1986 Mosport Park - Player's Challenge Series

In 1986, General Motors Canada, in conjunction with title sponsor Player’s Cigarettes, introduced a new showroom stock series for the Chevrolet IROC-Z Camaro and Pontiac Trans Am Firebird. To attract entrants, the championship boasted a prize fund of $200,000. The winner of each race would collect a cheque for $5,000, with the runner-up receiving $4,000, third getting $3,000 and $2,000 was awarded to the fourth and fifth place finishers. In addition, the races are televised on CTV’s Wide World of Sports.

Seventy-four cars were delivered to drivers competing in the series at the Oshawa Ontario General Motors plant. The Camaros and Firebirds were built on Norwood, Ohio assembly line with the engines coming from General Motor’s St. Catharines Engine Plant. The power plant is a carbureted high output 5.0-liter V8. The vehicles are also equipped with a window net, roll bar, racing seat and fire extinguishers. Competitors are required to use Esso fuel and Goodyear Eagle VR Gatorback tires.

The series makes its debut at Mosport Park on the Budweiser Victoria Day Sprints weekend in May. This event is followed by another race at Mosport during the Budweiser Can Am. Next on the schedule is the most prestigious event of the season when drivers compete at Circuit Gillies Villeneuve in conjunction with the Labatt Grand Prix of Canada. Then it is back to Ontario for the third of five stops at Mosport. In July, the series participates at the inaugural Molson Indy on the street circuit at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Round six is conducted at Mosport as part of the Budweiser GT weekend. The championship returns to Quebec for the penultimate race of the season at Sanair’s tri-oval, with the finale taking place mid-September at Mosport.

The first race of the new Player’s Challenge Series was held a Mosport Park during the Budweiser Victoria Day Sprints weekend. Drivers would compete in a fifteen-lap contest around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The start of round one for the inaugural Player’s Challenge Series and forty competitors funnel into Mosport Park’s first turn. Leading the field is the pole-sitter, Robin Buck, in the No. 10 Esso sponsored Pontiac Firebird. Buck was the sixth-fastest qualifier but was gridded first after the six fastest cars were inverted for the start. On the outside of Buck is Ron Fellows driving the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro.

The first Player`s Challenge Series race was won by Canadian open-wheel veteran Richard Spenard. Spenard, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro, was fourth fastest in the qualifying session and started in the third position. Spenard moved through the field for the victory. He was chased by the No. 10 Pontiac Firebird of Robin Buck, who finished second. Unfortunately, Buck was disqualified for an ignition timing issue.

Not only did General Motors sell seventy-four Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds, but they also sold a significant amount of replacement parts. The close competition resulted in a lot of contact, some of which caused substantial body damage. The No. 14 Pontiac Trans Am of Terry DiFrancesco enters the pit-lane dragging the bumper cover. The former Honda series frontrunner finished fourth in round one.

Another open-wheel veteran to join the Player`s Challenge Series was Peter Lockhart. Lockhart was the 1983 and 1984 runner-up in the Canadian Formula 2000 championship. This season, he is driving the No. 11 Esso/Sony sponsored Chevrolet Camaro and was the fastest qualifier. Lockhart started the sixth and crossed the finish line in third place but was awarded the runner-up position after Robin Buck was disqualified.

George Commachio is a long-time Grand Touring driver who has spent many years racing in Ontario, but his outings include visits to tracks in Quebec and the United States. Commachio parked his familiar Alfa Romeo to join the Player`s Challenge Series driving the No. 55 Pontiac Firebird. After qualifying in the twenty-fifth position, the team had problems with the car and Commachio finished thirty-fourth.

After a couple years away from the sport, Formula Ford racer Ron Fellows returned to racing, driving the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro. Fellows was quick and recorded the fifth-fastest time during the qualifying session. He was gridded on the outside of the front row for the start and after fifteen laps, Fellows crossed the finish line in the fourth position. However, he was moved to third place after the disqualification of Robin Buck.

Sixty-seven cars were entered in the opening round, with just over nine seconds separating the entire field. However, there were only forty positions available for the final race of the weekend. Based on their qualifying time, thirty-four drivers moved to the feature. The remainder competed in a consolation race, with the top six finishers advancing. Ian Phillips won the race and finished eighteenth in the finale.

FINISH	START	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	(3) 4	Richard Spenard	Chevrolet Camaro / Golden Mile Chevrolet	15	-
2	(1) 6	Peter Lockhart	Chevrolet Camaro / Esso/Sony/Bob Johnston	15	-
3	(5) 2	Ron Fellows	Chevrolet Camaro / Golden Mile Chevrolet	15	-
4	8	Terry DiFrancesco	Pontiac Firebird / Addison Pontiac	15	-
5	9	Michael Rivet	Chevrolet Camaro / Anderson Chevrolet	15	-
6	16	Tom Jones Jr	Chevrolet Camaro / Humberview Chevrolet	15	-
7	(2) 5	Marc Dancose	Chevrolet Camaro / Plaza Chevrolet	15	-
8	(4) 3	Scott Maxwell	Chevrolet Camaro / MEG/North York Chevrolet	15	-
9	7	Brian Cullingford	Pontiac Firebird / Georgian Pontiac	15	-
10	19	Horst Kroll	Chevrolet Camaro / Yonge Chevrolet	15	-
11	10	Joe De Marco	Chevrolet Camaro / Kane Chevrolet	15	-
12	22	David White	Chevrolet Camaro / Appelwood Chevrolet	15	-
13	14	Raymond David	Chevrolet Camaro / Spenard-David Racing School	15	-
14	26	Derek Johnson	Chevrolet Camaro / Snyder Chevrolet	15	-
15	20	Ray Coffey	Chevrolet Camaro / Humberview Chevrolet	15	-
16	27	Norman Brioux Jr	Chevrolet Camaro / Applewood Chevrolet	15	-
17	15	Stephen Kosa	Chevrolet Camaro / Roy Foss Pontiac	15	-
18	38	Ian Philipps	Chevrolet Camaro / Highland Chevrolet	15	-
19	33	Rudy Bartling	Chevrolet Camaro / Kane Chevrolet	15	-
20	18	Jock Addison	Pontiac Firebird / Addison Pontiac	15	-
21	23	Scott McColl	Pontiac Firebird / ICG Propane	15	-
22	11	Hunter Jones	Chevrolet Camaro / Humberview Chevrolet	15	-
23	37	Rolf von Engelbrechten	Chevrolet Camaro / Golden Mile Chevrolet	15	-
24	39	Uli Bieri	Chevrolet Camaro / Sheridan Chevrolet	15	-
25	35	John Graham	Chevrolet Camaro / Wilson/Nibblett	15	-
26	34	Ed Delong	Pontiac Firebird / Vince Grande Pontiac	15	-
27	36	Tony Corcoran	Pontiac Firebird / Condie Pontiac	15	-
28	31	Drew Fesar	Chevrolet Camaro / Humberview Chevrolet	15	-
29	13	Claude Poirier	Chevrolet Camaro / Michel Patenaude Chevrolet	14	-
30	32	Oliver Clubine	Chevrolet Camaro / Queenston-Towne Chevrolet	14	-
31	12	Paul Lamoureux	Chevrolet Camaro / Wihelmy-Lamoureux Chevrolet	14	-
32	29	Ken Tait	Pontiac Firebird / Parkway Pontiac Buick	14	-
33	37	Pierre Kitts	Chevrolet Camaro / Harold Cummings Chevrolet	14	-
34	5	George Commachio	Pontiac Firebird / Old Mill Pontiac Buick	14	-
35	18	Robbie Matta	Pontiac Firebird / Roy Foss Pontiac Buick	10	-
36	26	Ian Coristine	Chevrolet Camaro / Salois Chevrolet	9	Did Not Finish
37	21	John Cadman	Chevrolet Camaro / Appelwood Chevrolet	5	Did Not Finish
38	25	Rupert Bragg-Smith	Pontiac Firebird / Neal Pontiac	4	Did Not Finish
39	21	Wayne Harper	Chevrolet Camaro / Herron Chevrolet	4	Did Not Finish
-	25	Robin Buck	Pontiac Firebird / Esso/Sony/Roy Foss	15	Disqualified

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