TOLEDO, Ohio (May 17, 2011) - Despite her lack of experience on a short track in the ARCA Racing Series introduced by Menards, Maryeve Dufault flexed her muscle in the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger in the work of Sundays Menards 200 introduced by Federated Automobile Care at Toledo Speedway.
The 2011 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year candidate had full intentions of utilizing the experience he gained in the work of a private check at the half-mile oval several days prior. With crew chief Darren Wolfe calling the shots and resultant confidence from spotter Gary Johnson, sister of six time NASCAR Dash Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson Dufault was in nice hands.
Father Nature played havoc with the track conditions early Saturday forcing adjustments in the days schedule which now included practices and the cancellation of qualifying. By the conclusion of the first practice, Dufault had locked her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger in the 15th position right behind teammate Jared Marks.
A few adjustments later and Dufault was prepared for final practice.
Continuing to learn the tricks and trades of the fast short track, the former open-wheel driver maneuvered the 16th quickest time, very respectable for her first tango with the Northern Ohio racetrack.
Because of the removal of time trials from the day’s activities, Dufault would start the 200-lap event 29th on the field according to the 2011 ARCA Racing Series rule book.
For the second consecutive weekend, rain would drench the race track on race day forcing ARCA Racing Series officials to spend a majority of the morning drying the Northern Ohio race track. The command to start engines was given shortly before 2:00 p.m. with the drivers circling the track under yellow and green flag conditions together to officially begin the fourth race of the season.
The all-clear would be given by lap 20 putting the field under true racing conditions. Knowing that the race had the opportunity to be called at the half-way point, the Sorel, Quebec native quickly began negotiating her way through the pack.
By the time the second yellow flag waived, Dufault had successfully raced her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger into the top-half dozen competition with a very neutral race car.
Johnson remained a cheerleader on the restart to help to Dufault mull over her competition. “You’re doing a real good job Mary,” said Johnson. “Don’t worry once the tires wear down you’ll go right around ‘em – just be patient.”
When the leaders stacked up on the backstretch on lap 37, Dufault showed incredible car control as she was able to glide her Dodge Charger through the carnage finding herself beating on the door of the top-10.
Racing resumed with Dufault making her attack but as the group of cars she was racing with entered turn three on lap 58, a slower machine on the bottom of the track forced the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger to check-up; setting off a chain-reaction result from behind but not before another competitor plowed into the back of the No. 12 TMR entry which ultimately sent her machine hard into the wall.
C oming to rest at the bottom of turn three, Dufault was able to climb from her machine under her own power, agitated but okay. The encouraging performance though would be overshadowed by the 23rd place finish as Dufault; herself experienced what it was like to become a victim of tight short track racing.
“I was really happy with our No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger,” said an obviously disappointed Dufault.
“The car was running great and I seemed to really be getting around the track well. I was moving up thru the field to a comfortable position to just ride. The No. 28 closed the door on me while I was outside passing him he was slower. But, he went to the wall like it was clear and that almost squished into the wall where the gate entrance was. I backed off a little but the No. 17 had to go left and hit my rear corner really hard that sent me into the wall. Obviously this is not how we wanted to finish, especially as strong of a car that the Tony Marks Racing team gave me.”
She added, “going around slower traffic is really hard for me I don’t want to cause them to wreck but they caused me a wreck and it’s the second time that has happened. We needed a good day for the points and for everyone who supports me and Tony Marks Racing but they say this is racing.
It’s just frustrating. No one likes taking home a wrecked race car and we didn’t need to do it two weeks in-a-row. The positive coming out of Toledo is that we were fast and showed that we can be contenders. We’ll get No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger repaired and tackle the again on the next short track.”
TMR owner Tony Marks commented on Dufault’s performance.
“Maryeve did a great job, it wasn’t her fault,” he said. “While we’re disappointed that we didn’t get the finish that we all wanted, it was great to see both TMR right in the thick of the battle.
We are a driver development team, we are here to teach and learn, and this is all part of it. Maryeve is a very smart, talented driver and I am very happy to have her behind the wheel of my race cars. We just have to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward with our head held high; because that’s the way we’ll persevere when we have races like this. Toledo is over and it’s onto New Jersey.”
Teammate Jared Marks, the 16-year old sophomore at Napoleon High School finished a respectable 13th in his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut behind the wheel of the No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / UNOH Dodge Charger.
Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the lone stop at a road course. The ModSpace 150 is set for next Sunday, May 22 at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) in Millville, New Jersey.
Dufault has high expectations for round five of the season as her previous racing background includes road course racing.
Name: Maryeve Dufault
Birthday: 2/16/82
From : Hometown Montreal, QE, Canada
Height 5'8
Eye color: Grey
Weight: 130 lbs
Hair: Brunette
Racing Bio
Maryeve grew up in Canada, her dad was a really talented motorcycle racer. Since she was young, she always wanted to race.
Maryeve started riding motocross at the age of 4 years old and, later she was riding a snowmobile. She had her first sports bike at the age of 16 years old, always riding with the boys she was doing wheelies and burn outs always had something for speed and adrenaline and not scared of anything.
Maryeve started racing with Espn Russell series and, now the pro star Mazda and did her first race in Montreal grand prix where the series was supporting the formula one race.
Because of my growing career and increasing offers for modeling, movies, video, print and magazine work, I decided to move to Los Angeles. I worked with Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, Burt Reynolds, Estella Warren and Ali Landry. You may have seen me on the Price is Right as a Barker Beauty,
Television, fashion shows for Elizabeth Rogiani and Frederick's of Hollywood and many others. I am currently working with Zina Provendie, the successful head acting coach of MGM.
Maryeve grew up in Canada, her dad was a really talented motorcycle racer. Since she was young, she always wanted to race. Maryeve started riding motocross at the age of 4 years old and, later she was riding a snowmobile. She had her first sports bike at the age of 16 years old, always riding with the boys she was doing wheelies and burn outs always had something for speed and adrenaline and not scared of anything.
Maryeve started racing with Espn Russell series and, now the pro star Mazda and did her first race in Montreal grand prix where the series was supporting the formula one race.
Modeling Bio
Maryeve was born in a suburb of the City of Sorel in Quebec, Canada. At the age of 5, she already had a passion for music, the public, and the camera. Early in her career, she won several national lip sync contests. She then realized her love for performing in front of the audience, and appeared on several TV shows in Quebec. As a teenager, MaryeveI played basketball and studied jazz and modern dance. Growing up in a family of motorcycling fans, sheI began riding at a very young age.
Maryeve enjoyed taking acting classes, and earned awards along the way. After graduating from college, she entered a modeling contest with the FORD modeling agency in Montreal and won. This got her started doing contract modeling work.
Always having goal in her mind is what keeps Maryeve motivated. She loves sports like volleyball, tennis and motor sports like motorcycles, jet skis, go karts, and motocross. She thrives on the speed and adrenaline those sports produce.
Maryeve Dufault
Tras destacar en las
ASCAR series, correrá con el MacDonald Motorsports el Quebec
Dodge Dealers Dodge Challenger, que se disputará este mes de agosto en el circuito Gilles Villeneuve.
Born in a suburb of the City of Sorel, Quebec, she soon discovered she had a knack for extreme sports. Her dad and brother were talented motorcycle racers. For that reason, she was no stranger to racetracks. At the tender age of two, she had witnessed her dad leading and winning most of the races he competed in.
In her teenage years she competed in motocross, following that by go-kart and open-wheel racing. Maryeve loves to push herself to the limits and thrives on defying the odds.
”Even at a young age I needed powerful rushes of adrenaline, speed and even danger,” Maryeve says. “I loved most extreme sports such like snow skiing and snowmobiling. My dad let me do whatever I wanted, but he always put some restrictions.”
Maryeve competed in various highly competitive open-wheel cars series, such as the Pro Mazda Star Series and the Formula BMW USA. She also worked as a stunt double and has done precision driving for major corporations like Honda. The young lady also did stunt work for actress Mircea Monroe in the “Fast Girl” movie. “We did most of the stunt work at Willow Spring,” Dufault said. “It wasn't my first time doing stunt work, so I had some experience and I understood the camera work and positioning. It was a thrilling and rewarding experience.”
Maryeve also races karts to keep physically fit and to prepare herself for the extreme physical and mental demands of race car driving. She competes in the Rotax International Series, one of the most competitive karting series . Maryeve tunes her own machine and does all the mechanical work herself. She has a mentor in former Champ Car series’ driver Alexandre Tagliani, and she has a karting coach in Jerry Henderson who also helps her with her physical and mental training. “Maryeve is undoubtedly a talented women driven by determination, commitment and passion,” Tagliani declared recently.
“She is a really talented driver with a pure passion for the sports, a driver that can be a champion at every level,” Henderson said about her.
Last winter, Maryeve and her pro teammates competed in an indoor, 12-hour kart endurance event. Mike Reed, who’s been involved in professional motorsport for over 35 years, was really impressed by Maryeve’s driving abilities.“Maryeve was one of the fastest drivers out on the race track,” he said. “She drove non-stop for a long period of time and her lap times never dropped below the 20-second mark. In fact, she did a stunning 19.4, which was one of the fastest laps of the entire race. That made her the fastest driver of the pro team.”
Young Maryeve intends to reach the top level of motorsport. The young lady is focussed on her dream; her passion for motorsport and she’s ready to do whatever it takes to reach the big leagues. Today, she breathes, eats and sleeps racing. She’s ready for the challenge!
Source:http://www.maryeveracing.com/
Photo: http://www.maxim.com/
(TOLEDO, Ohio - January 29, 2011) - Maryeve Dufault has already accomplished her first goal at Daytona International Speedway, and she's prepared to tackle more with the green flag dropping over the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on Saturday, February 12.
Dufault, 28 and of Quebec, interviewed with Burning Rubber Radio's Andy Delay and Wayne Owens Thursday night, discussing her background and her plans for entry into the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Dufault first spoke about her experience testing the No. 12 Tony Marks Racing Dodge.
(TOLEDO, Ohio - January 29, 2011) - Maryeve Dufault has already accomplished her first goal at Daytona International Speedway, and she's prepared to tackle more with the green flag dropping over the
"We just came back from the test in Daytona. The test went really well for me...I just wanted to have as much seat time as possible, and we did. I'm really happy with it. The team was able to gather information for the upcoming race. It was really helpful for me, because we were working with Larry Moore, who's been around in ARCA. He did a great job bringing the whole team together," Dufault said in the interview.
With a father whose background is in motorcycle racing and a career of her own that she says includes driving down "a bad road at 170 mph" in a motorcycle, Dufault was impressed but not intimidated by the Daytona oval.
"It's an amazing feeling to go at that speed in this kind of car," she said.
