“We knew we had a good car, especially in the last laps. I tried to keep that and slowly I caught up with the leaders. I am very satisfied”, reacted the winner of the day, Andrew Ranger.
Having not tasted victory since his victory at this same track in 2022, Ranger argued that there was a weight less on his shoulders after this success.
“It was a difficult few years. To return to the podium with such a victory feels good. I feel like I can play in the championship. We have a great structure and a great team. We made the effort for that.”
For his part, the Saint-Léonard-d’Aston driver, Marc-Antoine Camirand, author of the leading position, was satisfied with having been able to cross the finish line in 3rd place. He judges that in the circumstances, it was the best he could hope for.
“It’s not a dishonor at all. We had a battle, Andrew, Kevin and me. It’s an entirely Quebec podium in front of an incredible crowd. We remain at the top of the championship. I pushed a little too hard to get Kevin. We are happy with 3rd place.”
Marc-Antoine Camirand leads the championship after two races. (Stéphane Lessard/Le Nouvelliste)
In the case of Louis-Philippe Dumoulin from Trois-Rivières, the car behaved well during the race, but it seemed to lack a touch of speed to hope to rub shoulders with the leading trio.
“We were just missing a little bit. In traffic, I was a little too careful. At the same time, latecomers don’t always make it easy for us. We would have liked to take a yellow flag at the end to fight with the leaders. We would have had something interesting. The season is long.”
Louis-Philippe Dumoulin took 3rd and 4th place in two races this season. (Stéphane Lessard/Archives, Le Nouvelliste)
Dumoulin, who took 3rd place in the curtain-raiser at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, believes that with the right settings, he could possibly return to victory.
“We know we can fight up front. This is encouraging. A podium or a victory would have been better. We’re in the mix. I think with the right settings we have the speed. We have to find them.”
The course of the race
In this event, Camirand, at the wheel of his number 96 Camaro, seemed simply untouchable during the first 100 laps. Taking the lead with a time of 13.258 seconds, the native of Saint-Léonard-d’Aston managed to escape after each restart in just a few loops. However, Saint-Eustache driver Kevin Lacroix, who started 8th, continued to gain pace and then on the 128th lap, following a restart, he managed to slip past Camirand.
Andrew Ranger, who started 9th, also made a solid comeback, climbing to 2nd place at the mandatory stop on lap 160, relegating Camirand momentarily to 3rd place.
For his part, the Trois-Rivières native Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, who started 6th, played yo-yo, sometimes climbing to 3rd place and then dropping back to 7th place. At the 160 lap break, he was in 4th place.
When hostilities resumed, Lacroix regained good priority in the lead while Camirand and Ranger jockeyed for 2nd place. As the laps passed, Camirand managed to catch up with Lacroix, which provided a constant battle from the 240th crossing of the finish line.
Lacroix and Camirand, however, had a serious contender behind them waiting for his moment. Having preserved his tires, Ranger was able to experience a thunderous end to the race. He first passed Camirand then, with ten laps to go, he was able to overtake his teammate Lacroix to race to victory.
The local favorite, Beauceron Raphaël Lessard, already the victim of an engine problem during testing, had to stop his car on the 118th lap due to another mechanical problem.
This race was practically all Quebecois while 17 of the 21 drivers who started the 300-lap race were natives of La Belle Province.
The third round of the season will be held on June 22 at Eastbound International Speedway in Newfoundland.
