Music: {allcanada} Tremblay Joins Forces With Roy

Saturday, April 28, 2012

{allcanada} Tremblay Joins Forces With Roy

MONTREAL – Isabelle Tremblay and Martin Roy have joined forces to field a two-car team in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for the 2012 season.

"Isabelle is part of the drivers in attracting the attention of the media," said Roy. "She has great charisma (which will be) very important to our team."

Martin Roy has big ambitions for his new team, which does not yet have a name. With the acquisition of new equipment and the recruitment of veteran NASCAR crew chief Mario Gosselin, the team intends to make a splash.

"We want to build a top NASCAR Canadian Tire Series team and provide the means to achieve this," stated Roy. "The acquisition of new cars gives us the tools to compete and the addition of Mario Gosselin, whom I consider to be the top NASCAR crew chief in Quebec, is crucial. He will be with us at all the races and should be in place as early as the May 10 test date at (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park)."

Tremblay was the runner-up in last season's Rookie of the Year standings and Roy, who has just four career series starts, is eligible for the award in 2012.

"Rookie of the Year is a wonderful challenge, but it's not something I'm thinking about at the moment," Roy said. "We have to get our feet on the ground as a team before we look at specific targets."

The new owner wants to set up a chain of driver development to continue the growth of NASCAR in Canada.

"We'll first settle into the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and gain some credibility, but my long-term goal is to offer young drivers a place to grow within the sport," said Roy.

Tremblay sees a need for such a program in Quebec where motorsports are very popular and there is a wealth of young talent.

"I don't think we have anything like this in Quebec," says Tremblay. "I often meet young drivers who have great potential and who would like to know how make a career in motorsports. I think that the project of Martin will meet a real need and it will be very profitable for NASCAR in Quebec."

Tremblay will take part in the May 10 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and receive some coaching from veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor Ron Fellows, who is also part of a new ownership group at the track.

"Ron agreed to coach me a bit", said Tremblay. "For me, it is a great honor."

A year ago, Tremblay scored a career-best finish of eighth on the track previously known as Mosport International Raceway.

"I really like the track and with the experience I gained last season, it should be a great place to start," she said. "I hope to continue my improvement and become more and more competitive each race."

Roy began his racing career in karting before moving on to various open-wheel series in Quebec. He also did a brief stint on the provincial motocross circuit.

He then discovered a new passion for racing on clay and earned Rookie of the Year award. His dirt-track success continued with a Quebec championship in 2005 along with several different track honors.

He began his stock-car career on asphalt in 2009 and won a track championship in Plattsburgh, N.Y., while continuing his success on dirt.