Recapping The ’24 Pro Stock & Mini Stock Seasons At Cornwall; New Race Director Announced
Story By: MARTIN BELANGER / CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY – CORNWALL, ONT – As we are about to turn the page on 2024, it is now time to look back at the great year in our regular divisions.
We are starting our 2024 season recap with the Alexandria Home Hardware Pro-Stock and Ricks Ranch Mini-Stock classes.
The 55th season started strong for the Pro-Stock, as the Clyde Sligner Pro-Stock Series was in town on May 19th. Marc Lalonde won the feature, paving the way toward his 2024 track championship. Lalonde triumphed over more than 25 competitors. On June 2nd, the $5,555-to-win event brought in 35 of the best drivers in the area. Sid Harmer Jr. won the 55-lap race, finishing ahead of Yves Hamel and Marc Lalonde. With two wins during the season, Marc Lalonde secured the Alexandria Home Hardware championship with consistent finishes, edging out Kevin Fetterly, Jocelyn Roy, Jonathan Levesque, and Rock Aubin.
The 2025 season will feature some returning faces. Former track champion Dave Seguin made an appearance during the Canadian Super DIRT Weekend, along with veteran driver Stéphane Lebrun, who could return as a regular to compete for the championship. Adding these two veterans would boost the talent in the full-fender division!
Like the Pro-Stock, the Mini-Stock season started on opening night with the Eastern Ontario Mini-Stock Showdown. Antoine Dumouchel emerged as the best in a stellar field of 28 cars. Dumouchel started the season strong, winning several events early on and putting himself into contention for the track championship. Consistency paid off for Brandon MacMillan, who secured the track championship on the final night of the season with a slim 7-point lead over Travis Lamarche. Dumouchel finished in third. We have seen a few new faces in the winner’s circle, with Christopher Proulx and Adrian Black capturing feature wins.
Next year looks promising, as most drivers will return. We will crown a new champion, with Brandon McMillan taking a year off to focus on being a car owner for 2025. This opens the title chase for contenders such as Lamarche, Dumouchel, Proulx, Carl Gorry, Black, and Martin Bernard.
With Cornwall returning under DIRTcar sanction, a DIRTcar Pro-Stock Series event is expected to be added to the 2025 calendar, along with the return of the local series under a new sponsor, which will be announced in January. As for the Mini-Stocks, the Eastern Ontario Mini-Stock Showdown will return, with Brockville also involved. Both divisions should expect to see a calendar format like last season.
Jason Aikman Named Race Director
Announcements regarding the 2025 season at Cornwall Motor Speedway continue, with Jason Aikman being hired as the new Race Director for the upcoming season.
Aikman is no stranger to this key role, having replaced former race director Joel Doiron on numerous occasions in recent years, not only on the big track but also at DIRT Raceway Park on Tuesdays.
Jason has been working at the speedway for more than 20 years. He started in 2002, selling race fuel in the pits, and became a race official the following year, working on the staging lane and directing traffic in the pit area. In 2005, he became a flagman and has been on the stand since. He has also served as acting race director on various occasions.
A Cornwall resident and passionate race fan, Aikman will bring his racing knowledge and experience to the role. He will be able to communicate with drivers and race teams in both English and French. Having been part of the race officials’ group for more than two decades, the transition to the role should be smooth as the entire team of officials returns, bringing stability as the speedway will be sanctioned under DIRTcar effective next summer.
After serving as race director since the 2017 season, Joel Doiron has decided to retire from this role. The former 358-Modified track champion at the speedway is stepping away from racing to focus on new personal projects. The Lavergne family would like to thank Joel for his work and dedication over the last 7 years and wish him the best in his future endeavors.
The management team is hard at work preparing another stellar 2025 calendar. Many key dates have already been announced, with more to come after the holiday season.
