St. Catharines, ONT — January 22, 2009 – By Jim Irvine, Merrittville Speedway Public Relations
*Jay Fish Photo
Merrittville Speedway will once again play host to the Bicknell Racing Products Chassis Seminar/Pete Bicknell Driving School in 2009 with a three-day format in place at the storied Thorold, Ontario facility April 11-12 and April 18. Each day is a separate day with the sessions hosted by Pete Bicknell and Randy Williamson.
“Although our focus leans towards Sportsman and Modified teams,” remarked BRP’s Williamson, “each year our classes are made up of drivers from all divisions looking to boost their confidence and knowledge.”
The day-long sessions feature both classroom and on-track sessions that will benefit any type of race car — from entry-level Street Stock and 4-Cylinder to Classic Dwarf Car and Mod Lite, to the Sportsman and 358 or Big-Block Modified type race cars.
In previous years, race teams have attended from as far away as New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Quebec, in addition to New York and Ontario.
Drivers and crew members alike will learn what it takes to stop the guess work when it comes to solving improper handling, how to adapt to changing track conditions, proper spring and shock selecting and how to interpret weight transfer, body roll and roll steer.
Included in the materials is a BRP Set-Up Manual which will become a valuable tool both at the shop and at the track.
Each on-track portion will provide drivers with proper driving techniques and will teach tire selection and overall car preparation.
Bicknell Racing Products, manufacturer of the Bicknell 2009X Chassis, has a proven track record and in 2008, drivers in BRP cars won 606 feature events and 61 track and series championships.
Pete Bicknell has made a name for himself on the track as well, winning numerous track championships and series titles including the 2008 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship and the Ransomville Speedway points crown.
The on-track sessions will allow drivers plenty of individual track time and drivers are reminded to bring their RACEceivers along for added one-on-one in-car support from Bicknell and Williamson. Both will provide analysis of each driver’s laps, working on any problems which will lead to more consistent laps and decreasing lap times.
AMB Transponders are also welcome and each driver will receive post-session print outs of their lap times.
Each of the three sessions will begin at 8:00am at the Merrittville Speedway with the Class Room session beginning at 9:00am sharp in Dipper’s Turn 1 Bar located behind the Turn 1 Grandstands at the speedway. Lunch which is included in the fee will be at 12noon followed by the on-track session beginning at 1:00pm.
For French language competitors, Bicknell Racing Products’ Luke Proulx will provide assistance on one of the designated dates to be announced later.
An all-inclusive registration fee for drivers is $300 while the crew member fee is $75. Registration forms can be printed from Merrittville Speedway’s web site www.merrittvillespeedway.com and new for 2009, forms can also be filled out and sent in direct.
Space for any of the three days is limited and interested race teams are asked to reserve their spots as soon as possible by contacting Erica Bicknell at 905/685-7223 or via e mail at ebicknell@cogeco.net.
Merrittville Speedway is a 3/8-mile DIRTcar Racing member track that will be celebrating it’s 58th consecutive season of operation in 2009.
For further information on Bicknell Racing Products, race teams can visit www.bicknellracingproducts.com.
