April 15, 2013- After a disappointing 2012 season Michel (Mike) Beyore is preparing a new program for his OSCAAR Super Late Model. The veteran driver from Whitby, Ont. has had a long time to prepare for the opening day of 2013 following his final race at Kawartha Speedway in late September.
A full-season hiatus two years ago had Beyore itching to get back behind the wheel last May, but suffered a pair of engine failures which interrupted his 2012 campaign. Despite a year which did not meet his expectations, Beyore retained all of his sponsorship for this coming season.
“Pretty well everybody is coming back. I was happy that even though we had kind of a down year last year, everybody stayed with me,” said Beyore. “These guys have been with me for a long time and they understand when things go wrong.”
Beyore will once again enjoy support on his #54 Chevrolet from Stemac Machinery, Millennium Crane, CNC Fabricating, Metals Plus, MGS Performance, Praxair, Don’s Auto Body, and Mayhew Graphics.
A sixth-place finish at Sunset Speedway to begin his return had the veteran driver in high spirits. However, the first engine failure just two weeks later had Beyore scrambling to reorganize. After another failure at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) mid-season, Beyore vowed to make a change for the 2013 campaign to ensure a consistent and complete season.
“We’re going back to the (McGunegill) spec motor,” explained Beyore. “It’s proven and reliable. I might be a bit underpowered, but I’m hoping I can make it work. I don’t understand why I’m having problems, so I’m eliminating the problem. When we’re going, showing up, and we’re not even making it out of practice, it’s wrong. I’m tired of blowing up.”
Beyore has also decided to make changes to the car’s body style as well, adding a two-inch lip to the top of the car’s rear quarter-panels as a way to improve downforce. With the amount of new and high-quality competition entering OSCAAR, Beyore knew he had to solidify his program to make a title run in 2013.
“When I came to OSCAAR, there were maybe four or five guys to beat,” explained Beyore. “Now, you’ve got to fight to get a top-ten. You better be on your game or that’s it. It’s going to get to the point where we draw a decent amount of cars and you’re going to have to qualify to get in (to the feature).”
“If you look around the province, what other series can tell you they’ve got 40 cars? None.”
When the Super Late Model schedule was released for the upcoming season, Beyore, like most other drivers, knew he needed to be strong at Sunset in order to be amongst the top tier of competitors.
“Five races at Sunset, you need to be good. You need to spend some time there, and that’s what I’m going to do,” said Beyore, who plans to attend the OSCAAR practice day at Sunset on May 12.
Regardless of the schedule, the ‘Whitby Warrior’ is looking forward to the June 1 date at CTMP (formerly Mosport), which he once called home.
“I always like going to Mosport. I’ve got a lot of laps there,” explained Beyore. “Kawartha is the next one, but we’ve only got one race there. Hopefully something changes there for the next year.”
Beyore will have added support this year from his brother Max, a former Kawartha Speedway late model competitor, who will travel with him as he competes in a new Jeff Hanley-built OSCAAR Modified. Both drivers are
hoping brotherly love will translate to success on the race track.
From: Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)
