TROIS-RIVIÈRES, QC – Alex Guénette had managed to avoid the many incidents that occurred early on in the JuliaWine.com 100, the now-traditional NASCAR Canadian Tire race run in the streets of Trois-Rivières. Unfortunately, a mechanical problem forced him onto the pits for repairs, ruining his chances at a competitive finish.
Alex had recorded the sixth quickest time during Saturday morning practice on a track he had never seen before, and qualified tenth later in the afternoon. The No 39 Motos Illimitées/Kawasaki Dodge car was working well and after the qualifying session Alex expected to be able to manage his brakes and tires and move up to the leader pack over the 42 lap race.
After gaining a few positions off the start and over an early caution period, Alex was forced to brake hard to avoid a major accident at the end of the longest straightaway. He braked hard and felt something break in the rear suspension. The car became unstable under braking, forcing him into the pits for repairs.
“I managed to avoid the accident, but the car was undriveable under braking, as the “Third Link”, a suspension piece that controls the rear axle under braking, was broken. We lost seven laps in the pits fixing the problem.”
The No 39 Motos Illimitées/Kawasaki Dodge was back up to speed, matching the leader’s lap times, but ended up 20th after a hard but frustrating race.
Alex was not happy with his result; “A lot of front runners dropped out of the race, so we could have had a great finish, but it was nor to be.”
Alex Guénette and the Motos Illimitées/Kawasaki team will be back on track this coming Saturday, August 17, at the beautiful Riverside International Speedway short oval, near Antigonish (NS).
From: Service Presse
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