STYRES CROWNED 2008 SOS CHAMPION

By Tommy Goudge (November 8, 2008) –
The 13th season of Southern Ontario Sprints competition came to a conclusion on Saturday, November 8 as the club honoured 2008 champion Glenn Styres at the annual SOS awards banquet.  Held once again this season at the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel in Niagara Falls, the banquet featured guest speaker Jack Hewitt, and the sprint car legend and co-author of “Hewitt’s Law” regaled the crowd with hilarious anecdotes from his storied career.

The top 13 in 2008 SOS points took home point fund money, while awards were presented to:

Founders Rookie of the Year Award - Ryan Hunsinger,
ImageFactor.ca Best Appearing Car Award - Bob Crawford,
Dave MacLeod Mechanic of the Year award - Steve Moulton,
Kenetic Photos Hard Charger Award - Glenn Styres,
SOS Points Championship – Glenn Styres

The Top 10 in 2008 Southern Ontario Sprints Points were:

1st – Glenn Styres, Ohsweken, Ontario…Also the SOS Champion in 2003 and 2007, Styres became the first 3-time SOS champ by taking the title this season.  Styres competed in all 9 SOS events, winning 3 features (Brighton June 14, Humberstone June 29, and Brighton August 30), with 5 “Top 5’s”, and 8 “Top 10’s”.  Styres’ only finish outside the top 10 in SOS competition this season was an 11th place at Brockville on May 31.

2nd – Warren Mahoney, Lefroy, Ontario…The 2001 and 2006 SOS Champion competed in all 9 SOS events, winning 1 feature (South Buxton August 2), with 5 “Top 5’s” and 8 “Top 10’s”.  His only finish outside the top 10 came in the opening event at Brighton when he finished 15th while battling mechanical issues.  Mahoney’s feature win at South Buxton was his first since 2003.

3rd – Keith Dempster, Alton, Ontario…The 2000 and 2002 SOS Champion competed in all 9 SOS events, with 4 “Top 5’s” and 7 “Top 10’s”.  The best finish for Dempster in his 2nd year with the Styres team was a runner-up at Ohsweken on July 18.

4th – Adam West, Ridgetown, Ontario – Back on the tour full time in 2008, the 2005 SOS Champion recorded 5 “Top 5’s” and 8 “Top 10’s” in another of his trademark consistent seasons.  Engine problems on July 18 at Ohsweken resulted in a 20th place finish - “Batman’s” only finish outside the top 10 this season.

5th – Bob Crawford, Sutton, Ontario – A mainstay on the SOS tour, Crawford once again competed in all 9 SOS events in 2008, with 3 “Top 5’s” and 6 “Top 10’s”.  "The One Man Army" saved his best finish of the season for the last race as he took home a 3rd place paycheque from Brighton on August 31st.

6th – Dick Mahoney, Newmarket, Ontario – Mahoney competed in all 9 SOS events in 2008 to run his total to 140, which leads the all-time SOS list.  “The Pig” accrued 1 “Top 5” – a 3rd place finish at South Buxton on August 2 – and 5 “Top 10’s” in 2008.

7th – Derek Jonathan, Lewiston, NY – One of the busiest drivers in the area, Jonathan entered 34 total events in 2008, including all 9 of the SOS events.  The lone American in the top 10, Jonathan showed a lot of promise and improvement in 2008, claiming 1 “Top 5” and 5 “Top 10’s”.  His best SOS finish this season was a 3rd place at Brighton on August 30th, a new career best in SOS competition.

8th – Ryan Hunsinger, Brantford, Ontario – Hunsinger, a competitor in a few events in 2001, returned to sprint car competition in 2008 behind the wheel of Miles Hill’s #77x.  After missing the first event of the season at Brighton and suffering mechanical problems at Brockville, Hunsinger came on strong, recording 2 feature wins, 2 “Top 5’s”, and 5 “Top 10’s” on his way to the Rookie of the Year award.  The feature wins both came at Brighton during Labour Day Classic weekend and included the $1,200 winner’s cheque in the season finale.

9th – Rick Wilson, Joyceville, Ontario – Wilson competed in 6 SOS events in 2008, claiming the feature win on opening night at Brighton on May 10th, along with 4 runner-up finishes, all of which came at Brighton.  With the lone feature win in 2008, The Joyceville Jet failed to record multiple SOS feature wins for the first time since 2004, but he does lead the all-time SOS feature win list with 23, and has won at least 1 SOS feature each season since 2001, the longest streak of any SOS driver.

10th – Mike Ferrell, London, Ontario – Ferrell competed in all 9 SOS events in 2008, his sophomore season, with his best result a 12th place, where he finished 3 times this year.  Ferrell suffered engine problems at South Buxton which looked to end his season, but he was able to combine his efforts with the Turford #29 team to finish the season.

Also recognized for their contributions to the Southern Ontario Sprints in 2008 on Saturday night were:

Competition Director - Randa Vandertuin,
Scoring - Rose Northcott,
Car Shows - Al Gaukel,
Push Trucks - Terry Watts,
All of the volunteers who sold 50/50 tickets,
Pit Tent - Terri Watson,
Announcer/Webmaster - Greg Calnan,
Pit Reporter - Dale Calnan,
Media Officer - Tommy Goudge,
Souvenir Program - Mike Ferrell and Mike Dougherty,
Firemen/Inspectors/Corner Workers - Warren Lindsay and Ron Sparks,
Tech Inspector - Tim Phillips,
Sponsors - Wiseco Piston, Pennzoil, ImageFactor.ca, and Kenetic Photos,
Merchandise Tent - Loree, Judy, and Ron Ferrell, and Betty Calnan

2008 SOS race venues - Brighton Speedway, Brockville Ontario Speedway, Humberstone Speedway, Ohsweken Speedway, and South Buxton Raceway,
2008 Board of Directors - Mike Ferrell, Warren Lindsay, John Watson, and Bob Martin,
2008 Executives - Terri Watson, Helen Brown, Dick Mahoney, and Peter Turford

2008 saw 47 different drivers competing in at least 1 SOS event, with an average of just over 19 per event.  A big highlight of the season was a successful first visit by the club to the Brockville Ontario Speedway on May 31, an event which saw Steve Poirier claim the feature win while also competing in the first full-points SOS event of his career.  Along with Poirier, other drivers competing in their first SOS full-points events in 2008 included Dave Dykstra, Rob Ledingham, Tom MacLeod, Michael Parent, John Burbridge, Jr., Lee Ladouceur, Kris Root, James Evans, and Nick Cupolo.  In October, the club also participated in the first ever Can-Am Challenge at Brockville, co-sanctioned with the Empire Super Sprints. The SOS looks forward to continued partnership with ESS in the future.

The annual SOS meeting was held on Saturday afternoon before the banquet, where club president Peter Turford outlined plans for next season, which will include a similar schedule to 2008, to be announced in the new year. One rule change was passed, as the rule regarding top wing sideboard dimensions was clarified to match that of other area sprint car groups (30 inches by 70 inches), while ideas were also discussed for making nightly entry fees more financially viable to occasional competitors from outside the region.  Also taking place at the meeting were the annual elections, during which Adam West and Tommy Goudge were elected to the board of directors.

The Southern Ontario Sprints will be taking part in many of the car shows and motorsports expos coming up in the area during this offseason, and will be releasing the 2009 schedule in the new year as well.  The SOS club would like to thank the competitors, fans, and everyone else involved for making 2008 a great season, and we hope to see you again in 2009!

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Tommy Goudge
Southern Ontario Sprints Media Officer
e-mail: tommygoudge@hotmail.com
phone: 519 319-0051