THREE DAYS OF BUSY AND SUCCESSFUL RACING FOR RAPHAEL LESSARD
July 26 - Pocono Raceway, July 27 and 30 - Autodrome Chaudiere
Raphael Lessard once again demonstrated his talent during three days of racing held in the United States and Canada on July 26, 27 and 30. Raphael Lessard accepted KBR Development's offer to replace their regular driver for the "Forts USA 150" race, an ARCA Series event held on the Pocono Raceway tri-oval in car #28 KBR Development (July 26). The next day, he competed in the Langis Caron 125 and finally yesterday, in the second round of the Triple Crown Kennebec, both held at the Autodrome Chaudiere. In the end, the young Beauce driver achieved six top-5 finishes, including 4 podiums and one victory.
Raphael Lessard makes the ARCA car quicker at Pocono (July 26) - Fifth position
At the wheel of the #28 KBR Development car, this was his third ARCA race with this team and Mike Bursley as crew chief. After only five laps in the practice session, a major mechanical failure forced the team to carry out major repairs to get the car ready for qualifying. Starting from sixth on the grid, the car quickly displayer serious understeer that caused it to drop back over the opening 60-lap run. Pit stop changes corrected the problem and allowed Raphael Lessard to climb back to the lead group and finish in fifth place.
"I am proud of what we have accomplished together, especially as major changes were made after the short practice session. We got the most that we could out of the car and surpassed expectations," added the driver, motivated by this result.
Langis Caron - 2 x 75 laps (July 27) - Victory, podium and wins of the Langis Caron
The objective of this evening was to salute the long and successful career of Langis Caron, a great and passionate driver and well-known personality in the Quecec Stock Car community since his debut on oval tracks in 1965. This was also an opportunity to acknowledge the employees of FRL Express and of Petro Canada - Jean-Paul Lessard et fils. The event was well attended and a success on all fronts for the driver, especially since Raphael Lessard won the Salute to Langis Caron event after achieving the best combined results of both 75 lap races (3rd and 1st place).
"Everything went well tonight, except for a flat tire in the first 75-lap race which cost us two positions. Thank you to the Bilodeau Brothers for the quick car and to my partners, L.A.V. Equipment and Petro Canada - Jean-Paul Lessard et fils for their support," said Raphael Lessard.
Second round of the Triple Crown Kennebec - 125 laps (July 30) - Fourth position
The small Chaudiere oval has repeatedly put on great shows, which we have come to expect every time out. With effective banking, and wide enough to run and pass side-by-side, we often see very close racing for extended periods at the tight oval track. Last night, the second leg of the Triple Crown Kennebec was a great example of this spectacular racing. The weather forecast called for intermittent thunderstorms, which was the case, but the hardened fans stayed in their seats and saw another classic race among four drivers, including Raphael Lessard at the wheel of the #46 L.A.V. Equipment | Petro Canada - Jean-Paul Lessard et fils | FRL Express car, which ran in tight pack throughout the second half of the race. A major challenge that Raphael Lessard looked at home in, mixing it up, side by side with the series veterans.
Sixth on the grid at the start, Raphael Lessard quickly climbed to fourth, which he defended vigorously until the second caution period (lap 40). The race then intensified, with four drivers engaged in an intense and always clean skirmish, and where the slightest mistake on the slippery track had drivers running side-by-side in intense efforts to gain a position.
"I worked hard!" explained the driver of the #46 L.A.V. Equipment | Petro Canada - Jean-Paul Lessard et fils | FRL Express car. Our four cars were very close in performance and I tried everything I knew to find better lines and more speed. Then in the last laps, I was second on the inside of the leader and going for the pass when I got stuck behind a lapped car who stayed in front of me, causing me to drop to fourth at the end of the race. It happens!" concluded Raphael Lessard.
Sportsman Dirt - 2 x 25 laps (July 30) - Two podiums
Two short races with cars that love to get sideways in the corners, a less disciplined behaviour than conventional Sportsman cars on pavement. Raphael Lessard, at the wheel of a Sportsman Dirt car prepared by Autodrome Granby | Production JR, pitted his pavement experience against the Kings of the slide on clay. After dominating practice, Raphael Lessard finished the first race in second place, and in third in the second round, after a "muscular" exchange with another driver.
Next event - Bristol Motor Speedway - Gander Outdoors Truck Series (August 15)
Raphael Lessard will be back on track on August 15 for the third scheduled race with the Kyle Busch Motorsports team, on the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway track (Tennessee, USA).
Photo credit: MC Levasseur
ABOUT RAPHAEL LESSARD
Born on July 5, 2001, in Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec, Canada, Raphael Lessard is one of the most promising prospects in North American oval racing. Raphael made his debut in stock-cars in 2013, on local tracks in the Quebec City area. His exceptional talent quickly allowed him to climb the ladder and attract the attention of David Gilliland, a former NASCAR MonsterEnergy Series driver and now a team owner, in 2015. An agreement then allowed Lessard to participate in the last four races of the season in the PASS North Tour Series.
In 2016, his first full-time season with Gilliland Racing, Lessard won the CARS Super Late Model Tour title with four wins, 8 top five and 9 top driver to win a major stock car series title in the United States. Since 2016, Lessard has been part of the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) prestigious driver development program. To date, he is the only Canadian to have been recruited into this program.
Highlights
2018 - 16 races - Super Late Model with Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Two wins, seven top-5s and 13 top-10s
- Wins the U.S. Short Track Nationals race at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Wins the Red Bull 400 at Anderson Speedway
- Leads 60 laps at the famous Snowball Derby in December, before a mechanical problem puts him out of the race with only six (6) laps to go.
2017 - Competes in 20 Super Late Model races and two ARCA series races
- Two wins and eight top-5 finishes in the Super Late Model category
- A top-10 from two races in the ARCA series
- Voted the most popular driver in North America by Speed51.com
- Voted as one of the top 10 drivers to watch in 2017 by Speed51.com
- Named by Speed51.com Short Track Power Ranking as 7th best driver in the United States
2016 - Participates in 10 races
- CARS Super Late Model Series Champion
- Youngest Canadian driver to win a prestigious stock-car series in the United States
- Four wins, eight top-5s and nine top-10s in 10 races
ABOUT FRL EXPRESS Inc.
F.R.L. Express Inc. is a general transportation company founded in 2004 by François Lessard. Its main field of activity over the last 15 years is general transport in closed trailers over short and long distances in Canada and the United States. FRL currently have about 50 employees in addition to about ten tow carriers. FRL owners are proud of the progress made in recent years thanks to the FRL team members and wishes to continue on this positive note. "Our employees, customer service and satisfaction are our priorities. We are all proud to be partners in the success and achievements of our son Raphael Lessard," state the proud parents.
ABOUT KBR DEVELOPMENT
KBR is a team running the full 2019 ARCA Menards Series, operating out of a 11,000-square-foot headquarters installation in Zeeland, Michigan. KBR works with only the best industry experts and top manufacturers in all aspects of operations. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner Erik Jones, Raphael Lessard, Brandon McReynolds and Carson Hocevar are just a few of the talented drivers to have driven for the team.
ABOUT BILODEAU BROTHERS
Founded in 2003 in the family garage in Sainte-Marie de Beauce, the Bilodeau Brothers Racing Team competed in various categories on all paved ovals in Quebec since then. The team can count on Crew Chief Germain Gosselin, who has worked for ARCA and NASCAR teams in the United States. Since 2015, the team has focused on a development program of its NASCAR Late Model cars, having achieved several podium finishes along the way, as well as winning the ACT 2016 Rookie Championship and a first victory in 2017.
