BELLEVILLE, Ontario (August 11, 2011) – Quinte Exhibition Raceway
Don Taylor rode his Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada-sponsored Harley-Davidson® XR750 dirt track motorcycle to victory in the 22nd running of the Canadian Motorcycle Association’s “Norm Carr Classic” half-mile dirt track race, held at the Quinte Exhibition Raceway in Belleville, Ontario. The race was round nine of a twelve-round schedule.
Taylor scored a runaway win as he used the tractable power of the XR race bike in the deep-cushion, well-prepped track, taking the bike high into the corners, right near the hay bales, before power sliding onto the racing line. The capacity crowd erupted in cheers at each lap, as Taylor passed the stands, and they gave him a huge post-race ovation. “These are the best fans anywhere,” the six-time champ enthused after the race. “Every time we come here they just blow us away,” he commented fondly.
For Taylor, it was sweet revenge, as during last year’s Belleville race his gas tank ruptured during the National Championship Race and slowed his charge. In that race, Taylor was second to Doug Lawrence on the American Harley-Davidson® entry. This year’s victory gives Taylor a 38-point lead in the standings, with three races left on the schedule. He next sees action at the Niagara Raceway short track on September 10. The Series then makes its second stop of the year in Leamington on September 17, for the half-mile race, and September 18, for the Wheatley short track.
If Taylor captures the nation’s most coveted dirt track prize – the number one plate – it will be his seventh. He won six consecutive number one plates from 2004 through 2009, and was forced to forfeit his plate when his season was interrupted due to injury last year. “I really wanted to win this one; this one was very important to me. I’m not out of the woods yet as far as the championship goes. Chris Evans, who is second in points, is having a great year and there are three races left. I’m just taking it one race at a time, and with one of those on the half-mile, where I can use the XR, I think we have a pretty good chance. The bottom line is: I want my plate back.”
