The first events for the 2025 John Scotti Canadian Championship Series contested…
Fabled Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park played host to the first two race dates for NHRA’s John Scotti Canadian Championship series last weekend.
The “double header” race weekend featured competition in a number of NHRA eliminators including Stock/Super Stock (by Select Printing), Top/Sportsman/Dragster combo (Fast Eddie Speedwear) and index classes Super Comp, Super Gas & Super Street, presented by Epic Racewear). Exciting class action also included fields within Sportsman Motorcycle (by Dingys vintage parts) and Junior Dragster (by Freedom Docks).
Complimenting all that was regular racing within Cayuga’s very own RCSS as well as Nostalgia Super Stock and True North Gassers.
While race weekend highlights were plentiful – it was young lady driver Brooklyn Noakes (from London ON) who made the biggest impact – by prevailing X2 within the NHRA Top Dragster/Sportsman eliminator combo.
Brooklyn, who is daughter to highly renowned Canadian driver Paul Noakes, behind the wheel of her Undercover-chassis car that is presented by Engineered Racing Services and TriCorp Transportation, defeated KC Kovacs in Saturday’s final round. She then kept her undefeated weekend in tact on Sunday afternoon by topping Wes Goddard’s (Aryiss ON) totally unique Nash TS car in the final round.
Brooklyn Noakes was all business at NHRA’s John Scotti National Open event – winning 2X at the event.
A strong attendance of 46-cars were entered for the popular Stock/Super Stock race — a category which is always been a major focus at all John Scotti-presented events.
On Saturday it was Anthony Delplavignano’s B/SA Camaro emerging with a first time circuit win. Anthony, who is from King ON., ran a final round 10.34 secs (10.32 dial) to hold off Sam Capizzi Jr and his Rochester NY-based SS/AS Dodge Daytona.
For Sunday’s Stock/SS event it was a very familiar race winner — Robert Becker who prevailed — but this time in an unfamiliar car. Becker, (from Port Colbourne ON) was behind the wheel of the impressive FJ Smith constructed Oldsmobile Calais owned by Kraft Racing. Becker ran that GT/HA configuration car to a final round 9.858 secs (9.79 dial) at 132.69 mph to beat Richard Jukowky’s Fort Erie-based Camaro Stocker in the final.
Stock/Super Stock Combo winners at Cayuga included Anthony Delplavignano (Saturday) and Rob Becker (Sunday).
Other NHRA event winners included Dany Damon (Super Gas), Benoit Martin (Super Comp) and Kirk Parry (Super Street) on Saturday. On Sunday Joe Ferrari (Super Gas) and Michael Reynolds (Super Street) took home NHRA Wallys.
Benoit Martin from Quebec won in Super Comp class racing.
Sunday’s Super Gas winner was Cayuga track regular — Joe Ferrari.
Nostalgia Super Stock racing featured two Mopar-branded and Ontario-based winners, with Dwight Vorsteveld (’65 Plymouth) and Jason Hutchinson (’66 Coronet) taking event scores.
Dwight Vorsteveld’s ’65 Plymouth was the NSS winner on Saturday.
The super popular for the area “True North Gassers”, which includes racers from both sides of the 49th, featured final round win lights for Dan Rice (on Saturday) and Larry Kerrigan (on Sunday).
Larry Kerrigan’s uber popular “Sinister Minister” ’33 Willys Gasser took home a “True North Gassers” title.
Despite a rather dismal initial forecast and then cool and windy weekend — the race was judged a success by NHRA Canadian Representative – Glenn Grow.
“Most importantly it was a safe incident free race,” Glenn said. “The track surface was excellent all weekend and the facility looks really great with those completely redone grandstands. This season fans and racers will notice a general sprucing up to the place — with much improved drainage and new pavement in pits as well as both PA and lighting upgrades being done.”
Junior Dragster class winner Georgia Petit
RCSS Modified class winner – Greg Leblanc from St. Catherines ON
The John Scotti Canadian Championship Series will continue across Eastern Canada and four provinces this summer with 12 more races – including events at Napierville Dragway (Quebec), Miramichi Dragway (New Brunswick) Cape Breton Dragway (Nova Scotia) and Luskville Dragway (outside of Ottawa Ontario).
Posted by Bruce Biegler
Photos by Steve Lowry
