller track. Sadly though, he crashed out in the consi final while being chased hard by Tommy Hensby, his bike seemed to lose power going into turn 3 and it hooked and threw him into the path of the charging Hensby, who did well to avoid the fallen Moody, to take the race win.

If there was an award for the best effort on the night it would go to Terry Rideout in the speedway class.  He had a great scrap going with Katalin Davis but went wide out of turn two on the last lap and she slipped through to take the lead.   With Davis on the inside line Rideout powered around the outside of the final two turns as he strove to retake the lead but was still half a wheel down as they streaked across the line.  Having given his all in this effort Rideout then came off and finished in a heap against the end boards but happily suffered no damage to himself or his bike.     Earlier in the night Gary Hesmer was in good form and had several spirited contests with his cousin Aaron.   They met again in the final with Aaron getting the win from Gary while behind them Rideout and Davis had another good race with this time Rideout holding on to third place.

SPEEDWAY - 1) AARON HESMER ,   2)  Gary Hesmer,  3)  Terry Rideout,  4)  Katalin Davis.

Once again Aaron Hesmer ruled the night at Paris Speedway. His dominance of the Paris track was very evident in his fifth final win of the season!

Cousin Gary Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Jeff Orosz, Terry Rideout and Tommy Hensby, all competed for the challenge to take the winning crown off Aaron. The heat races were close with Gary Hesmer showing good form against both Aaron and Orosz, while Rideout, Hammond and Hensby all worked their own magic. Mike Hammond sadly continued his mechanical woes and was left wondering what if, after failing to finish in 3 of 4 heats. 14-Year old Tommy Hensby had his best night of the season, with some smooth fast and consistent riding to finish 5th overall.

The final race with Rideout, Orosz and both Aaron and Gary Hesmer, was poised to be a good one. Aaron pulled out of corner 2 ahead of Orosz and never looked back. Orosz was pushing hard but was unable to make the ground needed. Gary and Rideout both dueled hard, but were left to grab third and fourth respectively.

Tommy Hensby proved that using the opportunity to ride with Canada's best riders, would really improve your skill and speed as you learn. 14-year-old Hensby in his first year of competitive racing at Paris Speedway, had a dream night on Friday night, as he rode in the Division 2 class for the first time, and went undefeated in his four heats and in the final race! With the biggest smile in the world, he raced hard in the final race to keep the hard charging Scott Thompson behind him, to take his first checkered flag victory for 2010!

Aaron Hesmer continued his dominance of the Paris events with a solid display of speedway racing, with another sweep of a final win to keep his unbeaten run going, proving that he is definitely the man to beat this year! Gary Hesmer blew his engine during the pit warm-up session and was left to ride Katalin Davis's bike throughout the night. Katalin herself joined in the fun until an awkward slide out in turn 1 caused her to pull out of her last race. Terry Rideout aboard his new Jawa looked uncomfortable as he was challenged with new power and set-up. He also took an opportunity to ride in the Flat Track class as well on the night! Mike Hammond took on the big guns and had a few scary moments when he was sandwiched twice by the Hesmer boys in two heats, the second heat causing a slide out on turn 2, but he was able to remount and finish the race well.

Congratulations to both Hensby and Hesmer for a great job done on the night!

The August vacation period and the Belleville 1/2 mile race, caused a lower than expected rider turnout for the speedway class at Paris Speedway.

Reigning weekly champion Aaron Hesmer was again showing his superior track knowledge and experience to continue his unbeaten record on the Paris track! Cousin Gary Hesmer, did a fantastic job all night to keep Aaron on his toes, beating him out in their third heat of the night! Gary looked fast and controlled on his bike with a newly installed engine, following his engine seizure during warm-up last week. The older Jawa proved to be strong and solid all night and Gary was unlucky not to take the win in the final, as he was leading for nearly three laps, until Aaron grabbed a smart inside move on turn 3 to get the advantage to the checkered flag!

Mike Hammond and Tommy Hensby filled the remaining class, as they both had a few scares as they battled each other. Mike did a few 360 degree turns ahead of Hensby, who in turn crashed heavily into the boards on turn 4 while chasing down Hammond. Up and battered, both bike and rider were worked and patched up to finish the night, which left Hammond to take third spot and Hensby fourth.

The August vacation period and the Belleville 1/2 mile race, caused a lower than expected rider turnout for the speedway class at Paris Speedway.

Reigning weekly champion Aaron Hesmer was again showing his superior track knowledge and experience to continue his unbeaten record on the Paris track! Cousin Gary Hesmer, did a fantastic job all night to keep Aaron on his toes, beating him out in their third heat of the night! Gary looked fast and controlled on his bike with a newly installed engine, following his engine seizure during warm-up last week. The older Jawa proved to be strong and solid all night and Gary was unlucky not to take the win in the final, as he was leading for nearly three laps, until Aaron grabbed a smart inside move on turn 3 to get the advantage to the checkered flag!

Mike Hammond and Tommy Hensby filled the remaining class, as they both had a few scares as they battled each other. Mike did a few 360 degree turns ahead of Hensby, who in turn crashed heavily into the boards on turn 4 while chasing down Hammond. Up and battered, both bike and rider were worked and patched up to finish the night, which left Hammond to take third spot and Hensby fourth.

Friday night at Paris Speedway, the Hesmer family created Canadian Speedway history in a disqualification of all three family members by referee Roger Stevens.

The heat race caused a heat of the moment event, where Aaron Hesmer took the wrong gate and was challenged by cousin Gary, they had cross words and C.J. Hesmer who was in gate 4, rode across and accidentally rode into Aaron as they discussed the situation. Referee Roger Stevens, decided to run the race which Aaron won, but disqualified the points from all the Hesmer riders for the infraction. This left Gary Moody with a full point award for his last place finish.

Gary Moody returning to the Paris track for the first time, following his broken collar accident in July, was disappointed himself, as he wanted to get another run at Tommy Hensby who beat him in last time out, but sadly Hensby is out for the season with a broke thumb and some internal bruising following a hard crash in practice last week! He did however, ride very well and came out unscathed on the night!

Mike Hammond and Terry Rideout as joined in the fun on the night, with Terry Rideout grabbing a heat win for the first time in 2010. Mike Hammond had a few scary moments with some slide-outs following the best starting performance of the year.

The night however, was topped with the crowning of Gary Hesmer in the final event. He took a good lead following Aaron Hesmer's 15 yard penalty for jumping the start, and held on to keep the hard and fast charging Aaron back, in his passing of both Rideout and Moody.

A good size crowd was privy to a night of great racing and different classes of entertainment. We welcomed Jeremy Zelaska and Travis Lyle-Carpenter's Quad racing into the program, sadly though 3 quads were stuck on the side of the road after their truck broke down and they were unable to get to the track in time!

The Sehl/Vallee P85 flat track show was entertaining to the last lap of their final race, Braden Vallee pushed past a hard chasing Matt Sehl to take a good win on the night!

Tommy Hensby the new 13-year rider, continued to show his improving skills upon his 500cc bike throughout the night under direction of Aaron DeVeau.

Scott Collier had to withdraw from the night and subsequently, a changed program was implemented to facilitate some equal racing. The racing from both the Division 1 and Division 2 was outstanding. The night began with Joe Heye sliding out in both the warm-up lap and in the first race. The track which was probably the best we have seen for many a race, due to the work of Mike Zelaska and Dave Havill had put into it over the past week, caught Joe out! He did however, gain more confidence throughout the night and proved his reputation of being Paris Speedway's No 1 rider!

Terry Rideout, Gary Hesmer and Jeff Orosz joined Joe Heye in producing some superb duels with some clashing of bikes and very close racing. It was a treat for all there!

With the final event poised, Joe Heye took gate 2 along side Jeff Orosz in gate 1 and it was won from there, Joe pulled a flyer and took to the front while Jeff Orosz and Terry Rideout battled for second place, Gary Hesmer who was recovering from some technical problems pulled up the rear. Jeff Orosz pulled away from Terry Rideout and set about hunting down Joe Heye. The last corner near collision, was a breath-taking corner which left Joe Heye to take the checkered flag by a bike length! Great racing!

We look forward to our next event. which is the SANDVIK sponsored night on June 19th.

An overcast night with a mix of light drizzle welcomed the SANDVIK sponsored night at Paris Speedway on Friday July 3 rd . A smaller rider turnout and crowd still enjoyed a superb night of racing.

The night began with four quads taking to the track, which had been superbly race prepared by Michael Zelaska following a week of rain. Jeremy Zelaska, Travis Lyle Carpenter, Jason Law and Clarke Voil all put on a great display of racing throughout the night, with Clarke Voil taking the chequered flag in the final event!

Mike Hammond, Scott Collier and John Bennett, represented our Divisions 2 class, in this work and illness reduced class. They did however put on quite a show. Mike Hammond was finding the damp tacky surface difficult for a few laps, as was John Bennett with them both performing 360-degree slides mid turn! One of the highlights of the night was the perfect lay-down by Mike Hammond as John Bennett fell in front of him in turn 1, great job by Mike! The racing was very competitive with all three riders winning a heat each, but with only one winner of the night, fittingly, it was down to Sandvik's very own, Mike Hammond who greeted the chequered flag from ?Tiger? Tom Marriott for a well-deserved lap of honour!

Braden Vallee was due to have his debut on a junior speedway bike this night, but due to mechanical problems, he was unable to get the junior bike running. This allowed him to have some fun on the track with junior speedway rider Tommy Hensby. A staggered start allowed both Vallee and Hensby to show the different styles of the P85 flat track bike and the 500cc speedway bike. Tommy Hensby was suffering from some ignition problems, and had to pull out of one heat as his bike quit on lap 3, but the enjoyment of watching Vallee pushing Hensby was great fun to see on the night!

Our reduced class of Division 1 riders, put on a classic night of thrills and spills that we expect from these top-flite riders. Joe Heye, Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and Terry Rideout thrashed out some amazing close racing on every lap raced. The first two heats saw Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz going toe to toe, both taking the win, superb racing! Terry Rideout was a bit off the pace this night after he crashed out twice, while sliding out on the wet surface. He re-injured his buttock from a Welland Speedway crash two weeks ago, and rode on valiantly to help the show along! Joe Heye was never far fro the action and did all he could to spoil to Hesmer/Orosz show, with a heat win and by splitting the pair in a breathtaking move on lap 2 of heat 3 coming out of turn 2. His over-zealous push did cause him to slide out in heat four and cause a restart, but his best race was left till last. A superb final race where he kept the hard-charging Aaron Hesmer behind him to grab the well deserved win. Jeff Orosz and Terry Rideout finished in this order behind them, to complete a superb SANDVIK night of racing.

A warm sunny and humid night welcomed a good field of riders and fans to Paris Speedway, on the last day of July for 2009.

The riders were split into two groups and the additional P85 flat track bikes and the Quads added to the excitement for the night.

Division 2 riding saw Tommy Hensby make his debut with other riders following his weeks of demonstration laps, joining Graham Wale and Gary Moody, who himself welcomed his return to the Paris track for the second time.

Division 1 was spilt into two 3-man heats with a four man final. Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer, Joe Heye and Terry Rideout were joined by Mike Hammond and Katalin Davis to complete the class.

The night's racing in the P85 class also welcomed Nathan Hammond into the racing world, joining the fast racers, Matt Sehl and Braden Vallee. The night was a duel of these two guys passing and pressing each other right to the flag in every race. The final event was completed with Matt Sehl beating out Braden Vallee and Nathan Hammond to take the well-deserved checkered flag win!

Division 2 riders were all equally paced with some great dueling between Moody and Wale as Hensby watched closely from the rear in heat 1. Their second heat saw Moody go out with mechanical problems on lap 2 leaving Graham Wale to defend the lead from Tommy Hensby, Hensby saw an opportunity on lap 3 when Wale went wide in turn 2 and swooped underneath to gain and hold the lead for his first win of the night! The next heat sadly was the last as Wale and Hensby clashed on lap 1 and were forced to retire, leaving Moody to be the only Division 2 rider running, which gave him the opportunity to join the other class for the remainder of the night.

The Division 1 racing was dominated with the riders showing their status of the countries top riders, as they battled each and every lap to gain that all important point! Aaron Hesmer pushed all night as well as cousin Gary, to both finish on the same total points, a toss of a coin for the final gate position was won by Aaron!

Mike Hammond enjoyed his first encounter in Division 1 despite feeling the side of Gary Hesmer in turn 2 and sliding out. He held his own for the night and did very well. Katalin Davis joined the fun in her first 2 heats, but sadly mechanical problems caused her to retire from the night to allow Gary Moody to fill her spot in the program. Terry Rideout had some serious clutch problems during his first race and was able to complete the heat with a badly troubled machine. The pits became a frenzy, as many other riders and pit crews all jumped on Terry's bike to strip and rebuild the bike to allow him to continue onward in the night,

Joe Heye was a man on mission this night, but despite his heroic efforts, the ever changing rack caught him out as the humid air drew out a lot of moisture in the track and caught him off guard as he slid out a few times. Heye kept the push on Aaron Hesmer all night, continuing the battle of the titans for the great enjoyment of the crowd! Also for the first time this year, Heye jumped the start in heat 5 and broke the tapes from gate 1.

The final event of the night was probably the longest race in time, that we have ever seen at Paris! It began with Aaron Hesmer in gate 1, Gary Hesmer, gate 2, Joe Heye gate 3 and Terry Rideout in gate 4. The tapes flew and all four riders attacked turn 1 with Aaron Hesmer pulling out front, Gary Hesmer in second was challenged hard by Joe Heye in turn 3 and he slid out. The first restart was duplicated exactly in the same corner and we went to restart number 3. This restart saw Heye starting from the penalty line and he blasted outside Gary Hesmer in turn 3 on lap 2, but they clashed hard and Heye fell awkwardly leaving Hesmer to go nowhere but straight. Gary Hesmer's bike took off and smashed into the fence with Gary sliding through it with his bike. After a quick look by the ambulance, Gary was up and back in the pits, but in need of some rest! Track workers quickly replaced the safety fence and we went into restart number four with only three riders. The start also with Heye back on the penalty line proved not to be the last! Again same place on the track caused the hard pushing Heye to slide out again! This caused the fifth and final restart with Heye back on a 30-yard penalty line. Aaron Hesmer refueled and pulled out a classic display of speedway. as Heye passed Rideout on the last turn to grab second place.

The last race for August 2009 seemed doomed from the outset, with thick rain clouds and thundershowers forecast, but with some heavenly help, the skies brightened and the riders and crowd arrived to enjoy a superbly prepared track Mike Zelaska.

Rob Dixon made a rare appearance at the Paris track after many years of absence. Being a firm supporter of the larger tracks, it was great to see him riding on the smaller track this night!

The night was divided into ATV racing with Jeremy Zelaska, Travis Carpenter, Jason Law and his buddy Clark, P85 Junior Flat Track racers, Nathan Hammond and Braden Vallee, Division two riders Scott Collier and Tommy Hensby, and Division 1 riders Aaron Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Rob Dixon, Jeff Orosz and Joe Heye rounded the field.

The night began with two ATV riders arriving late, so both Jason and Clark were forced to wait for heat 2 of their rounds to start. All night the guys held their own and produced some great racing. Sadly though due to the rain, they were unable to run their final event!

The P85 class was dominated by the ever popular Braden vallee. He assisted in the show with Nathan right by his side! Good job!

The Division 2 class of Scott Collier and Tommy Hensby produced some good racing with 5 heats being run, but also they suffered a non-running final due to the rain. Scott Collier won the first race of the night with a hard charging Hensby right behind him. Tommy Hensby did suffer some mechanical gremlins during the night, but with the help of Rob Dixon, Tom Marriott and Todd Vallee, they kept him running and assisted in him winning all the next four heats! A good display of intermediate speedway was shown by these two guys!

The Division 1 guys did a fabulous job of producing some high level exciting racing for the crowd. Aaron Hesmer produced some super moves and out maneuvered Jeff Orosz in some great racing. Rob Dixon's return was not marked with any wins, but he did show that the track was too his liking! Terry Rideout looked off the pace and suffered from some bad luck in his attempts to pass his fellow riders! Joe Heye's performance looked set to bring him good fortune with a good heat win, but Hesmer and Orosz were proving too much for him.

Jeff Orosz left the best till last, the rain started to come down heavily, and with the need to get the race going to avoid a cancellation, Rideout, Hesmer, Orosz and Heye lined up to the tapes. Orosz go a flyer from gate 4 and held on to win well in the pouring rain! Aaron Hesmer was struggling to hold on and very sensibly slowed down in the need of self preservation, but Heye and Rideout paid the price for pushing hard in the very wet and wild conditions, and slid off on turn 2, they both remounted, and finished in this order behind Orosz and Hesmer!

A very hot and sticky afternoon welcomed a large crowd to the Paris Fair race. A 2:00pm start enabled Mike Zelaska to prepare the track with loads of water, as the effect of the dust was a concern for the Fair and the afternoon managed to hold it back to a reasonable level for all! Sadly though, the level of racing was reduced due to the excess water needed to retract the dust, but all the riders produced the best show possible!

The day began with our quad riders taking to the track, Jeremy Zelaska, Travis Carpenter, Jason Law and Clark Viol all produced some close side by side racing, and Jeremy Zelaska did a super job in holding back the 450cc units behind his 350cc machine! Travis produced some close racing with Jason, thus producing a well-deserved round of applause from the large audience every race! They all produced a high level of skill and did a great job!

Our P85 flat track riders returned to also put on a superb selection of races! Matt Sehl joined Braden Vallee and Nathan Hammond and raced hard every race. Nathan Hammond suffered some mechanical gremlins but managed to rejoin some races! Matt Sehl again showed the crowd why he is the current Canadian points leader, he rode hard and fast to win the day's final event well!

Our Division 2 riders, Mike Hammond and Tommy Hensby were joined by Katalin Davis to round the class. All the races produced some very close and contact riding between Hammond and Davis with Hensby sensibly staying behind them. Mike Hammond slid out in round 2 and Katalin Davis laid the bike down superbly to avoid any further problems. The restart was dominated by Katalin to take a good win. Round 4 saw two crashes, Hammond and Davis again were side by side in turn 4 when they clashed and Hammond went down tumbling into the boards. Up and on, the restart saw the trailing Hensby hit the dirt with his foot peg on the last lap coming into turn 3, his bike twisted beneath him awkwardly and he high sided with his foot becoming entangled in his front wheel. After some assistance he was up and ok and his bike needed some TLC, which Jeff Orosz jumped in to get it straight for Tommy to continue. The final race of the day for them all, saw Katalin Davis produced a fine display ahead of Mike Hammond and Tommy Hensby.

The Division 1 riders, Aaron Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Jeff Orosz, Terry Rideout and Joe Heye all produced some good riding. Terry Rideout was having an off day with a few slide-outs on the wet surface as he battled hard to gain position from the tapes in turn 2. Jeff Orosz spent the afternoon trying to gain momentum of the ever-changing track surface and lost a really good lead to Aaron Hesmer in their second round race. Joe Heye and Rob Dixon also pushed hard and gave the other a run for their money! Aaron Hesmer put his best foot forward and kept a firm hold on all the heat races. He was very smooth and composed which really paid off as he took a very well deserved checkered flag every race! The final race was an absolute cracker! Aaron Hesmer took gate one and Joe Heye took gate 3, Heye pushed himself hard under Hesmer to take the lead out of turn 2, they then spent the next two laps ducking and diving under and around each other until, Heye slid out on turn 3 and Hesmer took off the grab the win! Jeff Orosz and Rob Dixon battled behind and finished in second and third respectively as Heye remounted and competed the race!

With the hot summer like weather upon us, we were ready for another season of Canadian speedway.

With special guests visiting from Eastbourne in the UK, Brian & Jackie Jones together with their son, Cameron and Uncle Trevor. We put on a show to remember!

Sadly, due to the big race in Ohio, USA. Our rider field was lower than expected and we had to do some drastic heat selections, which was both interesting and entertaining! With new rider Dave Hope taking to the track for the first time in a racing surrounding, he did very well to stay aboard the bike and enjoyed a few board bangs along the way, but he had a blast and thanks to Aaron DeVeau for bailing Dave out when his bike gave up!

Fred legault and Chris Hesmer spent the day battling it our as did Scott Collier and Terry Rideout. All pushed hard and enjoyed a good time!

Graham Wale also joined in on the action and rode very smoothly on his new GM.

Sadly for Allan Chisholm upon his Paris return, he suffered multiple mechanical gremlins and this proved to be the end of a good looking day.

Scott Collier has two chain malfunctions and during the interval had given up and was ready to pack up and call it a day, but referee Ian March gave some advice and directed his alignment problems and Scott went on to become the Division 2/3 final winner!! - Great Job Ian!

Fred legault came out of the gate with some speed to take the lead in the Division 1 final, but hooked up in turn two allowing both Chris Hesmer and Terry Rideout through, Fred fought back and took Terry on the next lap while Chris was pulling away in front. Then on a last lap thrust, Terry Rideout gained a swooping overtaking move on Fred to take his first second place in Division 1 for 2008!

Many thanks to all the volunteers and helpers for all your great work, and we look forward to seeing everyone back at Paris next weekend!

Sunday June 1st 2008, was poised to be a great afternoon of racing at the CKPC Paris Speedway event.

Under cloudy skies, the event began with a good field of riders. We welcomed Mark Engel from Michigan for the first time in 2008, as well as, a new rider Mike Hamond joining in the fun!

Our Division one rider list was filled with Aaron "Ace" DeVeau, Joe Heye, Fred "Hotdog" Legault, Terry Rideout and Chris Hesmer. These guys put on a fabulous show from start to finish. Joe Heye began the day with a newly built engine and a newly surfaced track. He came out of the gate like a bullet and was caught out in one heat race, when he crashed into the boards on corner 4, removing the board in the process. After a few minutes to get his breath back and a repair to the board by Dave Havill, he was able to take off again, only to slide out twice and get very frustrated! Terry Rideout once again demonstrated why he will be a contender for some high things in Division 1 this year. He was really composed and gave the guys a run for their money! Chris Hesmer also had a few problems with the track surface and slid out in one heat. He managed to win a heat in flying glory and got back into his groove. Aaron DeVeau sadly pulled out due to mechanical problems, but was showing some solid rides. Fred Legault was having a good day until the final race of the day. The final race was poised to be a cracker, Fred Legault, Chris Hesmer, Terry Rideout and Joe Heye all lined up at the tapes. Roger Stevens gave the all clear and referee John Franic let them go, but Fred looped hard at the line and was unable to hold it and landed hard just yards from the start line. Fred was up and walked back in the pits, but twisted his back and removed himself from the race. This left Terry Rideout to take a good lead over Joe Heye and Chris Hesmer in the restart. Joe Heye raced away from Chris Hesmer and went on a hunt for Terry Rideout. Sadly for Terry Rideout after leading for 3 laps, Joe Heye grabbed an open spot and dove under Terry Rideout to take the checkered flag. Superb racing by all!

The Division 2 guys, Graham "Pirate" Wale, Mark Engel, David Hope, Mike Hamond, Tim Murray and Allan Chisholm put on a show of their own!

The first heat of the day was marred with a nasty looking crash that left Allan Chisholm lying on the track. Entering the first bend, he eased off as they bunched up and Allan could do nothing but hit the back wheel of Graham Wale, causing him to high-side over the bike and he landed hard, and suffered the nightmare speedway injury!

Graham Wale went on to win the re-run well.

Tim Murray spent the day gating like he was on a rocket, he out gated everyone in every heat and had some great races with both Graham Wale and new rider Mike Hamond. These heats were worth the entry fee alone!!!

David Hope again was having a blast, and enjoyed the track time getting used to his new bike!

The final race was a great race with Mike Hamond taking the lead off Tim Murray after Tim went wide on turn 2, Mike led the race for 3-1/2 laps holding back a diving Tim, but under this pressure, Mike left a gap and Tim's experience led him through to take a well-deserved win! Brilliant race!

Matthew Sehl, Braden Vallee and Mike Fisher were on hand to race hard all day. These junior speedway guys did a great job all day, with Matt and Braden fighting for every inch of track available between each other. With a final race that left us all happy with Matt and Braden battling away. It was a great race with Matt pulling ahead on the final lap to enjoy his checkered flag lap of honor!

We do apologize for the absence of out weekly 50/50 draw this week. With our staff covering some critical marshalling positions, we were unable to get this done. So please buy double next week and get a nice big gift to take home!

The sunshine shine was all over the Canadian Speedway racing weekend!

CKPC Paris Speedway was played out on a hot and sunny afternoon for the last Sunday Afternoon race until August. A good crowd and good rider attendance gave us a recipe for success!

The field of Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz, Terry Rideout, Doug Beaumont, Joe Heye and Aaron DeVeau, were joined by Graham Wale, Mike Hammond, David Hope, Bob Mosquera, Scott Collier and Tim Murray. Our Junior representation was from Matt Sehl and Braden Vallee.

From the first heat, John Franic the CMA referee was spot on in his delivery of the starts and this was enjoyed by all at the event!

The day opened with the return to Paris for Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, Doug Beaumont and Michigan based rider, Bob Mosquera. They were all great this day, and had a blast joining in the fun!

The afternoon was packed with action including lightening reflex starts from Tim Murray. Tim has really mastered the starts and with constant actions, he pulled out front in all his heats and the Division 2 Final. Mike Hammond in his second racing event turned up with former British and World Champion Gary Havelock's bike. Mike made the leap from the upright machine to the newer laydown and looked very good. He did however, show great sportsmanship in his quick reactions upon a couple of slide-outs in corner 1. Great Job!

Terry Rideout continues to show his maturity and led the first Division 1 heat from the two top Canadian riders for 2 laps, but was heaved away by Aaron Hesmer who took the easy win!

Jeff Orosz was finding his feet on the newly laid Paris track and he did suffer a few placements due to this. Pulling out of his last heat sadly with mechanical problems, his fellow GT Tuning associate Tim Murray, got his bike onto the track and saved Jeff within the 2 minute limit. Jeff jumped aboard and flew out to a great win leaving the other riders well behind. Aaron Hesmer also suffered a very rare and unusual lift coming out of turn 2 and held on tightly to keep himself in the race. Very impressive bike control!

Braden Vallee spent all afternoon chasing Matt Sehl. Matt the master of the inside line, kept a dodging and diving Braden behind him to take a very deserved checkered flag lap of honor in their final race. These guys really love to race and we thank them for doing just this every week!

The Division 2 final was dominated by the lightening starter Tim Murray! Tim flew out ahead of Graham Wale, Mike Hammond and Bob Mosquera. But Mike Hammond took it upon himself to give Tim some problems event to the point of passing Tim as he went wide coming out of corner 4 on lap 2, but Tim returned the favor and took a commanding win ahead of the pack!

The main Final took 3 starts to get a completed race. Firstly Aaron Hesmer was deemed to jumped at the start by referee John Franic. Sadly for Aaron, the reason for this was a clutch that just wouldn't work for him! The second attempt took place minus Aaron Hesmer due to his clutch seizure! So Joe Heye, Jeff Orosz and Terry Rideout took centre stage. Upon the second start, Jeff Orosz jumped too soon and was put back 10 yards. So with a third attempt, the race began. Joe Heye took a good lead ahead of Terry Rideout until Jeff Orosz flew by Terry on thr first bend. Jeff went in pursuit of Joe and was catching him well, until he sadly hit a rut on corner 2 and Joe pulled away! Congratulations to crowd favorite Joe Heye for a great job, and rounding off a great afternoon of racing at CKPC Paris Speedway!

With the great news that Dave Havill the Paris Track manager was successfully recovering from his operation the past week, we were very pleased to officially dedicate the two days of racing over the Labour Day long weekend to Dave Havill and his dedication to the sport of speedway racing in Canada.

The day was set to run the CSRA Championship races of the Division 2, Division 3 and Junior Speedway P85cc. The sun was beating down on a fabulously prepared track by Michael Zelaska for the 2:00pm start time.

Riders from all over Ontario and Michigan USA, came to see who would reign supreme! Corinne Franic, Graham Wale, Bob Mosquera, Mike Hammond, Jeremy Zelaska, Nicole DeVeau, Dave Hope and Tim Murray were joined by Matt Sehl, Braden Vallee and Mike Fisher in the P85cc class and providing demonstration laps were 7-year old Josh Wilson on the P50, Aaron DeVeau and Terry Rideout from Division 1 and new Junior speedway rider 12-year old Tommy Hensby.

The racing program provided by Duncan Luke proved to be the winner of the day! Duncan provided us all with a superb race program for the day. The heats were close and very entertaining!

Division 2 racing was split into 3 riders who clashed hard all afternoon, Corinne Franic, Tim Murray and Mike Hammond all pushed each other really hard. This left Graham Wale and Bob Mosquera to fight for the remaining places. Graham Wale was suffering from some troubles following his racing from last weekend , and just couldn't get into the winning groove required to gain the Championship win? This left the others to really have a good go at each other, but one lady seemed to have very quickly regained her composure following her absence from the track for most of the season. Corinne Franic kept her throttle wide open and looked very smooth all day! She took to the starting line in the final heat for the Division 2 Championship and led from the gate to take a well deserved checkered flag! An excellent performance by Corinne!

Division 3 produced some good racing, The returning Nicole DeVeau was our second lady to the track for the day, came back to the track looking very strong and determined. Dave Hope sadly had to withdraw from the meeting after crashing out hard while defending a great race from Jeremy Zelaska. Dave suffered a shoulder pull and was unable to carry on after 3 heats. Jeremy Zelaska riding in only his second ever full racing event, showed why he will really be a name to watch in the future! he was fast controlled and looked very comfortable especially when he raced over the line for the final time to collect his prize of Division 3 Canadian Speedway Champion! Congratulations Jeremy!

The Junior guys were once again aboard their bikes to take battle! Matthew Sehl, Braden "LiL K'OS" Vallee and Mike Fisher played a great role in providing some superb racing, all 3 riders pushed hard right to the bitter end! Matt Sehl and Braden Vallee were swapping places throughout the first few heats, but then Braden lost some momentum and Matt pulled away for the final heats to successfully take the new title of CSRA 2008 Junior Speedway Champion! Well Done Matt!

The afternoon was completed with Aaron Deveau, Terry Rideout and Tommy Hensby, all doing an excellent job in giving the large crowd some nice demonstrations of speedway all all levels. Thanks to them for a great job!

The Sunday event was poised to be a classic and this it was! With rumors floating around that Dave Havill had been let out of hospital and he was at the track! A buzz flew around the pits and a new level of eagerness to have a great show was in place. Our very dear and great friend Mr. Wesley Pierce from the Welland County Motorcycle Club events was invited to perform an outstanding job of announcing the event. Wes did not let us down one bit, his charming wit and wickedly funny humor keep the large crowd enthused throughout the proceedings!

Our Division 1, Division 2/3 riders were all there to battle away the afternoons big money prizes. Terry Rideout, Phil Mosquera, Aaron DeVeau, Tim Murray, Jeremy Zelaska, Mike Hammond, Jeff Orosz, Bob Mosquera, Corinne Franic, Nicole DeVeau, Joe Heye, and Doug Beaumont all arrived ready, as did Tommy Hensby to do his Junior Speedway demonstrations.

The racing was tight and close all afternoon. Joe Heye and Jeff Orosz had a few close and wonderfully entertaining battles, Jeff Orosz was ducking and diving all over the defending Joe Heye all day.

Phil Mosquera looked very good after a few years absence from Paris. he very quickly got into the groove and did a fabulous job for himself and the crowd alike! Mike Hammond was finding the track a bit uneasy and sadly he was involved in freak accident that left Jeremy Zelaska in hospital (Below with Emily Hensby) with a badly broken leg and dislocated ankle. Mike Hammond was pushing hard coming out of turn 2 on lap 3 as he slid out hard into the fence, his bike bounced back into the path of the sliding Zelaska and he had nowhere to go and hit Hammond's bike. Zelaska's bike pinned him against the safety fence and the impact by the foot rest smashed Zelaska's ankle and snapped in completely. He was left pinned upright and had to hang onto the boards to avoid any pressure on his leg. Such bad luck for both riders in a simple but crazy looking crash! Mike Hammond worked frantically to repair his bike and qualified to the final event!

The Division 2/3 combined races were completed with a great final race. Mike Hammond pushed Corinne Franic for 4 laps as Tim Murray and Bob Mosquera push Mike Hammond, a close hard race that was finished with Corinne Franic taking the second final event for the weekend!

Division 1 was a cracker, Joe Heye and Jeff Orosz led Terry Rideout and Aaron Deveau from the tapes. They were close for all four laps with Heye holding back Orosz as he tried all he could to get him, but to no avail! Joe Heye grabbed the big money and went home a very happy guy!

The CSRA would like to sincerely thank the following people, as this weekend tribute for Dave Havill, would not have happened to the height of success but for these volunteers and helpers:

Michael & Jeremy Zelaska (track prep) Wes Pierce (Announcing) Graham Wale, Terry Rideout and John Franic (Electrical setup) Russell Press (Sound Equipment) Tommy and Emily Hensby (Gate Sign-in) Roger Stevens (Starting Marshall and payout's) Duncan and Joan Luke (Program Set-up) Tom Marriott (pit Gate and programs) Dave Dudley, Kevin Robillard and Larry DeVeau (Corner Marshall's) Daniel Hanley and Charlotte Hensby (photos and event clean-up) David Hensby (Announcing and race direction) St. John's Ambulance, Peter Buss and Mario Glynn (Photos)

The opening night at Paris Speedway was presented with good weather, but a low rider turnout.

CKPC was on hand to officially launch their 2007 sponsorship of the Paris Speedway events.

The night was full of close racing and our Divison 1 guys did a fabulous job of battling hard all night! Jeff Orosz in his new GTS suit from the UK looked and acted the part in his total points win for the night!

Terry Rideout produced some great racing and kept Michigan rider Mark Engel behind him all night to take the Divison 2/3 night's award.

Corinne Franic took a trip on the back of Terry's bike for the lap of honor, but we will see if the roles reverse this week, when our lovely lady of speedway returns!

With the addition of six P50 / P65 / P85 into the weekly program, this gave the large crowd something extra to cheer about.

The weather was perfect, the track was in top shape, and the stage set for a great night of racing.

With only four Division 1 riders available this night, they had some serious battles that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Joe Heye with his new engine, once again pushed hard and did some great moves to beat Aaron Hesmer during the heats. Aaron back from his successful St.Alex win the previous weekend, was aboard a newer bike set-up. Despite the over spin at the gate, Aaron soon pushed his way passed Marc Gauthier, Gary Hesmer and the amazingly fast Joe Heye to take a well deserved final win on the last lap! - Great racing and good job Aaron!

Terry Rideout capitalized upon the mixing of the Division 2 and 3 riders. Graham Wale, Tom Brown, John Bennett, Tim Murray and the returning Scott Collier all suffered at Terry's ever-increasing speeds, despite some valiant efforts in the heats by Tim and Scott. John Bennett also returned to Paris for 2007 and had a very scary moment in the final as he looped at the start but managed to keep the bike in control to finish a well deserved 3rd place after having to catch the field!

Terry Rideout, did the business and took the Checkered flag proudly in front of the waving and clapping crowd.

Unfortunately for Graham, his Weslake wouldn't play fair and he had to withdraw from the night with mechanical gremlins! And Corinne Franic's 'Legault' machine would 'Not-go' so she, also sadly missed this night.

A complete night of good solid fair racing, and thank you to all the riders who came to put on the show!

With another low rider turnout, the GT Tuning Time Trial event was quickly orchestrated by Duncan Luke and Carol Havill, to be a complete night of good racing!

The individual events that regularly occur, were replaced with team racing of mixed Division 1 and Division 2 riders. 2 riders from each division were paired together and the fun began.

The heats became two races, with the D1 riders having their own battles and the D2 having their's too! It was great for the crowd, as the event was action packed.

With each heat being timed, the evening progressed with some close racing and good track times. Aaron Hesmer took the early strong lead in the times and Joe Heye followed close behind for the D1 riders. D2 saw Terry Rideout and Tim Murray, who was returning to Paris after his nasty bout of flu, have some strong times in their own heats.

With the heats over, the decision was made to have a first at Paris - Single time trials. Each rider had a 2-lap run, the first gated start lap, allowed for the warm-up and the second was timed from start to finish upon a flying start. This was also based upon the riders points scores for the night and the crowd really got into it. The times were very close for each rider and the final D2 rider to win the night was Terry Rideout. He looked very composed and showed why he is a definite threat to all the other D2 riders this season!

With the addition of six P50 / P65 / P85 into the weekly program, this gave the large crowd something extra to cheer about.

The weather was perfect, the track was in top shape, and the stage set for a great night of racing. With only four Division 1 riders available this night, they had some serious battles that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Joe Heye with his new engine once again pushed hard and did some great moves to beat Aaron Hesmer.

Aaron back from his successful St.Alex win the previous weekend, was aboard a newer bike set-up. Despite the over spin at the gate, Aaron soon pushed his way passed Marc Gauthier, Gary Hesmer and the amazingly fast Joe Heye to take a well deserved final win on the last lap! - Great racing!!!

Terry Rideout capitalized upon the mixing of the Division 2 and 3 riders. Graham Wale, Tom Brown, John Bennett, Tim Murray and the returning Scott Collier all suffered at Terry's ever-increasing speeds, despite some valiant efforts in the heats by Tim and Scott. John Bennett also returned to Paris for 2007 and had a very scary moment in the final as he looped at the start but managed to keep the bike in control to finish a well deserved 3rd place after having to catch the field!

Terry Rideout, did the business and took the Checkered flag proudly in front of the waving and clapping crowd. Unfortunately for Graham, his Weslake wouldn't play fair and he had to withdraw from the night with mechanical gremlins!

And Corinne Franic's 'Legault' machine would 'Not-go' so she, also sadly missed this night. A complete night of good solid fair racing, and thank you to all the riders who came to put on the show!

With a large comprehensive field of riders ranging from the P50's to the new Canadian Speedway Champion, a night was set for some great racing.

A superb rider-turnout proved to be the key to the night's success as the dark thick rain clouds hung over the event.

With a heavy rainfall just hours before the race, Dave Havill worked hard to get the soggy surface to a suitable riding surface. The expectation of some falls was seen as a few riders slipped away in the corners. Unfortunately, Peter Fornal took a nasty tumble and got his hand caught in the rear wheel and with damage to his middle finger, withdrew from the racing.

Combining the Division 2 and 3 riders always proves to be a great event and this night proved no different. Mark Engel and Bob Mosquera visited from the US and did a great job on the track. Mark also gave Tim Murray some serious challenges throughout the night. Great stuff!

Sadly though, the expected racing duel between the retuning "Tiger" Tom Marriott and Graham "Pirate" Wale was not to be, Graham's bike gave up on him and didn't allow for this to happen!

Fireman Scott Collier also proved that an 18 year gap can be good for you, as he also proved to be a threat to all the riders.

But it was Terry Rideout who took the checkered flag in the final in the rain. Terry all night showed that he really is going to be a rider who will go somewhere in 2008!

The P50's and P75's came to put on a show, they found the wet track in the first few heats something of a surprise, leading to a few unexpected slides. But they once again, gave their hearts and souls for the crowd and to the delight of his parents, Braden Vallee took the checkered flag and received his winning trophy!

The Division 1 racing was great! - close duels between Joe Heye, Fred Legault, Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and Aaron DeVeau were a delight to see. Jeff Orosz and Gary Hesmer had the most cracking race in their last heat. Gary took the lead and held back a charging Jeff until the very last corner, where Jeff launched himself under Gary taking to the inside line and managed to get passed Gary to take the win by half a bike's length, brilliant!

Aaron Hesmer the new Canadian Speedway Champion, was not on top form and it did show as he was beaten in all but 1 of his heats. He was playing with some new set-ups and with the track surface being wetter than expected, he was unable to get the grip he needed!

With the rain coming down, the final few heats and the finals were pushed quickly through and sadly, no walk-outs were permitted. Despite this the Division 1 final was also a cracker! Gary Hesmer took the gate and flew into turn 1 where Jeff Orosz pushed hard and passed Gary. With Joe Heye and Aaron Hesmer behind him, Jeff placed himself in front of a battling Gary, who was having to defend his own lines from Joe Heye. Joe hooked on lap three and lost ground leaving Gary to try and get Jeff but to no avail. Jeff Orosz grabbed the win and completed his well deserved lap of honor to the recognition of the cars headlights and horns flashing in the pouring rain!

Many thanks to all the riders for a superb show and congratulations to Terry Rideout, Braden Vallee and Jeff Orosz for their great wins!

CKPC Paris speedway event on Friday night was a cracker!

On a hot summer's night, a large crowd witnessed some excellent racing. Our header of 'Thrills - Chills - Spills' was provided in full glory by a large field of riders. Corinne Franic took control of the pits and directed the night's action and did a fabulous job!

The night started with some close racing from our Division 1 riders, With a tape malfunction in heat 1 - Aaron Hesmer was presented with a face full of yellow tape! The restart was worth waiting for! Joe Heye the crowd favorite battled hard with Jeff Orosz, Gary Hesmer and Aaron Hesmer, they opened the night with some close furious racing with Gary and Jeff clashing twice side by side!

Sadly the night for Tom Brown ended short, as his bike gave up after just 2 heats, so he had to withdraw from the event. Tim Murray moved up to Division 1 enabling Carol Havill and Duncan Luke to provide a balanced program. Tim did not let us down! Riding very well and at times keeping up strongly with the big guns! Great Job Tim! - Tim also was very generous in his lending of his bike throughout the night to Tom Marriott. Tom's bike was 'Sick' so Tim gladly helped out with his bike!

Mark Engel and Bob Mosquera both joined in the fun from Michigan, great to see them back and congratulations to Bob, who had his first heat win since 2005!

New Rider Brian - Sam and Jessie's Dad, came from street racing into speedway and did a fabulous job, he kept up with the action and was leading a race when the mechanical gremlins got him and he had to pull out on lap 3!

Every heat was action packed with close hard racing. Joe Heye was pushing so hard that he did a 360 degree turn on bend 3-4 at one point! Jeff Orosz was battling to get his bike set-up right. The track was catching a few riders out and causing some interesting slides! Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer continued their battles every heat with Aaron pushing and pushing Jeff, one race was a classic battle with Jeff leading for 2 laps, Aaron went passed on lap 3 and Jeff chased hard to lose the race on the line by only a tire width! Brilliant racing - worth the entry fee to see this one!

Gary Hesmer continued on his road to finding success, he came out to give a show, and that he did. Leading one race in front of Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer and Joe Heye he worked very hard to keep Aaron behind him and on lap 4, he uncharacteristically went wide and Aaron shot under him to take the win - What a great race!

Our 'Junior Speedway' kids, Mike Fisher, Matt Sehl, Tyler Thompson, Braden Vallee and Dalton Gauthier were there also to join in the show. These kids have really come-in to their own and love to race at Paris. With both P85's and P50's racing two trophies were awarded to the winners of each group. Newly produced 'Junior Speedway' trophies were presented to Matthew Sehl in the P85 class and Tyler Thompson received the P50 trophy. Every race is like a championship race for them and they all battle hard to win. Great kids doing a great job!

Nowhere in the world will you see speedway racing as good as Canada! The event at Paris Speedway on Friday night was an absolute cracker!!!

With a large field of riders and fans, the night was set to be a beauty, on a warm summer's night!

The night started on a bad note for Chris Hesmer though, his bike was deemed unfit for action when his rubber inlet gasket blew on his carb! sadly, Chris was left to work alongside Gary and Aaron Hesmer in the pits.

Mark Engel had made the long trip from the US after working all day, he was great! Racing in a mixed Division 2/3 group, he did really well against Terry Rideout the current Division 2 points leader. Some close battles ensued with Terry, Peter Fornal, Graham Wale, Tom Brown and Scott Collier as well, giving the crowd something to really cheer about! The Final event was comfortably won by a hard charging Terry Rideout - Great Job Terry!

The Junior speedway kids were on hand to give some thrills too! Matt Sehl, Tyler Thompson, Braden Vallee and Dalton Gauthier rode their hearts out. The crowd loves to see these guys ride! Each heat was ridden with passion and some good duels between Matt Sehl and Dalton Gauthier proved this! Dalton twice lost his lead to a hard charging Matt, and the final event was no different! Dalton led for 3 laps and on the fourth lap, Matt took Dalton on the back straight, his momentum was fast and coming out of the last bend his bike lost grip and he flew across the line to win the final sideways!!! He landed past the line still holding his bike!!! Great job and what excitement!

Division 1 racing was not to be missed either, Marc Gauthier, Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer, Aaron DeVeau, Jeff Orosz, Fred Legault and Joe Heye gave the crowd their monies worth alone! All night Joe Heye and Jeff Orosz rode side by side, they didn't give each other an inch to move! - Brilliant stuff! - Gary Hesmer looked cool and composed as he took a good heat win and Fred Legault did some great things to pass an out of shape Aaron DeVeau. who found the track not to his liking this night, with a few tumbles! Aaron Hesmer and Marc Gauthier also were racing hard and put on a great display of riding.

The final race of the night was probably the most exciting that there has been at Paris for many years! The race began with Joe Heye taking a lead over Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer and Gary Hesmer. This lead was short lived though, as Gary went down hard on turn 3 and ended up in the fence. The restart was all Jeff Orosz, Jeff put the back wheel in the groove and away he went! What he missed was brilliant to see behind him. Joe Heye was pushing hard and on the last lap, Aaron Hesmer came off the last bend so hard that he lifted violently and his bike rode up Joe's back, Aaron let the bike go and the bike went over the line spinning in the air, with Aaron smacking into the boards. Gary Hesmer did a great job to miss both Aaron and his bike as they landed on the racing line to grab 3rd place. Aaron got up and actually ran over the line to ensure of his points! What a cracker! Congratulations to Jeff Orosz and to all who took part in this amazing night!

On a very cool and windy night in Paris, all the riders and fans celebrated the work that Dave Havill has put in from the conception of Paris Speedway till it's present day! A special program was complied covering Dave's work and dedication of the success of the Paris facility since Dave bought it to us all!

The night was set to honor Dave, and this the riders did in top form!

Racing began a little later than usual due to some late technical checks, but the wait was worth it! Birthday boy - 11 year old Braden Vallee came out in the first heat to a warm birthday welcome from the crowd. The P50, P65 and a P85 all put on a fabulous show. The racing was intense and close in each group. Sadly for Braden his birthday win was not to be as Matthew Sehl grabbed the checkered flag in the P65's, and Tyler Thompson grabbed the P50 checkered from a battling Mike Fisher.

The speedway guys also had a new face this night, Braden's Dad, Todd climbed aboard a machine for the first time and did amazing! Todd even lead one race for 2 laps until Mark Engel passed him on the back straight. Todd did have a few tumbles that caused him to be stuck under the bike, but he got back up and started again! He even made the D2 final for the night, which is unbelievable! Great Job Todd, and welcome to the world of Canadian Speedway!

Terry Rideout and Mark Engel continued their battles from last week. In one race Terry was pushing so hard he actually hit Mark's back wheel and rode up the back of Mark's bike, leaving Terry to crash heavily on corner 3. Up and OK, Terry restarted on the 10 yard penalty line and came through the pack to win the heat! The Final event for the Division 2 guys was all Rideout, he took the gate ahead of Mark Engel, Peter Fornal and Todd Vallee and never looked back! It was great to see the return of Bob Mosquera again to the Paris track and we thank both Mark Engel and Bob for taking the time to come up to Canada from the USA.

Division 1 continued to provide some cracking racing. With the absence of both Gary Hesmer and Jeff Orosz, the boys got ready for some battles of their own. We were happy to see the return of Chris Hesmer after his mechanical nightmares, and the consistent return of the 'Ace' Aaron DeVeau. 'Hotdog' Freddie Legault was again present to give the young boys a run for their money too!

The Division 1 heats began with two race in the same heat! Joe Heye took a great leap at the start and battled to keep an ever threatening Aaron Hesmer behind him and behind them Marc Gauthier had his own problems with Fred Legault pushing him really a hard - amazingly on lap 3 both Aaron and Fred passed on the back straight to take their respective positions - great race!

Their next heat saw a coming together of Joe Heye and Chris Hesmer, which left Chris on his back on turn 1. The restart with Joe 10 yd's back was all Aaron Hesmer, leaving his Brother Chris to chase him hard.

The final heat of the Division 1 guys was close and hard, hard enough that Joe Heye went down just pushing too much under Aaron Hesmer. The restart was all Hesmer, he rode hard and well to grab the checkered flag. Finishing the night doing his customary donuts on the front straight before getting his trophy from Emily Hensby.

A great night of racing, which was a great way to celebrate Dave Havill!

Friday August 24th, began with a very humid sunny and sticky 42 degrees in Paris. With just 1/2 hour before tapes-up, thick dark clouds rolled in towards the track, bringing the worry of a forecasted storm from the mid-US.

The night began with rider introductions, and the formal national anthems of both the US and Canadian along side a very dry looking track. Despite the tanks of water that had been applied every half an hour before the races, the track was like a sponge and after heat 3 the racing was stopped for more water, as the track and area became a dust-bowl!

Our Junior Speedway Group were once again on hand to give a great show! The weekly duel between Matt Sehl and Braden Vallee continued to a great height and produced a thrilling heat of just a wheel length win! Great Stuff once again for the crowd, from these junior guys!

Terry Rideout took a leap to ride in Division 1 this night. He felt confident enough to take on the big guns and did a good job of holding his own. After his first race he came off the track and stated " Did we really do 4 laps in that time?" The pace being so much faster, and the speeds higher, Terry loved it! Sadly though for Terry, during a terrific race for position with Fred "Hotdog" Legault, his bike made a very loud bang and funny whirling noise on the back straight, and his night was done with a blown engine, as something blew his engine case to pieces!!

Aaron Hesmer and Joe Heye continued their fight for Paris supremacy, they both were fired up and ready for battle. Joe Heye took the first heat really well and fell in the second, causing a restart. He chewed away at Aaron Hesmer all race but was unable to get that extra yard! These guys really put on a great show!

The night was also full of another battle, Aaron DeVeau continued his return to Paris by pushing Fred Legault all night. They both fought hard to race each other, and to also hold the battling Rideout too! Very good racing from these guys!

Mark Engel was up from the US again, his Division 2 night was all his, as he rode strongly against the fiercely competitive Scott Collier, Graham Wale and John Bennett. Graham did suffer a few mechanical gremlins along the way, but John, Scott and Mark all pushed each other very hard in some very well, evenly matched racing. It was nice to see these guys all trying so hard, not only for the fans, but for themselves as well!

You may have guessed it by now, the stormy weather did come to spoil the show. All evening there were lightening flashes around the track and as we ran the last heat of the night, the wind really picked up and the heavens opened. Joe Heye won this to capture the nights top prize based upon points against Aaron Hesmer.

So finally, upon the decision to finish the meeting amidst the heavy rain, thundering clouds and electric blue lightening strikes, we ended the night with all anticipation of next weekends Paris Fair event!

With the sunshine pouring down and the heat up in the 90's, an evening of perfect speedway racing was ready for action.

A huge crowd was privy to a superb night of racing to round of a magnificent Sunday at the Paris Fair!

The evening began with a huge bang, all the riders mounted their bikes and did one continuous lap of honor before parking their bikes along the main straight. The sight was amazing to see, something that has never been seen before at Paris! After the rider introductions and national anthems, the event went straight into action.

The first heat of the night started with a bang literally! Mark Engel took a nasty looking fall after clipping the rear wheel of the returning Corinne Franic. He sadly withdrew from the event with a shoulder injury. Corinne Franic aboard Tim Murray's bike did a great smooth job to beat out Todd Vallee and Trevor Farrington.

The second heat saw the mechanical woes continue for Terry Rideout, his loaner bike died on him, as he was leading the heat well.

With many US riders in attendance, Cam Rafferty, Mark Engel, Katalin Davis, Mike Buman, Craig Estelle, Cole Forewell and Bob Mosquera. The action they provided was superb. Always coming to Canada providing a great show, we thank them for continuing this tradition!

Cam Rafferty was involved in a spectacular crash coming into turn 3 with Fred Legault and Joe Heye. The three of them were all battling for place coming out of turn 2 hard, when Cam lifted violently as he got too much traction which caused all three riders to crash hard into the corner. With the go-ahead from the St.John's crew, the race restarted, but Cam's woes continued as his chain came off on the last lap. Also sadly for Cam, upon his father's advice, he withdrew from the meeting with a slight concussion.

One heat that proved to be a crowd favorite was between Craig Estelle and Jeff Orosz, they both battled hard all race with Jeff just grabbing the win!

Tom Marriott was present this day, he had a scary moment as Trevor Farrington hooked up and fell in front of him, Tom being the pro that he is, quickly performed a lay-down that saved all from injury. Great Job Tom!

With many mechanical problems for Corinne Franic and Terry Rideout, it was great to see the other riders come together and lend bikes without a blink of an eye! Marc Gauthier, Bob Mosquera and Tim Murray all lent their machines to Corinne and Terry throughout the night, to keep them on their winning ways- super job guys!!!

Our infamous 'Junior Speedway Guys' were also on hand to give a great show - these guys have really come into their own as an integral part of the Paris Show!! Matt Sehl and Bradon Vallee continued with their weekly battles, pushing each other very hard as they kept a dodging Dalton Gauthier behind them! Mike Fisher and Tyler Thompson on their 50cc machines also did a fab job of giving the crowd something to cheer about. Congratulations to both Matt and Tyler for winning their respective finals!!!

The Division 2/3 blend Final was all Terry Rideout, he took control of the race from the start, and even did the same after the restart following a 4th corner crash by our #911 rider, Scott Collier. Great job Terry!

The Consi-Final for Division 1 was a cracker, Craig Estelle and Fred Legault put on the best race of the night! Fred was all over Craig and was basically in his shadow the whole race, the best we have seen Freddie all season at Paris! Craig did a wonderful job of holding him back to grab the checkered flag! Great Job Craig! It was really nice to see Craig and Fred shaking each others hands at the end of the race both on the track and in the pits afterwards!

The Division 1 Final was the longest Final, we have seen! with 5 restarts, it was a tiring one for all the riders! Joe Heye, Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz and Mike Buman all took to the starting line 5 times following a list of disasters. The first attempt saw Joe Heye crash hard into the fence on the first corner, the second attempt saw Mike Buman lose control on bend 1 also and crash, the third attempt saw Jeff Orosz clash with Aaron Hesmer and do a 360 degree spin also on turn 1 and the fourth attempt saw both Jeff Orosz and Mike Buman spill again on turn 1. The last attempt saw Joe Heye chomping at Aaron Hesmer, but with no success and Aaron once again showed why he holds the #1 plate for 2007 - smooth, controlled and fast. Congratulations to Aaron Hesmer for completing the night's events in winning style and to all the riders listed below for their contribution to another successful and thrilling Paris Fair weekend!

Aaron Hesmer, Aaron DeVeau, Joe Heye, Fred Legault, Mike Buman, Cam Rafferty, Katalin Davis, Corinne Franic, Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Cole Forewell, Marc Engel, Bob Mosquera, Todd Vallee, Trevor Farrington, Marc Gauthier, Tom Marriott, Craig Estelle, Scott Collier, Braden Vallee, Matt Sehl, Tyler Thompson, Mike Fisher, Dalton Gauthier.

With several riders choosing to miss this meeting to be ready for the Nationals round at Welland on the following night, the result was a routine affair without a lot of close racing.  

T he humid weather didn't help as several riders had engine troubles and were out of action before the end of the night.              

Competition in D1 was basically a two man affair with Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz having a decided edge over the others.   They had a win apiece in their meetings in the qualifying heats but the final wasn't ever in doubt after

Hesmer shot out of the gate.   He led throughout for a comfortable win although Orosz added some excitement when he went into the final turns too hard and all but came to a full stop as his rear wheek spun out.  He almost went down as he fought to keep control but somehow managed to keep going, complete a full 360 spin and still cross the line in second place to a combination of laughter and cheers for his effort from the fans.  Behind him Marc Gauthier was third and Phil Small fourth.              

The best effort of the night was a come from behind win in a D2 heat race by young Michael Small.  Using the outside of the track he powered through the turns as he chased down and passed George Lavender and then held him off for the rest of the race.   He tried the same line in the final but wasn't able to get the same drive again and it was Lavender who took the checkered flag ahead of Small, Katalin Davis and Tim Murray              

It was Peter Fornal's night in D3.  His only defeat came when he had a bike problem that enabled Trevor Farrington to get his first race win.

Once again Paris defied the odds and was able to run despite a flooded centre green and plenty of rain in surrounding areas.  Thanks to Dave Havill's hard work, the result was an excellent race track that had a little more grip than usual on a night that dedicated to Stan Bradbury's contribution to speedway in Canada.            

Unfortunately equipment problems caused the withdrawal of a rider after the program had been set and this meant that there were only three riders in each D1 heat.  Even so they provided plenty of action and the competition to reach the main event was very tight.  With one round of qualifying heats left only Jeff Orosz seemed sure of a place in the final while the other five starters were still in the hunt with only two points separating them.            

Having failed to score in his first ride when he lost a chain while leading, Joe Heye was one of those needing a win to be sure of making the final.  He chased Orosz hard for three laps and there was contact on the last lap which caused Orosz to go down.   He picked himself up and after pushing his bike for most of the back straight got it to going again to finish and get the points needed to earn gate choice in the final.              

Strangely, having gate choice for the final hasn't proved to be an advantage at Paris this season and for the fifth meeting in a row the rider with it couldn't convert that advantage to a win.   Orosz lifted as he left the line and was last into the first turn and never in the hunt.            

Instead it was Heye who had the lead and held it to the finish although Aaron Hesmer came within half a wheel of catching him on the second  lap.  Behind them Orosz closed up on Gary Hesmer but a nice move by Hesmer on the final turns covered the outside line and held off Orosz's challenge.            

There was some excellent action in D2 between Terry Rideout and George Lavender. Rideout favoured an outside line to combat Lavender's flat-track style of riding and had the edge in the qualifying heats.  

However, it was Lavender who was first off the line in the final.  Rideout went wider and wider as he tried to blast around the outside to catch him and finally overdid it and hit the fence on the third lap which brought out the red flag to finish the race with Mark Engel and Tim Murray getting second and third behind Lavender.            

It was Graham Wales's turn to dominate in D3 with four wins and a dnf in his five starts.  Michael Martin-Evans' season debut was eventful.  He managed a win, fell and remounted four times during the night and earned a disqualification for crossing the inside line, although only the  referee seemed to have seen that phantom transgression.

Finally some good weather on race day.   That helped to bring out the largest crowd of the season for the resumption of SPG promoted Saturday night racing and they got lots of exciting racing to keep them entertained.              

With nine D1 riders signed up for the program that meant three man heats for the second week in a row in that class but the riders still provided plenty of entertainment as they battled for a place in the final.   Bobby Muszynski in particular was in fine form scorching to wins in his first three heats as did Aaron Hesmer.  They seemed certain to be in the final with Joe Heye, Mike Buman and Gary Hesmer battling for the other two places. 

Gary H got a break in his final heat when he missed the gate and went down after clipping Rob Dixon's rear wheel going into the first turn.   He could well have been put back on the penalty line for the restart but the referee ruled all four back on the line and Hesmer took advantage of his good fortune to storm out of the gate and win the rerun and earn himself a place in the final.                

The next heat promised to be a cracker with Muszynski, Aaron Hesmer and Buman all in the hunt for a spot in the final.  It lived up to expectations but only for one lap.   Hesmer grabbed the lead but all three were in a tight group as they crossed the line.  Unfortunately Muszynski overdid it and came off at the second turn and the race was red flagged.   After attention from the St John Ambulance staff he limped back to the pits but was unable to come out for the restart.  

Hesmer won this but only after being passed and then repassing Buman in another good race.    Heye won the final qualifying heat to book his place in the final and drop Muszynski to the Consi.  Muszynski made it out for that and won it comfortably from Dixon. One mistake spoiled his night but he showed that he is rounding into form with the Nationals less than a month away.             

The final was an anti-climax.  Aaron Hesmer rocketed out of the gate and was a length clear as the others got started.  After that the result was never in doubt as he took the win to complete a perfect night for him with Heye, Buman and Gary Hesmer following him home.             

D2 provided some of the best action of the night with little to separate Corinne Franic, Phil Small and George Lavender.   In the best race, Small used the outside line to come from the back and get the win with all three of them close together for all four laps.    He tried to do the same in the final heat but this time it was Lavender who came from the back to catch Franic on the last lap and finish on top for the night.             

It was a question of the survival of the fittest in D2, at least as far as bikes were concerned for most of the night.   In the final, a fall and a tapes offence put points leaders Graham Wale and Peter Fornal on the penalty line and it was Trevor Farrington who outpaced Michael Martin-Evans for his first Main event win.

Heavy overcast weather after a day of rain helped produce an excellent race track but surprisingly the rider turnout was low considering that this was the last chance for them to get some track time in before next week's National Championship. 

The feature of the night was the welcome return to racing of 1998 National Champion Chris Hesmer for the first time since he dropped out of the sport in 2000.             

His first heat was a family affair with Rob Dixon the odd man out as he lined up with three Hesmers, Chris, brother Aaron and cousin Gary.  No fairy tale return for Chris though, as Aaron powered past him to get the win.  Nonetheless it was a big night for him as he made the Main event and showed that all he needs is a bit more racing to get fully race fit and be right back in the thick of the action. 

As it was he was part of the best race of the night when he held off Jeff Orosz for three laps and went shoulder to shoulder with him for more than half a lap before Orosz got around him for the win.               
With Joe Heye dropping points when he crashed spectacularly after clashing with Gary Hesmer as he tried to overtake him, only Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz had booked a spot in the final with one round of qualifying heats left.  With only two points separating the other five, wins were vital to make the Main and Heye and Chris Hesmer responded to get through . 

Gary Hesmer fell a point short but went on to win the Consi from Phil Small and Dixon who deserved more reward for his efforts on the night. He misjudged the start by a fraction of a second in one race and spectacularly demolished the starting tapes while earlier he wowed the crowd as he spun out coming out of turn four, did a full 360 degree turn, clipped the grass on the inside of the track and still managed to keep going and finish the race.               

The final lacked that kind of fireworks as Aaron Hesmer sent a message to the others that he is ready for the Nationals with his seventh Main event win in ten meetings here at Paris.   He led from start to finish and proved once again that the shortest route is usually the fastest as he rode a tight line for all four laps as he headed home Orosz, Heye and (Chris) Hesmer in that order.             

With only six riders the D2 and D3 the classes were combined for the night.  D3 regulars Graham Wale and Trevor Farrington did well at the higher level but it was the usual trio of George Lavender, Corinne Franic and Terry Rideout who battled for top honours.    In the end it was Franic who overcame a first race fall to break Lavender's string of Main event wins with Rideout finishing second, Lavender third and Wale fourth in the final.

Originally planned to be a three round event, this year's National Championship came down to a single race at Paris when both the St-Alexis and Welland rounds were rained out. 

Incredibly the tail end of hurricane Enrico made it three for three rainouts on Sunday but thank heavens the weather cleared up and the meeting finally went ahead on the Monday afternoon rain date.

One result of the wet weather was a grippier than usual track that played its part in one of the most entertaining meetings seen here in a long time. Although sadly Nick Fafard wasn't on hand to defend his title, the meeting was replete with more than enough drama, thrills, spills, restarts, talking points and downright good racing to keep the fans in the edge of their seats throughout the meeting. 

After all, how often do fans get to see all this in one night: a race that took five attempts to complete with three of the four riders eventually back on the penalty line: a race having to be stopped as the referee hadn't realised that track workers were still repairing the safety fence when it was started: a rider coming back from injury finishing second on his first outing of the season: a mix up between the second and third places finishers at the medal presentation and much more besides.

Kyle Legault flew back from the UK to try to regain the title he won in 2003 and 2004 and solidify his chance of getting a UK work permit to continue to race there next year.  He achieved his aim by going undefeated on the night but the result was closer than it seemed from the scorechart.  

It took him half a lap in his first heat to get in front of Jeff Orosz but he had problems next time out when Bobby Muszynski beat him to the first turn.  They were level on the back straight when they collided.  Both struggled to stay on their bikes before Muszynski went down as they entered the turn and slid hard into the fence while Legault laid his bike down.   It was very fortunate for him that the race was stopped as by then he had lost his chain, probably when they collided.  Muszynski was able to get back on his feet after a length delay for treatment by the St John staff but reluctantly had to withdraw from the meeting.   Legault easily won the restart.

Earlier Aaron Hesmer had shown in his first heat that he was a serious threat to win the title.  He missed the gate and was only third going into turn three.  His attempt to power around the outside was balked when Marc Gauthier drifted wide and he dropped well back of the leader Adam Mittl.   Unfazed by this, two very fast laps later saw him take the lead with a powerful dive inside Mittl as they entered the turn.

After only two rounds the chase for the title looked to be a two man affair with Legault and Aaron Hesmer both unbeaten and two points clear of the field.   They met in the next round with Hesmer having the advantage of an inside gate and anticipation and tension was high as they came to the tapes. 

Up they went and so did Hesmer as he looped off the line and went down.  With his bike still on the track the race had to be stopped so he went to the penalty line for the restart.  In this he clearly jumped the gun and that brought about another restart with Hesmer now 20 yards back and the recipient of a warning from the referee.  Things may have looked bleak from him but he didn't give up and a determined effort saw him recover to finish second.  This kept his title hopes alive although he won't be on Joe Heye's Xmas list for the way he forced his way inside him on the last lap, a move that sent Heye out to the fence and back to fourth place.

Legault and Hesmer both won their remaining heats and were joined in the final by American Cam Rafferty and Jeff Orosz.  Rafferty rode very impressively throughout in his first outing of the season coming back from a very serious ankle injury while Orosz finished no worse than second in each race but finished behind each of the other finalists when they met.   The scores at that time were Legault 20, Hesmer 19, Rafferty 17, Orosz 16.  So, although Rafferty could still snatch the title, it was pretty much a two-man affair and with a tie in points broken by the placings in the final heat it meant that effectively Legault and Hesmer were as good as tied going into it.

Legault got the best of the start with Hesmer in hot pursuit.   He narrowed the lead to a couple of lengths at the end of the second lap only for the title to be decided in dramatic fashion as his primary chain snapped and beat him across the finish line as it flew high in the air.  It was a cruel end to the night for Hesmer who deserved better for his efforts.  Not only did it take away any chance he had to catch Legault and win the title, it also cost him second place on the night as Rafferty inherited this in both the heat and overall standings when the tie-breaker rule was applied. 

Other riders to catch the eye on the night included: Joe Heye who finished strongly with a couple of wins after losing points early with a broken chain and in his battle with Aaron Hesmer: Adam Mittl who finished in fifth place without ever looking like winning and wowed the crowd in one race by charging back to finish third despite a 360 spin in the first lap: 15-year-old Mike Buman who  could have finished fifth with a win in his final race only to lose points with a fall and Marc Gauthier who surprised with his seventh place finish.

A cool, cloudy night and the smallest crowd of the season made tonight's race something of an anti-climax after all the action served up at the Nationals on Monday. With the traditional staging of the CSRA D2 and D3 championships on the Labor day weekend being rained off they were run as part tonight's meeting but with a reduced field of riders.

Veteran Graham Wale was a popular winner of the D3 class. He was a comfortable winner as he went unbeaten on the night although he owes his win to Phil Small whose bike he rode for most of the night after his own machine gave up the ghost. Fittingly, his main rival this year, Peter Fornal finished as runner-up to him while promising rookie Trevor Farrington had a rough night with a couple of falls.

The action in D2 was much more competitive but despite this it was another maximum effort by the winner. Two years ago Corinne Franic just missed winning the title when she finished second in her final race. Things didn't go well for her in last year's event but a determined Corinne made sure that it would be a different story this year. She parlayed good gating and mistake free riding on an inside line to win her races. The only time she was really challenged was the final top scorers race which was one of the most entertaining of the year and the only really memorable one during the meeting. Corinne grabbed the lead and for all four laps had to fend off repeated challenges from Michael Small as he powered around his favourite outside line. They swapped the lead back and forth and were side by side as they crossed the start line for laps two and three while right behind them Katalin Davis probed for a way through on the inside and Terry Rideout stayed on the pace. Going down the back straight on the final lap Davis was level with Small and all four riders were within four or five bike lengths. A final blast around the turns by Small wasn't quite enough to catch Franic but gave him second place in the race and on the night. All four riders got a very well deserved round of applause for their efforts.

D1 action on the night will be remembered most for the mechanical problems experienced by several of the top riders. A excellent first race win was all she wrote for Chris Hesmer as his bike broke down on each of his other three. Jeff Orosz had to push home for three quarter of a lap to pick up a point in his first outing while Aaron Hesmer twice lost his chain during the night.

The second of these came in the final and Orosz was the beneficiary. Starting off the penalty line for breaking the tapes he was well back as Hesmer lost his chain going into turn three and not realising where Dixon was, balked him as he coasted out to the fence. By the time Dixon got clear, Orosz had zipped past and he went on to win from Dixon and Small. This was unfortunate for Dixon who otherwise would have been in position to win his first ever Main event.

He didn't look like a winner when he came home in third place in his first heat. However, this wasn't too surprising as it was his first time on the Paris track and the riders who beat him, Craig Estelle and Joe Heye, both finished in the top four at the end of the night. A second place finish next time out left him in danger of not making the final but he turned things around and was unbeaten after that.
The battle for a top four finish and a place in the final was very close with only two points separating the top six riders after four rounds of racing.

Jerry Harman had 15, Estelle, Aaron Hesmer, Heye and Rob Dixon were on 14 with Hollenbeck on 13. Heye, Hesmer and Dixon were all in the same heat in the final round so something had to give. Heye came around the outside of Hesmer and grabbed the lead when he beat him to the inside line at turn three and held on for the win while behind them Dixon slid off and out of contention. More drama in the next heat when Hollenbeck faced off with Harman and got the win he needed to keep his hopes alive. Estelle then won his race to join Heye and Harman on 18 points and in the final. That left Hesmer and Hollenbeck tied on 17 pts with the tie breaker being the result when they met during the program. This was the race in which Hollenbeck got his first win, so he was in and the unfortunate Hesmer left to ponder his fate on the sidelines.

Unfortunately for Harman he had blown his motor and had to ride a borrowed bike in the final and was never in the hunt. With all of the marbles on the line it was Hollenbeck from the outside gate who grabbed the lead and held off a strong challenge from Heye to get the win, with Estelle third and Harman fourth.

Apart from the finalists Rob Dixon had easily his best meeting at Paris and rode impressively while of the younger brigade getting a chance to race at the D1 level, Aaron De Veau confirmed that he is ready for regular D1 racing with a healthy 13 point score.

The season opener was threatened by rain  which started falling 15 minutes before start time.  Fortunately this proved to be no more than a shower and the meeting got underway after a 30 minute delay.  The track surface was deeper than usual as the additional material added the week before was still quite loose and as the night wore on this built up on the outside and made this tricky to ride.                                 

With several of the D1 regulars missing, including the Legaults not yet back from the UK, it was fortunate that several out of province riders were on hand to take up the slack.  It proved to be a good night for riders from Quebec as both Nick Fafard and Philip Lemay went through the program undefeated to take the honours in D1 and D2 respectively.                                   

Although much of the pre-meeting interest was on the first appearance in Canada of multi time World Championship finalist Kelly Moran in only his second outing after an eleven year retirement, it was young Nick Fafard who dominated the meeting.   He showed little sign of having taken last year off from racing and although a trifle fortunate to win his first two races when the early leaders had problems,  he was never headed thereafter and parlayed his fast starts into comfortable wins.  He was clearly the fastest rider on the night and fully deserved his success.                                   

Behind him last year's top two at Paris, Joe Heye and Aaron Hesmer each dropped points with an uncharacteristic fall and it was Hesmer who edged out Heye for second with Gary Hesmer taking fourth in a welcome return to form after two difficult years due to injuries.   Michigan based Steve Glasgow showed good form in his D1 debut and won the Consi from Marc Gauthier and Rob Dixon.                                                                    
Kelly Moran's debut was spectacular but all too short.   In his first outing he ripped around the outside of the first turn and sped past Fafard only to coast to a halt when he lost his chain on the second lap.   A similar start in his next outing saw him fly into the third turn at a high rate only to crash heavily and be ruled out for the rest of the night by the St John Ambulance staff due to a mild concussion.

Competition was close in D2 but Phil Lemay was just that bit sharper from the gate than his rivals and handled the deep track well as he was never headed on his way to a five win night.  No wonder he calls Paris his favourite track!  Behind him competition was close with Phil Small just edging out John Perry on the night. Although he did not make the final Bob Mosquera looked much more controlled and comfortable than he did last year.                                                                      
Most disappointed man on the night was Graham Wale who could not get his bike to run, nor a spare offered to him, and as a result had to sit out what was going to be his first night of racing.   This only left two riders in D3 and another rider having his first outing John Bennett, went unbeaten on the night including a come from behind win in his first race.  After giving up the early lead he chased down Corinne Franic over the final two laps and swept around the outside of the final turn to pass her on the run to the line.  The crowd gave him a good hand for this effort as he showed that, despite the different speeds involved, all three race divisions can provide entertaining action.

The spell of ninety degree weather broke in time to  provide excellent race conditions which helped attract the biggest crowd yet of the season.  The late arrival of the St John ambulance delayed the start of racing but once underway things ran smoothly including the first appearance on the program of a P50 class.  With a meeting at their local track the following night, long distance travellers Nick Fafard and Lee Charland were missing from the program for the first time this season.           

Although the track was in excellent condition again the racing, although entertaining, lacked the edge that it had last week.  However it did have its moments several of which were crammed into the final three races of the night.             

In the D2 final John Perry timed the start perfectly, rocketed from the gate, and was several lengths ahead at the first turn when the race was stopped with the referee ruling that it was an unsatisfactory start and bringing all four riders back to the tapes for the restart.  Presumably this was because Perry was judged to be rolling as the tapes were released as he did not touch them.   Second time around it was Phil Small who got the better of the start and went on to win followed by the Mosquera brothers, Phil and Bob as Perry went down on the first lap.  He remounted but was well back at the finish and then showed his sportsmanship by congratulating Small on the cool down lap although he must have been feeling disappointed that his original jet propelled start was called back.

The next race up was the D1 Consi and kudos in this go to Rob Dixon who did an excellent job of laying his bike down to avoid a rider who fell in front of him. Surprisingly the race was not stopped and both riders were left to remount and rejoin the race far behind the leader Aaron Hesmer who cruised around for the win.   In the end Dixon was most unfortunate to lose a place as a result of laying his bike down but more importantly he did get the approval of his fellow riders.           

There was no controversy in the D1 main event but plenty of excitement. Joe Heye made the gate and battled Kyle Legault for the lead around the first two turns and looked to have the better line when he lost control, did a 180 degree pirouette and went down.  Fortunately the other riders managed to avoid him but he had to go to the penalty line for the restart.  This time John Mercier was first out of turn two but Kyle Legault powered through on the inside to take the lead by the end of the first lap.   Although chased hard by Mercier,  Legault never looked like being caught and took the win while Gary Hesmer continued his run of improved performances with a third place finish.           
Although not the fastest race of the night one of the most entertaining was a D3 battle between veteran Paul Martin and Shawn Morrison in which they battled hard for all four laps swapping the lead back and forth several times during the race.  Morrison then led the final from start to finish to  earn his first main event win. 

A spell of hot weather gave way to thunderstorms early Friday evening but Paris defied the odds, shook off the effects of a mid-afternoon shower  and lived up to its reputation as a track that manages to avoid the worst of the bad weather as the meeting took place.  Perhaps it was this reputation that helped to attract the biggest crowd of the season for 'Symes Catering Night' and they were rewarded with another night of excellent racing.  With lightning visible in surrounding areas after the interval,  the program was run as quickly as possible in case of rain that happily did not come.                                       

There was plenty of action on the track too with top American Craig Estelle adding spice to a very competitive D1 class. Unbeaten in two previous visits to Paris, that record went in his first heat when Kyle Legault squeezed past him coming out of turn four to takeover the lead and go on to win.

Falls in his first two races put Joe Heye out of the running for a place in the final but competition was tight with one round left.  Needing points, Estelle booked his place with perhaps the best effort of the night when, back in third place after two laps, he powered around John Mercier then caught and passed Kyle Legault around the final two turns after the latter faltered for a moment on the back straight.  That left Aaron Hesmer and Nick Fafard to battle for the last place and it was Hesmer who was the odd man out.   To make matters worse for him he had bike problems while leading the Consi and could  only watch as Joe Heye went past to take the win from Rob Dixon.                                       
This week Legault selected gate one for the final and made it work.  He just beat Fafard to the turn and was never headed as he took his third main event win.   Behind them Estelle took a lap to get around Mercier who then got into trouble next time around trying to do the same to the American and came off, happily without injury.                                       

Marc Gauthier moved down to D2 due to the rider numbers and program setup.    His experience showed and he was just that bit sharper than the D2 regulars, particularly from the gate and around the first turn, and he went unbeaten on the night.  John Perry did make him work for his win in the final jumping out to the early lead before falling on the second lap.   He remounted and finished third with Phil Small taking second behind Gauthier.                                       

With only three riders D3 was decided on total points over the night and the decision went right down to the final two turns of their last heat.  John Bennett missed the gate, moved up to second on the second lap and set out after race leader Shawn Morrison.  A determined effort saw him catch up going into the final two turns and a burst around the outside saw him squeeze past and snatch the win with a fine effort. 

Defying the odds of rain and storms in most of the surrounding areas, the Paris track was bone dry a couple of hours before racing was due to start.  Unfortunately the threat of rain kept most of the fans and several of the regular riders at home.  However those who were there put on a good show and despite the cold the fans who were there stayed to the end and enjoyed the shorter than usual race program.                                       

Kyle Legault came out on top of D1 for the third week in a row although Aaron Hesmer made him work hard for the win. Hesmer surprised Legault by finding drive out of turn two and zipping past his rival in the deciding heat.  He held the lead until Legault used the outside line at the  same spot to overtake him and move ahead for the win.

In view of the short program an extra elimination race was staged at the end of the night between the four D1 riders.  The format for this was for the riders to race for a single lap with the last place rider dropping out, a similar one lap dash to eliminate a second rider and then a two lap race between the remaining riders to determine the winner.  In this Aaron Hesmer hopes of winning disappeared quickly when he looped at gate and went to the penalty line for the restart.  Despite a strong ride from there line he was still a length behind Gary Hesmer at the line and was eliminated.  Gary was next to go leaving Joe Heye and Kyle L as the survivors.  For the third tine in a row Heye did not get the starting position he wanted when he drew gate four.  Despite this he had the edge around the first two turns but bobbled it striving for the line he wanted out of two and that was all that Legault needed to roar past him and take the win.                                        

D2 and D3 were combined into a single class for the night and provided some excellent competition between the pairings John Perry and Phil Small and John Bennett and Shawn Morrison with Small and Bennett just having the edge on the night.   Unfortunately the other two riders in this class crashed early in the program and Graham Wale was sidelined with a broken hand plus a broken finger.  Corinne Franic injured her hand in the same crash but was able to continue riding.

For the first time in three weeks the weather was good as was the crowd.  With only two riders in D3 as due to last week's accident, that class was combined with D2 for the night and D3 regulars John Bennett and Shawn Morrison reveled in the stonger opposition and both made the final while continuing their personal chase for the season high points title.      

Jeff Orosz made a welcome returrn to the Paris track after his early season injury at Leamington and was in thick of the action all night.  His presence made the D1 class even more competitive than usual and racing was always entertaining as the riders battled for each point and a place in the final.   With Joe Heye in good form and Aaron Hesmer getting a zero return in his first race when he dropped out with more bike troubles, it looked as if Hesmer might be headed for the Consi again but he stormed back and a win over Legault and Mercier in his final race enabled him to squeeze past Mercier and join Legault, Orosz and Heye in the final.  Another battle between the teenagers seemed to be underway when Legault, out of gate one, and Hesmer, out of gate four,  emerged side side by side from turn two. However, as they dove into turn three Hesmer slid out and off.  Although Orosz took up the chase he never looked likely to catch Legault who went on to take the Final for the fourth week in a row.  Heye was third while Hesmer sportingly remounted to avoid a restart, and finished fourth.                                       

With Phil Small missing this week John Perry always looked the likely winner in D2 although John Bennett did manage to beat him by half a wheel with a great effort in one race.  He shot of the line and had a comfortable lead in the final only to slide off on the second lap.   Shawn Morrison inherited the lead and held it for a lap until Phil Mosquera got past and earned his first checkered flag of the season. Behind them Perry had remounted and just managed to chase down and catch Bennett out of the final turn to take third.

Other efforts to catch the eye included a perfect drive around the outside by Steve Glasgow to overtake Gary Hesmer in one race and a good effort by Pete Hamm to lay his bike down to avoid Shawn Morrison who fell in front of him.