Local Sports
Central Alberta’s Parker Thompson Takes Double Podiums In His First Weekend of Sports Car Racing
April 8, 2019
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK, ALABAMA
Touting #DriveAnything, Parker Thompson got behind the wheel of the #3 JDX Racing – Hertz – Byers Porsche GT3 Cup Car this weekend for his first experience in fender-to-fender racing action at the 2019 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA season opener.
“… I know Barber Motorsports Park very well with my background in open wheel cars, but this was a huge learning weekend for me…”
As an experienced open-wheel race car driver, Thompson’s debut in the series generated significant intrigue about his potential in sports car racing. The final results did not disappoint. At the conclusion of each race, Thompson found himself celebrating on the podium. Third-place finishes in both race one and race two, position him 3rd overall in the GT3 Cup Challenge USA Championship standings.
Both races saw hard battles and close quarter racing that is characteristic of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, but race two was particularly close. Thompson’s #3 car took damage on lap four, destroying the front splitter and significantly challenging his pace from that point forward.
As a result, Thompson found himself on the defence against sophomore drivers Maxwell Root, and JDX Racing teammate, Jeff Kingsley. Root showed tremendous pressure, often going side-by-side with Thompson on the winding road course, but he never managed to execute a full pass. Root would eventually collide with lapped traffic, leaving Thompson to defend Kingsley alone. The battle between the two young Canadians lasted right to the checkered flag, with Thompson managing to hold his spot and earn the final podium position.
With this outstanding result, Thompson is excited about future opportunities to race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, but remains focused on the Indy Pro 2000 Championship. After winning the opening two races at the season opener in St. Petersburg last month, Thompson holds a significant lead in the Championship points standings.
“… I know Barber Motorsports Park very well with my background in open wheel cars, but this was a huge learning weekend for me. I think I learned more about racing in the last four days than I have in the past year! I was driving a car that I’d never driven before; I had a new team and new crew behind me and the JDX Racing guys were just awesome. We all gelled really quickly and the atmosphere and communication under the tent was outstanding. The #3/JDX Racing/Hertz/Byers Porsche got better with every change and my understanding of what it takes to drive this car fast also grew. I’m ecstatic with our performance this weekend, but I’m equally as hungry for more results…” – Parker Thompson
Click below to learn more about Parker Thompson Racing.
From Red Deer Minor Baseball Board of Directors
Following many discussions within the Red Deer community, the baseball community, our association members, as well as our board of directors we have made the decision to move forward with rebranding our teams, currently known as the Braves. For our association the Braves name symbolized warrior strength, bravery and resilience, all qualities we were proud to align with; and although the initial moniker of our teams was never intended to carry a derogatory or disrespectful connotation, for some, it has. The topic of our rebrand has been polarizing and arguments both for and against have been passionately presented. We have made the decision to move forward in the direction we feel is best for our association.
In alignment with the membership majority vote, the Red Deer Minor Baseball Board of Directors is excited to announce that we will now be known as the Red Deer Rangers.
The Red Deer Rangers will retain our current navy and crimson colors and will not adopt the colors or logo of the MLB, NHL, or any other Rangers franchise. We are looking forward to forging our own identity and embracing our own look.
As you can appreciate this is a complex initiative that will take time. We will remain the Braves for the 2024 season and aim to have our rebrand complete for the 2025 season.
All participants that submitted the Rangers name during our rebranding poll, will be entered into a draw to receive the first Red Deer Rangers jersey.
We hope you will join us in celebrating this positive endeavor as we create a new inclusive legacy for our association that all can be proud of.
RDMBA Board of Directors
From Red Deer Minor Hockey
The Red Deer Minor Hockey Board of Directors is pleased & honored to announce, after an extensive search, that Lane Moore has accepted the position of General Manager of Red Deer Minor Hockey. Lane will start his new role early in the new year & is very excited about leading our organization into the future as we aim to provide a positive learning and maturing experience for all of our young athletes & coaches in a minor hockey setting.
Lane comes into the role of General Manager with an extensive resume, in both hockey and administration. Lane has led the Bentley school as principal for the last 17 years & was an educator prior to that. On the hockey side, Lane’s passion for coaching & engaging with young athletes, dates back to 2002. His most recent involvement as a coach with Red Deer Minor Hockey saw Lane lead the U17AAA North Star Chiefs for 2 seasons (21-22, 22-23). Prior to his work with Red Deer Minor Hockey Lane served as President of Rimbey Minor Hockey for several seasons.
One of Lane’s biggest strengths is his ability to create highly effective teams by building a common mission & vision & then executing on those through visionary leadership. These attributes shone through during this General Manager search and we are thrilled for Lane to lead this organization now & into the future as we aim to be one of the premier Minor Hockey Associations in the province.
Lane, his wife Kathleen & their three children Easton, Cooper & Lexi call Red Deer home. His son Cooper is the captain of Red Deer U18AAA Optimist Chiefs & his older son Easton is pursuing his hockey career and post-secondary studies in Massachusetts. Please join us in congratulating Lane Moore as the new General Manager of the Red Deer Minor Hockey Commission, welcome Lane!
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