Sylvain Noel tore up the track at the 33rd running of the Rodeo du Camion in this little Quebec town last weekend, surprising everyone by driving his very clean Kenworth W900 to first place in both the bobtail and loaded A-division competitions. Largely unknown, he hadn't been seen at this event before.
Racing under the Transport Noel et Fils banner, based in Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, QC, he beat out the vaunted Vincent Couture in the bobtail category and the very quick Dave Benoit in the loaded final.
Couture also raced his brilliant red Peterbilt 379 to third in A-division loaded racing and then won the anything-goes 'Free for All' bobtail battle.
Benoit's Western Star -- leading the Big Bull Attack Racing Team -- was very quick all weekend, a beautifully prepared truck.
Fierce racing in the Open category saw long-time competitors Franco Touzin, Don Grant, and Francis Coulombe finish in that order. Touzin's quick little R-Model Mack is a real sleeper, hardly looking like a racing truck, where Coulombe's '666' R-Model leaves no doubt about its purpose.
In other classes, Pascal Labranche drove his Peterbilt to first in the 'B' bobtail fight and fifth in loaded, while Luc Trudel won the loaded racing and finished second in bobtail in his Kenworth.
In C-division racing, the lowest horsepower class, Patrick McLean brought his Peterbilt home first in the loaded competition and second in bobtail. Daniel St-Pierre won the bobtail battle.
The winner of the $100,000 draw prize was Dany Pard of Amos, QC.