Derek Gluchacki Takes CAN-AM 200 Victory for American Sweep of ACT Events in Quebec
Montmagny, QC — After rain pushed Saturday’s originally scheduled program back to Sunday, July 23rd, twenty-nine American-Canadian Tour Late Model teams made the trip to Montmagny, Quebec, Canada for the CAN-AM 200. A $ 10,000-to-win special for the touring stars saw eight Americans make the drive north to the 3/8-mile speed plant to battle with twenty-one of Quebec’s best short track stars. The battles were mighty as all twenty-nine pilots chased down the prize at one of the trickiest ovals on the schedule.
Three qualifying heat races started the afternoon with the ACT Plus/Minus handicap hard at work on the very competitive teams present. By virtue of his +3 earned in heat two, local favorite William Larue took down the pole with championship chaser Gabe Brown to his outside with a +2 earned in heat one. Following the full field presentation before the crowd on hand and the fans across the globe on Racing America, the CAN-AM 200 was underway.
While Brown began to fall back, Patrick Laperle was far from keeping the status quo as he started to muscle his way under Michael Lavoie and Mathieu Kingsbury for fifth at the get-go. The first caution would fly on lap 8 as Zackary Fauteaux slapped the frontstretch wall hard across the hood of Christopher Bedard, ending his day early with a destroyed A-Frame. Back underway, Larue faced off against Jonathan Bouvrette at the front with Larue keeping his lead and starting to stretch away from Bouvrette, Kingsbury, Laperle, and Erick Sands while teammate Raphael Lessard began a methodical and calculated drive up through the field from his 26th-place starting position.
Lap-traffic began to slow Larue’s advance and allowed Bouvrette to make up real estate enough to steal away the lead on lap 70 before the first caution for a stopped Jean-Francois Dery in turn two. The restart saw Bouvrette ride high in turn one with a loose machine and Larue ducked low to steal back the lead. Following the lap 101 competition caution as teams threw on tires and made adjustments, it was Larue versus Kingsbury out front under the return to green.
After making the slow march from a 10th-place starting position, Derek Gluchacki moved into second on lap 110 to begin stalking Larue. Over the next thirty laps, the two were side-by-side, switching lanes on each other with the occasional door bang or bumper tap until Gluchacki finally edged Larue at the line to lead 148. After a hard slap and go with the front stretch wall out of turn four, Bouvrette’s Duroking Ford lost a right rear tire, sending him spinning into the dirt above turn one to call out the caution with 28 laps remaining.
Gluchacki took on a fierce battle with Kingsbury at the final restart but continued to show the way. In a day that started with a late arrival, an absolutely backwards set-up, and a frustrated driver and crew, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts-own Derek Gluchacki took down the $10,000 win in the CAN-AM 200 at Autodrome Montmagny for this third American-Canadian Tour win of the season. Mathieu Kingsbury took down second place followed by Claude Leclerc 150 winner Jimmy Renfrew, Jr.
D.J. Shaw also battled an ill-handling car, making late adjustments to come back from the middle of the pack and finish fourth with Patrick Laperle rounding out the top-five. Maxime Gauvreau took sixth with hard-charger Raphael Lessard coming from 26th to claim seventh followed by teammate William Larue, Gabe Brown salvaging a ninth-place finish with rookie Tanner Woodard taking tenth.
The American-Canadian Tour returns to its New Hampshire home for the second $10,000-to-win show of the season at White Mountain Motorsports Park for the 6th annual Milton CAT Midsummer Classic 250 on Saturday, August 5th. Once again the highlight of the summer season, the Milton CAT Midsummer 250 will feature an all-star lineup from New England and Quebec as each driver looks to join the legendary American-Canadian Tour wins list and take the $10,000 check home!
For more information about the American-Canadian Tour, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.
Autodrome Montmagny Speedway – Montmagny, QC
ACT CAN-AM 200
Saturday, July 22, 2023
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
- 03MADerek Gluchacki North Dartmouth, MA
- 9QCMathieu Kingsbury Blainville, QC
- 00NHJimmy Renfrew Jr. Candia, NH
- 04VTD.J. Shaw Center Conway, NH
- 91QCPatrick Laperle St-Denis, QC
- 17QCMaxime Gauvreau St-Marie de Richelieu, QC
- 48QCRaphael Lessard St-Joseph-de-Beauce, QC
- 55QCWilliam Larue Quebec City, QC
- 60MEGabe Brown Center Conway, NH
- 68NH#Tanner Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT
- 37QCDany Gariepy Quebec City, QC
- 77NH#Bryan Wall Jr. E. Kingston, NH
- 21QCAlexendre Tardif Notre Dame des Pins, QC
- 78QCMichael Lavoie Chicoutimi, QC
- 72QCLouis-Philippe Lauzier St-Pacome, QC
- 36NHErick Sands Derry, NH
- 66QCSimon Roussin Quebec City, QC
- 21TNJean-Francois Dery Quebec, Quebec
- 44QCPatrick Cliché Levis, QC
- 41QCJonathan Bouvrette Blainville, QC
- 83QCMartin Goulet Montreal, QC
- 19QCDany Trepanier St-Edouard,QC
- 31CT#Andrew Molleur Shelton, CT
- 33QCRemi Perreault Joliette, QC
- 31QCSteven Boissoneault Lyster, QC
- 11QCClaude Leclerc Lanoraie, QC
- 15QCChristopher Bedard Levis, QC
- 54QCDave Coursol Ste-Sophie, QC
- 90QCZackary Fauteaux Mascouche, QC
Sources: Cale King/ACT PR
(IMG_1472.jpg): William Larue (55QC) drove from the back of Heat #2 to claim the final qualified spot with a +3 handicap to take the Pole.
(IMG_1580.jpg): After taking the lead on lap 148, Derek Gluchacki faced opposition from Larue and Mathieu Kingsbury (9QC) but maintained his position through and through.
(IMG_8466.jpg): American-Canadian Tour CAN-AM 200 victory lane (L-R) Mathieu Kingsbury (2nd), winner Derek Gluchacki, Jimmy Renfrew Jr. (3rd).
(Christian Genest photos)