Woods Racing

We’re still here!

Bannon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:01:44 +0000

It’s been awhile since I wrote up on here…since well before the holidays anyhow, but not for any particular reason other than being busy outside the shop.
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When we get late into December, throughout the holidays and into Jan/Feb, needless to say, it’s slightly quieter here at Woods Racing. Quebec is a very winter based community and we still make the best of the ice and snow even though we can’t get out on the drag or drift track. It does seem that the folks around here lock up the race cars, and bring out the snowmobiles in our natural quest for speed…unfortunately for me, I sold mine last year and never got around to getting another one. I sure do miss it though…
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And as for the on track shenanigans that we normally do on the lake…well, not much luck there either…between weather conditions, ice conditions and well…a strong eyeballing from the Canadian Shores and Fisheries department, that hasn’t worked out either. Been kind of a bust all winter.
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I mean, in one sense, I won’t complain…the lack of snow has made things a tad easier around here…in fact…our bad boy ’77 F-150 winter plow truck has only been out a couple times..the 351 C.I Detroit Iron motor…just kinda waits…patiently..
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So what have I been doing to make this blog so vacant?
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Well..I bought a new (well, new to me) house out here in Hudson and this is where I’m writing to you from right now…
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It’s an old Hudson cottage with a build date of 1910, (nope, no ghosts here!) and as you know, I modify everything I own, so out came the kitchen and I traded in my torque wrench for a drywall knife.
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Now…I’m the first to admit…I’m no prince of plaster, in fact, I’ve come to realize that I don’t do that well with wood at all. I mean heck, you can’t weld it…WHAT DO?
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So this is what has been keeping me all tied up lately…I’ve still been working at the shop here and there, but taking a few weeks to get my house in order is kind of a priority…I mean hey, the Daytona 500 is coming!
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Some of you are wondering what in the who in the hey is going on with Drift-zilla and FD, and things are going in the direction they should be, but stay tuned, because I’m in the process of creating a new page on here dedicated to that…got some cool news coming up!
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So before I go grab my hammer and …well…scratch my head in confusion…I want to thank you all for your emails and notes…I’m glad to see people pay attention here to my blog and that when I don’t update it is missed…you guys are the best!
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Catch ya later!

Bannon Woods Named Crew Chief for GITN Drift

Bannon — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:50:13 +0000

Bannon Woods Named Crew Chief for GITN Drift Team

2012 Team roster released as preparation for Formula Drift 2012 gets underway

Dec. 12 2011 – Brockville Ontario

In a bid for a successful 2012 Formula Drift season, Mats Baribeau has finalized the roster and named Bannon Woods as Crew Chief and head of marketing for the Gold in the Net Drift team.

After 2 successful seasons working with the team and a move to Formula Drift, Woods will move from title sponsor to team member and will head organization of pit, car, crew as well as marketing.

The GITN JZX90 Toyota Mark II will continue to be maintained and prepped at the Woods Racing / Canada Synthetics speed shop in St.Lazare Quebec under the direction of Woods and his crew. Woods brings with him Randy Tontsch also from St. Lazare who will help in mechanics and car/pit operations.

“I’m happy and excited to stay on with Mats and the team as we move into the 2012 FD season. We’ve worked so well together in the past 2 years and I find that it’s natural thing for us to welcome this new experience together. Starting at DMCC Pro-am, to Pro, to Hold the Line and now onto Formula Drift the coming season will bring a new chapter in our racing novels and I thank him and Formula D for giving us this chance to represent Canada in the upcoming season.”

- Bannon Woods

Kerri Lee Griffin will step into the Business Manager role and will handle on-site PR as well as scheduling, budgets and sponsor services. Kerri brings a race management experience over from The Canadian Rally Championship series where she did double-duty also as a navigator for the PCR rally team. With her previous involvement in the race scene she is sure to bring a needed hand and mind to the GITN Drift internal operations.

“Racing has always been a passion of mine. I am looking forward to the challenges that the 2012 GITN Formula Drift season will bring to me in this new exciting role and I thank Mats and the crew for giving me a chance to do so.”

– Kerri Lee Griffin

The remainder of the 2011 GITN team will stay unchanged and The Gold in the Net 2012 Formula Drift team roster is as follows:

Mats Baribeau – Driver

Bannon Woods – Crew Chief

Randy Tontsch – Pit Mechanic

Kerri Lee Griffin – Business Manager

Norm Baribeau – Operations and Spotter

Chantal Baribeau – Operations
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For more information, questions or comments please contact:

Kerri Lee Griffin – Kerri@goldinthenet.com

Bannon Woods – Bannon@woodsracing.ca

Mats Baribeau – mats@goldinthenet.com

Racing: The Glory and the Darkness

Bannon — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:06:11 +0000

We do amazing things in this industry. What we do between man and machine, defying science, breaking barriers and going faster and faster is an astonishing feat. Our addiction, our obsession, our dependance to speed is unmatched by any another duty and we celebrate our accomplishments arrogantly. We stand tall on the podium, cheer in the pits and laud back at the shop. But every once in a while, that bitch we call racing, strikes down to remind us that we are neither Gods, Kings nor invincible. Every so often we have a sharp warning and in often cases deathly admonition that no matter what we do, no matter how safe we make these race cars and the faster we go…she’s there waiting, with her sword. And when she strikes ,her outburst sends shockwaves.
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I write this post with sadness. Yesterday we lost two of motorsports champions. At age 38, Rick Huseman, and at age 33 Dan Wheldon.
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Rick, the 2010 Lucas Oil Off-Road Pro-4 champ died along side his brother when his plane crashed near Barstow California and Dan, an Indy racing league champ and 2 time Indy 500 winner passed on from unrecoverable injuries received from a horrific crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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October 16th, along with Feb. 18th, May 1st, Oct. 31st and so many other dates will forever scar the racing industry as dates where racers, family members and co-workers lost their lives.
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I normally write my blog posts with pride, with an accomplishment or understanding of a job well done. Some cool thing we managed to do, or another top 3 we finished. Today, I put all that aside and remember our friends. So quickly are they gone, and it seems that it makes the rest of the things we do so trivial. The truth however is, the success that we live is written in blood. It’s a reality that we try not to admit, but it’s there. It’s the progress that these former champions chiseled in stone that allow us to become better, safer and wiser.
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We have close ties to the IndyCar world. Many friends and family involved in the series and it really hits home when something like this happens. I watched my friends cry on TV while the balance of the Las Vegas race field completed a 5 lap session in honour of Wheldon. I spoke to them on the phone, read the hurt in emails, facebook and twitter and could only support them from across the continent here in Montreal. It’s not an easy thing for anybody, especially the family and crew who were so close to him. Dan leaves behind his wife Susie, and two young boys Oliver and Sebastian.
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The first time I met Dan was at the 2008 Detroit Grand Prix, he finished 20th there I believe in the #10 Target car after hitting the barrier. This was the first Indy race I went to after my sister started working for the series. I met him at pre-race on the track and ironically, he was the only one of the drivers I spoke to there despite being inches from every driver in the field. And in his always polite fashion, he thanked me for coming all this way to watch a silly race.
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The last time I saw him, was this past year at the 100th running celebration of the Indy 500. He won that race and I watched him with pride as he kissed the bricks. It’s nice to remember that with my two fondest memories out of all the races I’ve attended, he has been a part of them.
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That Indy 500 race will forever be cherished in my memory. Not only the race, but the entire week. My father, buddy Louis and I, along with friends from Indianapolis had so much fun that week. We were spoiled with whatever we wanted and her friends, now our friends welcomed us with open arms. With my sister living in Indianapolis, and us so far away, in times like this I find comfort in knowing she has such great friends close by and ready to support her at the drop of a pin in times like this.
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Kelly, Susan, Holli, Nick, Heidi, Jack and Tommy, Thank you. You’re always in the right place at the right time and we can’t appreciate it more.
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This isn’t the first time writing about death in racing unfortunately.
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Hero’s From Our Past
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This above post is more Nascar related, but explains my thoughts and feelings as a kid when some of my racing hero’s passed on. It’s tough when you find out that the people you look up to and admire are suddenly gone. Leaves you wondering and confused.
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Now that I’m older, run a racing based company and am a lot more involved in the scene I try to look at these events differently. And as I wrote here in The Incredible, Inevitable Wall things like this are bound to happen. Causing death though is the question that remains.
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We have to learn from these tough days and keep going. So many lives have been saved thanks to a few. Safety barriers, Hanz devices, suppression systems…the advancement of roll cages, response crews and in field medical centers are all things we’ve learned from incidents. And as much as some people disagree, we won’t stop racing, we will continue to advance in the sport and will strive to make our cars safer. I’m positive that Dale, or Alan, or Greg aren’t looking down on us and wishing we would quit. Like Dan and Rick, they were Champions…and last time I checked, Champions don’t give up. Racing is what we do, and building safe cars is how we do it. We just have to make em better and better and better and better.
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Every single time I send Mats his car and he leaves the pit area, I run a mini-panic in my head. Did I do it all? Did I miss anything? Did I tighten? Did I secure….
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Yes, no, yes and Yes. Why? Because I’ve learned. As with the rest of the industry, through every tragedy comes an advancement.
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What we have to do and what we will do is race in the honour of the Hero’s of our past. We will be proud that we were lucky enough to meet these Champions, watch these men and women race and work, study the past events and continue to succeed in what we do…because at Woods Racing anyway, we won’t have it any other way.
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I want to send my thoughts to the families and crew, friends and co-workers of these two fine men. We are all better people of having them one way or another in our lives and the industry thanks you. Racing is something special that is outside the boundaries of “normal life”. And for that we are grateful that those put themselves on the line to give us a show.
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Rest in peace my friends, and we promise to keep going.
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The Learning Curve of Formula Drift

Bannon — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:44:59 +0000

Prelude to this article can be found here: Formula Drift, Irwindale California
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Well, my first experience at a pro drift event is over. It’s certainly not my last though.It’s gonna be a wild 2012 I imagine.
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I’ve spent a few days here in California and I’m taking a lot of info back to Canada with me. I must admit though, it was kind of a strange center I was in. I was present, not working in the pits, not working on a car, not there “as a fan” in attendance, but as a student…on the stepping stone to being a pro formula drift mechanic. My years of racing, wrenching and watching cars fly around a track, none of em has been like this. Drifting has so many variables not present in other forms of auto-sport that it’s a challenge just to keep record. You can see bits’n'pieces but in general, it defies everything that I’ve built for other teams, my teams and the weekend hobbyist.
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We build drag cars to squat and go straight, lapping cars to hug curves and rally cars to take a beating. Drifting, doesn’t do any of this, but kinda does all of that…surrounded by smoke, another car tapping your door and a judge panel to impress. It’s almost like it’s the “grey area” of racing.
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Some of these guys sure got it down though. Factory backed and corporate sponsorships pepper the pit area and as we’ve seen for example, the Falken green’n'teal are quite the force to be reckoned with.
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Us privateer’s, it’s going to be uphill for sure, we expect that though and we’re ok with it, just gotta keep doing what we do and never give up.
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Although it’s slightly intimidating watching these mutli-crew teams with the big race trailers and tools abound pull in and setup, we understand that we have to start somewhere…and somewhere starts in 2012. We’re gonna work hard this winter and prepare for the worst.
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On race day, there was 25,000 people at the track, thousands more watching on TV and the FD web cast…for a competition this size, the eyeball reach is huge. And it’s only growing. The fan base is only second to Nascar and when they’re stomping their feet in the stands screaming “ONE MORE TIME!!!” it takes a minute to realize that they be yelling that about us next year.
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This particular race, being the finals, the best of the best came out to play. The championship was on the line and the teams were ready. This was good for me since I could watch the crews prepare, setup, pit and race. Learned a lot about suspension, transmission and the general play by plays that happen during an event. There is so much that goes on that my head is spinning with visions of race fuel, adjustable control arms and tire pressure.
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What I was really glad to learn, was what we think we need for next year as far as supplies, tools and equipment. I’m confident in the car and I will give Mats a good one, but it takes more than that. It’s rough out there and stuff is gonna break. I’m the one who has to fix it in 5 minutes so like jolly ol’ St Nick…I’m making a list and checking it 2wice.
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Once they were on their way to the top 4, I really started paying attention to the judges. Soaked in what they were looking for from the lead driver and chase car. This is more Mats area, but by knowing what they want, will help me set up the car to make it do what he wants it to. A big team effort comes into play no doubt. I’m already pretty good at reading Mats’ mind and we connect on a solid Driver–>Crew Chief level so we’re one step ahead already.
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As far as crews and drivers go, I’m closer with Mats than I have ever been with a driver I’ve worked for. We know each others habits, likes, dislikes, pet peeves and annoyances. He knows that I need at least 1 and 1/4 coffee in the morning before he bugs me, and I know he has an over-active digestive system if he drinks too much orange juice. Seriously.
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These little things coupled with our determination will take us where we need to go. None of us is as smart as all of us and like Henry Ford said – “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
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With all that said, I’m really glad I stuck around California for a couple more days. I know if I would have headed right back to the shop I would’ve just worked, but a couple days to tool around this awesome state, I can start to put things into perspective. When I need to think, organize and work out things in my head…I drive around. And this is what I’ve been doing. Driving. Hit up Long Beach yesterday, checked out the ocean, had some drinks and dinner at a great local brewery and relaxed while taking things in. With the racing scene being as potent as it is here, the sites are just as good and I’m glad I had a chance to check it all out. I got one more day here and I’m a make the best of it and it’s time to get to work as soon as I get back.
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Stick with us folks, we’re headed to the top and we’re putting the right bricks in place. We’re doing our homework and learning. We’re gonna rock the tracks next year and I’m thankful to have all of you aboard.
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But as for now like Erin said…”Take notes, Take names, and next year…TAKE EM OUT!
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Formula Drift – Irwindale California

Bannon — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 07:42:48 +0000

This world of drifting, this …vehicular ballet of motor racing is something very different in the speed induced world we live in. I mean, yes, there’s engines, qualifying, racing and winners, but the whole show of it is so different from anything I’ve ever worked in.
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It’s so cut throat, so instant ending and of course being a judged sport there are so many variables. Entry speed, angle, drift, smoke your scrutinized on it all.
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Toyota Speedway at Irwindale California is playing host to Formula Drift’s round 7 finals, the title fight, and from what weve seen on the track during practice and qualifying, this is shaping up to be quite the battle. The track is really grip and as Eric O’Sullivan put it, anything you do wrong here will be amplified.
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This track is considered the “House of Drift”, the mecca of the drift world and I agree, it’s really quite something.
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Watching these cars rip this place up shows us that not only are we playing with the big boys, but have a lot to learn as well. This is why we’re here though, to absorb, soak in the ways of the pro’s…cause after all, we’re one of em now too.
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We’re a much smaller team, smaller budget, fresh out of a pro-am podium and all kinds of eagerness. We’re doing it right though. I spent a lot of time watching team members, the roles they play in the hot pits and back at the truck pits. Spied on em while they did their thing and picked up pointers. We spoke a lot about parts, preparedness, tools and sponsors. Timing, travel and money. Everything has changed, all but our go get’em attitude.
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During this upcoming week, I was wondering if I was going to be intimidated, but it’s actually the quite opposite. We’re good at what we do, and obviously the brass at FD agree, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. We gotta take this one step at a time, and we’re putting the game plan together…and it looks pretty sweet.
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The race is on tomorrow, and this is where I’m going to learn a lot. There’s gonna be a lot to watch, keep track of and lot’s to figure out. I’m excited to get started and am pretty confident that I can give Mats a car that he can go out to put on an awesome show. We just gotta take the time to do it right.
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More updates coming tomorrow!
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Baribeau to Compete in Formula Drift in 2012

Bannon — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 03:03:07 +0000

Podium in Hold the Line Series Earns Team FD License

St.Lazare Quebec – Oct. 3 2011

With a successful season completed and a 2^nd place finish at Formula Drift’s Pro-am series Hold the Line, the team is headed south full time to compete in the Formula Drift pro series contests.

The podium finish coupled with the dedication and steady performance of the team has earned the CanadaSynthetics.ca / Gold in the Net Drift team a spot on the 2012 FD roster.

Mats Baribeau and Bannon Woods will be attending round 7 in Irwindale California on Oct 7^th and 8^th but due to logistics and time constraints the teams JZX90 Toyota Mark II will not be in the Pro Am All Stars Invitational race for said weekend.

Mats Baribeau will headline as lead driver and Bannon Woods of Woods Racing/Canada Synthetics will stay on the team register. Details of sponsorship and mechanical/advisory participation will be announced at a later date.

Hold the line is Formula Drift’s official North Eastern licensing series and has awarded 5 FD licenses out of the 22 registered Pro-am drivers and teams left in the standings.

Although the schedule has not been released, FD will run a minimum of 7 rounds across the United States in 2012. Formula Drift has created the first ever drifting world championship; brought together 32 drivers, 17 past and present championship, from 12 nations, representing 12 series and the first drifting championship to be aired on national cable & syndicated globally with a dedicated series of shows.

“We are very excited and thank the FD crew for giving us a chance to compete at this level. We look forward to representing Montreal, Brockville and the rest of Canada in the coming 2012 season. We would also like to thank the fans who have stuck by us and can’t wait to put on a good show for everybody next year.”

-Bannon Woods

For more information please feel free to contact the following:

Bannon Woods – Woods Racing, Canada Synthetics

Mats Baribeau – Gold in the Net Ontario – Mats Baribeau.com

Cornwall Enduro 2011 – Gas, Smash ‘n’ Crash

Bannon — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:00:24 +0000

We’re all back at the shop now safe and sound after a good day of destructo racing! As always, it was a great weekend filled with good times, revving engines and bent metal. There is something about this weekend that differs it from any other race weekend that we attend. I mean, it’s still racing, but it’s another world of it, there is truly nothing like it.
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We got everything loaded up Saturday and took the cars to pre-register there at the track, which not only saves you a couple bucks, but you avoid the insane line up Sunday morning.
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Registration and tech was pretty simple, we only had to change a couple minor things to pass inspection, and there we left the cars for the night inside the track gates awaiting the demise that Sunday will bring.
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The starting line up is in a first in basis, so the earlier you get there, the better chance you have starting at the front. I was lucky enough to pull in 9th putting me at the outside 3rd row. Which is a pretty good place to be.
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My brother didn’t pull a bad number either, a 28th place start which is a whole lot better than starting 50th or so dead in the middle of the pack. With sometimes up to 100 cars starting at once, you wanna be up ahead as you can. It gets nasty in the back of the pack.
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So after dropping the cars off we headed back to the shop to pack the tools, equipment and coolers. Hooked up the pop-tent to the van and headed back. We decided to camp at the track this year to avoid the hustle and bustle of a raceday commute from the GoFast shop to the track. And I’m sure glad we did. Sunday morning, while everyone was scrambling, we were all set, just sat and had some coffee. The cars were inside, we were registered and nothing to do but wait. We took advantage of the time to walk around the track to spot anything. It was a good thing we did that, it gave us a good idea on where the trouble areas would be, like into turn 1 where the dirt was pushed up looked like it would suck you into the wall.
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We watched as the racers and fans started to pull in, had a look at all the cars and scoped out the competition. There wasn’t as many cars as last year and the years before, probably the smallest turn out I’ve seen, but still over 500 cars covered the 4 race classes.
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We caught up with everyone who had come to watch us, and Erin, being her first time ever seeing something like this was a tad nervous. She’s in the medical field and this all pretty much goes against any proper judgement of man and machine.
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“This is a world I never even knew existed.” She says.
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And it’s true, sometimes I tell people what we do this 2nd weekend of Sept. and they usually respond with blank awe, the, “are you crazy?” and the…”what? Really?” But nonetheless, we thank everyone who comes out to cheer us on. We do our best to put on a good show for ya!
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So once everyone is settled in, and they call the drivers meeting…you start to feel the butterflies. I mean, if you didn’t, there’s probably something wrong with you, you’re about to go out and smash your car, into 80 other cars at flying speeds…on purpose.
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As the meeting goes one, the water truck are out wetting the track to slow us down, and the ladies 4 cylinder is lining up and getting ready to go.
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And it’s now officially race day. The green flag drops as 40 women in beat up 4 bangers take out all their frustrations on the race track. The ladies only get to run in the 4 cylinder class by themselves, and really, I think it’s to protect the men. Rough and ready they are with a half cup of no fear and a half cup of craziness.
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At about 15 laps to go, I had to go down and prepare for my race. The Mens V6 class was up next and I had to get my helmet cam and all sorted out before I got onto the track.
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I had trouble placing the GoPro cam for the last couple days, either the bracket for the roof was too flimsy, or the camera was placed where I couldn’t reach to clean it, it’s hard to find a spot where to place it to get a good view. I have to thank Luke Marti, he really saved me. He called home and got a buddy to rip down to the track with new camera mounts to stick the camera onto my helmet. And what timing, they called the drivers to come out and Luke was tying up the camera to my helmet. I lost my 9th place start cause I was late going out, but at least I got the footage. Luke must have ran a billion kilometers to help me get setup back and forth from the parking to the pits, and I can’t thank him enough.
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And out I went. It was derby time in Cornwall.
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“And we’re going green in 3…2…1….”
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You could see from the start that I had trouble with the RWD, but that was expected. I guess it’s a good thing that I’ve been working on the Canada Synthetics / Gold in the Net Drift car all year, cause that sliding came into play around every turn.
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I basically had to steering and no traction. And once I got going, a turn was coming up. So, I basically waited for someone to come up beside me on the outside, ran into them and they by no choice had to help steer me around the turns. I got some good laps in before the first red flag in which someone flipped their car on turn 1 (that same trouble spot Carney and I found earlier), they flipped him back over and ironically, he was the one who went on to win the race. UNBELIEVABLE.
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It was a few more laps in that my oil light started flickering then came on to stay. We stopped at another red flag and I was able to sign to my brother that I was going to pit for oil. Green flag came and around I went into the pits.
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They topped me up and I was hoping I hadn’t blown an oil line, and off I went back out into the race.
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I had a hard time getting back onto the track with the traffic, and luckily, Jason Barrett saw me waiting and ran a blocker into another car to help me get out.
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Did a few more laps then I noticed I was losing power…and fast. At first I thought the engine had died due to oil starvation or something, then it felt like the tranny…I mean, my foot was to the floor and I was going maybe 3 km/hr.
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Into the pits I went again.
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It was there that everyone spotted the problem. A gusher of a gas leak. This is always bad news, so I headed to the pits and my team went to work.
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This is how we fix a fuel line in a derby race:
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Yup, flip it on its side and get to it. Hugh was in there right away cutting and pulling and managed to get the main line fixed. I climbed up the side of the car to reach down and start the fuel pump but unfortunately there was another leak coming from way up inside the fuel tank area. And that was the end of my day at the Cornwall Fireball Enduro.
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I ended up only getting 15 laps in, but what a time I had. The car was still in good condition so I parked it on the trailer and went back to watch the end of the race and get Carney setup for the 4 cylinder mens. It worked out good for Jason though, he took home 3rd place which is quite a feat…a big congrats to him and his crew!
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Now my little brother…in his 2nd year racing here, was set to go. Last year he finished the race in the Cavalier, which was quite a feat considering the beating he took, and this race wasn’t going to be much different.
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He had it rougher than me no doubt.
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He took some nasty…nasty hits but kept on going. He got spun around and banged up for the first few laps, but once he found his groove, he was able to stay out of trouble, pitting only once for a tire (and another huge thanks to Luke Marti) and he kept on to finish the race. He’s 2 for 2 here at Cornwall, and we’re all super proud of him! Way to go!
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And onto the V8′s we go. Luke Marti was driving the #3 Ford Taurus, and well, this guys knows what he’s doing when it comes to derby racing. Prior to the start of the race, he’s a 3 time champion and had a car that was quick and able.
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Once the green flagged dropped, the rest of the field didn’t stand a chance. He led every lap and claimed a 4th victory, probably a record there at the speedway.
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Here’s Luke’s in car cam:
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I’m really happy Luke won his race, he has been a huge help to us here all along and a good guy deserves a good win. Congrats buddy!
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So now that the weekend is over, we’re all still in one piece and we can look back at the race. It’s amazing at how much time we put into a car, the work, the hours, just for a few laps of smash’m'up racing. It’s astounding really.
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What these cars go through is unreal. It’s a one of a kind weekend and I can’t wait for next year.
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There’s a ton of people who help make this happen and I couldn’t have done it otherwise.
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Hugh Debeor – Always a staple in our race. Always has my back and is always there to help. Great mechanic, great friend.
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Randy Tontsch – When it comes to race weekend, he’s always there to dig in and help out, thanks again Randy, you da bomb!
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Luke Marti – Can’t thank you enough, your knowledge, experience and willingness to help is beyond words.
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Erin O’Brien – for stickin through cancelled dinners and me wrecking cars. You’re a trooper gypsy!
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Carney, Dad, Mom – Where would we be without ya’ll…
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The rest of the crew who ran to help, Bubba, Taxi Bob, Luke Smart, Jason Barret, Wendy for a kick ass breakfast, Tiffany for painting such a wicked logo on the hoods and to all my friends that came out to support us and the GoFast team, Thank you…you’re all awesome and without a doubt, I know you’ll all be there again next year!
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E-Volvo-lution: Cornwall Fireball Enduro Derby 2011

Bannon — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 02:11:47 +0000

The Cornwall Fireball Enduro, the only time of year when I get to build, race and destroy my very own race car!
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The, “E-volvo-lution of my 1989 Volvo 760 sedan has been quite the up and down since it made its way to the Woods Racing camp last year. Pretty much a couple weeks after last years race I picked this up from a fellow MontrealRacing.com member and there it stayed in the back, patiently waiting for its conversion…and death.
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Morbid sounding…well ya, but it’s true, not many of the cars that enter this 50 lapper of destructo racing actually make it home. Most are sold to the local scrap because they simply caught fire, blew a motor, destroyed steering…you name any reason and it’s a reality for us. But, we all know Volvo’s and how they were nicknamed “tanks”, “Sherman’s” or “Brick’s” so this oförstörbar vehicle will hopefully get me across the finish line…and in one piece to be held as a trophy back here at the WR shop.
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Here it is Sept 21st 2010 when I picked it up:
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Unnaturally clean for an 1989 living in Montreal, no rust, just some bad brakes and a broken wiper arm. Otherwise, a daily driver.
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It sat out back for the winter, got covered in snow, didn’t start, didn’t move and was basically ignored till about last month when prep work started.
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In she came and was robbed of anything breakable and flammable, including the windows, lights, carpet…everything. All that is left is basically the seat and steering wheel. It’s really amazing how much stuff comes out of a motor vehicle. The seats, wiring, plastic clips, it’s quite the pile for the recycling guy.
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We got it all torn down and ready to weld and that’s when the trouble started. I’ll tell ya something about these Swedes…they sure think it’s funny to wire the complete car in one on-going circuit of terror. Grounds here connect that and this, this 12v supplies those and them…oh…and all on the same relay by the way.The car outside is basically bulletproof, but step into the electrics and it is fragile as your Grandma’s puddin’. For realz.
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So basically, I cut something somewhere, or something shorted somewhere, or some relay crapped out, but what I was left with was a no start condition, on my lift, 3 weeks before the race.
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Randy came up to help diagnose and we narrowed it down to a no spark issue…somewhere in the coil, but still wasn’t sure.
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So as usual in a jam, I called up Hugh from DeBoer to aid in my Swedish situation. It took a couple days, but hey, what a sound that thing made when it finally started again. The final diagnosis was a no start condition caused by no injector pulse. It was getting fuel, but not properly passed the injectors. A hot wire to a 12v, to a switch and direct to the coil solved that and I was free to weld the doors and trunk shut, replace the windsheild with grate, and head to paint!
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As of right now, it’s all done but the paint and I’ll be adding pics tomorrow when it’s all set so hang tight..pics are coming!
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This Volvo will be in the V6 class of the race and mark your calendars..Sept 11th 2011!
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Now, onto our 4-Banger class.
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My brother if you remember from last year finished the race in the 92 Cavalier. Just finishing this race is something short of a miracle, and he did it in this Irish coloured beast of a car.
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This year, on the starting grid in his class, will be this lean…(and not so mean) Toyota Corolla. It too sat out back for sometime awaiting it’s final run but is now finished and ready to go racing.
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It started out pretty simple I guess…
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We brought it in, stripped it, welded it, secured it and painted it…all in the name of Enduro racing.
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Danger SR. here gettin’ jiggy with the paint gun
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And finally it’s set colors ready to go!
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The logo’s and stickers have yet to be put on but you get the drift…it looks pretty good!
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I’m not sure why we put so much attention into these cars that we’re simply going to destroy. Maybe it’s because we are proud of what we do here at Woods Racing and want to make the best of things, even if we blow up 3 laps in. We sure do stand tall though. A lot of work goes into these things and we’re happy to show em off after…even if they do look like major hill-billy, redneck, wreck’em’ups.
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Last year as some may remember we entered the 2 cars, and here is the link to that blog if ya wanna check out the history!
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2010 Fireball Enduro
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So if you’re not doing anything Sunday…hell, even if you are, cancel it and come on down to Cornwall Speedway and cheer for Woods Racing as we do our best to bring her home!
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I’ll be updating this single post as I go along so look for updates!
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60km’s, 4.3 million dollars and one proud girl

Bannon — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:46:03 +0000

And that we are, very proud. Erin finished the walk, the entire 60km’s in 2 days and anyone who was in the Montreal area felt the Hurricane ruminants of Irene. That didn’t stop her and her team though…no way…these are some of the toughest people I’ve ever seen.
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I haven’t had a chance to update this as we went along the past 2 weeks, but we did help Erin reach her goal of 2000 dollars for her entry in the PharmaPrix Weekend to End Women’s Cancer. You guys really came through and we can’t thank you enough.
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To update, Hugh from DeBoer Auto came through and picked up Mats’ destroyed mag in which he’s going to hang in his lounge, (what a sweet conversation maker!) and Danny from MontrealRacing.com sent over Jeremy in the MR Media car and picked up the oil change. This, plus Randy, Pam and everyone else who contributed knocked her over the top!
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I showed up at Queen of Angels Academy in Lachine just before they were to set off on Saturday morning, and really, what energy there was floating around…1800 or people all getting ready for day 1 of the hike.
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The sun was out and Erin was lookin ultra cute in her WoodsRacing.ca shirt…(I think WR looks good in pink)
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And after the opening ceremonies, off they went, headed downtown. I stuck around and watched them all leave parade style, greeted by the local firefighters, fans and family. It was truly something to see. I kept in touch with her throughout the day and all went well. Weather held up and no blistering of the feet was had.
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Then came day 2….
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The morning didn’t start so bad..it was a little gray, but not raining yet. We all knew it was coming though. The upper US coast was getting pounded by Irene and it was just a matter of time before she sent her lashes up here. We had RED RED RED weather warnings so we hoped everyone would be safe.
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By late morning, she had come…Irene…whipping rain across the lakeshore and bringing crazy high winds. That didn’t stop Erin and her crew though, no way..they kept on through with a wrapped up knee through whatever Mother Nature could dish out.
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It’s really amazing, I mean, on day 2, walking 30 or so km’s when it would have been just as easy to call it quits…no one would have blamed them with the weather and all. Nope, they kept on pushing and that’s something we don’t see everyday. It’s a great thing that Erin and her crew did, perseverance and will power pushed em through and I applaud em for that.

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Us here at the Woods Racing camp are proud to say we were involved in this. It’s a wonderful thing to help out people when you can. The Montreal Jewish General is in a little better shape after the efforts of all of us, and to those who contributed, sent notes, shared my links and followed the blog, thank you. It really means a lot to us.

Just before the weekend started, Erin had this to say:

The Weekend is about saving lives. It’s about making a difference. It’s about perseverance, endurance, strength and hope. This is my second year participating, and I do it to show my support to those whose lives have been touched by cancer. For every fighter, survivor, and for those we have lost too soon. I walk those 60km because I want to do my part, I too want to make a difference. With the help of so many generous donations, I will be able to do just that. I want to sincerely thank Bannon and Woods Racing for the incredible effort you made to help me with my fundraising. I have reached my goal of raising 2000$ and passed it! You have gone above and beyond and it means the world to me. Your support and encouragement have been amazing. I will proudly wear your logo on my back this weekend, knowing that you really do have my back! Thank you.

I want to also thank the amazing people who stepped up to the plate with items for auction. Jonathan Charbonneau-Waldron from Monster Energy Drink, Louis-Philippe Dube and Technika Industries, Mats Baribeau; Gold in the Net / Canada Synthetic Drift Team, and again Woods Racing / Canada Synthetics… You have made this all possible.

And to every person who has so generously donated or bought items for auction, words cannot express my gratitude. This weekend will not be easy, emotionally or physically, but knowing that I have the support of so many will keep me going, kilometer after kilometer. I won’t let you down! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Erin

Xoxoxo

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” (Anne Frank)

It’s awesome what you did Erin, and thank you for letting us here at the Gofast shop be involved, we’re all really proud of you.

A Monster for the cause!

Bannon — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:53:42 +0000

So as you saw in the previous post, us here at Woods Racing / Canada Synthetics have gotten on board Erin’s team in her walk to end women’s cancer.
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In this post I’ll be giving you updates on who from our side of the quarter mile is going head to head with the battle.
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First off, a huge thanks to Maxime Dulude and Vincent Chénier for stepping up to the plate and knocking out a cool 80 bucks between them in exchange for the 2 cases of Monster Energy Drink.
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Over at the VIA Rail yards here in Montreal they gladly forked over their hard earned dollah’s in the support of the ladies.
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They are the first ones to take something off our auction block and Erin and I send out a huge thanks!
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After I thanked Vince, this is what he had to say:
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No need to say that women fighting cancer are tremendously strong, For sure on this particular picture and shift we were exhausted, but i could step up every days to offer my time to support to the women in this battle ! Because behind every great man in life ,there is a great woman. !! never give up, we’ll always be there for you !!
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Well said Vince!
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Enjoy it boys! Those night shifts sure get long!
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To see the original post, what else is available or how to donate, have a click here to the original post!
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Woods Racing…GONE PINK!