By: Greg Creamer

It’s cold, raining, foggy, and I, along with every real driver and over 50,000 Canadian race fans, are quite happy, thank you.  Why? Quite simple, really…….we’re at Mosport!

While there are so many great venues that I love attending, this is easily my favorite event of the year, and it all revolves around the venue itself, and the remarkable fans that call it Mecca.  Mosport is still “old school.” The way racing was, and really still should be.  Now, that might well be the nostalgic musings of someone who’s been around longer than they’d like to admit, but they are heartfelt musings nonetheless.

The track itself, other than repavings and a widening, remains virtually unchanged from the day it opened in 1961.  The runoff areas have been improved in key areas, and the facilities, the physical plant, has had some needed upgrades, but the track…..ah, the track…..is virtually unchanged.  The only real alteration was the height and abruptness of the “hump” at the end of the Andretti Straight leading into turn eight was shaved a bit.  And it is that lack of messing with the track that makes this place so special.

Old school…..

That, and looking out around the track at the throngs of fans, campers and tents everywhere, filling open areas along the track and dotting the many stands of trees with mini-explosions of color.  NOWHERE is there an area ruined by being paved over, then covered with numbered sites that cost hundreds of dollars for a weekend.  It is like a rustic park that a glorious race track carves its way through.

There aren’t miles and miles of concrete and high-level fencing giving it too much of a street-circuit feel.  You can make your way to the top of a big hillside and overlook some of the most daunting, phenomenal corners on the planet, all the while mingling with the exceptional fans here, so knowledgeable and passionate, and so warm and welcoming, inviting you to their campfire, offering a beverage or something fresh off the grill.  It is what made being a fan of road racing so special over the years, a camaraderie of those sharing that same passion, getting away from  it all to truly immerse yourself in the meeting, and to watch great drivers do great things with great cars.

Old school…..

Too many times these days, what were once glorious cathedrals of road racing have been altered almost to the point of being unrecognizable, and it is a great loss.  And in many cases, seemingly unnecessary.  Problem is, sometimes that’s the most convenient thing to do, or the cheapest thing to do, in the face of some issue that’s developed.  And the end result?  A once great venue now neutered into a banal, milk-toast shell of its former glory.

But not Mosport!  No, it’s been done right.  Speeds are too high for the runoff area?  Widen the runoff area, don’t touch the track!  Keep the corners that test both a driver’s skill AND bravado, that present the very challenges the drivers revel in to test and overcome and the fans come to witness in a veritable pilgrimage.  

Is it just coincidence that a rare visit back to an American Le Mans Series paddock since his retirement by the legendary James Weaver, a driver who once wistfully said “oh yes, the cars are marvelous….now if we can just get them to run a proper 1000 horsepower…..” just happens to be here at Mosport?  I think not.

Old school……

For the drivers, as the engine barks to life and they don their helmets and strap in, THIS is the type of track that they got into this sport for in the beginning.  It is about speed, but speed in varying forms and directions, huge speeds through neck-stretching corners winding towards slower albeit key corners leading on to long straights into more high-speed corners, but all the while riding a rollercoaster as you change directions.  The pulse quickens, the senses sharpen, the grin widens…….

For the fans, the first sound of an engine drifting through the wind prompts tent flaps and camper doors to spring open, bleary-eyed sleep being rinsed away with the wash of anticipation of seeing something special happen in all the possibilities that only road-racing at such a grand venue can promise.  No wandering to the hotel lobby for a fancy breakfast, or to the extended kitchen in the half-million-dollar coach.  No, it’s put the coffee pot on the fire and fire up the grill, then head straight to the fence, looking up track to see that first nose or hood sweep into view, the visual beating the Doppler-effected engine note to your senses, soon followed by the orchestra of the rest of the field, made all the more special and rich if it’s multi-class sports car racing in all its wondrous variety.   The pulse quickens, the senses sharpen, the grin widens…….

Old school…..

A few years ago, I joined some friends for an early week test day here at their campsite on the outside of the track on the rise between turns one and two, a spot they have been coming to for years.  I have come to realize they are the true “ultimate” fans, or are at least the definitive example thereof.  They come early every year, not just to get that spot, but to savor every moment of the experience.  No wondering in just for the weekend.  They work all year to put together the funds to be able to both take the time off and to afford to go to the track, or tracks, that they cherish to witness the magic they love.  

For three or four or five glorious days, not worrying about anything fancy or false or pretentious.  Not sitting in some swank setting.  Just a tent or camper and a warm fire crackling nearby, good company closer still, and lined up at the fence. Conversation frequently yet so willingly interrupted by the howl of passing racecars.  Talking, living, breathing road racing.  

Old school….

At one point during that test day, as some cars were whistling past us, I noticed my friend’s focus was transfixed on the paddock area across the track, and he turned to me and said “You know, I think this just might be one of my favorite moments of the entire event, watching the circus set up.”  And he said it with great reverence, with a very special understanding.  The “big show” was setting up.  That one special time a year when the best of the best come to do battle and put on the show at the most spectacular of battlegrounds.  When the greatest challenge the toughest.  The Grand Circus.

To spend time with them on those rare days at a track like Mosport is a reinvigorating experience of the most joyous sort.  It rejuvenates one’s passions for the sport of road racing, sometimes dulled by being involved in the business of it, and refreshes one’s ability to revel in all that makes this sport so grand.  And it makes you realize all over again why you fell in love with this sport, and what therefore makes a track like Mosport so special.

So, to Hank and Bev, and all the real and true race fans that pack the hillsides here at Mosport, and at tracks around the globe, thanks for your passion, your hospitality, and your pure joy.  To the drivers and their teams that live for the challenges that a Mosport presents, and that draw these great fans, a massive thanks as well.  And a huge thanks to the exceptional volunteers without which these special events just wouldn’t be possible. Finally, to the owners and management of Mosport, directly related to those that created a series back in 1999 who’s motto was “For the fans,” thanks for keeping Mosport………..old school.

Now, if we can just get the name changed back to Mosport Park!  Ah, perhaps that’s just TOO nostalgic…….

East Troy, Wis. (Sept. 1, 2009) Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR/GEICO Powersports rider Danny Eslick heads into the season-ending AMA Pro Racing double-header this Labor Day weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park with a 17-point lead over rival Martin Cardenas (Team M4 Suzuki) and hopes of clinching his first AMA Pro roadracing championship in the Daytona SportBike class aboard the Buell 1125R.

With six wins and 16 top ten finishes in the season’s 17 races to date, Eslick has worked his way back into the points lead with three straight wins at Mid-Ohio and Heartland Park, followed by strong second and seventh place finishes at Virginia International Raceway last month. Eslick leads Cardenas by 17 points and is 36 points ahead of the hard-charging Josh Herrin (Graves Yamaha), who swept both Daytona SportBike races at VIR, and with 63 points remaining up for grabs this weekend, it’s still anyone’s championship to claim. Follow the double-header race action on SPEED TV starting this Saturday at 6:30 pm (CST) and Sunday at 11:30 pm.

“This first season of AMA Pro Racing under new leadership has been truly exciting, both in American Superbike and Daytona Sportbike. We have had multiple winners on multiple brands in both classes, and Daytona SportBike is going into the final event with three possible winners on three different brands still in contention,” said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. “It’s been a real honor for us to be a small part of this great new series. I really look forward to what AMA Pro Racing’s future will bring to all the riders and teams who have been working so hard and so long at a sport that has languished undeveloped. I think a few years from now we will really be seeing a huge increase in motorcycle roadracing interest from the public, and see our sport get the fame and fortune it has deserved.”

In the American Superbike class, standout privateer Taylor Knapp will again ride the new Buell 1125RR race bike he debuted in July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, in addition to riding the Latus Motors 1125R in the Daytona SportBike class. Privateer Cory West will also race an 1125RR at NJMP.

Saturday’s two-hour team endurance race at NJMP is the penultimate round in 2009 SunTrust Moto-GT series, where the Liberty Waves/H-D/Buell of Antelope Valley team of Eric Pinson and Eric Haugo are currently second in points in the Moto-GT1 class and hoping close their 11-point gap to the class leading Triumph of Crozier Motorsports. The Moto-GT season championship wraps up at Daytona International Speedway with the 8 Hours of Daytona finale on October 16-18. American Superbike, Daytona SportBike, and former Moto-ST racer Shawn Higbee will join Paul James and the James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team for the NJMP round, replacing Jeff Johnson for the weekend. Higbee will also join James and Johnson as a third rider for the 8 Hours at Daytona race.

Founded by visionary motorcycle designer and former privateer racer Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel, including the 1125R superbike, 1125CR café racer, and air-cooled XB-series Ulysses, Firebolt, and Lightning. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, or to locate the dealer nearest you, log onto www.buell.com.

After impressive run at The Glen, Lally deserves ride

The title says it all read the whole story at Nascar.com

Congrats to Andy for a great first outing in Nascar Sprint Cup.  Let's hope you have more to come soon.  Listen to Andy's interview on Racing World Insider the week before the race, in the Audio section.

Photo Bruce Stewart Racing World

Watkins Glen, NY

Racing World Insider host Jeff Segal and teammate Emil Assentato have proven victorious at the Crown Royal 200.  Emil drove a great opening stint keeping the #69 FXDD SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 near the front of the field.  When Jeff got into the car he was in prime position to take the car to the front.  "The car was fantastic all weekend-- we were fastest in every practice except one I believe, and when you have a car that good you better win!" added Segal.  Driving the short course at Watkins Glen, Jeff held off a valiant charge from the #87 Farnbacher-Loles Porsche of Dirk Werner and Leh Keen to take the checker.  Jeff and Emil are former winners at Watkins Glen in the Six Hours with driver Nick Longhi, but this is their first victory on the short course.  Congrats to Jeff, Emil, and the whole SpeedSource team for a job well done.

                              

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 10:07AM

Guy Cosmo returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course driving the No. 47 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the ALMS Challenge class as part of the featured American Le Mans Series Acura Sports Car Challenge this Saturday, August 8. Cosmo will once again team with John Baker for Orbit Racing.

No stranger to the challenges of this natural terrain road course, Cosmo enjoyed his first American Le Mans Series win at Mid-Ohio driving the LMP2 Mazda prototype. The win contributed to his Rookie of the Year title that season. The track and the weekend will provide a welcome respite for Cosmo and Baker following last month's disappointment at Lime Rock.

"Lime Rock was a tough pill to swallow," noted Cosmo. "It was a challenge going in, as I had to pull double duty between the ALMS event and the Koni Challenge race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Unfortunately, the No. 47 Porsche didn't want to cooperate with my schedule."

read full story at Guy Cosmo's Blog here