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Good Times
by Rolf Lockwood and Jim Park
The country's biggest summer gathering of chrome - the Fergus Truck Show in Fergus, Ont. - went off without a hitch in late July, and it sported record numbers in the process. Like more trade-show exhibitors and more show-and-shine competitors than we've seen before. Nearly 500 of them, which may make Fergus the biggest such event on the continent. Even the weather co-operated this year for a change. There was a ton of beautiful machinery on hand, but two trucks stood out in particular because we hadn't seen them before. One was Lacey Dalton's mighty impressive new Peterbilt 379, complete with ceramic-tile floors and an RV-style full-height door into the bunk, though it's hardly a bunk in any ordinary sense. Call it 'living quarters'. Lacey, who runs L.A. Dalton Systems out of Stoney Creek, Ont., has trucked hard for a lot of years and he built this spectacular rig as a reward to himself. A matching East Mfg. 4-axle flatdeck completes the picture. Fergus show-goers liked it a lot, giving him the Public's Choice award. We'll feature Lacey's Pete in a coming issue.
Then there was Gary Hammond, who rode to Fergus with wife Liz all the way from Salmon Arm, B.C. in his terrific 1992 Kenworth K100 cabover. It won the award for Best Working Cabover. He's had it for a long time, Gary told us, but last year he decided to do it up. With the help of Mike Lentz and sometimes the shop facilities at Mountain High Truck & Body in Salmon Arm (run by Mike's father Daryl), Gary stretched the KW's frame from 220 to 242 in. and created what may be the longest COE bunk we've ever seen - there's 132 in. of it behind the driver's seat. "It's done like a camper," Gary says, and it sports a 2400-watt power inverter, an on-board gen-set, roof air, and of course all the fridge and microwave necessities. Power comes from a 430 Detroit working through an Eaton Fuller 15-over. About seven hours north, one weekend later, the summer's loudest trucking party finished in traditional style. The 24th annual Rodeo du Camion in Notre Dame du Nord, Que., 20 clicks across the border from New Liskeard, Ont., featured as usual a show-and-shine competition, a flea market, some great retro music, and a somewhat insane drag race up a 6-7% grade on one of the main streets of this little town. Some 80 competitors faced the lights in bobtail and loaded divisions, racing side by side in two days of elimination runs for more than $30,000 in prize money. And when we say 'loaded', we mean it. With U-joints straining, competitors pull fully loaded B-trains up the hill to the roaring delight of 60,000 or so spectators, some of them sober. The event has raised some $3.8 million for local and regional charities over the years, and general manager Gilles Dussault says next year's 25th anniversary Rodeo will be pretty special. On the racing front, it's become a tradition in the 'unlimited horsepower' bobtail class that Terry Nychuck and his 'Wilder Thing' Kenworth should face arch rival Donny 'Baby Mad Dog' Vachon and his orange-and-white Western Star in the weekend's furious finale. This year was no different. They were clearly faster than anyone else through the weekend's elimination runs, and the huge crowd eagerly awaited the best-two-out-of-three final battle. Last year it was Nychuck's Cat that prevailed, for the third time in five years, and he won again this year. Vachon red-lighted in the first race, and Nychuck won the second cleanly, though not by much. It was over, and the guy who goes racing on a shoestring budget had taken a popular victory once again. Don Grant finished third in the class. Among other stories from the Rodeo, the weekend that started with great promise for Brent Kurtz, of Brian Kurtz Trucking in Breslau, Ont. Saturday saw him do some very fast bobtail runs in his elderly but pristine Kenworth, and he looked like making up for blowing his turbo last year. On Sunday, however, he tried pulling the trains up the hill, and he left the track with a driveshaft in two twisted pieces. Undaunted and still smiling, he prepared to float the truck home and begin preparations for 2005.
Next year may see a new face in the racing mix, namely Claude Robert, owner of giant Robert Transport. One of the key features of the Rodeo is a huge lottery, and the prizes include a Peterbilt 379, a Ford pickup truck, and a pair of Harley-Davidsons, as well as lesser bundles of cash. Claude won the pickup and says he may try the race next year, using an automated ZF Meritor FreedomLine transmission. He figures that, with the right ratios, the very smooth FreedomLine would be just the ticket up the hill. In the show and shine, who should turn up but Mike Duffy, owner of that very special, brilliant blue 1992 International day-cab tractor with more lights and chrome than you can shake a stick at. It was Mike's first ride, and now it's his last because he sold off his other trucks and got out of the small-fleet game entirely just over a year ago. Nowadays he operates Duffy's Campground in Sturgeon Falls, Ont. The truck, which took the Best Show Truck prize, is for sale. Taking second in that category, as he did at Fergus, was Lacey Dalton. We're proud to co-sponsor both of these first-rate shows here at highwaySTAR,
WINNERS LISTS FERGUS TRUCK SHOW Public Choice Lacey Dalton, L.A. Dalton Systems Best Owner-operator; working John Composeo, John Composeo Co. Best Conventional; working, no sleeper Mike Holmes, E.S. Holmes Trucking Best Cabover; working Gary Hammond, Alpine International/Westline Best 2004 or newer; company, working Chris Hall, Sleeman Brewery Best Pre-2004 company; working Gerry Martin, Wallenstein Transport Best 2004 or newer O/O; working John E. Davis, Arnold Bros. Best 2002-2003 O/O; working Steve Murphy, Tricorp Transport Best 2000-2001 O/O; working Larry and Tracey Davis, ICE FastFreight Best 1996-1999 O/O; working Frank Bergen, L.E. Walker Transport Best 1985-1995 O/O; working Jeff Berry, Service Star Freightways Best Pre-'85 O/O; working Silvo Ostronic, I-Wheels Best Restored; non-working Terry Thompson Best Paint Larry and Tracey Davis, ICE FastFreight Best Paint - tractor/trailer John Composeo, John Composeo Co. Best Mural - tractor Jay Anderson, JTS Inc Best Mural - tractor/trailer Ron Lippert, BLM Transportation Best Commercial Logo/Design Keith Robbins, Samuel & Son Best Display Area Greg Kellan, LMT Transporation Services Best Fleet (3-5) Tricorp Transport Best Fleet (6 or more) Laidlaw Carriers Tank Best Tractor/Trailer - reefer John Composeo, John Composeo Co. Best Tractor/Trailer - van Ron Lippert, BLM Transport Best Tractor/Trailer - livestock Adam Bean, Luckhart Transport Best Tractor/Trailer - poultry Kevin Penrose, GMF Transport Best Tractor/Trailer or Straight Truck - feed Ed Benjamins, Lakeside Transport Best Tractor/Trailer - float, flat, curtain-side Howard Bacher, L.A.Dalton Systems Inc. Best Tractor/Trailer - car carrier Jim Januch, Oakwood Transport Best Tractor/Trailer - tanker Mike Ryksen, Laidlaw Carriers Tank Best Tractor/Trailer - trains Chris Sabourin, Tim Horton's Best Tractor/Trailer - dump Marty Crickmore, Marylynn Transport Best Straight Truck/Pup Rueben Fries, Wallenstein Transport Best Straight Truck Carlo Santeramo, Santeramo Transport Best 2003 or newer - dump Terry Bushell, Gord Cooper Trucking Best Pre-'03 - dump Lance Jelley, Jelley & Sons Best Heavy Recovery Unit Frank Jewerr, Abrams Towing Best Unique Purpose Alan Eadie, Comtow Heavy Recovery Best Professional Show/Flagship Truck Brian Kurtz, Brian Kurtz Trucking Best Lights - Fleet Tricorp Transport
Best Highway Tractor Robert Brinker Best Logger Tractor Roland Boucher Best Highway Tractor & Van Yanick Thibeault Best Highway Tractor & Flat Gilbert Paiement Best Specific Transport Transport S.L.B. Best Brand New Truck Lacey Dalton Best Antique Truck Terry Henderson Best Tractor/Trailer - Dump Daniel Gould Best Show Truck Mike Duffy Best Tractor/Trailer - Tank Marcel Jean-Louis Best Low Bed Phil Langevin Most Representative Fleet Transport Gilmyr Best Tractor/Trailer - Logger Richard Lepack Nicest Chrome Brian Kurtz Cleanest paint & lettering Pierre Cinq-Mars Nicest interior Pete Chayer Most attractive site Stéphane Gauthier People's choice Robert Brinker Best Dump Truck (10 wheels) Paul Chamberland RODEO DU CAMION TRUCK PULL WINNERS Class 0-424 hp - Bobtail Class 0-424 hp - Loaded Class 425-459 hp - Bobtail Class 425-459 hp - Loaded Class 460-499 hp - Bobtail Class 460-499 hp - Loaded Class 500 hp and up - Bobtail Class 500 hp and up - Loaded Special Class Free-for-all Race
Day Cab Paul and Diane Wilson - CRS Dump Truck Claude Thibert - T-Bear Trucking Specialty Class Jeff Morrison - Pat Rogers Towing Antique (1974 or older) Doug Webb - BMD Transportation Highway Bobtail Best Truck & Trailer Combo William Murdock -730 Truck Stop Best Lights Mark Amyotte - Laidlaw Carriers Best Paint Larry Davis - ICE FastFreight Best Engine Stephen Bowles - 1972 GMC Best of Show Larry Davis - ICE FastFreight Best Individual Display Derek Graham - Burnbrae Farms Best Fleet Display Laidlaw Carriers, Van People's Choice Award Tom Steacy - G. M. Transit
Best in Show Marty Kroft - 1964 Mack People's Choice Silvo Ostronic - 1984 Peterbilt 359 Best Tow Truck James Ireland - Res-Q-Tow Best Light Show James Ireland - Res-Q-Tow Best Custom Truck Silvo Ostronic Best 2000-2004 Bobtail Marc Bernard - Smith Markets Logistics Best 2000-2004 Dump Mike Rynard - Luchka Float Haulage Best 1995-1999 Bobtail Jay Anderson - JTS Inc. Best 1984-1994 Bobtail A.R. Murphy and Sons Trucking Best Company Truck Marc Bernard - Smith Markets Logistics Best Owner-Operator Darrin Ladds Best Cabover Gary Peters - Carla industries Best Paint A.R. Murphy and Sons Trucking Best Straight Truck Drew Morning - James Morning and Sons Best Day Cab Jeff Berrry - Service Star Transport Best Fleet (3-6) Luchka Float Service Best Tractor/Trailer Categories
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Among
the interesting characters we met at Landsdowne was Tom Steacy, a company
driver with G.A. McAllister Transport of Wolfe Island, Ont. Tom picked
up People's Choice this year for his super clean KW T800. The public likely
wouldn't have taken much notice of Tom's low-budget but effective climate-control
system -- a 3000-watt, gas-powered Honda generator on the frame that runs
a 5400-BTU window air conditioner (installed under the bunk) that he bought
from Home Depot for $175. In winter, the generator powers a $39 micro-furnace
heater. For less than $2000, Tom says it works like a charm. 
