Day 2 of the 30th Annual APC Autumn Colours Classic Rolls to the Line
There was a chill in the air and plenty of hot action on the track as the 2nd day of the 30th annual APC Autumn Colours Classic, presented by Toronto Motorama took the green flag – Saturday, October 7th – at Peterborough Speedway.
The first order of business saw the KOD Disposal Late Model time trial for starting spots in Sunday’s Electric City 167, as former Mini Stock track regular Danny Benedict setting fast-time with a lap of 13.555 around Canada’s Toughest 3rd Mile Oval. Treyton Lapcevich, James Horner, Jacob Mercer and Dwayne Baker rounded-out the top 5 positions in the qualifying order.
Outlaw Midget preliminary rounds saw the No. 77 of Nick Spiez take a pair, with Larry Lawson and Mike Bradley the others. Kingsway Auto Centre Junior Late Model qualifying heats went to Lucas Finnegan, Cole Cousineau, Wyatt Sprung, Cole Kamrath, Chase Stevenson and Josh Davenport. T.J. Edwards and Shawn Chenoweth shared the OSCAAR Modified heat races.
Jiffy Lube Super Stock qualifiers went to Gerrit Tiemersma and 2023 track champion Miles Tyson. Teammates Nolan Gould and Ryan Babin each scored a SwitchTire Mini Stock preliminary win, with Jacob Sutcliffe picking up the other. Amanda Balson, Rick Spencer-Walt and Rob Bromley took the OSCAAR Hot Rod wins.
The Outlaw Midget Series rolled from the staging area 16 cars strong for its 25-lap feature tilt. It was a family affair as the pack rolled to the green flag, with Jason and Kayla Semple on the front row and brothers Dave and Mike Bradley starting 3rd and 4th on the grid. Jason Semple grabbed the early lead, with the Bradley brothers battling for position behind him. Early in the going, an incident in the 2nd turn – that saw the No. 7 of Derek Millman get upside-down – slowed the pace. The driver walked away on his own, but the car was too badly damaged to continue. Nick Spiez took over the runner-up spot on the restart, with Dave Bradley moving into the lead with just a handful of laps remaining. At the checkered flag, it was Bradley taking the win over Spiez, Ryan Semple, Larry Lawson and Mike Bradley. A 5th place finish was enough to see Mike Bradley named 2023 Series Champion.
The sport’s rising stars from the Kingsway Auto Centre Junior Late Models came to the line close to 20 cars strong for a 20-lap feature event, with a total race purse of $6,000. Cole Cousineau and Lucas Finnegan brought the pack to the green flag, with Finnegan taking the early lead. An incident in the 2nd turn produced a red flag but no drivers were injured in the crash. Keegan Moat moved into 2nd on the ensuing restart, with Cole Kamrath taking 3rd. There was plenty of action all around the venue known as Canada’s Toughest 3rd Mile, with Finnegan taking the win. Moat, Kamrath, 2023 Pro Jr. Late Model track champion Lucas Cousineau and his cousin Cole rounded-out the top 5.
With a front row of Mitch Wright and Parker Traves, the Trailers Plus Canadian Legend Car Series hit the track for their first 30-lap feature of the weekend. Traves took the lead at the drop of the green flag, with Josh Hicks and Wright on his tail. As the pack started to put slower traffic a lap down, Hicks took over the race lead until a caution with around 10 laps complete. Back under the green, Hicks and Traves were in control of the show when the race’s second yellow flag waved just past the halfway mark. While officials were sorting-out the running order, a light mist began to fall and reps with the Canadian Legend Car Series determined the track was unsafe to race. The event was declared complete. Hicks was credited with the win, over Traves, Jordan Latimer, Cole McFadden and Josh Inglis.
Bullring bullet points: After a light, but persistent shower caused the Canadian Legend Car feature to be cut-short, track officials elected to move the last chance qualifier for the Bone Stock ‘A’ main to Sunday afternoon. It will be added to line-up just before the 67-lap Mini Stock headliner.
The 30th annual APC Autumn Colours Classic, presented by Toronto Motorama concludes Sunday, October 8th with a program of feature events to crown the 2023 Autumn Colours Classic titlists. Green flag action gets underway at 12:30 with the 67-lap SwitchTire Mini Stock ‘A’ main, in memory of Melissa Bullen and Matt Spence.
For complete event news and information, be sure to visit www.peterboroughspeedway.com or see the track’s social media platforms.
