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AND THE WINNERS
ARE...
Ron Fellows
dominates this year’s Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards voting
By Greg MacPherson
I doubt that Ron
Fellows has ever been compared to Sally Field before, but I couldn’t
help but drawing that link as we went over the results for the
Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, presented by Castrol.
The honours are
based on the performances of Canadian racers at home and on the
international stage, recognizing the best current and ‘up and
coming’ talents we have to offer.
In 1985, actress
Sally Field took to the stage after winning the ‘Oscar’ for her role
in the movie Places in the Heart. In one of the most memorable
speeches in awards show history, she gushed: “I haven’t had an
orthodox career, and I’ve wanted more than anything to have your
respect… And I can’t deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you
like me!”
Not that he didn’t
feel the love prior to today, but that’s undoubtedly how Ron Fellows
will react to learn that he was your choice in a whopping four
categories.
Like Field, the
Oakville, ON racer hasn’t become #1 in the hearts of Canadian racing
aficionados by competing in the supposed top series like F1,
ChampCar or NASCAR. Rather, he has climbed to an unequalled place of
respect and admiration through his superb performances in
‘unorthodox’ series like the Player’s / GM, Trans-Am and ALMS tours,
among others.
Based on your
ballots, Ron Fellows led the way in voting for: ‘Overall Canadian
Racer of the Year’, ‘Canadian Road Racer of the Year’, and ‘Canadian
Racer of the Year Competing at the Highest Levels of International
Competition’. And in what might be the biggest honour, he was also
the peoples’ choice as ‘Most Deserving of Induction into the
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.’
Wow. What more can
you say?
Fellows has written
an incredible resume of victories and has represented himself and
Canada with class at every opportunity. And even though he is still
very active behind the wheel, he is arguably our most effective
worker in terms of building an infrastructure to perpetuate Canada’s
future place in motorsports.
It’s clear that
many of you ‘really like’ Ron Fellows. And for good reason.
Looking at some
other categories, Don Thomson Jr. is a first-time ITMN Readers’
Choice Awards winner. In 2005, the CASCAR driver earned his fifth
Super Series National championship in a row, extending his string of
major CASCAR crowns to seven in as many years, when you count the
Eastern titles he won immediately prior to that.
Thomson narrowly
edged out veteran Atlantic Canadian racing legend – and Cdn.
Motorsport Hall of Fame member – Rollie MacDonald for the honour of
being ‘Canada’s Stock Car Racer of the Year’ as voted by Inside
Track’s readers.
Turning to drag
racing, Ontario’s Carl Spiering got your nod as the Canadian Drag
Racer of the Year. ‘The Big Dog’ stepped it up in ’05, capturing the
IHRA Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified Shootout and the IHRA ACDelco
Nationals as well as a third-place finish in the IHRA World
Championship National Event Tour.
For the second year
in a row, motocross racer Jean Sebastien Roy was your pick for
Canadian Motorcycle Racer of the Year. Known affectionately as ‘JSR’,
the Acton Vale, QC resident earned his fifth 250cc Canadian
Championship in 2005.
Congratulations to
all of these individuals for their success in 2005, and thanks to
all of you for taking the time to visit our website to offer your
opinions and votes. Without your participation, these awards
wouldn’t exist.
As well, we would
like to recognize the support of presenting sponsor Castrol Canada
for helping to make this program possible. We also appreciate the
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame for incorporating several Readers’
Choice Award winners into their new member gala celebration, as
inductee presenters.
2005 Winners
(Based on voting
in the winter / spring of 2006)
Overall Canadian
Racer of the Year
1. Ron Fellows
(19.1%)
2. Sean McIntosh
(13.6%)
3. Don Thomson Jr.
(8.5%)
Stock Car Racer
of the Year
1. Don Thomson Jr.
(14.2%)
2. Rollie MacDonald
(13.2%)
3. Rob Clarke
(8.8%)
Up & Coming
Stock Car Racer of the Year
1. Ed Bowlby
(10.8%)
2. Pete Shepherd
III (10.2%)
3. Shawn Turple
(9.7%)
Road Racer of
the Year
1. Ron Fellows
(35.9%)
2. Sean McIntosh
(26.5%)
Up & Coming Road
Racer of the Year
1. Travis Walker
(30.6%)
2. Sean McIntosh
(25.3%)
3. Robbie Wickens
(17.0%)
Motorcycle Racer
of the Year
1. Jean Sebastien
Roy (37.2%)
2. Miguel Duhamel
(17.6%)
3. Pascal Picotte
(9.8%)
Up & Coming
Motorcycle Racer of the Year
1. Harley Dunn
(34.5%)
2. Cameron
MacAlpine (18.1%)
3. Steven Nickerson
(9%)
Drag Racer of
the Year
1. Carl Spiering
(21.0%)
2. Rob Atchison
(19.2%)
3. Todd Paton
(10.5%)
Kart Racer of
the Year
1. Robbie Wickens
(34%)
2. Kyle Marcelli
(28.6%)
3. Andy Tallman
(9.5%)
Rally Racer of
the Year
1. Pat Richard
(28.6%)
2. Peter Thomson
(21.4%)
Cdn. Racer of
the Year Competing at the Highest Levels of Int’l Competition
1. Ron Fellows
(25.2%)
2. Sean McIntosh
(8.9%)
3. Paul Tracy
(8.1%)
Most Deserving
of Induction in the Cdn. Motorsport Hall of Fame
1. Ron Fellows
(20.8%)
2. Scott Fraser
(16.5%)
3. Paul Tracy
(3.8%)
3. David Empringham
(3.8%)
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