Airborne Speedway competitor Pat McGrail of Candiac, QC is going all out in an attempt to return the DIRT Modified title north of the USA border in 2012.

McGrail has purchased a new Troyer DIRTcar Modified chassis designed specifically for asphalt racing and a new RL Racing engine to go with it. He’s also welcomed Fastenal aboard as a new sponsor.

McGrail came on strong in 2011 after a slow start to place sixth in the Ernie’s Discount Tools Modified point standings while recording three podium finishes. “I am going to try my best to bring the Airborne championship trophy home to Quebec just like Martin Roy did last year,” McGrail said.

Roy has announced plans to compete in the CASCAR series this season. In 2009, he became the first Canadian to win Airborne’s lead division championship in 38 years. He became a two-time track champion in 2011 by overtaking Patrick Dupree of Saranac Lake, NY in August.

“This will be my third full season at Airborne,” McGrail said. “We did okay my first year and we were quite good last year, but not good enough to beat the top drivers like Roy, Dupree and George Foley. Last year we struggled at times. The car was a little too heavy in the back, had problems coming out of the corners and was hard on the brakes. The rear end would jump around too much.”

Rene Lessard of RL Racing has enjoyed much success at Canadian dirt tracks, including Autodrome Granby. Troyer race cars have set the standard for Modified racing in the Northeast for decades.

“We‘re trying to advance some rear suspension ideas and position components in a way that’s best suited for pavement,” Troyer owner Billy Colton said. “You need the proper balance between flexibility and stiffness. A stiff car can be fast, but it can also be very unforgiving if you don’t hit the setup just right.”

“I’m very respectful of how Airborne’s promoter Mike Perrotte has kept a lid on expenses in the Modified division,” Colton said. “His approach has been great. You can still take a regular dirt modified car there and be competitive. The chassis we’ve built for Pat McGrail and Roger Labreche fit the rulebook.”

McGrail’s title bid will be assisted by two long-time crew members - Yvon Perron and Leandre Laroche. “I’m 50, Yvon and Leandre are 60-plus,” McGrail said. “We agreed we need to come back and give it another try at Airborne. It’s very competitive there, but it’s a very good place to race and we still have the need for speed.”

SOUTH PLATTSBURGH, NY – Airborne Speedway promoter Mike Perrotte and Autodrome St-Eustache owner Alan Labrosse have high expectations for the newly-formed USA/Canada Limited Late ModelMasters Series.

The combined purses/point fund of the six-race series exceeds $40,000. Both tracks will host three events. The Series opens at Airborne Saturday, May 12 (50 laps) and culminates with a 125-lap “Shootout” at the 0.4 mile Quebec oval Saturday, Sept 1st.

“This is a deserved boost for our J&S Steel Limited Late Model division,” Perrotte said. “We have adopted the Canadian Goodyear tire rule, which will ensure close competition. The tires are slightly more expensive than what we ran last year, but they grip better and last longer. It’s a good situation that will generate interest in both directions.”

“Last season, Bucko Branham, Brandon Atkins and Jamie Atkins sacrificed Airborne points to run the Canadian tires when the St-Eustache cars came in and they more than held their own,” Perrotte added.

Bucko Branham drove to 6th win when St-Eustache teams came to Airborne

The first two Airborne Limited Late Model Masters Series events are 50 laps. The third Airborne event, Saturday, August 4, will utilize the “4-20’s” format, which combines the finishes of four 20-lap sprints. The first two Canadian events, slated for Saturday, May 19 and Saturday July 21, are 75 laps. The “Shootout” finale is 125 laps with competition yellows on lap 50 and lap 100. “We’ll sound a horn and give crews six minutes to work on their cars during that time,” Labrosse explained.

“Speaking with our 2011 Sportsman champion Maxim Pelletier and many of our other drivers, I know that our guys enjoyed racing at Airborne very much last September,” Labrosse said. “The Airborne events are point races towards our track championship, so you can be sure there will be plenty of our teams at Plattsburgh.”

Airborne Speedway promoter Mike Perrotte has announced plans to introduce a DIRTcar Modified Sportsman class as a weekly division in 2012.

“The DIRT Sportsman cars are the same as the Ernie’s Discount Tools Modifieds, except they will have 602 GM crate engines like our full-fendered J&S Steel Sportsmen,” Perrotte said.

“This division will provide valuable experience for someone who would like to race competitively in a Modified someday,” Perrotte added. “They will use a harder compound right rear tire than the Modifieds, which is a cost-saving measure. Teams will typically go through some right rears as part of the learning curve on setups.”

DIRTcar Sportsman is the largest class in the Northeast. Nearly all dirt tracks throughout the region, including Quebec and Ontario, utilize them. Devil’s Bowl in West Haven, VT, a paved facility like Airborne, also has a Modified Sportsman division with the same rules.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Perrotte said. “There are at least 10 teams already forming and we haven’t even had our 2012 rules meeting yet. I anticipate about 75 percent of the Modified Sportsman drivers will be new to Airborne.”

The 2012 Airborne rules meeting for all divisions will be held at the American Legion 1620 Quarry Road Plattsburgh SUNDAY, November 27. Four-cylinder session (Noon-12:45 p.m.) - Renegades and Sportsman (1-2 p.m.) – Modifieds and Modified Sportsman (2-3 p.m.)
(right)DIRT Sportsman at Airborne Sept 11, 2011