By Dan Drouin, Cornwall BMX Club

Stoufville, ON – After some excellent performances at qualifying events throughout the summer, a few Cornwall BMX Club members represented the City at the 2018 Ontario Provincial BMX Championship held last Labour Day weekend at Stoufville BMX. Riders came home with some trophies for making the main event and some even earned championship rankings for their efforts, including a #1 Provincial Champion.

Cohen Shail impressed the crowd with some great passes in the first round and finishing 2nd to qualify for his main event. Shail went on to finish the day on the podium with a solid 2nd against a full rack of other riders, earning him the #1 Provincial Champion ranking, backpack and number plate in the 12 Intermediate class for the 2018 season.

“Sweet” Sophie Drouin showed the boys how it’s done in the 6 year old Novice class by making her way to the main event in the second round. The only girl in her age group to qualify, Drouin went on to finish the day with a 4th place trophy, Provincial ranking and Number Plate, besting four male riders to earn the ranking.

Jean-Thomas Nadeau showed up ready to race the other 6 year old Intermediate riders from all across the province. He pumped and pedalled hard to finish 2nd in his second round and qualified for the main event. In the end, Nadeau made it to the podium and was able to bring home an impressive 3rd place trophy.

Charles-Emile Nadeau faced off against some serious racers in the 7 Novice class. He rode fast in his qualifying rounds finishing in 3rd and 1st. Nadeau was quick out of the gate during his main event but was passed in the last straight to finish the day in 3rd place overall.

Sam “Ze Skunk” Drouin qualified for the main event during the first round after finishing in a strong 2nd in the extremely competitive 12 year old Expert class. A crash with three other riders in the last corner took him down during the main event, but he was able to get back on his bike and cross the finish line to take 6th in the race and the #6 Championship Plate and ranking.

It was a great weekend for the club’s dads too! 36-40 year old Novice competitor Pierre-Alexandre Nadeau raced strategically to make his main in the second qualifying round. Nadeau then turned on the gas and powered his way to a 2nd place finish during the main event.

Finally, 36-40 year old Intermediate TJ Shail had a little more competition then he bargained for after being grouped with the more experienced Expert class in his qualifying rounds. Although he didn’t make it to the day’s main event, Shail still had enough points collected throughout the series to finish off the season with the #3 Championship Plate and ranking.

The Provincial series may be over but there’s still lots of racing to be had as our club switches to our fall schedule and begin racing on Sunday afternoons. Registration will run from 2:30 to 3:30 pm with racing soon afterwards, and as always, it’s completely free to try and only $10 per race for BMX Canada members. There’s no special equipment needed to participate, only a bike (with pegs and kickstands removed), helmet, long pants, long sleeved shirt, and running shoes. Don’t forget to bring a friend!
Summary of 2018 Ontario BMX Provincial Championship held July 28, 2018 in Stoufville:

•  “Sweet” Sophie DROUIN: 4th Place, #4 Provincial Ranking and Number Plate, 6 Novice
•  Jean-Thomas NADEAU: 3rd Place, 6 Intermediate
•  Charles-Emile NADEAU: 3rd Place, 7 Novice
•  Cohen SHAIL: 2nd Place, #1 Provincial Ranking and Number Plate, 12 Intermediate
•  Sam “Ze Skunk” DROUIN: 6th Place, #6 Provincial Ranking and Number Plate, 12 Expert
•  Pierre-Alexandre NADEAU: 2nd Place, 36-40 Novice
• TJ SHAIL: 3rd Place, #3 Provincial Ranking and Number Plate, 36-40 Intermediate

For more information about BMX racing visit the Cornwall BMX Club webpage at cornwallbmx.ca or at www.facebook.com/CBMXClub. They can also be contacted via e-mail at info@cornwallbmx.ca or by phone at 613-662-1790