Pure Stock Champion John Robidoux: How Bizarre
When John was a young lad, he would come to Seekonk Speedway and enjoy the thrill shows. Then, he started competing in them, running the Enduro events on those thrill shows. The excitement, the thrill, and the crowd are what captured him.
After competing in them for a few years, he was hankering for a chance at a more controlled, more ruled class of competition. That’s where the Pure Stocks came into play. “The enduros were a ton of fun, with no pressure,” said John, “but there were all different types of cars, and really no rules as far as contact.”
John made the move with the blessing of his girlfriend, Gretchen Perry, and has had some success over the years. How was his first taste of Pure Stock racing? Let’s just say he “flipped” over it. The right rear tire came off on his first lap, and he found out what it is like to be upside down in a car.
For the first couple of years, he was helping his brother Bill Chouinard win championships, but really wanted to compete himself, so they teamed up to compete. They found it was not difficult to race hard together, and not let the emotions get in the way of their relationship.SS5_2142_3241
2012 was John’s best year, where he picked up a couple of wins and finished second in the championship chase. What hold the future for John and his team? “I would love to move up into the Street Stocks and run,” said John. “I have some friends that compete in the Streets, and the biggest thing keeping me back is the money.” John has learned that whether it’s a Pure Stock or a Late Model, the time spent on the cars is about the same. The biggest difference is the money spent on the cars.
When he isn’t working on his Monte Carlo Pure Stock, he is either traveling for work as a union industrial painter, where he has worked from Maine to NY. He also enjoys spending time with his boys, Brent and Bryson, who are 5 and 3 respectively. Together, along with Gretchen, they enjoy doing a little traveling, and found that their favorite spot is Disney.
John doesn’t only work on his own car these days, he has teamed up with Ed Gould, and also helps out Justin Travis in the Streets, and has helped Gerry DeGasparre for a few years as well.
His team consists of himself, Gretchen Perry, Justin Rioux, Justin Travis, John Robidoux, Bill Chouinard, Ed Gould and Richie DeCosta.
Sources:SeekonkSpeedway.com