Local Sports
Red Deer race car driver leads international field vying for $800,000 Indy Lights Scholarship
Parker Thompson has always wanted to race with the best cars and drivers in the world, and he’s well on his way to achieving his dream. Year after year the 20 year old Red Deer native takes another step up the ladder. 2018 finds Thompson in the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. It’s just one step away from the Indy Lights Circuit. In fact the top racer in the Pro Mazda Championship will be boosted to Indy Lights by a scholarship worth about 0,000. 6 races into the 16 race season.. Thompson leads the pack!
Thompson has finished first twice in the opening 6 races. There’s still 10 more to go, but with a commanding lead in points Parker Thompson continues his efforts to one day race drivers with names like Andretti, Rahal, and Hinchcliffe.
Racing for Saskatoon based Exclusive Autosport on a team almost fully staffed by Canadians, Parker’s most recent race may have cemented his place among the leaders. He started the race way back in 6th position after a part failure lead to an engine swap during qualifying sessions. Shortly after the race began a series of events unfolded knocking out one driver after another. Parker expertly handled the storm, eventually taking the lead and then put his stamp on an impressive win posting a series of fastest laps to cement the victory in fine style. It didn’t hurt that this feat was accomplished on one of the world’s most famous tracks, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix course.
In the first 6 races of the season the race car driver from Red Deer has a comfortable lead in the overall duel for the Mazda Scholarship, worth close to 0,000, to assist in progressing to the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires circuit.
Here’s how Thompson has done so far:
Race 1 – St. Petersburg, Florida – 5th
Race 2 – St. Petersburg, Florida – 2nd
Race 3 – Birmingham, Alabama – 1st
Race 4 – Birmingham, Alabama – 2nd
Race 5 – Indianapolis, Indiana – 5th
Race 6 – Indianapolis, Indiana – 1st
OVERALL PRO MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
| 1 | Parker Thompson – R | 150 |
| 2 | Rinus VeeKay – R | 128 |
| 3 | Carlos Cunha | 120 |
| 4 | Harrison Scott – R | 116 |
| 5 | David Malukas – R | 105 |
| 6 | Oliver Askew – R | 102 |
| 7 | Sting Ray Robb | 88 |
| 8 | Andres Gutierrez – R | 79 |
| 9 | Nikita Lastochkin | 74 |
| 10 | Robert Megennis – R | 69 |
| 11 | Lodovico Laurini – R | 63 |
| 12 | Kris Wright | 57 |
| 13 | Antonio Serravalle – R | 48 |
| 14 | Charles Finelli | 47 |
| 15 | Rafael Martins – R | 45 |
| 16 | Kory Enders – R | 21 |
| 17 | James Raven – R | 17 |
Parker Thompson (#90 Exclusive Autosport Tatuus-Mazda PM-18): “I was tearing up at the checkered flag and my engineer, Tim Lewis, was just screaming on the radio. It was so awesome to get a win here – it doesn’t get much better than winning at the Racing Capital of the World! It was tough out there today. We made a gamble on a low-downforce setup and it played out. I avoided the melees at the start and kept everything intact. We set fastest lap after fastest lap and that makes weekends like this so special, starting from back in sixth and taking the victory. This win is dedicated to my Exclusive Autosport team and to Elite Engines, because without them we wouldn’t have been able to qualify yesterday. We did an engine swap between qualifying sessions yesterday because of a part failure that was no one’s fault, really. It’s amazing that they were able to do that in such a short amount of time.”
Click here for all the latest news on the Pro Mazda Championship.
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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