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20 - Friday, July 21, 1989 - North Shore News

North Van racer
Mahood in upper
Y, of standings

THE 1989 Player’s Ltd./GM
Motorsport Series West for
showroom stock Camaros and
Firebirds ~— Western Canada’s
most prominent automobile racing
circuit — is three races old.

Since the season opener at Co-
quitilam’s Westwood - Motorsport
Park, two events have been held at
Calgary’s Race City Speedway,
June 25 and July 9.

With the series now embarking
on a month-long hiatus, teams
have an opportunity to rest,
regroup, and reflect on their per-
formances to date.

One of the teams with good
reasons to smile is Mahood For-
mula Racing. Currently residing in
the upper quarter of the standings
(sixth of 22), North Vancouver
driver Andy Mahood kas driven
well under pressure and performed
with consistency.

The mechanical crew of Rick
Weaver, Daniel Gimenez, Dave
Linnet and Peter Boonstra have
shown a good aptitude for setting
the car to its potential and repair-
ing little errors, as in a spectacular
Calgary practice session crash.

After a solid third-place debut,
in which Mahood fended off ad-
vances from such series luminaries
as Kevin Dowler and Terry Craig,
the June 25 Calgary road course
event exposed the perils of top-
level Canadian racing.

The crew was responding well to
Mahood’s information that the car
wasn’t quite right and had sent the
ex-Formula Ford champ back on
the track for more testing with an

. improved machine.

As he swung from the Turn 6
chicane on to the backstraight,

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Mahood was doing a tremendous
speed. Partially airborne over the
Turn 7 upgrade, he wanted to
rocket into Turn 8 faster and far-
ther than ever before.

He accomplished this task, but
then fost control. Hurtling
backward toward the protective
cement barrier at over 70 km/h,
the black IROC-Z impacted with
an explosive fury. Mahood was
okay, the car was not.

But a sterling patch and repair
job by the crew got the Camaro in-
to working order once more.

Unfortunately, the improved
handling wasn’t discovered until
after qualifying, ané Mahood
Formula Racing came away with a
slightly disheartening ith place
finish on the two-mile course.

Back in Calgary for Race 3,
Mahood placed 13th, with less
than a second separating first from
21st. Under new regulations, all
but the top six qualifiers would run
an additional qualifying race te
determine final rave gridding.

Mahood more than held his own
in the qualifying race, passing
some tough competition and going
door-to-door with Edmonton’s
Eric Dowler..

Remnants of Dowler’s vehicle
on the Mahood Camarc were quite
visible during post-race inspection,
and aggressive navigating combin-
ed with a tight-handling car to im-
prove the qualifying position from
13th to fith.

Race day came and several GMs
were forcibly introduced to one
another in the opening laps.
Mahood smartly piloted around
and through the accident zones
and watched as several partially-

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(ONENESS. |

AJ

NORTH VANCOUVER racer Andy Mahood (right )takes time out at Calgary’s Race City Speedway to pose
with crew chief Rick Weaver. Mahood will be racing again at Westwood Motorsport Park on August 6.

broken vehicles fell to the back of
the pack. :

One of the crash victims was ’87
and ’88 champ Frank Allers who
was hot on Mahood’s rear bumper
with 9/10ths of the race still to go.

‘Mahood held off Allers until
Lap 49, the final tour, when Allers
took a dive to capture 6th place.

Mahood Formula Racing hit the

checkered in seventh, a six-place
jump from initial qualifying, and a
strong finish on the rough Calgary
circuit.

Oval-bred Trevor Seibert of

‘Williams Lake led from start to

finish while Edmonton's Kevin
Dowler tock second and veteran
driver Tony Morris of Port Moody
was third.

A promising newcomer, Seibert
now leads the championship title
chase, with Doswler, Calgary’s
Wade Lee, Morris, John Simonsen
and Mahood rounding out the hot
six. Of the 13 Vancouver area
drivers, Mahood now sits second. |

The next event is scheduled for
scenic Westwood Motorsport Park
in Coquitlam August 6.

Take a Slice off Doug!

Friends of Doug Collins and the North Shore News
invite you to attend a retirement roast.

Saturday, July 22
at 10:00 a.m.

Join us at the Centennial
Theatre to give Doug a
grand retirement send-off.

Hosted by Pat Burns, you’ll
have the opportunity to hear
the community, politicians
and the media pay tribute to
Doug and the controversy
only he can create!

Theatre lobby open at 9:06
a.m. for light refreshments!

‘ A limited number of tickets
will be available at Centennial .§j
Theatre after 9:00 a.m. .

$10.00 per person.
‘north shore
med

1139 Lonsdale Avenue ._.
Nocth Vancouver, B.C °°
985-2131 - Sas

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