---

No Pressure

Wayne Helliwell Jr. and the Bruce Bernhardt Motorsports Team head into this Sundays Labor Day Classic at Thunder Road Speedbowl for round #13 of the American Canadian Tour. The Dover, NH driver is coming off back to back mid top-10 finishes after reeling off 8 straight podiums.

After a seventh place at Beech Ridge and an eighth place finish at the Can-Am 200 in Quebec, Helliwell carries a 36-point lead in his title defense of the Vermont based touring series. A position he feels lucky to be in after what he described as sub-par finishes. “Beech Ridge wasn't a good race for us,” stated Helliwell. “We were just off. The car was one speed and that was it. If it wasn't for Riverside last week I might be a little more concerned heading into this weekend.”

Helliwell who started 9th in the 200-lap event at Circuit Riverside grabbed the lead on a lap-27 restart at the half-mile oval. He would go on to lead 76 total laps and ride in the second position for another 60. It was brake issues with 10-laps to go that relegated him to a disappointing eighth place finish.

“It’s never a good thing when hands-down you have the best car and finish where we did,” Stated Helliwell. “But the positive is how good the car was. To rebound from whatever that was at Beech Ridge and be that good, I’m okay with what happened in Canada. Am I happy about it… no but It shows us we are not that far off.”

Helliwell takes a strong program into the 200 lap event at Thunder Road; not having finished outside the top-5 in the last two years of completion at the bullring. Taking a track he felt was once one his worst to one that has been the picture of consistency.

“I never would have thought that track would be one of my better ones… We've had some luck fall our way in the past to get some of those finishes there. But at the same time we've had good cars. We have a good program for there. These extra distance [200 lap] races suit my driving better than the shorter events,” stated Helliwell.

Helliwell is well aware that this weekend’s events can make or break his Teams hopes at repeating as champions. As well as the fact there is a lot of racing left to do before things are decided. “There are 400 laps of racing left in this thing. This weekend is a big race, but we don’t approach it any different than the other 11 races or any other race for that matter. It’s been a close battle all year… I don’t expect it be any different till the [checkered] flag fly’s at Airborne,” Helliwell Finished.

Next Event
What: Labor Day Classic
Where: Thunder Road Speedbowl – Barre, VT
When: Sunday September 1, 2013 – 1:30pm

Bernhardt Motorsport's thanks their proud partners: EKeys-4-Cars • Unique Ford • Bernhardt Automotive • Pro-Turf Landscaping • DTB Tax • C&M Distributing • Butler MacMaster Performance Racing • Carbonneau Insulation Co • IICCEEE • Ford Racing • Schoenfeld Headers • Sunoco Race Fuels • Bassett Wheels • Joes Racing Products • Quarter Master • ARP Bodies • Welded Media • Mangus Transmissions •Coastal Candle Company • Nate Brown Remodeling

Follow Wayne:
https://www.waynehelliwelljr.com

https://www.facebook.com/WayneHelliwellJr

https://twitter.com/#!/WayneHelliwell

Follow Welded Media:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Welded-Media/436955476374206

https://twitter.com/WeldedMedia

---

Back to News