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Erik Tavares photo
Barre, VT — After two long, COVID-19 pandemic-delayed years, Canadian racers and fans can finally return to New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park for the Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250. Beginning as a big-money celebration of White Mountain Motorsports Park’s 25thanniversary season back in 2018, the Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 has yet to have a repeat winner in the past four seasons. Some of the who’s who in American-Canadian Tour competition have taken the top spot including multi-time Tour champion Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and former ACT Rookie of the Year Jason Corliss, but a Canadian has yet to stand in Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 victory lane.
The Canadian Contingent has not fared so well in the longest American-Canadian Tour race of the season. In the last four events, the top scoring Canadian has been Blainville’s Jonathan Bouvrette who took a sixth-place finish in the inaugural 250 back in 2018. After missing the starting line-up at the first three events of the season due to mechanical malfunctions or wrecks, Bouvrette came back with guns blazing at Autodrome Chaudiere in June to take the $5,000-win in the Claude Leclerc 150. Coming off a ninth-place finish at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway just two weeks ago, Bouvrette will be looking for more this Saturday night at White Mountain Motorsports Park.
Top Canadian prospect Alexendre Tardif is truly living up to his ‘Fireball’ nickname. After a rough start to the season, posting just one top-15 in three races, Tardif rebounded on the trip home to Chaudiere with a fifth-place finish at the Vallee-Jonction oval. Not only did he immediately jump to the top of the American-Canadian Tour rookie standings, Tardif rode that wave to an impressive 3rdplace finish at Oxford Plains Speedway behind first time winner Marcel Gravel and ACT front runner Derek Gluchacki. After his first ACT podium, the young-gun from Notre-Dame-des-Pins may continue his statistical growth with the $10,000 Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 win on Saturday.
One of Quebec’s most prolific racers, Patrick Laperle will also make the trip to White Mountain Motorsports Park this Saturday. Le Grand Laperle will be searching for his second American-Canadian Tour win at the North Woodstock oval in his 16th start. The iconic orange 91QC earned a 17th place finish in the first 250-lap event at White Mountain in 2018 with Saturday being his second start in the extra distance, extra money event. But Laperle is no stranger to success in long-distance shows. Looking back in the record books, Patrick Laperle has no less than twelve wins in events 200 laps and over including four 300-lap events, two 200-lap events at Kawartha Speedway in Ontario and the Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont. Laperle is no doubt looking to add another extra-distance trophy to his case and an extra $10,000 USD to his bank account.
Alongside Bouvrette, Tardif and Laperle will also be the Iron Man of American-Canadian Tour competition, Lanoraie’s Claude Leclerc. Leclerc has made over 550 starts in American-Canadian Tour-sanctioned competition since 1979 and will make his second start of the season at the Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 with teammate Remi Perreault. Remi has made the most out of his first full American-Canadian Tour season, cracking into his first ACT top-10 at Autodrome Chaudiere in June. Also slated for a return to White Mountain is Autodrome Montmagny Tom Curley 250 winner Mathieu Kingsbury. Previously a top-10 points chaser in ACT competition, Kingsbury would certainly enjoy adding another 250-lap victory to his repertoire.
Saturday, July 30th brings the American-Canadian Tour back to White Mountain Motorsports Park for the 5thannual Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250. Along with the $10,000-to-win, 250 showdown is a full undercard of weekly racing action for the Wells River Chevrolet Flying Tigers, Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank Strictly Stock Minis, Ammonoosuc Asphalt Mini Late Models and Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Division. Full schedule is available at www.acttour.com/actusschedule with front gates opening at 1:45pm and Post Time set for 5:15pm starting with the Kids Division. General Admission is set at $25 for Adults, $10 for 12 and under and a Family Four Pack available for $50.
The Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 will also be available live and around the world with our partners at Racing America while MAV-TV Motorsports Network will be on site to tape the event for a winter broadcast on national television later this year.
Milton CAT is your complete source for Caterpillar machines, engines, generators, technology, parts and service with 14 locations strategically placed throughout the Northeast from Bangor, Maine to Tonawanda, New York, Richmond, Vermont to Wareham, Massachusetts. You can always count on Milton CAT for the industry knowledge, products and support that have made Milton’s regional dealerships the choice of leading business owners in this demanding region of the United States. Find the Milton CAT location nearest to you at www.miltoncat.com.
For more information about the American-Canadian Tour, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.
For more information, contact the White Mountain Motorsports Park offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.whitemountainmotorsports.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at @WhiteMtnMotorsports.
