ACT Announces 2013 Série Castrol Schedule

Following a joint meeting of all participating Quebec promoters and the American Canadian Tour, the 2013 Série ACT Castrol schedule has been announced.  Along with significant bonuses and increases in purse, the 11-race schedule will include races at Autodrome Montmagny, Circuit Riverside, Autodrome St Eustache, Sanair Super Speedway, and Autodrome Chaudière.

The season will boast the richest purses in Série ACT Castrol history with over $400,000 being offered, and will include an $80,000 point fund for teams that participate in 100% of the events. $20,000 will be awarded to the Série ACT Castrol Champion. Another $70,000 in tire bonus money will be spread evenly throughout teams that participate in the full schedule.

2012 ACT Headlines

The 2012 American Canadian Tour season was one for the ages with one of the most thrilling point battles in the history of the Tour, but 2012 was more than just a two-horse race.  Below are the major storylines from the 2012 ACT Championship season.

Helliwell VS Hoar

The biggest story of 2012 was the dethroning of legendary eight-time Champion Brian Hoar.  To put the RPM team’s dominance into perspective, RPM won the ACT championship with Jean Paul Cyr five years straight from 2003-2007 until Quebec’s Patrick Laperle claimed the championship in 2008.  In 2009, RPM returned to the top with Brian Hoar, and won in 2010 and 2011. Helliwell and Hoar’s heavyweight battle at Airborne was exactly that.  It marked only the second time in a decade that an RPM team had not won the championship.  Helliwell had an average finish of fifth, flew to nine top tens in ten races and seven top fives.  He only finished worse than seventh one time, and yet still had to pull off a win in one of the greatest duels in American Canadian Tour history to claim the title.

Youth Movement

Rookie Jimmy Hebert got off to a rough start in 2012, but after the halfway point showed he has the grit and determination to become one of ACT’s rising stars.  After failing to qualify for his first two events of the season, Hebert recovered in the second half of the season to finish tenth overall in his first full year with The Tour.  Hebert nearly won the Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and also turned heads at Thunder Road’s 50^th Annual Milk Bowl.  Hebert improved leaps and bounds late in the year, and will continue to grow in 2013. 

Pembroke Hits Big Pay Day

Two-time Thunder Road Champion Dave Pembroke earned his second Milk Bowl victory this past weekend in the 50^th Annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl, picking up a check worth over $14,000.  The victory was well worth the wait for the family-run team.

“I’m psyched,” Pembroke told the media after the race. “No one else can win it.  It will be 50 years before they have another anniversary one.  It’s pretty cool to me.”

Série ACT Castrol Presents 2013 Plan

Série ACT Castrol, in conjunction with the promoters of Autodrome Montmagny, Riverside Speedway, and Autodrome St Eustache, have come together to create an ambitious schedule for the 2013 season.  The new schedule boasts over $400,000 in prize and purse money, and will offer many exciting new bonuses.

50^th Milk Bowl Ready for Sunday

After two attempts at the 50^th Annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl, racers and fans have received word of a good forecast for this Sunday, October 28^th to run the $160,000 event.  With championship titles across the region completed, American Canadian Tour Late Models will take the gloves off one last time in 2012.

Two-time Thunder Road Champion Dave Pembroke will take another shot at starting from the pole, with 8-time ACT Champion Brian Hoar as his dancing partner in second.  2012 King of the Road Nick Sweet will take his shot at the 50th Milk Bowl from the third starting position, followed by Fort Kent, ME’s Austin Theriault and multi-time Thunder Road Champion Cris Michaud.  The odds favor the top five to have the best shot at long-time Promoter Tom Curley’s Challenge: $50,000 to anyone who can win all three segments.  When the first 50-lap segment ends, only one driver will have a shot at the feat, with two 75-lap features left to get the job done.

A third attempt at the $160,000 50^th Annual People’s United Bank Milk Bowl will be run at Barre, VT’s Thunder Road on Sunday, October 28th with a post time of 1pm.  The three-segment race has qualified 30 cars, of the 51 who attempted, for what is considered the “Toughest Short Track Race in America.” 

Long-time Promoter Tom Curley was careful in choosing the day for the biggest race in Vermont’s history, as many of ACT’s leading drivers will participate in Lee USA Speedway’s OctoberFest event this coming weekend.  “We certainly do not want to conflict with one of the best facilities on our Tour, so we chose to run on Sunday, October 28,” said Curley.

Grudge Matches Settled at Historic Race

The biggest race of the year, The 50^th People’s United Bank Milk Bowl, has become the prime time focus for ACT teams across the region.  51 ACT Championship cars will enter Barre, VT’s Thunder Road, in an attempt to earn the lion’s share of a purse worth over $160,000.