(Above) Hamilton, Ontario’s Bruce Boland won his first of three straight PMRA titles in 2007. (Opposite page) Former IHRA Alcohol champion Rob Atchison is now a PMRA regular.


PMRa sERiEs intRO S


everal years ago, a group of Pro Modified teams from Southern Ontario and Western


New york State got together to discuss the possi- bility of competing on a regular basis in front of their local fans at local tracks. After meetings with several teams late in the


fall of 2004, a race series format was established with regulations, race dates, venues, and purses. The series was named the Pro Modified Racing Association, and headquartered near the historic Cayuga Dragway in Kohler, Ontario, now part of Toronto Motorsports Park.


The Early Seasons: Slow, but successful growth Starting with a five-race series in 2005, the


PMRA was a success with fans, teams, and the hosting race facilities. Each event produced a dif- ferent winner, and the seasonal Championship Point Award Series was a tight battle until the last race of the year. In 2006, the PMRA raced at several different


tracks from the previous year, plus returning to some 2005 venues, and once again, each of the five events produced a different winner. The PMRA also established a solid relationship with numer- ous race facilities in 2006, a relationship that con- tinues to this day with committed race dates. Finally in 2007 a multi-event winner was de- clared in the PMRA, but it was not until the final


8 // pmra.Ca • QUICK32.Ca • pBSS.Ca


GEt uP tO sPEEd On thE histORy Of thE PRO MOdifiEd RaCinG assOCiatiOn


event of the season. And the Championship was not decided in 2007 until that same final event. For 2008, another event date was added to the


previous five-race schedule, along with the addi- tion of several new race teams from Ontario, New york, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Once again, the PMRA Championship was not


determined until the final event of the season in another year of close heads-up racing action.


First champion not decided until last event of ‘05 Joe Lilienthal of Kenmore, New york won the


first PMRA Championship Point Award Series title in 2005 in a very tight points race with the title still up for grabs going into the final event. For 2006, Joe Boniferro of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Kasey Janzen of St. Catharines, Ontario were de- clared co-champions. In 2007 Bruce Boland of Hamilton, Ontario was


named champion. Boland also became the PMRA’s first two-time champion, winning again in 2008. And he took the title once again in 2009, giving him three straight championships.


Bruce Boland dominates with third title as the PMRA matures, safety is addressed and becomes a truly international racing series. In 2009, continuing with a successful format, the PMRA ran six events, and for the third straight


year, Bruce Boland won the Championship Point Award Series. While Boland outright won four of these races, his title was not secured until the final event of the season. Mark Nielsen of Brant- ford, Ontario placed second, Jeff Roth of Kitch- ener, Ontario was third, Eric Latino of Scarborough, Ontario was fourth and Jason Kalso of Clarkston, Michigan was fifth. One highlight of the 2009 year was the PMRA competing at the In- ternational Hot Rod Association MOPAR Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ontario. The PMRA teams battled it out in an eighth-mile competition as part of the three-day IHRA event, one of the sanction’s 10 major international events, and the PMRA returned to the Grand Bend Motorplex for the IHRA’s 2010 event. The PMRA received strong recognition from the


fans, the media, and the IHRA in participating in this event.


The PMRA instituted a professional fire/safety


crew in 2008, which travels to all events. This crew is fully trained in fire and rescue procedures, and also equipped in case of an on-track emer- gency. Pro Modified teams from Ontario and New Brunswick, along with teams from New york, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Pennsyl- vania have competed in PMRA events. The PMRA went truly international in 2009 when Australian Adam Croker competed with the PMRA.


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