CANADIAN THUNDER

2nd place in season finale wraps up 3rd in the Thunder Championship

Brampton Cycle Ducati rider, Derek Vammus.

15/09/05 Toronto, ON – Brampton Cycle Ducati's Derek Vammus battled hard to a second place finish in the final round of the Canadian Thunder Series. Vammus also narrowly missed out on the $1000 Dollar Brampton Chrysler Thunder Pole Award, with another second place finish in the qualifying race.

The weather was perfect for racing at Shannonville on the Labour Day weekend. Through some hard work put in by team manager Corey Warren, and the generosity of Brampton Chrysler's General Manager Wes Yoshida, Saturday qualifying race would see the riders 'dash for cash' as a $1000 Dollar Thunder Pole Award was up for grabs. Vammus, who had been struggling with clutch problems, had an average launch off the starting line but quickly worked his way up to second place. From there on a race long battle with Buell rider, Bill Card, ensued. Vammus passed for the lead with a late breaking move in turn two but Card dove right back in turn three as Vammus ran a bit wide. The pace was fast as the lead riders broke the lap record with times in the low 1'52 range. On the last lap Vammus made a brave final attempt with another late breaking pass at the end of the fast back straight. Unfortunately the results were similar as Vammus again ran wide at the exit of the turn and Card was able to slip back into the lead. The positions held as Vammus qualified second for the final race.

For Sunday Morning Practice the team made some suspension changes that improved the Ducati and allowed for lap record pace during practice. The presentation for the Brampton Chrysler $1000 Dollar Thunder Pole Award occurred right before the final race with a Dodge Viper Powered SRT10 pick up truck leading the bikes onto the grid. The light went green for the final and after running 4th at the start Vammus passed his way into the lead. The suspension changes were working great and Vammus broke the lap record with lap times now into the 1'51's. As a result of a crash the race was red flagged with Vammus in the lead. Vammus took the outside pole for the restart and after another average start, charged his way around the outside of turn one and braked late for turn 2 passing 3 riders and taking the lead. Another Vammus vs. Card battle took place with Vammus leading the first few laps. Card eventually passed for the lead as Vammus pressed hard for the remainder of the race taking home a hard fought second place finish. This ended up giving Vammus a 3rd place finish in the Championship.

"I'm so proud of this Brampton Cycle Ducati. It's a stock bike right out of the box with bolt on Ducati Performance Parts you can buy right from your dealer. We gave some very expensive Buell Racing Programs a good run for their money. My Pirelli Tires worked great, my DP Brakes worked awesome and put me in the lead a few times, Eurocorsa Performance gave us some fantastic aftermarket parts, my KBC Helmet and Joe Rocket leathers kept me safe all year, the Electric Lift Truck Company made our bike and trailer look great, Bain Machine made some great parts for us, Motul kept our bike running at it's peak, MC Reproductions made us some great posters and our Brampton Chrysler Dodge Ram 1500 towed us to the races with ease. Thanks to my crew for their hard work this year. Thanks to Corey Warren, Sean Picavet, Rob Roland and my Dad. Special thanks to Sean and Rob for riding all the way to Nova Scotia to wrench for Me. Thanks to 'Ducati Canada Racing Crew Chief', Michael Taylor, for his coaching and assistance. Thanks to Pat Barnes and Rob Trottier for their assistance."

The team's highlight of the season was the Shannonville Pro Track Round 1 race victory and new lap record won from the pit lane.

Congratulations to Darren James on his Thunder Championship and to Bill Card for some hard fought races this season.

Look for us in 2006 as it should be a very interesting season with more of a threat from 'Team Triple D'. With a stepped up effort from Ducati, Dodge and Derek Vammus in 2006, things are definitely going to be exciting!

From a press release issued by Brampton Cycle Ducati Racing.