TROIS-RIVIERES, QC – Marc-Antoine Camirand claimed top honors in the 60-lap Rousseau Métal race presented by Richard & Co. in collaboration with Prolon Controls, securing his second consecutive victory in the streets of Trois-Rivières.
The weekend’s festivities kicked off with the highly anticipated hauler parade downtown Trois-Rivières, where Paillé Racing unveiled the cars of Andrew Ranger and Marc-Antoine Camirand, featuring a special livery honoring the Canadian Armed Forces.
GALLERY: Photos by Paolo Pedicelli. You can view more of Paolo’s work here. Report continues below the gallery…
On Saturday, Marc-Antoine Camirand was dominant during the Practice and Qualifying sessions. He set the fastest time in Practice aboard his No.96 GM Paillé Chevrolet, beating local driver Jean-François Dumoulin in the No.04 Omnifab/Bernier Crepeau/Bellemare Dodge by 0.308 seconds.
Later in the afternoon, Camirand once again showed dominence, clocking a time of 1:06.962. Kevin Lacroix, driving the No.74 NAPA Racing Dodge, posted the second-fastest time, while Alex Tagliani in the No.80 St. Hubert/BFL/ArobasPersonel/Repentigny Chevrolet and Andrew Ranger in the No.27 GM Paillé Chevrolet qualified in third and fourth places, respectively.
On Sunday, in front of a record crowd, Camirand started the 60-lap Rousseau Métal race in pole position. However, Tagliani took the lead, capitalizing on Camirand’s off-track excursion following contact with Lacroix. The NAPA Racing driver then took control of the race, much to Tagliani’s dismay, who suffered mechanical issues that dashed his hopes of a fourth victory in the streets of Trois-Rivières.
Camirand fought back, thrilling the crowd as he climbed from seventh place to second, putting pressure on Lacroix, who was still leading the race. The two drivers even made contact, but the positions remained unchanged.
As the race reached its halfway point, Camirand regained the lead after the restart, winning the Freshstone Midway Leader Award. Behind him, Lacroix clung to his rear bumper, while Andrew Ranger, JF Dumoulin, and D.J. Kennington in the No.17 Castrol Edge/Brimstone Games/CIM Metals Dodge were locked in a fierce battle.
A dramatic twist occurred on lap 45 when Kevin Lacroix was forced to retire due to mechanical issues following a pit stop.
True to its reputation, the streets of Trois-Rivières provided a relentless spectacle in the final laps. A caution was brought out late in the race when Thomas Nepveu experienced transmission problems in his No.24 Richelieu / Cromwell / Home Hardware Ford. Camirand was in the lead during the restart, with a pack of victory-hungry drivers behind him, including Ranger, Jean-François Dumoulin, Alex Guénette, and Alex Labbé.
Jason Hathaway hit the wall with four laps remaining, triggering a lengthy caution. As the race seemed destined for overtime, another accident occurred in Turn 2 involving Alex Guénette, Jean-François Dumoulin, and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. Guénette and J-F Dumoulin made contact, sending the driver of the No.39 Casino Grand Royal Wolinak/DLGL/GLEA Chevrolet into the wall, taking J-F Dumoulin with him. Louis-Philippe Dumoulin couldn’t avoid the pileup.
What was supposed to be the final restart, launched on lap 65, turned chaotic once again as Andrew Ranger ran out of fuel before the green flag was even waved, causing a multi-car pileup. This led to another caution and created a problem for the remaining cars on track, many of which were low on fuel.
Finally, the race ended in dramatic fashion. At the start of the 70th lap, Camirand took the final restart, pulling away from the pack. Alex Labbé secured second place, while Raphaël Lessard, driving the No.7 Lions d’Trois-Rivières/Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, finished third, just ahead of LP Dumoulin in what was a photo finish.
“We were patient, we had a good car,” said Camirand. “At the start, the No. 74 pushed me, but I didn’t panic. We gradually came back and saved everything for the end, even though we were running low on fuel. We ran out of gas on the last lap as we crossed the finish line! I was eager for it to end, especially during the final restarts, as we had pitted very early. When I asked my crew chief if we had enough fuel, his answer wasn’t very reassuring. But I had a good gap on the last lap, so I eased off a bit.”
“It was an emotional day,” said Alex Labbé. “We were caught in every accident, so the car was heavily damaged. There was oil leaking onto the tires and windshield. My car didn’t want to turn, and I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t think we’d bring it home in second place today. I’m happy; the car was running well despite engine problems during the race.”
Lessard explained, “It was a very good race. I tried to take care of the car the whole way. We didn’t have the best car; we struggled with grip. But I managed the fuel well. We pitted before everyone else, and most of those who pitted after us ran out of gas. I kept turning the engine off during yellow flags to save fuel. It was time for it to end! My car didn’t have a scratch until two turns from the finish when someone decided to climb over me, but I didn’t let them pass!” Lessard won the Urban Challenge race on Saturday and then finished third at Autodrome Chaudière on Saturday night in ACT, returning by helicopter just in time to participate in the event.
The next NASCAR Canada race will be on the Ontario oval at Delaware Speedway on August 17.
