Team effort helps Can-Am cleanup
It was just a week ago that things looked bleak for racing to resume anytime soon at Can-Am Motorsports Park in LaFargeville. Fast forward to this week and, with the help of employees and volunteers, racing will be held this week. A three-day race schedule begins Friday night.
A regular racing program will be held Friday night, while go-kart racing is set for Saturday. On Sunday afternoon a huge enduro will be held on the track .
The day after a violent thunderstorm that struck the speedway last week and caused considerable damage to the tower and grandstand area, nearly 40 volunteers and track employees helped to clear the debris away so re-construction could begin.
"In a matter of hours our employees and volunteers had the debris cleared from inside the track,'' Chip Burdick, general manager of the speedway, said Wednesday.
"I can't say enough on how we appreciate all the help we had,'' Burdick added.
General contractor Steven J. Hall of Cape Vincent and Savage and Sons Roofing of Rochester have been working since shortly after the debris was cleared to re-build areas of the tower and grandstand .
Gerald "Tiger'' Chapman of Cape Vincent, who is the owner and promoter of Can-Am Motorsports Park, is also he owner of the roofing company.
"The roofing is completed on the tower area, while the siding is nearly finished,'' Burdick said. "There was a lot of debris on the track, too, and our employees cleared all of it on Monday. We really couldn't get on the track until Monday because the surface was still quite wet from all the rain we had last week.''
The windows for the rooms that were damaged because of the storm were expected to arrive today. Chapman said the windows would be installed as soon as they arrive.
Chapman said Tuesday that the electrical repairs have been made and that the state has deemed the facility safe for race fans this weekend.
He said there will be some additional work needed to be done to the individual rooms that sponsors and race fans rent during the racing season.
"Friday's race will be the first regular show we've had since nearly a month,'' Burdick said. "We had some special shows, then a rainout and the storm last week."
Burdick said that while no figures have been released on the cost of repairing the facility, he estimates it would be more than $100,000.
PHOTOGRAPHER REMEMBERED
Mike Watts, track photographer at Mohawk International Raceway (Akwesasne) and Airborne Park Speedway (Plattsburgh), passed away Sunday after suffering a heart attack earlier last week.
Watts joined Mohawk International Raceway in its second season in the late 1980s. The track at that time was called Frogtown International Raceway.
Mohawk race officials recalled how the Watt's family covered the racing action every week for more than 20 years.
Mike and his wife Jane's photo stand was a popular stop for race fans at the speedway. The Watts' family life centered around racing. Mike proposed to his wife during a race program at the Airborne Park Speedway. Their sons Mike Jr. and Andy grew up at the races and are still involved in the sport.
Watts' photos were prominently features in racing newspapers, such as Gater Racing News and Area Auto Racing News, as well as in local news coverage, and on many racing websites.
