Maritime racers Gregg Lawton (4th from right) and Jeremy Sherriff (5th from right) at the largest onroad race in Canada
The 2018 Canadian Onroad Nationals were held March 23, 24, 25th in Welland Ontario, just outside Niagara Falls at the Seaway Mall. This event attracts racers from across Canada and the US, with individuals coming all the way from Dubai and Japan. This is the largest event in Canada for indoor onroad.
This was the first time the Maritime racers faced the CRC black carpet and it was quite an adjustment for tuning the cars to the track. Another thing to contend with at these big races is you get no practice laps to test any last minute adjustments, you just drop the car and go!
Touring Super Stock 17.5 E-Main – LAPTIMES
The TC 17.5 Super Stock class is a very competitive field with a large group of drivers with 87 entries and 8 heats/mains that went from A to H. The e-main represents a mid pack qualification against this very deep field of drivers.
In the race Gregg was able to get off to a good start, jumping to 2nd place after the first lap. On the 2nd lap there was a collision as 3rd place ran into Gregg causing his car to cartwheel over the start/finish line missing his lap. His race continued until his car caught the edge of a loose board and his car was unable to finish.
Jeremy had a great race, after working through handling issues on his TC car he was able to get it to the point it was comfortable to drive at the 17.5 speeds. After a high quality run he was able to improve his position in the race to finish 6th.
Final order: Jeremy Sherriff 6th, Gregg Lawton 9th
U.S.G.T. 21.5 F-Main – LAPTIMES
USGT was the largest field at the event with 96 registered drivers. The heats/mains stretched from the A-main to the I-main. F-main represents a solid qualification in this very tight field of drivers.
Jeremy had been working hard on setup changes over the race weekend and found the magic setup in time for the final. He was able to grab the lead early and remain unchallenged through the race. Again, a high quality driving performance improved his standing in the race and he was able to take 1st overall.
Final Order: Jeremy Sherriff 1st
U.S.G.T. 21.5 C-Main – LAPTIMES
USGT was the largest field at the event with 96 registered drivers. The heats/mains stretched from the A-main to the I-main. C-main represents an very solid qualification in this very tight field of drivers, where A-main is probably unattainable considering the amount of sponsored drivers in the class.
Gregg qualified 10th in the field, but was able to take advantage of the leaders tapping boards and allowing him to squeak to 3rd early in the race. Throughout the race he was pressured by the 4th place driver who would catch up but tap a board allowing some breathing room for a couple of laps. On the last lap it went down to a drag race on the straight to hold 3rd.
Final order: Gregg Lawton 3rd
Race Pics – Full Album HERE
