The second day of the Duel in the Desert was definitely the Canadians day to shine! The starting position for the heats is determined by a pill draw, unfortunately (or fortunately...for some!) it seemed very difficult for anyone to really shine from the rear of the field...so the better the starting position the better chances of finishing top two...for most racers anyways!
#27EH...or Hollywood as folk around here like to call him, had a good pill draw and a good finish in his heat. This put him in a good starting position for the B-main where he finished 2nd...and a spot in the A-main!
#69...Jason 'Frenchie' Lacelle ...is not only the 2009 BCR track champion, but ALSO the 2009 Canadian IMCA Champion. Frenchie and his engine builder Garry have made quite the team, both on and off the track lol! Over the season I've gotten to know them quite well and I am very proud to call them friends. 
Frenchie was in the second heat and the track was exactly how he likes it...tacky! Remember how in my Swift Current blog I posted how racing on 3 wheels probably isn't always the fasted...he proved me VERY wrong! I can't even begin to tell you how many times I heard Katie say 'that Crazy Frenchman's got his car all jacked up'...it was wild!
Anyways, on the first lap that crazy Frenchman made a big move and passed a handful of cars on the outside of corner 4...it was a very aggressive but successful move! A few laps later he took the lead, what a adrenaline rush...I literally started shaking I was so excited! Unfortunately a mistake cost him the lead but he was still in second until his engine blew...crap! Still an AWESOME race to watch...wow!
#44A - Steve Arpin is another Canadian driver, he raced in the NASCAR ARCA series this year (think 2 levels below the 'popular' NASCAR cars) so that might give you a idea about his success. He placed 2nd in his heat also guaranteeing him a place in the A-main.
#90 - Jason Beaulieu is a top contender in the NPP Late Model series, they race across Alberta and into Washington, however he also competes in a handful of modified races each year. The best way I can describe his heat was that he was on a mission. He started near the back, and he worked his way to the front...he drove a heck of a race and became the third Canadian to qualify for the A-main that day. 
#59 - John Barber...I've mentioned it before but I'm a huge fan of John Barber...his quality of racing first caught my attention, and then over the last few years his attitude both on and off the track has gained him my respect...he is a Champion in every sense of the word! He started his heat mid-pack but had some snakey idiots ahead of him and while he was avoiding getting caught in THEIR messes he was shuffled back. It was the one time over the whole weekend I remember wanting to smack some drivers! HOWEVER he managed to pick his way back to 6th by passing on the outside of corner 4...his car was working AWESOME there...it was a cool line and not one many other cars/drivers could handle...very neat to watch! Its hard to tell but his is the purple/blue car in the center of this picture. 
Finally, #9 - Roger Bonneville finished 2nd in his heat becoming the 4th Canadian to qualify for the A-mains. This is a record for us! Until that day the only Canadian to ever qualify for an A-main at the Duel was Steve Arpin...I was VERY excited for our guys!
We started off with a bang, and while Arpin finished 2nd in his main, the remaining Canadians fell short. #90 was off to a great start, slowly picking cars off, and then something seemed 'off' and a few laps later he was off the pace. Found out later he had a tire go down, unfortunately on his way off the track he was literally run over...in my opinion it was the worst wreck of the entire weekend. I was super disappointed for him and to make matters worse his car was essentially totalled.
Again...hard to see in this picture...but the inside 3rd car from the front is the #44A...and about the 7th car from the end is the #90...you can just see the maple leaf on his nose. 
Kathy, Terry & Katie enjoying the show!
This is almost the entire pits from the spectator stands...trust me...its way more impressive in real life!
You can see the Strip from the track...pretty cool huh!
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