Top Sportsman Tag Team

Medicine Hat Alberta is home base to a rather serious and emerging 2-car Canadian Top Sportsman racing team….

For the last five seasons Don Wilk has been driving a Pontiac GTO, originally built by Wally Stroupe in conjunction with his racing partner Todd Fleck.  That team however added an all new Jerry Bickel-built ’68 Camaro to its racing equation for this season and with that doubled their participation at regional NHRA and IHRA tracks in Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Todd Fleck (left) and Don Wilk

Both the sleek sliver Pontiac GTO and the multi-hued green Camaro feature powerful engine programs by reputed Sonny Leonard.  The GTO is 818 CID and the Camaro is  811 CID. 

“Fast bracket racing is a very popular category in our area of the world,” said Todd Fleck.  “Both of our race cars are nearly identically prepared and both are all throttle – no nitrous.  We found we can go fast enough to do well with naturally aspirated motor programs only.”

To date both cars have shown that ability for sure – running regularly in the 6.6 seconds zone at near 210 mph. 

For a period of time both Don and Todd did take turns driving the GTO but with the addition of the new car this season – drawing straws for driving duties has became a thing of the past.

“Adding a second car just made sense, Todd continued.  “Now we both get to drive and we can also now exchange more information.   Hopefully that will help equate to more success in the future.”

Don Wilk's Jerry Bickel-built and Sonny's-powered Camaro is new in 2011

Both Todd and Don are involved inAlberta’s tremendous oil field industry as drilling supervisors and consultants.  They have landed some important sponsorship from within that – signing on GMack (an oil field service company) new for 2011. 

“We want to thank Greg Redpath (from GMack) for coming on board and helping us out,” Don and Todd added.

Todd Fleck has been racing this naturally aspirated GTO for five seasons.

The team’s biggest claim to fame so far?  That would probably be some excellent results from the IHRA’s Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam held at Edmonton last  June.  At that race the team dominated the added attraction Campbell Automotive sponsored TS Quick 8 program.  They were in fact scheduled to meet head on in the final round for that championship title – but unfortunately a rain storm washed out that action.

(Bruce Biegler Photos)