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DragRaceCanada Award Winners Announced
Bruce Biegler - February 25, 2010
Following the conclusion of a recent one month on-line poll period, votes have been tabulated and the audit has been completed to determine the winners of DragRaceCanada’s Canadian Drag Racers of the Year awards program.
The awards, which are presented by co-sponsor Lucas Oil Canada, help to acknowledge top achievements in Canadian drag racing during the past racing season. 2009 marked the 6th year for the growing and prestigious program.
The results were highlighted by Western Canadian racers who took top honors in three of the four available categories.
 Wiley veteran driver Roger Bateman (from Calgary), who wheeled Brian Friesen’s Mustang to a second consecutive NHRA Division 5 TAFC points title, won at IHRA Edmonton and recorded the quickest time ever by a Canadian TAFC racer (5.556 secs) last season, was selected by racing fans as the Pro Driver of the Year. Bateman’s selection was his first and he edged out defending IHRA Pro Mod Champion Kenny Lang in the final tally, amassing 32% of votes cast compared to Lang’s 27%.
 The Pro Driver of the Year award for Roger Bateman was co-presented by Inside Track Magazine.
Edmonton’s Eddy Plaizier was a most deserving winner within the Sportsman Driver of the Year category. The very popular racer was recognized for not only his driving skills but also for his long time and ongoing involvement within the sport of drag racing. Plaizier, who won the 2009 IBAA points title driving his ultra-cool ’37 Chevy is also a guiding force behind the very formidable multi-car Team Ace Racing program that includes his son Casey, daughter Francesca, as well as TAFC driver Rob Atchison.
Plaizer gathered 30% of the votes submitted to turn back AMA Prostar Motorcycle star racer Mike Konopacki (from Oshawa, ON) who placed 2nd in voting at 24%.
 Racing fans selected Calgary’s Ashley Bart as the Most Improved/Up-and-Coming Canadian drag racer of the season. Ashley, who is only 20 years old, won a tight final decision over IHRA Pro Stock racer Mark Martino (from Stoney Creek, ON).
Bart, a rising star driver who is in only her third year behind the wheel of a Top Alcohol Dragster that is owned by Ken & Darlene Gilmour and Carl Bellamey, enjoyed a very progressive season that included some superb event showings and a super quick 5.35 secs 265 mph time slip.
Rounding out the 2009 winners was Barrie Ontario-based Pro Mod tuning guru Al Billes who earned his 4th career selection in the DragRaceCanada on-line ballot. 
Billes, whose mechanical prowess within the Pro Modified category is already of legendary proportions, was selected by a wide margin as the top Crew Chief/Tuner for 2009, duplicating his 2006 and 2008 selections. Billes was also a winner in the inaugural DragRaceCanada Awards program back in 2004 when he was named Pro Driver of the Year.
During 2009 Billes’ played an intricate part in the fortunes of Roger Burgess’s multi-car NHRA circuit R2B2 Racing Pro Mod racing team as well as Kenny Lang’s repeat IHRA Pro Modified World Championship.
DragRaceCanada congratulates all the category winners and offers it’s thanks to all who registered votes.
Bruce Biegler Photos
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