bruce boland (above) won three consecutive pmra championships, starting in 2007, and is still a force to be reckoned with on the tour. by ron rombouGh


PMra sEriEs intrO & histOry S


thE PrO MOdifiEd raCing assOCiatiOn has COME a LOng Way sinCE 2005


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 in Kohler Ontario, just outside of Cayuga. For this season of 2014, the PMRA celebrates


its 10th year of operations, and its continued growth is a statement from the teams, officials, sponsors, and fans that provide this success.


THE EARLY YEARS 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 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-


8 // pmra.ca • QUIcK32.ca • pBSS.ca


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.


SEASON 1: 2005 Joe Lilienthal of Kenmore, New york won the


first PMRA Championship Point Award Series title, in 2005, in a 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 declared 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. In 2009, continuing with a successful format, the PMRA ran six events. While Boland won four races, he didn’t secure the championship until the final event of the season. It was his third consecu- tive PMRA title-winning campaign. Mark Nielsen of Brantford, Ontario placed sec-


ond, Jeff Roth of Kitchener, Ontario was third, Eric Latino of Scarborough, Ontario was fourth and Jason Kalso of Clarkston, Michigan was fifth. One highlight of the 2009 season was the PMRA competing at the International Hot Rod As- sociation 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 ten major interna- tional events. In 2010, the PMRA returned to Grand Bend Motorplex for the big IHRA event. The PMRA received strong recognition from the


fans, the media, and the IHRA as a result of par- ticipating 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 on-track emergencies. 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 series. This recognition continued in the PMRA for


2010, which saw a benchmark season in terms of competition.


RECORD-SETTING RESULTS While PMRA racers ran in the under six-second


elapsed time mark, competitor Mike Stawicki of Medina, New york driving the G-Force Race Cars / MSR Performance entry proved that the PMRA does not take a back seat to any Pro Modified racing on the planet. He established series records of 5.739 seconds and 255.75 mph in the quarter-mile. The elapsed time is just one 1000th of a sec-


ond behind what is used as the world’s quickest time; Scott Cannon’s 5.738. And driving a state-of-the-art ERD (Engine Re-


search & Development) prepared 1968 Camaro Pro Modified with the PMRA, racer Vito Monte- sano established another benchmark in Pro Modi- fied racing. Driving a Lenco Drive-equipped torque con-


verter driven transmission (as opposed to the tra- ditional three-speed manual gearbox with a slider


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