|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2 WINS = LOST POINTS FOR “ROCKET MAN”!! How do you win two rounds of racing, only to go backwards in points? Easy! Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13 were the scene of some incredible events at Bark River Off Road Raceway in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Going into the weekend needing wins to regain the points lead, #217 “Rocket Man” Dan Baudoux was focused and on a mission. In Round 7 on Saturday, at the green flag, Dan pulled an incredible hole shot and took the lead. From that point on there was no looking back. It was all #217 to the finish line winning the race by half a lap over the nearest truck. Then on Sunday’s round, the fun began. Starting at the back of the pack, Dan was able to leave the starting line and hit turn one in fifth place out of 12 entries. From there it was a game of cat and mouse for the “Rocket Man”. Masterfully passing traffic and moving up to third place, Baudoux passed the third place truck like it was stuck in the mud. He then zeroed in on the truck running in first. Lap after lap, steadily moving up, Dan positioned himself right behind the leader, waiting for the opportunity to make his move. On the final lap, going into a whoops section and short straightaway, Dan and the leader came up on lap traffic. When the lead truck took the center line and hesitated briefly while passing the lapper, Dan made his move. Putting the pedal to the metal, Rocket Man shot forward and began his pass. Running three trucks wide and door to door the crowd was on it’s feet cheering Dan on. But in a split second something happened and the first place truck, now leading by only a few feet, lost control and swerved toward Baudoux. Dan immediately laid on the brakes in an effort to avoid contact, however there was no room to escape. The first place truck spun, Dan pulled back and then drove around, taking the lead, and the checkered flag. Everyone in attendance was cheering wildly. But that was not to be the end of this race. CORR officials delayed calling the race until reviewing tape, to determine if there was in fact contact between the two lead trucks. A new ruling had just been instituted for this weekend of racing stating that if there was ANY contact between two trucks on the final lap causing a change of position, the truck gaining position would receive a “Black Flag” and would be docked 4 positions and corresponding points! After several brutal minutes that seemed like hours, the ruling was official. Dan Baudoux was issued a Black Flag, moved to 5th place, thus also being docked the corresponding points, thus quite possibly knocking him out of Championship contention for 2006. There was chaos in the stands, on the track, and jubilation by another Sportsman 2 driver who Dan had passed earlier in the race was heard to exclaim, “I hope they penalize you” in an unsportsmanlike exhibition prior to the decision. Thus for the weekend’s efforts, Team Baudoux actually went BACKWARDS in points after what seemingly was two victories. To say the least it was a frustrating turn of events for the “Rocket Man”. Visibly upset after the race and several meetings with CORR officials, Dan was quoted as saying, “This is the worst thing that could happen in the heat of a championship race and end of the season. To have a call like this potentially determine the outcome of a Championship is just sickening. I am happy for the winner, he drove one heck of a race and is a great guy, but I guess I am supposed to be satisfied to drive for second place in a race. Often, the final lap is crunch time for us as drivers, and one last chance for victory. In the heat of battle, a lot can happen out there that none of us have any control over. Our team worked so hard to get to this point, our BFG Tires worked perfectly, the truck ran great, our CST suspension and Fox Shocks hooked up, and we were on our game. I guess all we can do now is pick up the pieces and go after the last two rounds with a vengeance, and see where the cards fall. As for other driver who was celebrating our misfortune, all I can say is, what goes around, comes around. I let my truck and my driving do the talking. We’ll see what it has to say over Labor Day Weekend in Wisconsin. There’s gonna be a BATTLE IN THE BIG HOUSE at Crandon International Speedway. “ For more information or to schedule an interview, contact: “Skip” Wilson DBM Motorsports Marketing PO Box 25 Hemlock, MI 48626 989.928.3859 CEL 989.642.6047 FAX |
| ||||||||||||||
