I was fortunate enough to speak with Canadian-born Antoine Bessette of St. Bruno, Quebec. Bessette, a rookie driver in the series, told me about the sport, how he got involved, and his sponsorship:
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| 21-year-old Barber Dodge rookie Antoine Bessette took a moment from race day to give an interview. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
AS: Explain to the readers out there who are not familiar with the sport, what is Barber Dodge?
AB: Barber Dodge is a bit different than the other series. It's one team, one big team and everybody has the same car, and that is the big difference. Everybody can see the data of the other racers. It's a bit more fair.
AS: What inspired you to become a driver for Barber Dodge?
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| "I always like playing with motorcross, or four-wheels, and everything... a couple of guys wanted to sponsor me, and that's how I got started." (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
AB: I always like playing with motorcross, or four-wheels, and everything. I live in Quebec and I made a course over there and they said to me that I should push a bit harder, and a couple of guys wanted to sponsor me, and that's how I got started.
AS: How does one go about getting sponsorship? Do you promote yourself locally?
AB: It's more local. You have to find somebody who likes racing because it's pretty hard to find somebody who is willing to give you money for nothing.
My interview with Antoine ended, as did his race due to mechanical difficulties, and it was off to interview the winner. The leader of the pack was 22 year-old Leonardo Maia of Oakland, California, with second place taken by 20 year-old rookie Scott Poirier of Deerfield Beach, Florida, and in third, 16 year-old rookie Nelson Philippe of Valence, France.