Montréal
June 12, 2004
Starting third on the grid, veteran Normand Boyer from Sainte-Agathe (QC) finished first in the Honda / Michelin Challenge Series race held Saturday at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The Lombardi Honda Driver edged teammate Steven Laporte of Saint-Sauveur (QC) by only four tenths of a second at the end of a hotly disputed 13-lap event. However, due to a technical infraction following post-race inspection, he was disqualified and Laporte was credited with his first win of the season.
 
Benoit Theetge of Beauport (QC), who finished third, inherits second place, finishing ahead of the Hamel Honda of Montrealer Denis Baillargeon. Baillargeon crossed the line in front of Theetge but lost one position at the finish for short cutting corner 15 on the last lap. The two drivers had an encounter several corners prior to the penalty incident when they exchanged paint jobs at the eastern hairpin while Baillargeon passed Theetge for (then) third place.
 
Didier Schraenen of Mont-Saint-Hilaire (QC) was classified as a fourth-place finisher ahead of Frédérick Lelièvre of Mont-Joli (QC). Lelièvre, who started ninth, made a bold move for third place held by Theetge on lap two, but lost part of his rear bumper during his spin and bump, and fell back. Travis Walker of Oakville, Ontario was the top rookie with a sixth-place finish, ahead of Ryan Kelly of London (ON), Emmanuel Boivin-Moreau of Longueuil (QC) and veteran Jacques Duval of Knowlton, (QC). Rookie Kyle Brack of Toronto finished tenth. The race was loaded with action and incidents with several drivers black-flagged for infringing the two-wheel off-course rule or short cutting the track.

Boyer was aggressive from the start, moving by the front-row Honda de Sigi of Kuno Wittmer on the first lap, then the Honda Sainte-Rose of polesitter Nick Wittmer on lap two. He and Nick exchanged the lead a few times in the early goings but it was Boyer first at the Line on each lap.
 
''I had a game plan and it worked,'' said Normand Boyer immediately after the race. ''I knew that both Nick and Kuno (Wittmer) would be under pressure and eventually make mistakes. They did, and I went by each time to move into first. After that, both Steven (Laporte) and Nick, who were drafting, where catching me in the esses just before the pit lane entry, but I was able to pull away from the carrousel of corner 1 until the bridge.'' However, Boyer and his team had no comments following the series officials' decision to disqualify him.
 
Steven Laporte, who started fifth, was second on lap two after passing both Kuno and Nick Wittmer. Then, it was door-to-door banging for Nick and Laporte until the end, which is until Nick was black-flagged on lap 12 for going off-course at the hairpin. ''I had a tremendous start,'' said Laporte.'' Nick (Wittmer) and I battled throughout the race especially at the corner 10 hairpin. He was quicker coming in, but I was able to get him back on the straightway. At the start, I had a great scrap with Benoit (Theetge). We ran side-by-side from corner one to corner five. It was great fun and it was clean.'' Laporte also had no comments on the officials' ruling against his teammate Boyer.
 
Theetge was happy with the results but not surprised about his podium finish. ''I saw Denis (Baillargeon) when he went off in corner 15 and, I was just waiting to see if the officials would apply the rule about short cutting corners. They did,'' said the Auto Frank & Michel sponsored driver. He got by me at the hairpin because I missed a shift, but I applied pressure until the end, and he made a mistake going off-track. The team made a change prior to the race, and that was a mistake because I ended up with no straight-line speed. So, I modified my driving style, being more aggressive in the slow parts of the track in order to keep up with the leaders.''

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (May 23, 2004)
Starting at the back of the 18-car grid, Normand Boyer of Ste-Agathe, Québec worked his way up the field to win the inaugural Honda / Michelin Challenge Series race held Sunday at Mosport International Raceway. The veteran race driver used his wet weather condition experience to hold off rookie driver Frédérick Lelièvre of Mont-Joli, Quebec on the last turn of the 16-lap race to cross the finish line with only a half second lead. Third place went to another rookie, Kuno Wittmer of Montreal. Quebec drivers dominated the field taking the top eight positions in the race.
 
Nick Wittmer, brother of Kuno, brought his Honda Ste-Rose in fourth place ahead of Robert Boyer of Ste-Anne-des-Lacs. Boyer had a great last lap, passing the Hamel Honda of Montrealer Denis Baillargeon and the Énergie/RDS/NAPA Honda Civic of Didier Schraenen of Mont-St-Hilaire.
 
''On the grid, I said to myself that a podium finish would be great,'' said winner Normand Boyer. Then, when I found myself in fifth place after only two laps and saw that the rookies ahead of me were making small mistakes, I said, let's go for the win and I did. On the last lap, I made a slight mistake and I put my Lombardi Honda a bit sideways, but I was able to hold off Frédérick (Lelièvre) by staying on the race line.''
 
As for Lelièvre, he was happy to bring his Rimouski Lamontagne Auto Honda home in second place. ''We started the race on dry set-ups and I kept it on the track the whole time, said the rookie driver. I led the race twice and learned a lot today in the wet. I know I can win. I made a few mistakes, but obviously less than most of the others as I finished second. I had a good run with Normand. Twice we were side-by-side, but he had the racing line. It looks good for Montreal.''

 
Kuno Wittmer also had a run at it, leading the race for four laps, but went off slightly and lost the lead to finish third. ''I'm happy with the results, said Kuno. I have little experience in the rain and had no idea where the racing line was in the wet. Yet, I managed to lead the race. It's great for the whole Honda de Sigi team with my brother finishing fourth. I could see him in my mirrors but I knew that my lead was good for third place if I stayed on the track. I learned a lot today following Normand (Boyer). You can see that he's experienced. A podium finish on my first race is great. A win would have been nice, but It's the title that I want.''
 
Polesitter Ryan Kelly of London (ON) led through the first turn but his inexperience in the rain cost him as he slid slowly down the field to finish ninth overall. ''This was a learning experience,'' said the London, Ontario rookie. ''I have very little experience in the rain and it was raining very hard. I brought the KelCoating Honda back in the pits in one piece and that was important. Let's hope that the next race is run under sunny skies.''
 
The next round of the Honda / Michelin Challenge Series will be held on Saturday June 12 as part of the Grand Prix du Canada

- INTERESTING LINKS -

Honda Michelin Serie Official Web Site