Durham Racers On-Track at Historic Mosport Circuit

Vortex Brake Pads 200 Is Round Four In NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Season

Oshawa’s David Thorndyke and Ajax’s Joey McColm will be competing at their home track in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Vortex Brake Pads 200 at Mosport International Raceway on June 26.

Thorndyke is running a limited season schedule in his #67 Thorsons EVT 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, with this weekend being his first time out in the car in 2011. He will be sticking to the road courses in this year which includes the Toronto Street Course on July 9, The Grand-Prix de Trois Rivieres on August 7 and conclude at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 20.

“We have done a lot of improvements to the car this year, Thorndyke explained.” “They may not be noticeable to look at, but should show up once we are on the track.”

The 53-year-old will be looking to rebound after a disappointing weekend at Mosport in 2010 where mechanical difficulties retired the race car after five laps in practice.

“Hopefully we will have better luck this year,” proclaimed Thorndyke. “Just being able to finish the race at my hometown track would be huge. With the changes that we made at the tail end of last season, we were able to get about five seconds a lap faster so we are hoping for big gains at Mosport. A top-10 result would be a win for our team.”

Thorndyke is the president of Thorsons EVT (Enclosed Vehicle Transportation) which he runs with his brother. The fleet of trucks all are 53 feet and they haul cars from coast to coast.

“All of our transports are enclosed,” explained Thorndyke. “There are no open carriers so that what we transport is protected.”

A native of Ajax, McColm is a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Veteran at the tender age of 25. He has been with the series since its inception back in 2007. The Vortex Brake Pads 200 will be his first race of 2011 and is hopeful to run a few more this season. McColm who will be driving the #50 Race Time Radio Dodge Avenger will be looking for a strong start to his season and hopes for a top-10 finish.

“I love racing at Mosport,” McColm said. “It’s truly a driver’s track. It’s like a roller coaster out there and it’s so much fun to drive on. Being a local racer, it’s an added bonus because I consider it my home track and I am proud to compete here.”

McColm has been noted as one of the more personable drivers in the series and can often be seen signing autographs and interacting with his many fans.

Off-track the 25-year-old recently graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Ryerson University in Toronto. McColm is also involved in several charities including his new partnership with Earth Day Canada.

“I am really excited to be working with Earth Day Canada,” he explained. “We will be looking to bring a lot of sustainable products into the world of NASCAR. Some of the initiatives that we will focus on is developing a waste program at the facilities that we go to and to look at our team practices such as using bio-diesel in the haulers.”

Racing starts Friday (June 24) with a full-day of testing for all series’ but the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Saturday (June 25) will have both practice and qualifying in the morning, followed by races for the Castrol Touring cars, OFFC-F1600 and Porsche 944 Cup. Sunday (June 26) morning opens with more qualifying and then races in Porsche 944 Cup, NASCAR, Castrol Touring and OFFC-F1600 to close out the weekend.

For more information and to purchase tickets call the Mosport Hotline at 1-800-866-1072 (Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm ET), visit online at www.mosport.com, or email info@mosport.com

 

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