Woods Racing

Last night while I was walking around at the Autodrome St. Eustache, looking at the cars, watching the people, listening to the radial tires do insanely overdone burnouts…I began to wonder…why is it, that this little unprepared, makeshift drag track attracts so many people? Is it the crowd? The cheap $8 entrance fee? The girls? (Yes, there are plenty of short shorts) Or what?

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Well, I decided to ask…

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I met up with a couple Mustang guys, Jimmy and Mike…well…they were the ones racing, Mike was actually driving Patrice’s car. These 3 guys, all cousins, came out to play around with the Mustangs and have a good time.

Mike, who was driving Patrice’s black Saleen clone, has been racing for 10 years. This GT is outfitted with a Methanol cooled Vortech supercharger, exhaust, some slicks and other go fast goodies.

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Jimmy, who has been racing for about 1 year, is driving the silver GT outfitted with a BBK CAI, BBK–>Flowmaster exhaust, some slicks and a race clutch.

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I caught up with them just before they were to do a pass…

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I asked them why they came all the way from the South Shore, about 45 minutes, to indulge in this great art we call drag racing.

Since it’s a lower scale track, I learned that it’s not always about that..of course, there is more to racing than racing…Jimmy continued to tell me that they come for the ambiance, lot’s of things to see and do while Patrice comes because he likes the layout of the Autodrome..Mike likes the fact that it’s not too serious like other drag tracks around…they can all come, have fun, see some cool cars and race a little bit.

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I can understand that…if you look at the big venues, there is tons of stuff to see, the spectator and crowd is 50% of the racing…it’s not always about the cars.

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So merci beacoup to Jimmy, Mike and Patrice for giving me a few minutes of their time and good luck in the future!

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Oh..and if you’re wondering…Mike beat Jimmy in that race…naturally since Patrice has the blower on the car…but don’t count Jimmy out..I bet he’s got all kinds of go fast plans to give em a run for their money!

Jul 23rd by Bannon

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Yup…Autodrome St. Eustache…that’s where I was last night. Why? Well…wanted to check up on the crowd that was there, see if there were any upgrades to the track, and well..for more selfish reasons, it’s just good visibility for us.

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The “dragway” there at the Autodrome, isn’t really a dragway… it’s an 1/8th mile, which is provided by the straightaway of the lapping course, a makeshift launch tree and a whole bunch of kids and their cars.

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It’s by no means professional, so if you’re looking to snag you’re best time…this isn’t the track for you. But what it is…is an evening of..”Hey…let’s go beat up the car for a few hours” kinda thing.

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Now…it’s different how they have it set up. Along the raceway, there is the standard 2 foot cement wall and behind it is where the spectators stand. Literally a foot from the radial screechs of the Protoge’s and Civic’s.

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On the other side of the track (via a little walkway across the track) is the standard bleacher style stands. Now..oddly enough, in this fenced in, safe area, you’re not allowed to bring alcohol…but right in front of the 2 foot barrier within grabbing distance of the cars, heck, feel free to drink all you want. I found that bizarre, but hey…I don’t make the rules.

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Parking is plentiful, well..unless you’re changing tires to slicks..then you’re pretty much stuck doing it on the road cause we all know about jacking a car on grass…but it can be done.

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The caliber of car is also..different. Its mostly younger kids beating up on their first car…or their parents sedan for that matter, but they line quickly turns into really nice cars. It’s like there is no “middle class” race types. Beaters, then invested cars. There are also a lot more girls racing here, which is always a good thing. Creates a good aura for the crowd.

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Overall, it’s a fun night that no one really takes seriously..well, and serious racer anyway…but hey, if you’re looking to kill an evening, head up there with your buddies and tear up the track!

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Jul 23rd by Bannon

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