The 11th edition of the CASTROL Spring Bracket Classic, presented by Brossard Performance and Duraquip inc., took place last weekend at Napierville Dragway. The event officially launched the 2026 season and a new era for the Super Tour with the KING OF THE TOUR championship, which now brings together the Super Pro Door Car, Super Pro Dragster and Footbrake categories into one universal points standings.
Nearly 100 racers were on site for the first two rounds of the championship, with the schedule adjusted due to the weather forecast. Friday’s Gambler’s Races went ahead as planned, but competitors were treated to a doubleheader on Saturday. The two races originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday were presented back-to-back on Saturday instead. It proved to be the right decision, as heavy rain was falling Sunday morning and Race #2 would not have been able to take place.
During Friday’s Super Pro Gambler’s Race, on the Door Car side, two former champions, Mike Chenier and Brock Godmaire, faced off in the final. Chenier took the win with a .015 reaction time and a dead-on 2 at the finish line, while Godmaire posted a .013 reaction time and a dead-on 6.
On the Dragster side, Adam Bitzanis faced Russ Adams. Bitzanis took the win with a .006 reaction time and ran 18 thousandths over his dial-in, while Adams missed the tree at the starting line.
In the overall final, Adam Bitzanis, from Montreal, took the win over Mike Chenier, from Gatineau. Bitzanis had the advantage at the tree by 4 thousandths and went on to win the final round by 20 thousandths.
In the Footbrake category, the win went to 2025 Rookie of the Year Pat Proulx, from Lacolle, over Robert Patry, from Terrebonne. Patry turned on the red light at the starting line, automatically handing the win to Proulx, who was .005 on the tree.
Saturday morning marked the first of eleven championship rounds. In the Door Car category, Brock Godmaire was back in the semifinals, where he faced André Ballabey and his new car. Ballabey advanced to the final with a .006 reaction time and a dead-on 7, for a package of 13, while Godmaire broke out while taking the stripe at the finish line.
On the other side of the ladder, in the Dragster category, three cars were still in competition. Max Lachance eliminated Mike Chenier, while Don Vincelli earned the bye-run. In the semifinal, it was André Ballabey’s turn to have the bye, while Don Vincelli took care of Lachance with a near-perfect run: .001 at the tree and dead-on zero to move on to the final.
The final of the first race featured André Ballabey, from St-Michel, against Don Vincelli, from Rigaud. Vincelli left with a .002 reaction time compared to Ballabey’s .015, but he took too much stripe at the finish line, taking .029 when he needed to take 25 thousandths or less. That mistake handed the win to his opponent. André Ballabey therefore claimed his first career win on the Super Tour circuit!
In the Footbrake category, the semifinal matchups saw Sacha Leblanc defeat Noémie Ballabey, while Eric Monaghan got past Maxime Proulx. The final of this first round featured Eric Monaghan, from Quebec City, against Sacha Leblanc, from Valleyfield. Leblanc was unfortunately too quick on the tree, giving the automatic win to Monaghan. Eric Monaghan earned his third career Super Tour win, with his last victory dating back to the 2022 season.
The action continued late Saturday with the second round of the championship. In the evening, the Door Car semifinal featured Andrew Stirk, from Amaranth, Ontario, against Max Desroches, from Lévis. The win went to Stirk, as Desroches turned on the red light by only 2 thousandths of a second.
Stirk was also still alive on the Dragster side aboard his Fox Body Mustang, with three racers still in competition on that side of the ladder. He faced two-time Super Tour champion Phil Harvey. Harvey had the advantage by 12 thousandths at the tree, but gave back the stripe at the finish line, handing the win to Stirk.
Meanwhile, defending Super Tour champion Brandon Barker, driving the blown dragster owned by his father-in-law Mike Ogilvie, had the solo run.
Stirk then earned his pass to the final with his Door Car entry and was set to face Barker with his Dragster entry. Unfortunately, a mechanical failure prevented him from taking part in that round and from having the chance to make Super Tour history by facing himself with both of his entries in a championship round final.
The final of the second championship race therefore featured Andrew Stirk with his Door Car entry against Brandon Barker in the dragster. Only two thousandths separated them at the tree, and Barker took 7 thousandths at the finish line to secure the win and take a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head score between the two Bracket Life Broadcast co-hosts!
After winning three rounds last year, Brandon Barker, from Smiths Falls, Ontario, earned his first win of the season. He also became the first driver in Super Tour history to reach the 10-win milestone!
In the Footbrake category, Noémie Ballabey was back for a second straight race and this time won her round to advance to the final against Yves Poirier, who had eliminated Martin Lassiseraye, from Quebec City. The final of this second championship round therefore featured Yves Poirier against Noémie Ballabey. Poirier gained the advantage at the starting line and crossed the finish line with a 13-thousandth margin of victory, earning his first career Super Tour win.
In Junior, Raphaël Brunet, from Napierville, won the first race over Jacob Laverdière. Jacob had the starting line advantage, but Raphaël was closer to his dial-in by running dead-on 8. Raphaël Brunet was back for a second straight final, this time against Jayden Proulx. Brunet took the advantage at the tree with an excellent .006 reaction time, but Proulx was more precise at the finish line and took the win.
The next two rounds of the Super Tour will take place on July 4 and 5 at Luskville Dragway for the OGILVIE PERFORMANCE Summer Bracket Nationals, presented by J&S Collision and Clarmo Auto Repair. Join us as we celebrate Canada Day weekend together!
The KING OF THE TOUR standings will be compiled and published in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!