12/20/2017
Airborne Park Speedway
2017 Banquet Review
ALTONA – The 2017 Banquet of Champions was held at the Rainbow Wedding & Banquet Facility on Saturday, December 16.
Robby Knowles opened the evening by inviting to the podium guest speaker and Publisher of Speedway Illustrated, Karl Fredrickson.
Fredrickson shared memories of Airborne and referred to the night that Bucko Branham won the Speedway Illustrated Real Racer Award. Fredrickson presented Metal Man (Curt Givinter) with a special coin as he was a finalist for the award this year. He went on to remind everyone about the family that racing creates.
Awards began following Fredrickson, starting with the Strictly Stock division. Northeastern Clinton Central School Junior, Rolland Guay was crowned champion of the division. Guay collected four wins on the season.
The Busch Beer Mini-Mod division followed with Kris Clark being announced as the division win leader with eight. Michael Whalen was the division champion with two wins on the season. Roger LaBounty accepted the award for Whalen.
Poirier’s True Value Renegade champion, Brent Jarvis was the winningest driver at Airborne in 2017. Jarvis collected 11 wins and 14 top five finishes in 14 attempts. He thanked his wife and credited his team for the success this season.
The Fidelis Care Sportsman division had two drivers collect three wins on the season, Moïse Pagé and Connor Cleveland. Cleveland went on to win the championship with nine top five and 13 top 10 finishes in 13 attempts.
Egglefield Ford 358 Modified champion, Chris Raabe collected six wins and 12 top five finishes in 12 events this season. Raabe collected open wheel modified win 150 of his career at Airborne in July. Raabe spoke and credited his parents for getting him involved and thanked his sponsors, crew and other family for the support.
Race Director, Denis Moquin then addressed the crowd and thanked the drivers and crew for welcoming him in the beginning of the season. Moquin reminded everyone about the great environment a local track has and to not forget about the friends and family that make the sport possible.
Individual awards followed on the schedule of events. Dennis Burnell received the Maurice Broderick Award for his passion and vision for Airborne, much like founder Maurice Broderick had in 1954.
The Airborne Award of Excellence and Airborne Dedication Award followed. The Excellence Award goes to a driver or crew member and Mooers driver, Jamy Begor was the recipient. Begor and his team have been racing at Airborne for over 20 years. Dan Rugar, better known as the trolley man, received the Airborne Dedication Award for his hard work and dedication over the years.
Bucko Branham then stepped up to the podium to present a new award, the Beyond the Wheel Award. This award is for a family member of a racer that fully supports and stands by the racer. Tammy Branham was recognized as the winner of the inaugural award.
Former Vice-President of the American-Canadian Tour, Darla Hartt was in attendance to present a special award to an Airborne racer. The Thomas Curley Award was about a driver who learned how to compete through his teachings. Bucko Branham was proud to receive the award and was touched by the announcement. Branham spoke of the many lesson Curley taught him over the years and expressed the amount of respect he had for Curley.
The final award of the night was the Leon Gonyo Award. The award went to a racer for their spirited participation in the sport. The award went to Codie Aubin, who competed at two tracks on a regular basis, much like Gonyo.
Promoter, John Walker closed with reviewing the season and thanking employees and volunteers. He said he looked forward to 2018 and for Airborne to continue to grow.
Submitted By: JOHN WALKER
