Bertrand’s Eyes Fixed Squarely On Horizon For Team

Column By: MATTHEW WIERNASZ / RPW – STURBRIDGE, MA – Bertrand Motorsports is looking forward to the 2017 season, and there are many changes on the horizon for the team. They have three cars and already planning on fourth car as they building a new car for Todd Bertrand.

Breaking news at the time of this release is that Avery Stoehr will be driving the 39 in 2017. Todd Bertrand will be driving the number 48, a number he used when he ran on dirt. Randy Cabral will not race in the 47 this year instead he will drive the 74. It will be the first time Cabral has not driven the 47 in 11 years. The 47 will be the “guest car” and will run a limited race schedule.

John Zych and Randy Cabral have had excellent battles on the track over the years that makes fun for fans to watch in NEMA. The respect is mutual between both drivers and teams. These two always show great respect for each other.

“We helped them out when they first got started. He (John) gives us a lot of credit now but I’ll tell you those guys are really on their own. Now they’ve made some great progress over the last few years. His results speak for themselves. I think his dad (John) is an unbelievable mechanic whether he realizes it or not – that car has finished every single race the last two years which is just really an unbelievable testament to how good those guys are in the garage,” said team owner, Tim Bertrand.

Cabral suffered a concussion last year at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. NASCAR has a concussion protocol and Bertrand believes others should follow.

“I don’t think that’s a bad idea. Randy at this point has been fully cleared by his doctors to go back racing. Concussions are a nasty subject as you’ve seen they have gotten a lot of attention over the last couple years. I had a couple concussions racing and I would still say I feel the impact of them today. Different ailments that I have. They are a very tricky injury” Bertrand said.

Cole Carter set the track record at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park this past year at the World Series in NEMA, driving for Bertrand Motorsports. Cole is the son of former Indy Car driver Poncho Carter. When Carter came to Thompson for the first time, Bertrand asked what he thought of the track and Carter said “this is a fun little joint” and Bertrand kind of laughed. Most people call Thompson the “separate the men from the boys facility.” No doubt Carter is not afraid of the throttle when they go to Thompson. Carter will run the NEMA Midgets event on Wednesday August 9th at Thompson in 2017.

Overall the 2016 season was a good season for Bertrand Motorsports. They had a mishap at Riverhead Raceway with Justin Bonsignore. “It was one of those racing deals,” said Bertrand. A driver in front of him got a flat tire, moved up the track and Bonsignore caught the right rear tire and ended up in the wall in turn 1. The unbelievable ending was when the 74 was brought back. The car ran better than it ever had and the team learned a number of things when putting the car back together. Bertrand thought the 74 was done with that car for the season and four weeks later they rolled it out of the trailer. Doug Coby ran the fastest lap, won the heat race and the feature at the Boston Louie at Seekonk Speedway. They never looked back – Bertrand Motorsports was extremely strong at the end of last year. They won the last four races of the season. Cabral won at Star and Thompson while Todd Bertrand won at Wiscasset and Doug Coby took down the season finale at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.

Bertrand Motorsports is a family team and “that’s what this is all about”, according to Tim.

“We do run Bertrand Motorsports as a business but it is also something I am very passionate about. After I stepped out of the driver seat, Cara (Tim’s wife) and I agreed that we would find up and coming talent and thats who we would work with,” he said. Their choice, Randy Cabral, and Bertrand have proven to be one of the most potent combinations in NEMA history.

“We’ve got my brother along with some guest drivers like Justin (Bonsignore) Doug (Coby) and others. We really love it and being able to do it with my dad and my wife and my daughter and my two brothers and my brothers fiancee now and her father and so on. Its just great. Its kind of what I look forward to all winter,” Bertrand said.

Do not be surprised if you see another guest driver pop in the 47 in 2017. Sammy Swindell made his NEMA debut last season at Star Speedway in August. Swindell has asked if he could drive the car more than once this season. He said driving in NEMA was the most fun he had in the last five to ten years in racing. He loved trying something different

“We got to know him and his wife really well. I think he gets a bad rap from the racing community because he is a fierce competitor – a winner. We actually found him to be a incredibly nice, humble guy. They stayed at our house. I sat down and talked with him over breakfast on Sunday morning for two hours. He’s just really an awesome guy and we had a great time and I’m hoping to have him back this year,” Bertrand Said.

The goal for Bertrand Motorsports in 2017 is to win races. The goal is not necessarily to starting out to thinking about championships or anything like that.

“I believe the team that stands on the podium in the top place at the end of the year is the team that wins the most races, has the most consistent finishes, has the right strategy in the garage. Those are the teams that end up winning the championship” Bertrand Said

NEMA Lites will kickoff their 2017 season at the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Icebreaker on Saturday April 1st. The NEMA Midgets will kickoff their 2017 season at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl on Sunday May 7th.