Valerie Limoges LATEST SNIPPET 7/13/2008: I dont think I will be racing this year !!!!No sponsor so...it's to bad!!! - Valerie Limoges  Direct access to this web page: http://bit.ly/b8NcIt Bio Limoges looking for Lady Luck at VIR - 10/4/07 Limoges posts fast first lap in Barber qualifying - 7/21/07 Top-ten at the Glen for Limoges 7/8/07 Tough brake for Limoges at Mid-Ohio - 6/24/07 Bad Luck at Lime Rock for Limoges - 5/28/07 Limoges enjoys run at the front in Homestead 2004 Formula Renault 22 years old; Longueuil, Quebec Valerie Limoges une 9e place, puis l’hopital! (article in French) Quebec Driver Valerie Limoges (article in French) Valérie Limoges vise le podium à Tremblant (article in French) Photo Gallery Related Issue: Women Racers Directory, Women in Racing, Women Racers, More Women in Racing, Race Schedules, Notable Women Grand-Am Schedule Grand Am Racing Race Results Contact: www.valerielimoges.com , www.blackforestms.com and www.soreltracy.com/mc/2005/mai/29m2.htm (in French); E-Mail Snippets 2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season winds to a close with the 6-Hour finale at Virginia International Raceway, Valerie Limoges will look to finish a long season out on a high note. She will start Sunday's race from the 11th row. *     *     * After starting from nineteenth on the thirty-eight car grid at Barber Motorsports Park, Limoges quickly moved up to the top fifteen just four laps into the race before continuing forward to make a move into the top ten. But before she could get the chance, she had to pull the white and red Mustang FR500C off course before co-driver Travis Walker could take over to go to the finish. Next race Grand Prix du Trois Rivieres on August 17-19. *    *    * Limoges set her best lap time of 1:40.141-seconds on her very first lap of qualifying, but couldn’t free herself from the traffic jam the rest of the session and was forced to accept her tenth-row starting position. Limoges and Walker are coming off their first top-ten result together earlier this month at Watkins Glen. *    *    * Limoges qualified seventh for the three-hour enduro, and worked her way up to fifth by the halfway point of the race before turning the Mustang over to Walker, who rejoined deep in the sixty-car field. The hard-fought tenth place finish marks the second-best result of the season for Limoges, who scored ninth at Iowa Speedway co-driving with Guy Cosmo earlier in the year. *     *     * Mid-Ohio - Limoges started from thirtieth on the grid and moved up steadily to place the Mustang in the top five but it wasn't to be. Post-race inspection showed that the vibration that knocked them out of the race was caused by a problem with the braking system. *     *     * Limoges had qualified twenty-third in the Lime Rock Park Grand-Am KONI Challenge race, but moved up steadily to eighth position before the white and red machine began to leave a tell tale trail of smoke, forcing Limoges to end her day early.  *     *     * Valerie scored the first pole position of her Koni career with a 1:28.800-second lap in the USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C at Homestead-Miami Speedway. She finished 14th of 41 cars in her class. *     *     * Valerie is anxious to get back to racing this weekend as the Koni Challenge reconvenes at Homestead-Miami Speedway for round two of the 2007 season. The Homestead weekend is the first of a Koni back-to-back as the series will race in Iowa on April 21st at the new Iowa Speedway in Newton. *     *     * 2007: Amid reports that there were only two women racing in the Rolex 24 Hour of Daytona, Valerie was the 3rd in the No. 15 Cobra GT. She was teamed with Tom Nastasi, Alex Tagliani and Guy Cosmo. The team retired around the 3rd hour around lap 225 with transmission problems and finished 59th in the 70 car field. *     *     * 2006: With 68 cars starting the Grand-Am Cup race at Laguna Seca Raceways on May 6, 2006, Valerie started 19th on the grid. At the end of the 2.5 hour race, she finished 4th in class and 4th overall out of 39 GS cars. On the track at the same time were another 29 ST cars. Limoges looking for Lady Luck at VIR 2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season winds to a close with this weekend’s 6-Hour finale at Virginia International Raceway, Valerie Limoges will look to finish a long season out on a high note. Alton, VA (4 October 07)- As the 2007 Grand-Am KONI Challenge season winds to a close with this weekend’s 6-Hour finale at Virginia International Raceway, Valerie Limoges will look to finish a long season out on a high note. Limoges will once again team with Canadian ace Travis Walker in the Blackforest Motorsports USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C in Sunday’s six-hour GS class event on the 3.27-mile natural terrain road course near Alton, Virginia. After overcoming a mechanical DNF in the season-opener at Daytona, 2007 got off to a good start for Limoges, who took the pole and then led the first half of the Homestead event, and then backed that up with a solid top-ten finish at Iowa. But a string of bad-luck race weekends during the summer has Limoges hungry for a strong finish this weekend. “It’s been frustrating, no question,” said Limoges. “But sometimes that’s just racing. You can’t let it get to you and you have to keep motivated and focused on what’s coming next.” Limoges has experience at the VIR facility from the 2006 KONI finale, and the Canadian’s eyes light up when talking about the track. “There’s a little bit of everything there,” said Limoges. “From the super-slow oak tree to the fast essess, its really a drivers track no question. I am happy that the race will be during the day instead of being so much in the night like it was last year-I think that’s going to make it better for everybody. Obviously we want to be competitive and score a strong result, but I really want to make it to the finish this weekend to close out the season.” Limoges’ Alabama charge stops short after strong race opening - 7/22/07 A promising race outing for Valerie Limoges at Barber Motorsports Park ended in frustration after the young Canadian lost drive in the Blackforest Motorsports USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C and was unable to finish the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Porsche 250 on Sunday. After starting from nineteenth on the thirty-eight car grid, Limoges quickly moved up to the top fifteen just four laps into the race before continuing forward to make a move into the top ten. But before she could get the chance, she had to pull the white and red Mustang FR500C off course before co-driver Travis Walker could take over to go to the finish. “I was really happy because the car was strong in these track conditions, and I was able to pass a lot of people so the first part of the race was great,” said Limoges. “Even though I was disappointed with my qualifying yesterday, I was having a great race today and kept moving forward. Travis had a great drive at the Glen and I wanted to turn the car over to him in a good position again today and we were on our way to do that. I am not really sure what happened, but it’s just a shame not to get to the finish here. We’ll rebound in Trois Rivieres!” Limoges and Walker will look to make a strong finish to the 2007 KONI Challenge season in the final three races of the season, and are looking forward to getting back to racing at the famed Grand Prix du Trois Rivieres on the weekend of August 17-19. Limoges posts fast first lap in Barber qualifying - 7/21/07 Valerie Limoges and co-driver Travis Walker will start the Blackforest Motorsports USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C alongside former Olympic star Phil Mahre in Sunday’s Grand-Am KONI Challenge race at Barber Motorsports Park. The two Mustang pilots will make up the tenth row in a nearly forty-car field for the 109-lap race distance on the 2.3-mile natural terrain road circuit outside of Birmingham, Alabama. Limoges set her best lap time of 1:40.141-seconds on her very first lap of qualifying, but couldn’t free herself from the traffic jam the rest of the session and was forced to accept her tenth-row starting position. Limoges and Walker are coming off their first top-ten result together earlier this month at Watkins Glen. “I didn’t really get a clear lap out there even though I kept backing off and trying to get myself a gap, it just didn’t work out and I kept on catching traffic,” said Limoges. “But I know this track and I know we are going to have a good race tomorrow. Travis had a great run at Watkins Glen, and hopefully we can be up toward the top five before I turn the car over to him to take to the finish. Travis and I have been working really well together, and we’d like to keep the momentum up that we got started at the Glen for a good finish tomorrow.” Top-ten at the Glen for Limoges 7/8/07 Limoges adds legendary track to her growing racing resume Watkins Glen, NY (8 July 07)- Valerie Limoges and co-driver Travis Walker scored their best result together to date with a tenth-place finish in Saturday’s Grand-Am KONI Challenge Supercuts 200 at the Glen in the Blackforest Motorsports USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C. Limoges qualified seventh for the three-hour enduro, and worked her way up to fifth by the halfway point of the race before turning the Mustang over to Walker, who rejoined deep in the sixty-car field. The hard-fought tenth place finish marks the second-best result of the season for Limoges, who scored ninth at Iowa Speedway co-driving with Guy Cosmo earlier in the year. “I’m happy to get to the finish today and getting another top ten is always good,” said Limoges. “I’m glad we got to race at the Glen because I want to race here again in a Rolex race sometime in the future so this was good experience for that. Travis did a good job today, it was very busy with the restarts and all that traffic we had with the ST guys out there as well. Now we’ll go to Barber next and hopefully we can have a better run there than we did last year!” The next round of KONI Challenge racing is slated for Barber Motorsports Park on the weekend of July 20-22. Tough brake for Limoges at Mid-Ohio - 6/24/07 Valerie Limoges and Travis Walker were hoping to build some momentum this weekend in the EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank at Mid-Ohio after finishing just out of the top-ten last weekend at Mosport. But the day ended early for the No. 4 Blackforest Motorsports USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C after a brake problem prevented the Mustang from making it to the checkered flag. Limoges started from thirtieth on the grid and moved up steadily to place the Mustang in the top five before turning the car over to Walker, who rejoined the pack in twenty-sixth place before once again making a charge forward through the field. But the Canadian was suffering from a severe vibration inside the car and was forced back into the pits for a quick check from the Blackforest Motorsports crew. The post-race inspection showed that the vibration was caused by a problem with the braking system, confirming Walker’s impression from inside the car. “It’s too bad because the car was pretty good and we were moving forward all the time,” said Limoges. “I’m frustrated not to get to the finish again, but we at least learned a lot this weekend. Now I’m looking forward to racing at the Glen in July. It’s going to be a new track for me to learn, but it is a very fast track and I am really looking forward to racing there with the Mustang.” Bad Luck at Lime Rock for Limoges - 5/28/07 Valerie Limoges was unable to finish the Lime Rock Park Grand-Am KONI Challenge race on Monday after the No. 4 Blackforest Motorsports Ford Mustang FR500C suffered a terminal mechanical problem just past the mid-point of the 138-lap race before she could turn the Mustang over to co-driver Travis Walker. Limoges had qualified twenty-third for the race, but moved up steadily to eighth position before the white and red machine began to leave a tell tale trail of smoke, forcing Limoges to end her day early. “I’m just really disappointed,” said Limoges. “Both times I’ve raced here at Lime Rock, I’ve had a problem like this so it is pretty frustrating. We’d made some good progress during the race, and I think Trevor could have come home with some good points today. But we just didn’t make it to the end, so I guess we’ll have to look forward to Mosport now.” Limoges has tested at Mosport in formula cars, but next weekend’s KONI event will mark her competitive debut on the famed Canadian circuit. The Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series will race again on the weekend of June 15-17. Limoges wins pole for Homestead Koni Challenge Canadian qualifies USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools FR500C on pole position to make all-Mustang front-row. Heading into the second Koni Challenge race of the 2007 season, Valerie Limoges wanted to focus on improving her qualifying effort. The concentration showed as she scored the first pole position of her Koni career with a 1:28.800-second lap in the USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday. Limoges will co-drive the Mustang with Tom Nastasi in the 400-kilometer event on Sunday. “I’m really happy,” said Limoges. “We’ve been right on the pace since the first practice and the car has been perfect every session so it feels good to finish the session in the top position. Hopefully our race will go this well tomorrow! Nastasi will not only be co-driving the second half of the race with Limoges, but he is also going to be starting the race as well, sharing another Blackforest Motorsports Mustang with Ian James. Nastasi is making things interesting for the start, as he will share the front row with Limoges. When asked about the prospect of starting along side Nastasi, who won the opening race of the season in Daytona, Limoges admits that it is an interesting situation to be starting alongside her co-driver. “That’s a good question!” laughed Limoges. “We haven’t talked about that yet, but I am just going to do my job at the start and I know Tom will as well. These (Koni Challenge) are long races so the start is not that important and I know we will have no problems tomorrow. I just want to get a good result this weekend and get some points for the championship because we have a lot to make up after Daytona.” Limoges enjoys run at the front in Homestead Despite impressive run up front, lack of luck keeps Limoges from converting first pole position into first win Valerie Limoges made the most out of her first career KONI Challenge pole position, setting some of the fastest laps of the race and leading a race-high thirty five laps in the USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C during the KONI Challenge 400k at Homestead Miami Speedway on Sunday. Sharing the Mustang with Tom Nastasi, Limoges was credited with a fourteenth-place result after pit strategy didn’t play out as planned. Nastasi also drove the race-winning No.5 Blackforest Motorsports Ford Mustang, sharing driving duties with Ian James. Limoges’ pole position was her first in KONI competition, and the quick Canadian was looking sure to improve on her career-best race result of fourth as she led most of the laps she drove, but being forced to pit under green conditions moved Nastasi one lap down in the No. 4 machine before he recovered to take fourteenth at the finish. “I am happy with the race, no question,” said Limoges. “It isn’t as good a result as we were today and we didn’t get on the podium, but we will get it next time.” When asked about the multiple restarts and battles for the lead, Limoges shrugged off the pressure of running in the lead. “I just did my thing up front,” said Limoges. “I didn’t do really anything different today than I have before, but things just were perfect with the car and with a good qualifying position, I was able to get a clean track at the start so I could just do my pace. It just didn’t work out for us with how the yellows went, but still the team did a very good job and the car was just great. Tom did a great job in both the cars he drove today!” Nastasi, who brought the sister No. 5 entry up through the field after starting from the back of the grid, has now won the first two races of the 2007 KONI Challenge season. “The win was great,” Nastasi said. “That was hard coming from the back. I mean, I worked my butt off. After I got out, I waited about 20 minutes, and then I got in the (No.) 4 car. That was easy. Just the pit strategy didn’t work out the way we wanted. We needed one more yellow and both cars would have been right there. It was a great day. I knew Ian would do it. I was praying for the rain. This win is for (Blackforest Motorsports owner) Brian Nott, who’s not here. This is for him.” The KONI Challenge will race next weekend at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, IA. Round three of the 2007 season will take place on Saturday, April 21st. “Iowa will be new for everyone, so we will see,” said Limgoes. “But this was a very good weekend for the whole Blackforest team so hopefully we can be competitive again there.” The long wait is over for Limoges It’s been a long two months for Valerie Limoges. After starting her second Koni Challenge season off with impressive times in testing and in practice for the season-opening Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona Speedway, Limoges’ 2007 campaign suffered a setback when a mechanical problem kept her from finishing the first race of the season. So the young Canadian is understandably anxious to get back to racing this weekend as the Koni Challenge reconvenes at Homestead-Miami Speedway for round two of the 2007 season. The Homestead weekend is the first of a Koni back-to-back as the series will race in Iowa on April 21st at the new Iowa Speedway in Newton. “I just can’t wait,” said Limoges. “I hated this big break we had in the schedule after Daytona, so I am really looking forward now to having two races in two weekends. With a field of nearly fifty cars entered for the Homestead event, Limoges is focused on getting the event off on the right foot in the Blackforest Motorsports USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Ford Mustang FR500C. “I have to do better in qualifying than I have been,” said Limoges. “I just have to be more patient with the traffic and I know I can do the time to get a good starting position.” One thing in her favor will be an affinity for the South-Florida facility 2.3-mile infield road course. “I really do like this track because you can really attack in places,” said Limoges. “Hopefully we can get the rest of the season off to a good start here this weekend. Limoges will co-drive with Tom Nastasi, who started the 2007 season off on the right foot as he scored another Mustang win at Daytona in January to set himself atop the Koni Challenge points standings entering the Homestead weekend. A test day on Friday will open the race weekend, with qualifying set for 3:15 PM on Saturday. The 400k/2.5 hour GS race is slated for a 1:45 PM green flag on Sunday. 2004 Formula Renault 22 years old; Longueuil, Quebec At a young age Valerie was already beating the boys at extreme sports. Her first time out on a race track in 1996 at 13 years old steered her in a new direction. When she came out the winner of that race, beating her friends and her Dad, Valerie’s dream to race one day in the Formula 1 Series was born. Her parents fueled her excitement and bought Valerie her first racing kart. In 2001 Danielo Rossi, a five-time CRG shifter kart champion, recognized Valerie’s extraordinary talent and gave her her first big opportunity. She traveled to Italy to test and run in a CRG shifter kart series, racing against 122 international competitors. Back on home turf with European karting experience under her belt, she went on to make history by being the first girl to clinch the Quebec 125cc Shifter Cup Championship. This experience propelled Valerie forward into another class of racing. In 2002 Valerie found herself competing in Formula Ford 1600. Key Motorsport crewed Valerie and partner Chris Green to create Team Quebecoise. Valerie continued to improve her racing technique in her rookie season, finishing 24th overall. Sponsored by Proctor and Gamble in 2003, Valerie secured a place with AIM Autosport to compete in the Fran Am 2000 North American Pro Championship where she placed 26th out of a field of 41 competitors. With newfound sponsorship in 2004, Valerie competed in the Formula Renault 2000 Series in North America. Her prospects for a successful 2005 run with FR2000 is at an all time high. Visit Valerie Limoges’ web site at www.valerielimoges.com E-Mail . Also, www.soreltracy.com/mc/2005/mai/29m2.htm (in French) Lindroos, Minna rallies in the Finnish Championship Also, www.soreltracy.com/mc/2005/mai/29m2.htm (in French)   Bio Birthday: July 10, 1983 Nationality: Canadian Languages: French & English Height: 5'7" Weight: 135 Hobbies: Snow boarding Favorite Food: Japanese 4 years Karting F100 and F125 1 year in Formula F1600 series 2 years in Formula Renault series 1 year in Hankook Touring Car series Photos: Mazda Laguna Seca, May 5-7, 2006. Gordon Clay  *     *     * WomenInRacing.org ©1996-2023 by of Gordon Clay