Thunder on the Niagara : Chiasson, Shaw, King et Lupton les grands vainqueurs

The unpredictable weather brought its share of challenges this weekend. While the rainy Saturday hinted at difficulties, the sunny Sunday offered a notable improvement, although conditions remained tough in the afternoon despite favorable winds.  2.5-Litre Class Mathis-Gabriel Chiasson, driving the S-57 How?, dominated for the second consecutive year, ahead of local driver Kenneth Brodie III in the S-50 Centless 15 and Jacob Haineault in the S-2 Novo Racing. Interestingly, Chiasson and Haineault achieved the same results in the qualifiers, highlighting their exceptional performance.   Formula 2500 Class Competition remains fierce in the Formula 2500 class. John Shaw, aboard the F-92 Tenacity, won the final, while Grant Liddycoat finished second, and Samuel Tremblay in the F-113 Another One took third place. The standings are very tight, with only 10 points separating leader Eddie Kanfoush in the F-500 Centless 16 from Grant Liddycoat in the F-97 Send It.   Hydro 350 Class In the absence of his son Bobby, who was retained for an Unlimited class race, Jimmy King took the wheel of the H-242 LDC Construction. The veteran impressed with two victories in the qualifiers and another win in the Hydro 350 class final. Paul Barber in the H-52 Legacy 1 and Marc Lecompte in the H-104 Gestion Unick joined King on the podium. This class demonstrated its balance with ten different winners in the 12 qualifiers.   Martin Rochon had an accident at the start, severely damaging the H-773 RTX Wheels after hitting the water and flipping over. Fortunately, the driver emerged unscathed, and the boat is under repair.   Grand Prix Class Speed was on full display in North Tonawanda, with two drivers, Kennedy in the GP-35 TKO Motorsport and Lupton in the GP-577 Lucas Oil, being the only ones to complete the lap in under 30 seconds during time trials, achieving similar results in the qualifiers.   Unfortunately, the GP-35 was damaged in a collision with the GP-71 The Wild One, driven by Kent Henderson, forcing Kennedy to withdraw from the final. Ken Lupton won the race with less than two seconds ahead of local driver Ken Brodie II in the GP-50 Intensity, while New Zealander Jack Lupton in the GP-33 Lupton Motorsport completed the podium.   Ken Lupton currently holds the top spot in the championship with a total of 565 points, followed by Kennedy with the GP-35 TKO Motorsport at 504 points. Very close in third place is Jack Lupton in the GP-33 JLM Motorsport, with only an 18-point gap.   The season’s finals and winners will be announced on August 31 and September 1 in Beauharnois.