As co-organizers of the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge held April 1-3, 2011 at Circuit Grand Bayou in Belle Rose, LA, we want to say "Thank You" to everyone that supported the event this year - racers, sponsors, spectators, volunteers, and all those who work so hard behind the scene to make our event successful year after year. We didn't reach the fundraising level we achieved last year, but can't complain. Raising approximately $30,000 to support the autism programs at St. Mary's Residential Training School is still a very good thing! A full event report can be found at http://www.grandbayoucharitychallenge.org/.
Now, time for the Mike Poupart Motorsports race report....
This event was a debut of the new paint scheme (graphics wrap) on the #98 Liberto Cleaners GT1 Corvette driven by owner, Johnny Walter. Mike & Patty Poupart shared the #28 Panoz GTLS sporting sponsorship graphics on behalf of Provosty & Gankendorff, L.L.C., LarGo, L.L.C., and SyNerGy Adjusting Corporation.
Mike & Patty had not raced in about a year while it had been 18 mos. since the Liberto Cleaners Corvette had put tires to asphalt. We all spent a little bit of time on the track during Friday's race practice shaking out the cobwebs. It would help going into warm-up and qualifying with a sense of comfort about how the car feels and handles. While Johnny ran some laps in the warm-up session on Saturday morning, Mike & Patty opted to skip it to save the tires. It was decided that Patty would qualify the car and Mike would race it in the Heat Race.
After getting all the pre-race coaching from Mike as he was strapping her in the car, a few deep breaths were in order to quell the butterflies before rolling off the grid in mid-pack. After the tires and fluids were sufficiently warmed up, Patty stepped it up a notch and got what she felt were a few good laps put together for a decent qualifying time. After the session and the lap times were posted, Mike went to Patty and fussed that she qualified him in 13th for the Heat Race. At least he wasn't in last place... and he loves to come from the back of the field! "But 13th!" he whined. Her reply... "Yah, sucks to be you!"
Just before the GT Heat Race started in the afternoon, Patty got an awesome opportunity to go up in a helicopter to shoot photos of the race. From above the track, she was able to watch him start near the back and make it half-way to the front of the field before completing the first lap. Unfortunately, Mike experienced brake fade going into turn 1 towards the end of the race which seemed to resolve by turns 2 and 3, before reappearing at turn 4. Feeling that it was more important to live than finish the race, Mike retired early. Meanwhile, Johnny had an issue that was originally thought to be a broken rear end and his car was towed in. Later, after dinner & a couple of drinks, the guys decided to take a closer look. They rigged up some lighting and removed the rear body panels to find that the frame section to which the rear end is bolted was broken! Nope, can't fix that overnight!
Sunday morning brought our son, Robbie, back to the track to do the awesome job he always does with crewing for the team. He assisted Mike in bleeding the brakes on the Panoz and getting the car ready for the day's racing. We missed warm-up and with yesterday's brake issues, Patty decided that Mike would be better in the car for the Feature Race. Again starting near the back of the field, Mike was doing a great job until he spun between turns 10 and 11. He also gained style points for the double 360 degree spin! Even though a body panel broke when the car went into the grass, he retired early bringing the car in under its own power.
This event was special for the Pouparts in that it was a first road race attendance for the newest member of the team - Jackson Rhys Poupart, born March 7, 2011 to Mike's oldest son, Shane, and his wife, Courtney. And let's not forget about Cole Poupart - son of Robbie Poupart and Heather Melancon! At 13 months old, Cole rode in the race car to the grid with his Daddy and his Pops! It is always great to have the family in attendance for support!
All in all, we had a great time and so did the other racers, putting on a good show for the spectators! Meanwhile, we'll keep you posted on the next time we go racing!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Monday, November 2, 2009
2009-2010 Gulf Coast Race Series - Race #2
Racers and spectators were blessed with a beautiful weekend of perfect fall weather for Round 2 of the 2009-2010 Gulf Coast Race Series at Circuit Grand Bayou. The November 1st race challenged the racers to a little extra "trick or treating" on the track in case they didn't get enough Halloween festivities. The Mike Poupart Motorsports paddock area was looking a little more normal with three cars for this event. Crew duties were headed up once again by Robbie Poupart with support from Patty Poupart, Heather Melancon, and Shane Poupart.
Johnny Walter returned for his first outing since the charity race last April with the needed repairs complete on his car. The new black hood and light gray bumper were obvious on his #98 GT1 Corvette, but others wondered what other new "tricks" he might be bringing to the track. He would be racing against close friend and teammate, Christian Francois who had a good points lead by finishing 1st in GT1 with his #77 Corvette at the last race and hoping for a repeat "treat". Mike Poupart got the steering arm issue resolved and returned with the #28 Panoz in the GT2 class.
The practice session was mostly uneventful. Johnny ran only 2 laps coming in to change tires. Mike ran only 5 laps and Christian ran 6. Qualifying was a little more interesting. Mike would be starting on the pole with a qualifying time of 1:19.611 with Chris Wilken (BCI Motorsports #01 Corvette) at P2 with a qualifying time of 1:21.061. Johnny qualified in P7 while Christian would start in P13 next to Moe Douroux (BCI Motorsports #02 Corvette) who completed the back row in P14.
Patty Poupart was on track to photograph the feature races for all of the race groups starting with the GT feature race. The vantage spot was alongside of the front straight tooking towards turn 10 where the green flag drops for each race.
Wilken started on the outside of Poupart and, at the green flag launch, his window net dropped, causing enough distraction to let Poupart take the lead and allowing Doug Boozer (#20 Panoz) to enter turn 10 on the inside of Wilken. Wilken went into the pits to fix the window net and came back onto the track after the entire field had gone through turn 14. After chasing down the field for a couple of laps, he lost his motor taking him out of the race on lap 3. This was Wilken's first race of the 2009-2010 series. His car looked similar to Walter's with a new black hood and light blue molded bumper reflecting changes he has been making in the off-season.
Christian fought hard from the back of the pack and moved up a few spots. He was setting up to pass Scott Dunlap (#2 Grand Prix) and Teddy Busick (#36 Porsche) in lap 9 after clearing turn 14 onto the front straight when he broke the axel on his Corvette. He coasted the remaining distance of the front straight taking the runoff and parking by the oak tree for the remainder of the race. He ended up with a 12th place finish over, but 3rd in GT1.
In retrospect, Poupart and Walter seemed to have an easy race. Both cars were strong throughout the race. Walter finished 6th overall with a 1st place GT1 class win. Poupart took the checkered flag on lap 12 taking the overall win for the GT group and finishing 1st in the GT2 class. His fastest lap was a 1:20.196.
Sunday, December 6th is Round 3 of the series. The points after the first two races are close for the class leaders and we can expect some hot racing in the cooler months as the class battles continue. See you at the track!
Johnny Walter returned for his first outing since the charity race last April with the needed repairs complete on his car. The new black hood and light gray bumper were obvious on his #98 GT1 Corvette, but others wondered what other new "tricks" he might be bringing to the track. He would be racing against close friend and teammate, Christian Francois who had a good points lead by finishing 1st in GT1 with his #77 Corvette at the last race and hoping for a repeat "treat". Mike Poupart got the steering arm issue resolved and returned with the #28 Panoz in the GT2 class.
The practice session was mostly uneventful. Johnny ran only 2 laps coming in to change tires. Mike ran only 5 laps and Christian ran 6. Qualifying was a little more interesting. Mike would be starting on the pole with a qualifying time of 1:19.611 with Chris Wilken (BCI Motorsports #01 Corvette) at P2 with a qualifying time of 1:21.061. Johnny qualified in P7 while Christian would start in P13 next to Moe Douroux (BCI Motorsports #02 Corvette) who completed the back row in P14.
Patty Poupart was on track to photograph the feature races for all of the race groups starting with the GT feature race. The vantage spot was alongside of the front straight tooking towards turn 10 where the green flag drops for each race.
Wilken started on the outside of Poupart and, at the green flag launch, his window net dropped, causing enough distraction to let Poupart take the lead and allowing Doug Boozer (#20 Panoz) to enter turn 10 on the inside of Wilken. Wilken went into the pits to fix the window net and came back onto the track after the entire field had gone through turn 14. After chasing down the field for a couple of laps, he lost his motor taking him out of the race on lap 3. This was Wilken's first race of the 2009-2010 series. His car looked similar to Walter's with a new black hood and light blue molded bumper reflecting changes he has been making in the off-season.
Christian fought hard from the back of the pack and moved up a few spots. He was setting up to pass Scott Dunlap (#2 Grand Prix) and Teddy Busick (#36 Porsche) in lap 9 after clearing turn 14 onto the front straight when he broke the axel on his Corvette. He coasted the remaining distance of the front straight taking the runoff and parking by the oak tree for the remainder of the race. He ended up with a 12th place finish over, but 3rd in GT1.
In retrospect, Poupart and Walter seemed to have an easy race. Both cars were strong throughout the race. Walter finished 6th overall with a 1st place GT1 class win. Poupart took the checkered flag on lap 12 taking the overall win for the GT group and finishing 1st in the GT2 class. His fastest lap was a 1:20.196.
Sunday, December 6th is Round 3 of the series. The points after the first two races are close for the class leaders and we can expect some hot racing in the cooler months as the class battles continue. See you at the track!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
2009-2010 Gulf Coast Race Series - Race #1 Complete!
The 2009-2010 race series started out on the wet side and, for the first time in 8 years, was called a "rain-out" with the feature races being postponed from October 4th to October 17th. Returning two weeks later, the weather was great and there were even more drivers than the previous outing. As an added incentive, any driver who was attended the October 4th rain-out and returned on October 17th was awarded 2 additional bonus points. That was a big help to some drivers who didn't finish well in the feature races.
This year the classes of GT1, GT2, and GT3 are grouped together and Mike Poupart Motorsports had 2 cars running in this group. Christian Francois' yellow #77 Corvette ran in GT1 and Mike Poupart took the orange #28 Panoz GTLS out for its maiden feature race in GT2. Twelve drivers took the green flag for the GT race and boy, was it exciting!
Mike started P2 next to Bob Beasley's Mazda RX-7 "hybrid" and had plenty of room to get around turn 10 and take the race lead. From my viewpoint at the end of the front straightaway wall where I was crouched down shooting photos of the race start, the cars barrelled towards me and then made the jog for turn 1. On lap 2, the motor let go in Gary Small's Porsche 944 and his back wheels caught the oil causing him to skid sideways past the turn, past me, and on through the grass stopping at the edge of the track about halfway to turn 2. The fire/rescue guys that were spotting me grabbed hold of me to make sure I could get back to safety if necessary and, in the excitement of jumping backwards, I failed to get the close-up shot as he went by. It was exciting nonetheless! Another car (Paul Burch - BMW) following a little behind Gary went skidding off the left side of the track just a little further down from where Gary was stopped. A couple more took the runoff at the end of the front straight and around the oak tree. Yellow flags went out and I got behind the wall in a safer position in case someone else got into the oil. It wasn't long before the race was black flagged.
The Panoz had a mechanical issue (left steering arm broke) and was out for the remainder of the race after completing only 1 lap. About 15 minutes of racing was left at the restart. The GT2 race and overall GT win went to Harold Petit (BMW) with Beasley coming in 2nd in both respects. Christian Francois stayed clean all race and brought home the win in GT1 finishing 5th overall in the GT group.
In 2 weeks the group reconvenes for Round 2. Don't miss it!
This year the classes of GT1, GT2, and GT3 are grouped together and Mike Poupart Motorsports had 2 cars running in this group. Christian Francois' yellow #77 Corvette ran in GT1 and Mike Poupart took the orange #28 Panoz GTLS out for its maiden feature race in GT2. Twelve drivers took the green flag for the GT race and boy, was it exciting!
Mike started P2 next to Bob Beasley's Mazda RX-7 "hybrid" and had plenty of room to get around turn 10 and take the race lead. From my viewpoint at the end of the front straightaway wall where I was crouched down shooting photos of the race start, the cars barrelled towards me and then made the jog for turn 1. On lap 2, the motor let go in Gary Small's Porsche 944 and his back wheels caught the oil causing him to skid sideways past the turn, past me, and on through the grass stopping at the edge of the track about halfway to turn 2. The fire/rescue guys that were spotting me grabbed hold of me to make sure I could get back to safety if necessary and, in the excitement of jumping backwards, I failed to get the close-up shot as he went by. It was exciting nonetheless! Another car (Paul Burch - BMW) following a little behind Gary went skidding off the left side of the track just a little further down from where Gary was stopped. A couple more took the runoff at the end of the front straight and around the oak tree. Yellow flags went out and I got behind the wall in a safer position in case someone else got into the oil. It wasn't long before the race was black flagged.
The Panoz had a mechanical issue (left steering arm broke) and was out for the remainder of the race after completing only 1 lap. About 15 minutes of racing was left at the restart. The GT2 race and overall GT win went to Harold Petit (BMW) with Beasley coming in 2nd in both respects. Christian Francois stayed clean all race and brought home the win in GT1 finishing 5th overall in the GT group.
In 2 weeks the group reconvenes for Round 2. Don't miss it!
Monday, October 5, 2009
2009-2010 Gulf Coast Race Series - Race #1 Update
From Chris Wilken on behalf of The Circuit at Grand Bayou:
Race 1 has been rescheduled to Oct 17. This is a makeup date as we were unable to finish the schedule due to inclement weater. This is the first time in eight years a race has been called due to weather. We have attempted to quickly implement a solution favorable to the majority of participants.
Friday Oct 16th will be an afternoon lapping day from 1 - 4. The price is only $50.00 or free if you are a Circuit Grand Bayou Member. You will be able to leave your rigs overnight for Saturday's race or for Saturday's open lapping session.
Racers who wish to participate but who were not present on Oct 4th are welcome to do so. You will start at the back of the qualified cars. A 2 point bonus will be awarded to Racers who participated on Oct. 4th.
There is open lapping availabe after the race for $50.00. No charge for Circuit Grand Bayou Members or race participants.
Round 2 of the race series: November 1st
Beater Bash Nov 20 and 21: www.BeaterBashOnline.com for more info
For upcoming events and goings on watch this website. http://circuitgrandbayou.com/raceseriesupdate.aspx
T shirts and caps on sale at the front gate.
There are a limited number of Circuit Grand Bayou Memberships available. Contact Kent Broussard at Kent@USRacingClub.com
Race 1 has been rescheduled to Oct 17. This is a makeup date as we were unable to finish the schedule due to inclement weater. This is the first time in eight years a race has been called due to weather. We have attempted to quickly implement a solution favorable to the majority of participants.
Friday Oct 16th will be an afternoon lapping day from 1 - 4. The price is only $50.00 or free if you are a Circuit Grand Bayou Member. You will be able to leave your rigs overnight for Saturday's race or for Saturday's open lapping session.
Racers who wish to participate but who were not present on Oct 4th are welcome to do so. You will start at the back of the qualified cars. A 2 point bonus will be awarded to Racers who participated on Oct. 4th.
There is open lapping availabe after the race for $50.00. No charge for Circuit Grand Bayou Members or race participants.
Round 2 of the race series: November 1st
Beater Bash Nov 20 and 21: www.BeaterBashOnline.com for more info
For upcoming events and goings on watch this website. http://circuitgrandbayou.com/raceseriesupdate.aspx
T shirts and caps on sale at the front gate.
There are a limited number of Circuit Grand Bayou Memberships available. Contact Kent Broussard at Kent@USRacingClub.com
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Circuit at Grand Bayou Purchase is Complete!
The Circuit at Grand Bayou, Inc. announced the purchase of an existing 1.8 mile road race course circuit and more than 100 acres of land from Belle Rose, LA-based No Problem Raceway Park, LLC. The course, which is located near Donaldsonville, LA, is only 60 minutes from New Orleans and 40 minutes from Baton Rouge.
With the completion of the purchase, The Circuit at Grand Bayou opened the only motorsports resort in the Gulf South. The new resort with the existing 1.8 mile road racing course will have one of the finest racing schools in the U.S. and offer individual club memberships, arrive-and-drive programs, corporate events, special events and more.
For those more interested in being a spectator, The Circuit at Grand Bayou will also be home to the Gulf Coast Race Series, which includes seven events that run between October and April each year, the first of which will be on October 4. In addition, a large number of other motorsports events have been scheduled over the next 12 months including the first of several Porsche Club of America events starting on September 26.
Kent Broussard, president of The Circuit at Grand Bayou, said, "We have been working on this project for a year, and now our members have a place to come and enjoy the benefits of the only motorsports resort and road racing club in the Gulf South region. This is a win-win situation for our resort, its members and No Problem Raceway."
The resort is currently hosting daily activities for its members and their guests including daily access to the 1.8-mile road racing course, driving school classes, covered garages, and weekend side-by-side racing events. The resort has also begun preparing the site for the construction of a clubhouse, condominiums, and a new road racing track to replace the existing track.
The Circuit at Grand Bayou racing club promises to be the South's newest and most exciting road racing facility. When fully built, it will include a 2.5 mile state-of-the-art road racing course, a full-service clubhouse with spa, locker rooms, restaurant/lounge, private offices and viewing decks, garages and condo homes. For those interested in membership or other information, please contact Kent Broussard at kent@circuitgrandbayou.com or visit The Circuit at Grand Bayou website at www.circuitgrandbayou.com.
With the completion of the purchase, The Circuit at Grand Bayou opened the only motorsports resort in the Gulf South. The new resort with the existing 1.8 mile road racing course will have one of the finest racing schools in the U.S. and offer individual club memberships, arrive-and-drive programs, corporate events, special events and more.
For those more interested in being a spectator, The Circuit at Grand Bayou will also be home to the Gulf Coast Race Series, which includes seven events that run between October and April each year, the first of which will be on October 4. In addition, a large number of other motorsports events have been scheduled over the next 12 months including the first of several Porsche Club of America events starting on September 26.
Kent Broussard, president of The Circuit at Grand Bayou, said, "We have been working on this project for a year, and now our members have a place to come and enjoy the benefits of the only motorsports resort and road racing club in the Gulf South region. This is a win-win situation for our resort, its members and No Problem Raceway."
The resort is currently hosting daily activities for its members and their guests including daily access to the 1.8-mile road racing course, driving school classes, covered garages, and weekend side-by-side racing events. The resort has also begun preparing the site for the construction of a clubhouse, condominiums, and a new road racing track to replace the existing track.
The Circuit at Grand Bayou racing club promises to be the South's newest and most exciting road racing facility. When fully built, it will include a 2.5 mile state-of-the-art road racing course, a full-service clubhouse with spa, locker rooms, restaurant/lounge, private offices and viewing decks, garages and condo homes. For those interested in membership or other information, please contact Kent Broussard at kent@circuitgrandbayou.com or visit The Circuit at Grand Bayou website at www.circuitgrandbayou.com.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Introducing The Circuit at Grand Bayou
Mike Poupart Motorsports announces its support and promotion of the new Circuit at Grand Bayou.
U.S. Racing Club is set to purchase, on August 31, 2009, a significant portion of the road course from No Problem Raceway, located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The existing road course is approximately 1.8 miles in length and currently host the Grand Bayou Racing Series, which begins the 2009 season in September.
The Company plans to change the name of the existing road course facilities to The CIRCUIT at GRAND BAYOU and has plans to significantly improve, lengthen and enhance the road course portion of the complex. Tree removal and pre-construction has already begun. In addition to making improvements to the existing road course, the Company plans to open a premier racing school and build surrounding ammenities, such as a clubhouse, garages, condos and more.
The Company has begun pre-selling Executive Memberships at a significant discount prior to August 25th. To view the Membership Agreement, Calendars and General Brochure and get MORE information on Condos, Track Design and Time Schedules, go to the U.S. Racing Club website.
Don't wait! Changes are happening FAST!
For membership or investor information, please contact:
Kent Broussard - U. S. Racing Club, Inc.
Email: kent@usracingclub.com
(949) 436-0471
Chris Wilken
Email: chris@buckeyecontractors.com
(504) 616-3064
Mike Poupart
Email: mpmotorworks@bellsouth.net
(504) 472-0400
Catch the Excitement!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
24 Hours of LeMons - Laissez Les Crapheaps Roulez
Poo-Parts Racing Honda Civic entered in LeMons Race at No Problem Raceway Park.
Crap can racing at its finest! Our racer is not only made up of “poo-parts,” but it is also driven by “Pouparts.” Yes, it’s a pile of poo, but it’s ours and we’re proud! Three of our team members have driven in previous LeMons events (Mike, Patty & Robbie). It’s time to corrupt the other son (Shane) and make this a Poupart family affair. We will, however, have to dub a couple of close friends as “Pouparts” for the weekend (car owner Jeff Moore and Kenny Pullin) in order to maximize our team member count. We sure don’t want to spend more than an hour at a time in a race car in the mid-summer heat of south Louisiana. We might be slow, but we’re not stoo-pid!
What a fun event! Thanks again to Jay and the gang for traveling down to south Louisiana to pass a good time with us! Hope you do it again!
There is a Picasa web album with photos (LOTS of 'em) from the event back in June, 2009. The direct link is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/PoupartPhotos/24HoursOfLeMonsPooPartsRacing789HondaCivicPooper?feat=directlink
If anyone is interested in obtaining full size images, just email me aggressive@aggressiveinc.com and let me know what you are looking for.
Patty Poupart
Crap can racing at its finest! Our racer is not only made up of “poo-parts,” but it is also driven by “Pouparts.” Yes, it’s a pile of poo, but it’s ours and we’re proud! Three of our team members have driven in previous LeMons events (Mike, Patty & Robbie). It’s time to corrupt the other son (Shane) and make this a Poupart family affair. We will, however, have to dub a couple of close friends as “Pouparts” for the weekend (car owner Jeff Moore and Kenny Pullin) in order to maximize our team member count. We sure don’t want to spend more than an hour at a time in a race car in the mid-summer heat of south Louisiana. We might be slow, but we’re not stoo-pid!
What a fun event! Thanks again to Jay and the gang for traveling down to south Louisiana to pass a good time with us! Hope you do it again!
There is a Picasa web album with photos (LOTS of 'em) from the event back in June, 2009. The direct link is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/PoupartPhotos/24HoursOfLeMonsPooPartsRacing789HondaCivicPooper?feat=directlink
If anyone is interested in obtaining full size images, just email me aggressive@aggressiveinc.com and let me know what you are looking for.
Patty Poupart
Friday, November 28, 2008
GBRS #3 Enduro Announcements
Mike Poupart Motorsports announced today that team driver, Patty Poupart, will be teaming up with Robert von Dullen in the #93 Mazda Miata for the Enduro race being run on November 30, 2008 in conjunction with the 2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series event #3. The deal was struck late this afternoon with Chris Wilken, of BCI Motorsports, who is brokering the Miata for owner, David Lastrapes.
Team principal, Mike Poupart, will be teaming up with car owner/driver Bob Jelly in the #77 Spec Miata for the upcoming Enduro event.
A deal was also struck with Mike Poupart Motorsports by Summers Racing to hire team hot-shoe, Robbie Poupart, as a co-driver in the #88 Smoothie King Camaro for the November 30th Enduro. Team/car owner, Mark Summers tapped Poupart early as his co-driver and both are looking forward to the race.
Other Enduro team-ups announced late today include Marshall St. Amant co-driving with Chris Wilken in the BCI Motorsports #0 Porsche 944; and Dennis Gros will be co-driving the #03 BMW with Ricky Ricks.
Team principal, Mike Poupart, will be teaming up with car owner/driver Bob Jelly in the #77 Spec Miata for the upcoming Enduro event.
A deal was also struck with Mike Poupart Motorsports by Summers Racing to hire team hot-shoe, Robbie Poupart, as a co-driver in the #88 Smoothie King Camaro for the November 30th Enduro. Team/car owner, Mark Summers tapped Poupart early as his co-driver and both are looking forward to the race.
Other Enduro team-ups announced late today include Marshall St. Amant co-driving with Chris Wilken in the BCI Motorsports #0 Porsche 944; and Dennis Gros will be co-driving the #03 BMW with Ricky Ricks.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
24 Hours of LeMons Coming to No Problem Raceway in '09!
Start scouring the junkyards and get your lies, bribes and BS in order. Word has it that a contract has been signed between Pat Joffrion of No Problem Raceway and Jam Lamm, Chief Perpetrator of the 24 Hours of LeMons with a race date set for June 5-7, 2009!
Wow! Crapcan racing in the bayou! Trust me when I tell you that the roughest-looking race car in the Grand Bayou Race Series would be the finest piece of automotive machinery in comparison with the cars that run in the 24 Hours of LeMons. Our GBRS drivers will have the "edge" because it is on our H-O-M-E track!
Check out the rules and start scouting for your LeMons racer. The price is $500 per team and
$100 per driver with 4-6 drivers on a team. Be careful that you stay within the "spirit" of the rules or you will face the wrath of the LeMons Supreme Court Justices. Hopefully Judges Phil and Jonny (LeMons Texas '08) will make the trip to the bayou to receive various bribes and issue decrees of cruel & unusual penalties to violators. Who knows, maybe they'll come up with a couple of new penalties in honor of the first 24 Hours of LeMons race in Louisiana!
Stay tuned for more information as we get it!
~Patty
Wow! Crapcan racing in the bayou! Trust me when I tell you that the roughest-looking race car in the Grand Bayou Race Series would be the finest piece of automotive machinery in comparison with the cars that run in the 24 Hours of LeMons. Our GBRS drivers will have the "edge" because it is on our H-O-M-E track!
Check out the rules and start scouting for your LeMons racer. The price is $500 per team and
$100 per driver with 4-6 drivers on a team. Be careful that you stay within the "spirit" of the rules or you will face the wrath of the LeMons Supreme Court Justices. Hopefully Judges Phil and Jonny (LeMons Texas '08) will make the trip to the bayou to receive various bribes and issue decrees of cruel & unusual penalties to violators. Who knows, maybe they'll come up with a couple of new penalties in honor of the first 24 Hours of LeMons race in Louisiana!Stay tuned for more information as we get it!
~Patty
Sunday, November 2, 2008
2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series - Event #2
It was a GREAT weekend for racing! The weather was very cooperative and everyone involved in running the event did their job and everything came together as it should.
The Mike Poupart Motorsports team towed the #51 Crapsman Truck up to No Problem Raceway on Saturday, Nov. 1st. Half of the team that raced it in the 24 Hours of LeMons was there and ready to take a few practice laps around NPR to see how the truck handled. In addition to Mike Poupart, Chris Wilken, and Phil LaHaye taking turns, Richard Martin went out for a few laps. I got a little bit of practice in myself in preparation for the next day's race.
On Sunday, Nov. 2nd, I entered the "Danger Ranger" in the Blue Bracket of the Grand Bayou Race Series. I had a GREAT time even though the truck was S-L-O-W! I raced by myself most of the time and tried not to be a rolling road block and drive my line at the same time, especially when the faster traffic came around to pass me. A couple of times I got split on both sides at once! That was a lot of fun! Racing is always more fun in a group!
At least I made an improvement each time I went out in lap times and average speed and, even though it is a bit dejecting to know you are in the slowest vehicle out there, I continued to drive hard. A 4th place finish is nothing to get excited about, but seat time is seat time! Now we need to change to a posi-traction rear end so that the right rear wheel will stay on the ground. It helps to go faster if you have traction! Great race, guys! I enjoy being on the track with all of you!
In the Super Production class, there was an awesome battle going on between the #98 Liberto Cleaners Corvette of Johnny Walter and the #24 Wicker Building Supply Monte Carlo being co-driven by Ralph Wicker and Steven Melton. The Monte Carlo was on the pole for the feature race with Melon behind the wheel. Walter got the jump on him at the green flag and Melton hung on the bumper of the yellow Corvette running some of his fastest lap times. Unfortunately, the #98 expired early with a broken rear end leaving the race and the win to the #24 with an ecstatic Melton to celebrate a Super Production win.
Our next event is on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. See ya at the track!
~Patty
The Mike Poupart Motorsports team towed the #51 Crapsman Truck up to No Problem Raceway on Saturday, Nov. 1st. Half of the team that raced it in the 24 Hours of LeMons was there and ready to take a few practice laps around NPR to see how the truck handled. In addition to Mike Poupart, Chris Wilken, and Phil LaHaye taking turns, Richard Martin went out for a few laps. I got a little bit of practice in myself in preparation for the next day's race.
On Sunday, Nov. 2nd, I entered the "Danger Ranger" in the Blue Bracket of the Grand Bayou Race Series. I had a GREAT time even though the truck was S-L-O-W! I raced by myself most of the time and tried not to be a rolling road block and drive my line at the same time, especially when the faster traffic came around to pass me. A couple of times I got split on both sides at once! That was a lot of fun! Racing is always more fun in a group!
At least I made an improvement each time I went out in lap times and average speed and, even though it is a bit dejecting to know you are in the slowest vehicle out there, I continued to drive hard. A 4th place finish is nothing to get excited about, but seat time is seat time! Now we need to change to a posi-traction rear end so that the right rear wheel will stay on the ground. It helps to go faster if you have traction! Great race, guys! I enjoy being on the track with all of you!In the Super Production class, there was an awesome battle going on between the #98 Liberto Cleaners Corvette of Johnny Walter and the #24 Wicker Building Supply Monte Carlo being co-driven by Ralph Wicker and Steven Melton. The Monte Carlo was on the pole for the feature race with Melon behind the wheel. Walter got the jump on him at the green flag and Melton hung on the bumper of the yellow Corvette running some of his fastest lap times. Unfortunately, the #98 expired early with a broken rear end leaving the race and the win to the #24 with an ecstatic Melton to celebrate a Super Production win.
Our next event is on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. See ya at the track!
~Patty
Saturday, October 25, 2008
#51 Danger Ranger / Lemon Hauler finishes in 9th place at 24 Hours of LeMons race in Texas
We raced the truck! Mike Poupart, Robbie Poupart, Chris Wilken, Dennis Gros, Mark Summers and Phil LaHaye teamed together as "The Professionals" and entered a 1995 Ford Ranger in the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Motor Sports Ranch - Houston. The race is a wildly ridiculous tongue-in-cheek attempt at mocking the real 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans), the sports car endurance race held annually in France. The officials have their own special set of rules with safety being first and foremost. Teams are only allowed to spend $500 for their cars (safety equipment, wheels & tires are outside of that restriction). All cars have to pass through tech and BS, and those who are caught cheating have to endure the wrath of the LeMons Supreme Court Judges who could assess heavy penalties if not bribed. And yes, they took bribes! Its all about the game, the drama, the lies, and the cheating. If the Judges don't catch you cheating, other teams are quick to rat you out to the authorities.The truck had many labels -Danger Ranger - Lemon Hauler - Crapsman Truck. Whatever the label, the truck was a blast to drive! The team finished in 9th place out of the 75 or so cars that actually started the race. The truck ended up being a huge surprise for everyone. It was the ONLY truck entry in the field of 75 cars accepted to run this race. It had not been run except to the corner and back a couple of times. It handled and turned like no one expected. It never overheated or had any brake failure. In 403 laps, not one of our team drivers spun out. Only 1 driver put 2 wheels off and it was an evasive move, not an out-of-control one. After starting 14 laps down, we actually got a top 10 finish!
We also won the No Prayer of Finishing class award. We were not expected to finish the race and, if we did, we weren't expected to make it into the top 40. How 'bout that!
The Lemon Hauler blog has posts from the entire weekend and several slideshows with lots of pictures. Additionally, the link to the results on the 24 Hours of LeMons website is: http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/results. There are complete resuts up on MyLaps: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=996969. Jalopnik's coverage can be found at: http://jalopnik.com/tag/24-hours-of-lemons. There is also some great coverage on http://www.autofiends.com/ under "Great Moments in Texas LeMons Judging." Look for all 4 parts to the series of articles and a couple of other miscellaneous articles.
~Patty
P.S. We want to race the truck! I get to race the truck next on Nov. 1-2, 2008 in the Grand Bayou Race Series at No Problem Raceway. Check back here post-race for that report!
The Lemon Hauler blog has posts from the entire weekend and several slideshows with lots of pictures. Additionally, the link to the results on the 24 Hours of LeMons website is: http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/results. There are complete resuts up on MyLaps: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=996969. Jalopnik's coverage can be found at: http://jalopnik.com/tag/24-hours-of-lemons. There is also some great coverage on http://www.autofiends.com/ under "Great Moments in Texas LeMons Judging." Look for all 4 parts to the series of articles and a couple of other miscellaneous articles.
~Patty
P.S. We want to race the truck! I get to race the truck next on Nov. 1-2, 2008 in the Grand Bayou Race Series at No Problem Raceway. Check back here post-race for that report!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
24 Hours of LeMons Road Race
The Mike Poupart Motorsports have teamed up with BCI Motorsports and other Grand Bayou Race Series drivers in a 24 hour race in Houston, Texas on October 17-19, 2008. Go to the Project Lemon Hauler blog for all the news, stories and photos! The blog will be updated throughout the weekend as often as I can. We anticipate nothing but F-U-N!!!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series - Event #1
The first event of the 2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series is in the books. It was a successful event that was well attended. 
This season, Chris Wilken, Chris Carver, and Mike & Patty Poupart will be running the series for No Problem Raceway. You will see improvements to the track like the new worker stations to replace the ones that were destroyed by Hurricane Gustav.
There are also improvements to the race series and how it is run. There are some new rules and stricter tech inspections, log books for drivers & vehicles, and a harder look at safety equipment. A new class (GTU) has been added and the Green Bracket has been eliminated. All in all, it is a step up for the Grand Bayou Race Series and everyone benefits from it.
For this first event of the series, Mike Poupart Motorsports assisted with Johnny Walter's #98 Liberto Cleaners Super Production Corvette. Johnny finished 1st in the Feature Race with a broken alternator. A simple fix and he'll be ready for the next event.
~Patty
This season, Chris Wilken, Chris Carver, and Mike & Patty Poupart will be running the series for No Problem Raceway. You will see improvements to the track like the new worker stations to replace the ones that were destroyed by Hurricane Gustav.There are also improvements to the race series and how it is run. There are some new rules and stricter tech inspections, log books for drivers & vehicles, and a harder look at safety equipment. A new class (GTU) has been added and the Green Bracket has been eliminated. All in all, it is a step up for the Grand Bayou Race Series and everyone benefits from it.
For this first event of the series, Mike Poupart Motorsports assisted with Johnny Walter's #98 Liberto Cleaners Super Production Corvette. Johnny finished 1st in the Feature Race with a broken alternator. A simple fix and he'll be ready for the next event.
~Patty
Saturday, October 4, 2008
2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series Schedule
The 2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series is upon us and the first races are this weekend! There are 7 points events this year culminating with the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge in April, 2009. All events are at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, LA.
Here's the race day schedule:
Race #1 - Sunday, October 5, 2008
Race #2 - Sunday, November 2, 2008
Race #3 - Sunday, November 30, 2008
Race #4 - Sunday, January 4, 2009
Race #5 - Sunday, February 1, 2009
Race #6 - Saturday, March 7, 2009
Race #7 - Sunday, April 19, 2009 (in conjunction with the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge)
Before each race day is a practice/lapping day for GBRS racers and non-series racers alike. The dates presently on the No Problem Raceway schedule are:
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Preregistration for the practice/lapping days and race days is at Clubregistration.net
You can always check the GBRS Web site for the latest information on any schedule changes:
http://www.grandbayouracingseries.com/schedule.html
And don't forget to check the Grand Bayou Race Series Website: http://grandbayouracingseries.com/
See ya at the track!
Here's the race day schedule:
Race #1 - Sunday, October 5, 2008
Race #2 - Sunday, November 2, 2008
Race #3 - Sunday, November 30, 2008
Race #4 - Sunday, January 4, 2009
Race #5 - Sunday, February 1, 2009
Race #6 - Saturday, March 7, 2009
Race #7 - Sunday, April 19, 2009 (in conjunction with the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge)
Before each race day is a practice/lapping day for GBRS racers and non-series racers alike. The dates presently on the No Problem Raceway schedule are:
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Preregistration for the practice/lapping days and race days is at Clubregistration.net
You can always check the GBRS Web site for the latest information on any schedule changes:
http://www.grandbayouracingseries.com/schedule.html
And don't forget to check the Grand Bayou Race Series Website: http://grandbayouracingseries.com/
See ya at the track!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Poupart Photos & Mike Poupart Motorsports in Slidell, LA on September 27, 2008
In case anyone is in the Slidell area on Saturday, our Corvette club (Greater New Orleans Corvette Club) is holding its annual charity car show at Bayou Country Village just off the I-10 at the Oak Harbor exit in Slidell. This year's charity is the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children, which is based in Jefferson, LA, so our donations of money and items stays local. If you would like to come and bring donations, the Center will have a collection box at the show. (Email us for the Center's Wish List.)
St Tammany Association for Retarded Citizens (STARC) will have an art display and art items for sale. Ochsner Blood Mobile will be on site for blood donations. We will also be supporting the Devin Funck Fund (the young boy whose arm was bitten off by an alligator).
For some added entertainment "South Down" Band will be playing along with the University of Southern Mississippi Dance Team performing for eveyone. There will be lots of auction items, door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and many other fun things to do.
Poupart Photos (Mike and Patty) will have a vendor's booth at the show to sell our photography and we'll be showing one of the Corvettes from our race team, Mike Poupart Motorsports/BCI Motorwports. We're asking our family, friends & co-workers to help us support some good causes and enjoy a great day with us and our Corvette friends. If you need more information, please let us know.
Thanks a bunch and we hope to see you on Saturday!
Patty & Mike
http://www.printroom.com/pro/poupartphotos
http://www.aggressiveinc.com
http://www.mikepoupartmotorsports.com
St Tammany Association for Retarded Citizens (STARC) will have an art display and art items for sale. Ochsner Blood Mobile will be on site for blood donations. We will also be supporting the Devin Funck Fund (the young boy whose arm was bitten off by an alligator).
For some added entertainment "South Down" Band will be playing along with the University of Southern Mississippi Dance Team performing for eveyone. There will be lots of auction items, door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and many other fun things to do.
Poupart Photos (Mike and Patty) will have a vendor's booth at the show to sell our photography and we'll be showing one of the Corvettes from our race team, Mike Poupart Motorsports/BCI Motorwports. We're asking our family, friends & co-workers to help us support some good causes and enjoy a great day with us and our Corvette friends. If you need more information, please let us know.
Thanks a bunch and we hope to see you on Saturday!
Patty & Mike
http://www.printroom.com/pro/poupartphotos
http://www.aggressiveinc.com
http://www.mikepoupartmotorsports.com
Thursday, May 29, 2008
2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series - A Look Ahead
After a meeting of interested parties and racers on 5/22/08 and a subsequent meeting of the Administrative Committee of the Grand Bayou Race Series on 5/27/08, there has been agreement to changes of rules affecting several areas including, but not limited to, scheduling, registration fee, safety requirements, licensing procedures, and vehicle classes.
A copy of the minutes from the 5/27/08 meeting have been posted on the web for viewing at http://www.aggressiveinc.com/GBRS_Meeting_2008-05-27-Minutes.pdf. If you have any comments, please feel free to comment on the GBRS Forum or you may email us privately.
A copy of the minutes from the 5/27/08 meeting have been posted on the web for viewing at http://www.aggressiveinc.com/GBRS_Meeting_2008-05-27-Minutes.pdf. If you have any comments, please feel free to comment on the GBRS Forum or you may email us privately.
Monday, May 26, 2008
2008 Grand Bayou Charity Challenge - The Story
Wow! What an event! As organizers, we can’t say enough to thank EVERYONE who participated in the Second Grand Bayou Charity Challenge held on April 11-12, 2008 at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, LA to benefit UnlockingAutism.org. Funds brought in from sponsors, racers, spectators, door prize ticket sales, silent auctions, and donations from friends and from riders in the exotic chase cars totaled over $31,000.00! After expenses, the charity netted over $25,000.00!! We had hoped for another successful event, but the net donation was more than twice what we raised last year!!
We had a successful practice day for the sports car drivers on Friday afternoon at the track. Many drivers and race teams took advantage of the opportunity to bring in their rigs and set up their paddocks for the weekend. A reception was held for the event sponsors on Friday night at Café Lafourche in nearby Donaldsonville, LA. Following cocktails and refreshments at the bar, a buffet dinner of fried catfish, shrimp, jambalaya, muffaletta pasta, green salad, and bread pudding was prepared by owner and chef, Eric Weil.
The first event of the day on Saturday was the 2-mile fun run. Ben Cherbonnier handled the pre-event details and the Bayou Runners Association from Houma, LA set up their timing equipment and handled the day-of-event details for the run. With a start at the lights on the drag strip, the runners continued through the road course with a finish in the paddock area followed by food, fruit and refreshments. The winners were:
Overall 1st (Men) - Brian Marx - 12:41
Overall 1st (Women) - Marion Landry - 18:28
Masters (Men) - Craig Stephens - 17:52
Masters (Women) - Sandy Foret - 20:35
Grandmasters (Men) - Ben Cherbonnier - 14:41
Grandmasters (Women) - Sally Breaux - 24:18
Age Group 14 & Under (Men) - Leo Marx - 12:05 / Dexter Trosclair - 17:54
Age Group 20 – 24 (Men) - Jeff Ecgeranbe - 14:08 / Matt Dooner - 14:52 / Kyle Lindow - N.T.
Age Group 25 – 29 (Women) - Cindy Cavalier - 20:40
Age Group 35 – 39 (Women) - Lisa Hebert - 28:28
Age Group 45 – 49 (Men) - Marty Bordelon - 27:38
Age Group 50 – 54 (Women) - Barbara Graff - 28:27
Age Group 60 – 64 (Men) - Bill Phelps - 23:45
Age Group 60 - 64 (Women) - Jaime Phillips - 24:57 / Nancy Charlet - 27:11
Behind the spectator stands a “car club corral” was set up. In exchange for a donation, a spectator could park in this special parking area and be eligible to participate in a people’s choice car show. Awards, sponsored by Ron Gaubert Realtors, were given to the winners at the end of the day.
1st Place – Frank Davis – 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo (Gemballa version)
2nd Place – Kenneth Suite – 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo911
3rd Place – Elizabeth Hertzler – 2004 Porsche 911 Carrera
In between the practice and race sessions, small groups of exotic cars were sent out as “chase cars” giving free rides to sponsors. Donations from spectators could get them a ride as well in such exotic cars as a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Corvette Z06, Audi A4, and a selection of fast Porsches. The chase car rides turned out to be one of the most popular features of the event. The drivers stayed busy all day and never ran out of riders.
During the lunch break, a group of cyclists from the Tiger Cycling Foundation ran a short practice session on the track in preparation for their afternoon feature race. Meanwhile, the Super Production / GTO / Vintage V8 group of race cars quietly made their way to the grid in anticipation of the pre-race ceremonies. Our Master of Ceremonies, Steve Greenfield, did a great job of announcing all day constantly promoting the sponsors, vendors, and other things happening during the event as well as calling the race action for the feature races.
After being introduced, Jackie Baudier, a vocalist from Metairie, LA stepped out to the grid area to sing our national anthem. Without musical accompaniment, Jackie’s angelic voice proudly sang “The Star Spangled Banner” leaving the crowd with goose bumps and teary eyes when she was finished! All of the children present were gathered near the grid and together made the most famous call in motorsports, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
The roar of engines came from the Super Production / GTO / Vintage V8 group. These are the cars with high horsepower engines, mostly V8s, that make the ground shake and your body vibrate when they start up next to you. Thirteen cars made their way from the grid onto the track led by the pace car driven by Mike Poupart who was filling in since his Viper developed engine trouble leaving him unable to run with his race group. The first race of the day, announced by Patty Poupart, was exciting as Super Production driver John Crosby (GT3 Porsche) led the action from green flag to checker flag with a fastest lap time of 1:15.167. Johnny Walter (Corvette) ran 2nd with a fastest lap time of 1:17.279 followed by Matt Patterson (Trans Am) in 3rd place, whose fastest lap time was 1:19.087.
The GTO class was won by Chris Wilken (Corvette). His fastest lap time was 1:20.698. 2nd place went to Ken Laborde (Porsche) and Steve Diniz (Mini Cooper) finished 3rd. Of the two entries in the Vintage V8 class, Michael Talbot (Corvette) finished 1st.
The microphone was handed back to Steve Greenfield as Patty Poupart readied herself to drive in the afternoon races. The heat races for the Spec Miata and Bracket classes were next. These races placed the drivers of those classes in order for their feature race. The Spec Miata heat race finished with Alex Ardoin, Kerry Brown, Jeff Mosing, Shane Fowler, and John Biabeff in the top five positions out of the 14 drivers.
The Bracket Group had 20 drivers take to the track for their heat race. There are 4 different bracket classes, each having a limit on how fast a driver can go in any one lap without “breaking out” and being bumped into the next fastest class: Green (1:34), Blue (1:30), Yellow (1:27) and Red (1:24) being the fastest. A driver breaking out of the Red class gets disqualified and bumped to GTO. The Red class was dominated by Dennis Paul (Porsche) and Julius Ridgeway (Porsche). Brent Mosing (Porsche) ran in the Yellow class, but broke out and was bumped to the Red class. That left Skeeter Cannon (Mustang) to finish 1st and Patty Poupart (Corvette) finishing 2nd to round out the Yellow class. Troy Marcello (Mazda) and Harold Gauthier (MG) battled furiously in the Blue class finishing 1st and 2nd respectively. Ken Mason (Porsche) was the sole entry in the Green class.
The spectators were then treated to a bicycle race by members of the Tiger Cycling Foundation. These cyclists, who also race in the Baton Rouge Velodrome, took to the track and ran “counter-race” or in the opposite direction of the race cars. We have some great photos and hopefully our friend, Marshall St. Amant, will get us some results. (Hint! Hint!)
The Formula cars were the next race group to take to the track. Eight cars broke down into 3 classes. Winning the Open Wheel class and having the fastest race lap of the day (1:12.381) was Mike Immel (Formula Mazda) with John Nehrer (Formula Mazda) and Jeff Dongieux (Formula SCCA) coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Sports Racer class was won by Ted Haas with Bill Ironside taking 2nd place. Hugh Lamb won the Formula V class.
The Spec Miata feature race gave the spectators a good show as the racing is always tight between the cars in this group. The battle for the first three positions was heated with Jeff Mosing finishing 1st, followed by Shane Fowler in 2nd, and Kerry Brown in 3rd.
The last race of the day was between the drivers of the Bracket classes. It was a wild start with faster drivers like Robbie Poupart (Camaro) and Steve Diniz (Mini Cooper) who started at the back of the field moving through quickly. They ran laps faster that the Red class limit and were scored as GTO entries. The winners of the Red class were Dennis Paul (Porsche) in 1st, Julius Ridgeway (Porsche) in 2nd and Jeff Lutz (BMW) in 3rd. Brent Mosing was fastest once again in the Yellow class, but broke out on lap 4, leaving Skeeter Cannon (Mustang) to take 1st place and Patty Poupart (Corvette) in 2nd. Harold Gauthier (MG) won in the Blue class and Ken Mason (Porsche) won in the Green class.
After the last car exited the track, the evening entertainment began with music by The Jay B. Elston Band. Door prizes and race awards were given out and a check was presented to UnlockingAutism.org. An awesome bar-b-que was cooked by gentlemen from Frank’s Casings who donated their time.
With a total of 67 entries, and 65 drivers actually racing, this was the largest road race since No Problem Raceway opened its gates. The event would not have been able to happen if it weren’t for the many volunteers who worked behind the scenes prior to the race as well as day of event. Special thanks goes to the corner workers and the other volunteers who handled timing & scoring, track safety, and grid.
The event was an overall HUGE success. We’re planning for an even bigger and better event next year!
Thanks again from your event organizers,
Patty & Mike Poupart
Lois & Chris Wilken
P.S. We'll be posting photos soon!
We had a successful practice day for the sports car drivers on Friday afternoon at the track. Many drivers and race teams took advantage of the opportunity to bring in their rigs and set up their paddocks for the weekend. A reception was held for the event sponsors on Friday night at Café Lafourche in nearby Donaldsonville, LA. Following cocktails and refreshments at the bar, a buffet dinner of fried catfish, shrimp, jambalaya, muffaletta pasta, green salad, and bread pudding was prepared by owner and chef, Eric Weil.
The first event of the day on Saturday was the 2-mile fun run. Ben Cherbonnier handled the pre-event details and the Bayou Runners Association from Houma, LA set up their timing equipment and handled the day-of-event details for the run. With a start at the lights on the drag strip, the runners continued through the road course with a finish in the paddock area followed by food, fruit and refreshments. The winners were:
Overall 1st (Men) - Brian Marx - 12:41
Overall 1st (Women) - Marion Landry - 18:28
Masters (Men) - Craig Stephens - 17:52
Masters (Women) - Sandy Foret - 20:35
Grandmasters (Men) - Ben Cherbonnier - 14:41
Grandmasters (Women) - Sally Breaux - 24:18
Age Group 14 & Under (Men) - Leo Marx - 12:05 / Dexter Trosclair - 17:54
Age Group 20 – 24 (Men) - Jeff Ecgeranbe - 14:08 / Matt Dooner - 14:52 / Kyle Lindow - N.T.
Age Group 25 – 29 (Women) - Cindy Cavalier - 20:40
Age Group 35 – 39 (Women) - Lisa Hebert - 28:28
Age Group 45 – 49 (Men) - Marty Bordelon - 27:38
Age Group 50 – 54 (Women) - Barbara Graff - 28:27
Age Group 60 – 64 (Men) - Bill Phelps - 23:45
Age Group 60 - 64 (Women) - Jaime Phillips - 24:57 / Nancy Charlet - 27:11
Behind the spectator stands a “car club corral” was set up. In exchange for a donation, a spectator could park in this special parking area and be eligible to participate in a people’s choice car show. Awards, sponsored by Ron Gaubert Realtors, were given to the winners at the end of the day.
1st Place – Frank Davis – 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo (Gemballa version)
2nd Place – Kenneth Suite – 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo911
3rd Place – Elizabeth Hertzler – 2004 Porsche 911 Carrera
In between the practice and race sessions, small groups of exotic cars were sent out as “chase cars” giving free rides to sponsors. Donations from spectators could get them a ride as well in such exotic cars as a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Corvette Z06, Audi A4, and a selection of fast Porsches. The chase car rides turned out to be one of the most popular features of the event. The drivers stayed busy all day and never ran out of riders.
During the lunch break, a group of cyclists from the Tiger Cycling Foundation ran a short practice session on the track in preparation for their afternoon feature race. Meanwhile, the Super Production / GTO / Vintage V8 group of race cars quietly made their way to the grid in anticipation of the pre-race ceremonies. Our Master of Ceremonies, Steve Greenfield, did a great job of announcing all day constantly promoting the sponsors, vendors, and other things happening during the event as well as calling the race action for the feature races.
After being introduced, Jackie Baudier, a vocalist from Metairie, LA stepped out to the grid area to sing our national anthem. Without musical accompaniment, Jackie’s angelic voice proudly sang “The Star Spangled Banner” leaving the crowd with goose bumps and teary eyes when she was finished! All of the children present were gathered near the grid and together made the most famous call in motorsports, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
The roar of engines came from the Super Production / GTO / Vintage V8 group. These are the cars with high horsepower engines, mostly V8s, that make the ground shake and your body vibrate when they start up next to you. Thirteen cars made their way from the grid onto the track led by the pace car driven by Mike Poupart who was filling in since his Viper developed engine trouble leaving him unable to run with his race group. The first race of the day, announced by Patty Poupart, was exciting as Super Production driver John Crosby (GT3 Porsche) led the action from green flag to checker flag with a fastest lap time of 1:15.167. Johnny Walter (Corvette) ran 2nd with a fastest lap time of 1:17.279 followed by Matt Patterson (Trans Am) in 3rd place, whose fastest lap time was 1:19.087.
The GTO class was won by Chris Wilken (Corvette). His fastest lap time was 1:20.698. 2nd place went to Ken Laborde (Porsche) and Steve Diniz (Mini Cooper) finished 3rd. Of the two entries in the Vintage V8 class, Michael Talbot (Corvette) finished 1st.
The microphone was handed back to Steve Greenfield as Patty Poupart readied herself to drive in the afternoon races. The heat races for the Spec Miata and Bracket classes were next. These races placed the drivers of those classes in order for their feature race. The Spec Miata heat race finished with Alex Ardoin, Kerry Brown, Jeff Mosing, Shane Fowler, and John Biabeff in the top five positions out of the 14 drivers.
The Bracket Group had 20 drivers take to the track for their heat race. There are 4 different bracket classes, each having a limit on how fast a driver can go in any one lap without “breaking out” and being bumped into the next fastest class: Green (1:34), Blue (1:30), Yellow (1:27) and Red (1:24) being the fastest. A driver breaking out of the Red class gets disqualified and bumped to GTO. The Red class was dominated by Dennis Paul (Porsche) and Julius Ridgeway (Porsche). Brent Mosing (Porsche) ran in the Yellow class, but broke out and was bumped to the Red class. That left Skeeter Cannon (Mustang) to finish 1st and Patty Poupart (Corvette) finishing 2nd to round out the Yellow class. Troy Marcello (Mazda) and Harold Gauthier (MG) battled furiously in the Blue class finishing 1st and 2nd respectively. Ken Mason (Porsche) was the sole entry in the Green class.
The spectators were then treated to a bicycle race by members of the Tiger Cycling Foundation. These cyclists, who also race in the Baton Rouge Velodrome, took to the track and ran “counter-race” or in the opposite direction of the race cars. We have some great photos and hopefully our friend, Marshall St. Amant, will get us some results. (Hint! Hint!)
The Formula cars were the next race group to take to the track. Eight cars broke down into 3 classes. Winning the Open Wheel class and having the fastest race lap of the day (1:12.381) was Mike Immel (Formula Mazda) with John Nehrer (Formula Mazda) and Jeff Dongieux (Formula SCCA) coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The Sports Racer class was won by Ted Haas with Bill Ironside taking 2nd place. Hugh Lamb won the Formula V class.
The Spec Miata feature race gave the spectators a good show as the racing is always tight between the cars in this group. The battle for the first three positions was heated with Jeff Mosing finishing 1st, followed by Shane Fowler in 2nd, and Kerry Brown in 3rd.
The last race of the day was between the drivers of the Bracket classes. It was a wild start with faster drivers like Robbie Poupart (Camaro) and Steve Diniz (Mini Cooper) who started at the back of the field moving through quickly. They ran laps faster that the Red class limit and were scored as GTO entries. The winners of the Red class were Dennis Paul (Porsche) in 1st, Julius Ridgeway (Porsche) in 2nd and Jeff Lutz (BMW) in 3rd. Brent Mosing was fastest once again in the Yellow class, but broke out on lap 4, leaving Skeeter Cannon (Mustang) to take 1st place and Patty Poupart (Corvette) in 2nd. Harold Gauthier (MG) won in the Blue class and Ken Mason (Porsche) won in the Green class.
After the last car exited the track, the evening entertainment began with music by The Jay B. Elston Band. Door prizes and race awards were given out and a check was presented to UnlockingAutism.org. An awesome bar-b-que was cooked by gentlemen from Frank’s Casings who donated their time.
With a total of 67 entries, and 65 drivers actually racing, this was the largest road race since No Problem Raceway opened its gates. The event would not have been able to happen if it weren’t for the many volunteers who worked behind the scenes prior to the race as well as day of event. Special thanks goes to the corner workers and the other volunteers who handled timing & scoring, track safety, and grid.
The event was an overall HUGE success. We’re planning for an even bigger and better event next year!
Thanks again from your event organizers,
Patty & Mike Poupart
Lois & Chris Wilken
P.S. We'll be posting photos soon!
Monday, May 19, 2008
2008-2009 GBRS Meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2008
There will be a meeting regarding the 2008-2009 Grand Bayou Race Series at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night, May 22, 2008 at Tommy's Pizza, 2103 N Morrison Blvd., Hammond, LA 70401. Phone: (985) 345-9726
Need a map?
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=2103+N+Morrison+Blv...4505&z=16&iwloc=addr
Agenda will include the following:
-Track Involvement for 2008/2009
-Proceeds from GBRS
-Rules & Safety
-Driver Progress Tracking
-Car/Driver Safety
-Corner workers
-Redneck Time Trials - Summer series
-Much needed worker days for track improvements.
If you have questions are you need help with directions or car pooling please email or call for help. Chris Carver (Local Redneck) 225-931-2290.
For those who are unable to make it, we will take minutes and post them on the NPR and GBRS forums and email them out to anyone who wants a copy.
Please make an effort to attend and spread the word to anyone else who might be interested. Thanks for your support for the upcoming year!
PLEASE PASS THE WORD!!
Need a map?
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=2103+N+Morrison+Blv...4505&z=16&iwloc=addr
Agenda will include the following:
-Track Involvement for 2008/2009
-Proceeds from GBRS
-Rules & Safety
-Driver Progress Tracking
-Car/Driver Safety
-Corner workers
-Redneck Time Trials - Summer series
-Much needed worker days for track improvements.
If you have questions are you need help with directions or car pooling please email or call for help. Chris Carver (Local Redneck) 225-931-2290.
For those who are unable to make it, we will take minutes and post them on the NPR and GBRS forums and email them out to anyone who wants a copy.
Please make an effort to attend and spread the word to anyone else who might be interested. Thanks for your support for the upcoming year!
PLEASE PASS THE WORD!!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
SCCA Board Approves NASA Licenses For Club Racing
TOPEKA, Kan. (May 9, 2008) – Sports Car Club of America’s Board of Directors approved today at its face-to-face meeting in Topeka the approval of National Auto Sport Association licenses for Regional Club Racing competition, effective immediately.
The NASA Competition License joins those of 13 other organizations approved for Regional competition. Any of these license holders may participate in a Regional event, providing they are a full, First Gear, family or weekend member.
The full list of organizations with licenses approved for competition are:
BMW CCA
CACC
FIA
HSR
ICSCC
IMSA
MCSCC
NASA
PCA
Ontario Region CASC
SCCA Pro Racing
SVRA
VMC
Waterford Hills
West Canada Motorsports Association
Detailed information on the licenses approved for each organization is available in the SCCA General Competition Rules, section 3.1.5.
The NASA Competition License joins those of 13 other organizations approved for Regional competition. Any of these license holders may participate in a Regional event, providing they are a full, First Gear, family or weekend member.
The full list of organizations with licenses approved for competition are:
BMW CCA
CACC
FIA
HSR
ICSCC
IMSA
MCSCC
NASA
PCA
Ontario Region CASC
SCCA Pro Racing
SVRA
VMC
Waterford Hills
West Canada Motorsports Association
Detailed information on the licenses approved for each organization is available in the SCCA General Competition Rules, section 3.1.5.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
PCA Driver's Education at No Problem Raceway 4/27/08
PCA Mardi Gras Region is hosting a Drivers Education event on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at No Problem Raceway Park. Register for the event online at www.clubregistration.net.
If you have not been certified as a "Solo Driver" please register soon because the amount of Instructors is limited.
If you have questions, please refer to our website, www.mgpca.org. or email me, lois@buckeyecontractors.com.
Look forward to seeing you at the track!
Lois Wilken, Registrar
If you have not been certified as a "Solo Driver" please register soon because the amount of Instructors is limited.
If you have questions, please refer to our website, www.mgpca.org. or email me, lois@buckeyecontractors.com.
Look forward to seeing you at the track!
Lois Wilken, Registrar
Monday, April 14, 2008
$24,400 Raised for UnlockingAutism.org!
The Second Grand Bayou Charity Challenge was a HUGE sucess! We brought in $33,000 in funds to the event and, after expenses, donated $24,400 to UnlockingAutism.org!!! We could not have done it without the help of the volunteers, corner workers, race participants, spectators and sponsors. We can't thank you all enough for all you did to help us for the event.
THANKS!!!
Mike & Patty Poupart
Chris & Lois Wilken
P.S. As soon as I get some sleep and my eyes come back into focus, I'll get a big story posted here. /pp
THANKS!!!
Mike & Patty Poupart
Chris & Lois Wilken
P.S. As soon as I get some sleep and my eyes come back into focus, I'll get a big story posted here. /pp
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Grand Bayou Charity Challenge - THIS WEEKEND!
Hey! We're looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend at the track! Thanks in advance to all the Volunteers who have stepped up to help us out for this event. We couldn't do it without you!!
Our fund raising has been very good, but we still need spectators at the gate. Everything counts towards the charity. The weather is promising to be very nice and we hope to see ya'll there.
Be sure to stop in at the BCI Motorsports / Mike Poupart Motorsports paddock and say "Hi"!
~Patty Poupart
P.S. I will be the "'RedheadinaVette" as I'll be driving the white #02 Corvette owned by BCI Motorsports in the Bracket races. Whoo Hoo!!
Our fund raising has been very good, but we still need spectators at the gate. Everything counts towards the charity. The weather is promising to be very nice and we hope to see ya'll there.
Be sure to stop in at the BCI Motorsports / Mike Poupart Motorsports paddock and say "Hi"!
~Patty Poupart
P.S. I will be the "'RedheadinaVette" as I'll be driving the white #02 Corvette owned by BCI Motorsports in the Bracket races. Whoo Hoo!!
GBRS #6 - Pics are up on the web
Ta-Daaaaa!!! The pics for the Grand Bayou Race Series #6 (March 8, 2008) are up on the web for your viewing (and maybe purchasing) pleasure! These are what I consider to be the best out of what Mary Pat Walter and I took over the weekend. If you have ANY questions, or maybe you are looking for something in particular, email me and let me know.
Go to: www.printroom.com/pro/poupartphotos and then click on the link for the 2007-2008 Grand Bayou Race Series.
Thanks, ya'll!
Patty Poupart
Go to: www.printroom.com/pro/poupartphotos and then click on the link for the 2007-2008 Grand Bayou Race Series.
Thanks, ya'll!
Patty Poupart
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Grand Bayou Road Course Improvements
We now have two very important improvements to the road course that are essential to safety. Pat Joffrion, owner of No Problem Raceway Park, has installed rumple-style curbing to the driver's left at turn 14 the full length of the grass area from pit out to the straight-away wall. The red "stump" at driver's left in turn 1 has been removed and replaced with rumple-style curbing.
If you see Mr. Joffrion while you are at the track, be sure to stop him and say "thanks" for making continuous upgrades and improvements to the road course.
~Mike Poupart
If you see Mr. Joffrion while you are at the track, be sure to stop him and say "thanks" for making continuous upgrades and improvements to the road course.
~Mike Poupart
Monday, March 17, 2008
A Word of Thanks
Now that another GBRS series is behind us, I've had a little time to reflect on all the people that are connected with Mike Poupart Motorsports and how they've all contributed to our success.
Patty Poupart - my wife, #1 supporter and fan, and team photographer. She not only lets me go play with cars, she's an essential part of the team and a driver as well. Unlike some spouses that complain about the race cars, she wants to know when we're getting a new one! She keeps everything organized and without her I know I would miss a lot of details. Its been so much fun to see her driving again this year, it makes it all worthwhile.
Robbie Poupart - my son and the best right hand man a team could have. He's a talented driver in his own right, can crew chief when needed, and helps keep all of the team cars running on race day. I really wish I could put him in a good race car and watch him express his talents.
Johnny Walter - our #1 team driver, best friend and supporter who lets us give him a quality race effort to keep him running at the top of his game. His family is just as important. His wife, Mary Pat, is a great supporter and helps with photo duties. His son, John, comes to every race to not only help his Dad, but pitches in to help everyone else wherever he can.
Patty Poupart - my wife, #1 supporter and fan, and team photographer. She not only lets me go play with cars, she's an essential part of the team and a driver as well. Unlike some spouses that complain about the race cars, she wants to know when we're getting a new one! She keeps everything organized and without her I know I would miss a lot of details. Its been so much fun to see her driving again this year, it makes it all worthwhile.
Robbie Poupart - my son and the best right hand man a team could have. He's a talented driver in his own right, can crew chief when needed, and helps keep all of the team cars running on race day. I really wish I could put him in a good race car and watch him express his talents.
Johnny Walter - our #1 team driver, best friend and supporter who lets us give him a quality race effort to keep him running at the top of his game. His family is just as important. His wife, Mary Pat, is a great supporter and helps with photo duties. His son, John, comes to every race to not only help his Dad, but pitches in to help everyone else wherever he can.
Chris Wilken and the BCI Motorsports team - They've allowed us to become a part of their racing efforts and created a partnership and team spirit that makes racing a whole lot of fun! Dennis Gros was a great sport by giving up some of his track time to Patty so she could practice in the #02 Corvette. We're looking forward to Katie Wilken joining the team as a driver in the future. Lois Wilken does her powerful magic behind the scenes and is a great supporter to the entire team.
Mark Summers is the newest member of the MPMotorsports team. He's dedicated to improving his race effort and looks to us for support. He fits in well with the team's spirit of commaraderie and having fun.
Allen McDonnel is to be thanked for giving me the opportunity to drive the #44 Viper. We would like to see him driving the car again real soon. In the meantime, that is one fun ride!
Christian Francois and John Centanni - long time team members who we've missed this last season. We hope to see them return as well.
Thanks to all of you for letting me have a good time racing!
~Mike Poupart
Saturday, March 8, 2008
GBRS Event #6 - March 8, 2008
Today was the final event of the 2007-2008 Grand Bayou Race Series at No Problem Raceway presented by Bryan Racing. The day started out cold and clear with few wet areas on the track from the previous day's rain.
The Mike Poupart Motorsports / BCI Motorsports paddock area was impressive! The three BCI Motorsports cars were lined up - the red #01 GTO Corvette driven by team owner, Chris Wilken; the white #02 Corvette driven by Dennis Gros in the Yellow Bracket; and the white #03 BMW driven by Patty Poupart in the Green Bracket. Johnny Walter, owner and driver of the yellow #98 Super Production Corvette sponsored by Liberto Cleaners, was across from us and Mark Summers, owner and driver of the red #88 GTO Camaro sponsored by Smoothie King, was nearby.
After the warm-up sessions, the track began to dry out and the lap times got faster for qualifying. Even though the sun was warming things up, the racing on the track was hotter than the afternoon temperatures.
The feature race in the Super Production/GTO/Vintage V8 group was exciting. Johnny Walter and Chris Wilken, with series championships already won, chose to start their Corvettes at the back of the entire field leaving Mark Summers on the pole for the race start. It didn't take long for them to work their way through the field. As Johnny was passing Mark in turn one (the fastest turn on the race course) to take over the lead in the race, the left front suspension broke on Mark's car leaving him unable to make the turn. Mark did a super job keeping the car under control and coming to a safe stop without further incident. It was unfortunate that the Summers Racing entry was unable to complete the race. Johnny took the win for Super Production and Chris took the win for GTO. Great job, guys!
There was a combined total of 23 drivers in the four bracket groups that took the green flag together for the heat and feature races. Although Dennis Gros had the Yellow Bracket championship in hand going into today's race, a problem with a brake caliper locking up on the #02 Corvette left him underpowered for the heat race and only able to complete 3 of 10 laps for a 3rd place finish in the feature race.
Now for my story. . . .
I was very excited to be making my first race start! The #03 BMW, which I nicknamed "the breadbox," has a 4-cylinder, 4-speed, 100 h.p. motor that is considerably slower than my 8-cylinder, 6-speed, 405 h.p daily driver. I had respectable lap times yesterday during the practice while learning to drive the BMW flat to the floor floating through the corners and using the brakes only when absolutely necessary. This little ride is truly a learning experience!
I was one of three entries in the Green Bracket driving against Gerald Arceneaux in a white #8 Miata and Ken Mason in a tangerine #173 Porsche. It became obvious during the qualifying session that Gerald and Ken had more horsepower and they qualified faster than me. I was near the back of the field for the start of the heat race. Wow! My first rolling start! That was exciting! Mike Hamza in a Porsche started next to me on the outside and when the field ahead of us launched at the green flag, Mike made a third lane and drove right up the side of several rows. I drove hard in the heat race and seemed to be faster than my competition in the corners. Ken missed a shift going into turn four and ran his Porsche off the track in front of me. I continued to run hard behind the Miata trying to catch Gerald. As I came down the front straight on my last lap, I looked up at the flag station and saw Mr. Everett pulling out the checkered flag. I did a double-take in the mirror and realized that the cars battling behind me were the race leaders, Steve Diniz in the MOT (Mini of Tomorrow) and Julius Ridgeway in the Porsche. I barely crossed the finish line ahead of them before getting lapped. It suddenly hit me - I was still on the lead lap! Go! Go! Go! I knocked almost four seconds off my fastest lap time of the previous session! Gerald pushed his Miata so hard to stay in front of me that he broke out and had to take a penalty that would make him start at the back of our bracket giving me the green bracket pole for the feature race. I made a point of thanking Mr. Diniz and Mr. Ridgeway for not lapping me as they battled to the checkered flag.
Even though the green bracket is the slowest class, there were a few people that broke out or had no times in the heat race and had to start behind everyone else. That put me a little more than halfway back in the field. Now I had to be on my toes at the start! Not only was there a lot happening in front of me, but I couldn't afford to cautionsly hang back because it would allow my competition to get a jump on me and I was hoping to hold them off as long as possible.
Ken got past me in lap one and Gerald passed both of us in lap two. So much for holding them off! I refused to give up and ran hard everywhere barely lifting for most corners. I stayed with them and when Ken missed a shift on the front straight in lap seven, I was right there and got past him before turn one and started putting distance between us. The faster traffic started moving through us and I held my race line not letting them intimidate me. I was determined to catch that white Miata and was closing in on him at the end of the race. Two more laps and I would have had him!
As it turned out, all three of us broke out of our class! The limit for our class is 1:34 and we all ran fastest laps in the 1:33 range. Ken & Gerald went too fast on only one of their laps and I went too fast on two laps. After penalties were assessed, Gerald got the win, Ken finished second and I finished third. What a fun race! Thanks guys!
Congrats to Gerald for also winning the Green Bracket Championship! He ran one other race this season and it was last month in the same car I drove today. That gave him enough points to grab a championship trophy along with his first place win all in the same day.
A HUGE thanks to Chris Wilken for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to start my first green flag race and giving me those "magic" tires for the feature race! Thanks to Robbie Poupart for his support and crewing for me. To my husband, Mike Poupart, thanks for your love and support and believing I have what it takes to run with the rest of 'em!
~Patty Poupart
The Mike Poupart Motorsports / BCI Motorsports paddock area was impressive! The three BCI Motorsports cars were lined up - the red #01 GTO Corvette driven by team owner, Chris Wilken; the white #02 Corvette driven by Dennis Gros in the Yellow Bracket; and the white #03 BMW driven by Patty Poupart in the Green Bracket. Johnny Walter, owner and driver of the yellow #98 Super Production Corvette sponsored by Liberto Cleaners, was across from us and Mark Summers, owner and driver of the red #88 GTO Camaro sponsored by Smoothie King, was nearby.
After the warm-up sessions, the track began to dry out and the lap times got faster for qualifying. Even though the sun was warming things up, the racing on the track was hotter than the afternoon temperatures.
The feature race in the Super Production/GTO/Vintage V8 group was exciting. Johnny Walter and Chris Wilken, with series championships already won, chose to start their Corvettes at the back of the entire field leaving Mark Summers on the pole for the race start. It didn't take long for them to work their way through the field. As Johnny was passing Mark in turn one (the fastest turn on the race course) to take over the lead in the race, the left front suspension broke on Mark's car leaving him unable to make the turn. Mark did a super job keeping the car under control and coming to a safe stop without further incident. It was unfortunate that the Summers Racing entry was unable to complete the race. Johnny took the win for Super Production and Chris took the win for GTO. Great job, guys!
There was a combined total of 23 drivers in the four bracket groups that took the green flag together for the heat and feature races. Although Dennis Gros had the Yellow Bracket championship in hand going into today's race, a problem with a brake caliper locking up on the #02 Corvette left him underpowered for the heat race and only able to complete 3 of 10 laps for a 3rd place finish in the feature race.
Now for my story. . . .
I was very excited to be making my first race start! The #03 BMW, which I nicknamed "the breadbox," has a 4-cylinder, 4-speed, 100 h.p. motor that is considerably slower than my 8-cylinder, 6-speed, 405 h.p daily driver. I had respectable lap times yesterday during the practice while learning to drive the BMW flat to the floor floating through the corners and using the brakes only when absolutely necessary. This little ride is truly a learning experience!
I was one of three entries in the Green Bracket driving against Gerald Arceneaux in a white #8 Miata and Ken Mason in a tangerine #173 Porsche. It became obvious during the qualifying session that Gerald and Ken had more horsepower and they qualified faster than me. I was near the back of the field for the start of the heat race. Wow! My first rolling start! That was exciting! Mike Hamza in a Porsche started next to me on the outside and when the field ahead of us launched at the green flag, Mike made a third lane and drove right up the side of several rows. I drove hard in the heat race and seemed to be faster than my competition in the corners. Ken missed a shift going into turn four and ran his Porsche off the track in front of me. I continued to run hard behind the Miata trying to catch Gerald. As I came down the front straight on my last lap, I looked up at the flag station and saw Mr. Everett pulling out the checkered flag. I did a double-take in the mirror and realized that the cars battling behind me were the race leaders, Steve Diniz in the MOT (Mini of Tomorrow) and Julius Ridgeway in the Porsche. I barely crossed the finish line ahead of them before getting lapped. It suddenly hit me - I was still on the lead lap! Go! Go! Go! I knocked almost four seconds off my fastest lap time of the previous session! Gerald pushed his Miata so hard to stay in front of me that he broke out and had to take a penalty that would make him start at the back of our bracket giving me the green bracket pole for the feature race. I made a point of thanking Mr. Diniz and Mr. Ridgeway for not lapping me as they battled to the checkered flag.
Even though the green bracket is the slowest class, there were a few people that broke out or had no times in the heat race and had to start behind everyone else. That put me a little more than halfway back in the field. Now I had to be on my toes at the start! Not only was there a lot happening in front of me, but I couldn't afford to cautionsly hang back because it would allow my competition to get a jump on me and I was hoping to hold them off as long as possible.
Ken got past me in lap one and Gerald passed both of us in lap two. So much for holding them off! I refused to give up and ran hard everywhere barely lifting for most corners. I stayed with them and when Ken missed a shift on the front straight in lap seven, I was right there and got past him before turn one and started putting distance between us. The faster traffic started moving through us and I held my race line not letting them intimidate me. I was determined to catch that white Miata and was closing in on him at the end of the race. Two more laps and I would have had him!
As it turned out, all three of us broke out of our class! The limit for our class is 1:34 and we all ran fastest laps in the 1:33 range. Ken & Gerald went too fast on only one of their laps and I went too fast on two laps. After penalties were assessed, Gerald got the win, Ken finished second and I finished third. What a fun race! Thanks guys!
Congrats to Gerald for also winning the Green Bracket Championship! He ran one other race this season and it was last month in the same car I drove today. That gave him enough points to grab a championship trophy along with his first place win all in the same day.
A HUGE thanks to Chris Wilken for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to start my first green flag race and giving me those "magic" tires for the feature race! Thanks to Robbie Poupart for his support and crewing for me. To my husband, Mike Poupart, thanks for your love and support and believing I have what it takes to run with the rest of 'em!
~Patty Poupart
We're B-B-B-Baaad!!
Today was a great day for the BCI Motorsports and Mike Poupart Motorsports teams! The 2007-2008 Grand Bayou Race Series came to a conclusion and the champagne corks were popping at the awards banquet as the teams celebrated a successful season!
Johnny Walter, owner and driver of the #98 Corvette sponsored by Liberto Cleaners took the Super Production class win for the day and brought home his 4th Grand Bayou Race Series Championship trophy.
BCI Motorsports sponsored three cars. The #01 Corvette was driven by team owner, Chris Wilken, for the GTO class win for the day and the GTO series championship. The #02 Corvette was driven by Dennis Gros for a 3rd place Yellow Bracket class finish for the day and the Yellow Bracket series championship. The #03 BMW was driven by Patty Poupart for a 3rd place Green Bracket class finish.
Congratulations to all of the drivers and crew members for a successful season! They'll be bigger, better, and faster next year!
~Staff Writer
Johnny Walter, owner and driver of the #98 Corvette sponsored by Liberto Cleaners took the Super Production class win for the day and brought home his 4th Grand Bayou Race Series Championship trophy.
BCI Motorsports sponsored three cars. The #01 Corvette was driven by team owner, Chris Wilken, for the GTO class win for the day and the GTO series championship. The #02 Corvette was driven by Dennis Gros for a 3rd place Yellow Bracket class finish for the day and the Yellow Bracket series championship. The #03 BMW was driven by Patty Poupart for a 3rd place Green Bracket class finish.
Congratulations to all of the drivers and crew members for a successful season! They'll be bigger, better, and faster next year!
~Staff Writer
Monday, March 3, 2008
PRESS RELEASE – Patty Poupart Starts First GBRS Race With BCI Motorsports
The Grand Bayou Race Series will have a relatively new driver in the field of the last race of the 2007-2008 series next weekend at No Problem Raceway. Poupart will be driving the BCI Motorsports #03 BMW E30 in the bracket group. Car owner, Chris Wilken, has two other cars in the field - the #01 and #02 Chevy Corvettes driven by Wilken and team driver, Dennis Gros, respectively.
A mid-season liason was struck between BCI and Mike Poupart Motorsports for driver and technical support. Mike Poupart is crew chief for several independent drivers in addition to the drivers of the BCI Motorsports team.
The race is scheduled for March 8, 2008. Warm-up and qualifying sessions are run in the morning. Heat and feature races start at 1:00 p.m. For more information on the Grand Bayou Race Series, point your browser to www.grandbayouraceseries.com.
~Staff writer
A mid-season liason was struck between BCI and Mike Poupart Motorsports for driver and technical support. Mike Poupart is crew chief for several independent drivers in addition to the drivers of the BCI Motorsports team.
The race is scheduled for March 8, 2008. Warm-up and qualifying sessions are run in the morning. Heat and feature races start at 1:00 p.m. For more information on the Grand Bayou Race Series, point your browser to www.grandbayouraceseries.com.
~Staff writer
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Welcome Coastal Waste Services!
The Grand Bayou Charity Challenge welcomes Coastal Waste Services as the main sponsor for this year's charity race events to take place April 11-12, 2008! Additional sponsors are needed and we encourage you to join us to support UnlockingAutism.org, a very worthy cause. Please go to the Mike Poupart Motorsports web page for more information, event schedule, sponsor and registration forms.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
2008 Grand Bayou Charity Challenge Race - Updated!
The Board of Governors of the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge met recently to begin putting plans in place and firming up details for this year's event which is slated for April 11-12, 2008. The event will be held once again at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, LA, and promises to be bigger and better than last year. All proceeds will benefit UnlockingAutism.org and we are hoping to top last year's donation of $12,000.00.
The festivities will start on Friday afternoon, April 11, 2008, with a lapping/practice day from 12-4 pm. A sponsor's reception will be held Friday night at Cafe Lafourche in Donaldsonville, LA featuring a buffet and a cash bar.
With assistance from the Club South Runners of Baton Rouge and the New Orleans Track Club, a 2-Mile Fun Run is being planned for Saturday morning followed by regular warm-up and qualifying sessions for the race car drivers. There will be preferred parking in the car club corral and food will be available at the concession stand. The track will open for touring laps during the lunch break followed by a practice session by the Tiger Cycling Foundation who will have their own race on the track during the afternoon heat and feature races by the Grand Bayou Race Series regulars.
Local vocalist, Jackie Baudier, will sing the national anthem prior to the start of the afternoon racing. Special Events Master of Ceremonies for the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (Biloxi, MS), Steve Greenfield, will be on hand to emcee the days events.
Once the racing is finished, The Jay B. Elston Band will be crankin' it up Southern style with some classic rock, blues, and country music for the BBQ and awards presentation.
The pre-registration entry fee for one driver is $125 which includes an event t-shirt and 1 ticket (armband) for the Saturday BBQ. Tickets for the Friday sponsors reception will be sold for $20 each and extra tickets for the BBQ will cost only $8. Registration cut-off is April 9, 2008. These prices will increase after that date.
Sponsors are always needed and very welcome and there are special packages available at two levels. For $250, a sponsor will get a one-color logo on the back of the event t-shirts, advertising on the back of all event literature, 2 tickets for the Friday sponsors reception, 2 tickets for the Saturday races, and 2 tickets for the Saturday BBQ. New this year is the $500 sponsor level which offers double of everything included at the $250 level PLUS 1 passenger ride in the pace car at the start of one of the heat or feature races!
The hosts of the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge, Chris & Lois Wilken and Mike & Patty Poupart, are joined by many volunteers that are working to make this event happen. We ask that you join us on April 11-12, 2008 as we not only tap into the strength of our local communities, but help UnlockingAutism.org reach out across the nation to unify the parents of the nearly 550,000 autistic people in the U.S. in an effort to sort out the mystery of autism.
The festivities will start on Friday afternoon, April 11, 2008, with a lapping/practice day from 12-4 pm. A sponsor's reception will be held Friday night at Cafe Lafourche in Donaldsonville, LA featuring a buffet and a cash bar.
With assistance from the Club South Runners of Baton Rouge and the New Orleans Track Club, a 2-Mile Fun Run is being planned for Saturday morning followed by regular warm-up and qualifying sessions for the race car drivers. There will be preferred parking in the car club corral and food will be available at the concession stand. The track will open for touring laps during the lunch break followed by a practice session by the Tiger Cycling Foundation who will have their own race on the track during the afternoon heat and feature races by the Grand Bayou Race Series regulars.
Local vocalist, Jackie Baudier, will sing the national anthem prior to the start of the afternoon racing. Special Events Master of Ceremonies for the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (Biloxi, MS), Steve Greenfield, will be on hand to emcee the days events.
Once the racing is finished, The Jay B. Elston Band will be crankin' it up Southern style with some classic rock, blues, and country music for the BBQ and awards presentation.
The pre-registration entry fee for one driver is $125 which includes an event t-shirt and 1 ticket (armband) for the Saturday BBQ. Tickets for the Friday sponsors reception will be sold for $20 each and extra tickets for the BBQ will cost only $8. Registration cut-off is April 9, 2008. These prices will increase after that date.
Sponsors are always needed and very welcome and there are special packages available at two levels. For $250, a sponsor will get a one-color logo on the back of the event t-shirts, advertising on the back of all event literature, 2 tickets for the Friday sponsors reception, 2 tickets for the Saturday races, and 2 tickets for the Saturday BBQ. New this year is the $500 sponsor level which offers double of everything included at the $250 level PLUS 1 passenger ride in the pace car at the start of one of the heat or feature races!
The hosts of the Grand Bayou Charity Challenge, Chris & Lois Wilken and Mike & Patty Poupart, are joined by many volunteers that are working to make this event happen. We ask that you join us on April 11-12, 2008 as we not only tap into the strength of our local communities, but help UnlockingAutism.org reach out across the nation to unify the parents of the nearly 550,000 autistic people in the U.S. in an effort to sort out the mystery of autism.
Monday, February 4, 2008
GBRS Event #5 - Feb. 2, 2008
We arrived at the track early with fewer butterflies swarming in my stomach than last month. That was a good sign. The windows of the #02 BCI Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette were wet inside and out from the car being outdoors uncovered all night. It took a while to get everything dry enough to put some new sponsor graphics on the car. Chris Wilken, the car owner, secured sponsorship from Eric Weil, owner of Cafe' Lafourche, one of our favorite restaurants in Donaldsonville, LA.
We were scheduled for the warm-up/practice session which went well. Another good sign. Our times were a little slower than the day before which is attributed to being in more traffic with less open track. Spending more time wheel-to-wheel with a lot more cars was good experience for us. With the car being warmed up for him, Dennis gets in for the qualifying session and then runs the heat and feature races. Maybe he is getting spoiled!
Dennis "broke out" during qualifying, with a lap .032 seconds faster than the limit of the Yellow Bracket, which would put him in the next faster bracket. To stay in the Yellow Bracket and not lose his points, he started at the back of the pack for the heat race, which he won. He thought he won the feature race as well, but didn't realize that Tommy Barrios switched classes from Spec Miata to Yellow Bracket prior to the heat race. Dennis gave Tommy the pass near the end of the race because he didn't know he was racing against him in the same class. A second place finish for Dennis Gros and the BCI Motorsports team was still a good finish.
Mike Poupart Motorsports was kept very busy looking after 5 different cars which included the #98 Liberto Cleaners Corvette owned and driven by Johnny Walter, the #88 Smoothie King Camaro owned and driven by Mark Summers, the #20 Allied Mortgage Panoz GTS owned and driven by Doug Boozer, and both of the #01 and #02 BCI Motorsports Corvettes owned by Chris Wilken and driven by Dennis Gros and Chris Wilken, respectively. Robbie Poupart assisted his Dad, Mike Poupart, wherever possible.
The Liberto Cleaners Corvette experienced a few problems throughout the day - a bad battery, a fuel pump - nothing that couldn't be fixed. The Panoz GTS had a minor wheel problem that was quickly resolved. Except for the #02 BCI Motorsports Corvette, all the rest of the cars we were looking after ran in the same group between the Super Production and the GTO classes.
The qualifying session for this group was pretty exciting due to an unfortunate incident in lap 3 when Byron Rome, driving the #44 Camaro in Vintage V8, blew his motor and the car caught fire. When the motor let go, he drove the car off course and into the grass and the flames "whooshed" up from under the car momentarily engulfing the sides of the car in a flash of flame. John Brannan, who had previously left the race course with his #13 Camaro, was nearby and rushed over with his fire extinguisher. Another driver rushed over with a fire extinguisher as Chris Carver drove his #76 Nissan straight off the track to offer his assistance. Meanwhile, the rest of the drivers came to a red flag stop. The spectators applauded! What great teamwork by the drivers!
With several cars being towed off the track from the previous session, the pace car was lacking a driver. Mike Poupart jumped in and took over the pace car duties for the start of the SP/GTO/Vintage V8 feature race. Johnny Walter, the only Super Production car, started on the pole with Chris Wilken on the outside front row in P2. It seemed like the starter held the field for a long time, but when he showed the green flag, Johnny launched and Chris fell in behind throwing out the tow rope for Mark Summers who was starting in P3. They ran closely for several laps until Mark passed Chris early in the race. Meanwhile, Doug Boozer started in P6 and dropped out of the race early. He was only credited with one race lap. Now, guarding his position with his competition behind him, Mark held Chris at bay for several more laps before losing it in turn 4 giving Chris the opportunity to go around him. Mark recovered and they finished the race 1-2 in GTO.
It was a great day with great weather for racing. We're looking ahead to the Bryan Racing Lapping Day on March 1st and the last race of the 2007-2008 Grand Bayou Race Series on March 2nd.
View and order photos taken at the GBRS Event #5 - Feb. 2, 2008 from Poupart Photos!
We were scheduled for the warm-up/practice session which went well. Another good sign. Our times were a little slower than the day before which is attributed to being in more traffic with less open track. Spending more time wheel-to-wheel with a lot more cars was good experience for us. With the car being warmed up for him, Dennis gets in for the qualifying session and then runs the heat and feature races. Maybe he is getting spoiled!
Dennis "broke out" during qualifying, with a lap .032 seconds faster than the limit of the Yellow Bracket, which would put him in the next faster bracket. To stay in the Yellow Bracket and not lose his points, he started at the back of the pack for the heat race, which he won. He thought he won the feature race as well, but didn't realize that Tommy Barrios switched classes from Spec Miata to Yellow Bracket prior to the heat race. Dennis gave Tommy the pass near the end of the race because he didn't know he was racing against him in the same class. A second place finish for Dennis Gros and the BCI Motorsports team was still a good finish.
Mike Poupart Motorsports was kept very busy looking after 5 different cars which included the #98 Liberto Cleaners Corvette owned and driven by Johnny Walter, the #88 Smoothie King Camaro owned and driven by Mark Summers, the #20 Allied Mortgage Panoz GTS owned and driven by Doug Boozer, and both of the #01 and #02 BCI Motorsports Corvettes owned by Chris Wilken and driven by Dennis Gros and Chris Wilken, respectively. Robbie Poupart assisted his Dad, Mike Poupart, wherever possible.
The Liberto Cleaners Corvette experienced a few problems throughout the day - a bad battery, a fuel pump - nothing that couldn't be fixed. The Panoz GTS had a minor wheel problem that was quickly resolved. Except for the #02 BCI Motorsports Corvette, all the rest of the cars we were looking after ran in the same group between the Super Production and the GTO classes.
The qualifying session for this group was pretty exciting due to an unfortunate incident in lap 3 when Byron Rome, driving the #44 Camaro in Vintage V8, blew his motor and the car caught fire. When the motor let go, he drove the car off course and into the grass and the flames "whooshed" up from under the car momentarily engulfing the sides of the car in a flash of flame. John Brannan, who had previously left the race course with his #13 Camaro, was nearby and rushed over with his fire extinguisher. Another driver rushed over with a fire extinguisher as Chris Carver drove his #76 Nissan straight off the track to offer his assistance. Meanwhile, the rest of the drivers came to a red flag stop. The spectators applauded! What great teamwork by the drivers!
With several cars being towed off the track from the previous session, the pace car was lacking a driver. Mike Poupart jumped in and took over the pace car duties for the start of the SP/GTO/Vintage V8 feature race. Johnny Walter, the only Super Production car, started on the pole with Chris Wilken on the outside front row in P2. It seemed like the starter held the field for a long time, but when he showed the green flag, Johnny launched and Chris fell in behind throwing out the tow rope for Mark Summers who was starting in P3. They ran closely for several laps until Mark passed Chris early in the race. Meanwhile, Doug Boozer started in P6 and dropped out of the race early. He was only credited with one race lap. Now, guarding his position with his competition behind him, Mark held Chris at bay for several more laps before losing it in turn 4 giving Chris the opportunity to go around him. Mark recovered and they finished the race 1-2 in GTO.
It was a great day with great weather for racing. We're looking ahead to the Bryan Racing Lapping Day on March 1st and the last race of the 2007-2008 Grand Bayou Race Series on March 2nd.
View and order photos taken at the GBRS Event #5 - Feb. 2, 2008 from Poupart Photos!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Bryan Racing Lapping Day - Feb. 1, 2008
This was our 2nd lapping day in the #02 BCI Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette and it was a very good day! We got the seat belts and my seat insert adjusted to fit me right away so we were much more comfortable in the car from the beginning of the day. We took it easy at first letting everything warm up and checking the gauges. The new transmission (built and installed since the last race) worked to perfection. When we came in from the first session and opened the hood, we didn't know what to do. The car wasn't spitting, sputtering, choking, smoking or dripping. It was just fine! All the work done by the combined teams of BCI Motorsports and Mike Poupart Motorsports paid off! The only work done on the car all day (other than fueling) was changing the right rear tire which we corded around mid-day.
Confidence was high and smiles were big throughout the day. We tried a few new things to go faster and, although there were no "official" times, several people had stopwatches that showed we were running laps in the 1:28 range. That was about 8 seconds per lap faster than what we was running last month and that was good enough to run the car in the Yellow Bracket class where regular driver, Denis Gros, has been leading in the points race for this season's Grand Bayou Race Series.
Talking with the other drivers, we seem to be holding our own with them on the track and we are having fun racing together. We'll run the warm-up/practice session tomorrow and Dennis will run the qualifying session as well as the heat and feature races.
View and order photos taken at the Feb. 1, 2008 Bryan Racing Lapping Day from Poupart Photos!
Confidence was high and smiles were big throughout the day. We tried a few new things to go faster and, although there were no "official" times, several people had stopwatches that showed we were running laps in the 1:28 range. That was about 8 seconds per lap faster than what we was running last month and that was good enough to run the car in the Yellow Bracket class where regular driver, Denis Gros, has been leading in the points race for this season's Grand Bayou Race Series.
Talking with the other drivers, we seem to be holding our own with them on the track and we are having fun racing together. We'll run the warm-up/practice session tomorrow and Dennis will run the qualifying session as well as the heat and feature races.
View and order photos taken at the Feb. 1, 2008 Bryan Racing Lapping Day from Poupart Photos!
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