NCP wins Women's Cup race

By John Hopkins

MIRABEL, QC -- For her own safety, we cannot reveal the name of Sunday's winner of the third round of the Pro Honda Oils Women's Cup at Circuit ICAR. In her own words, her life could be in danger if her chiropractor finds out that she has been racing with a herniated disc.

"My chiropractor will kill me," were her words shortly after the podium ceremony, as she looked nervously around the boisterous crowd.

So, we will simply identify her as NCP. We can also reveal that she is from Laval and rides a Honda CBR600RR. That is as far as we are prepared to go, however.

After starting from pole, NCP grabbed the lead on lap seven of the 12-lap race and pulled clear to a 6.904-sec. victory. Genevieve Lesieur finished second on a Suzuki GSX-R600 and Vicki Schouten completed the podium aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6R.

"I am very surprised because Vicki's been riding really strong this year and Gigi is a Pro, of course," said NCP after her first win of the season. "When I was following Vicki I saw there were a couple of turns where I was stronger than her and I knew if I could get ahead I could gain a bit of a lead."

Provost -- oops, sorry -- NCP set the fastest lap of the race on lap eight, a 1:32.946, which was half a second faster than any of her rivals managed, despite the hot race conditions and the discomfort of her disc.

"I just talked to myself through the second half of the race," she said. "I saw my pit signs and I knew I had a good lead."

Lesieur led the opening lap but Schouten took over on lap two. The Kawasaki rider from Richmond, ON was struggling with tire troubles, however, and after falling behind Provost lost the runner-up spot to Lesieur three laps from the end.

"It's my first time on this bike all weekend," explained Schouten, who suffered a crash on Saturday. "We've had a hectic weekend fighting set-up issues. My tire was shagged halfway through the race."

Hudson, QC's Vanessa Gareau-Dominguez placed fourth on her Suzuki GSX-R600 and Josee Bouchard of Ottawa rounded out the top five on a Yamaha YZF-R6.

Another Ottawa racer, Samantha Goyer won the Novice division on her Yamaha YZF-R6.

Race Results
1. Natalie Catherine Provost, Laval, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 12 laps (Expert)
2. Genevieve Lesieur, Quebec City, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, +6.904 (Expert)
3. Vicki Schouten, Richmond, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6R, +11.950 (Expert)
4. Vanessa Gareau-Dominguez, Hudson, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600 +35.928 (Expert)
5. Josee Bouchard, Ottawa, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6 +48.843 (Expert)
6. Roxanne Gravelle, Gatineau, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6, +53.270 (Expert)
7. Samantha Goyer, Ottawa, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, +1:15.441 (Novice)
8. Maude Labrosse-Legris, Fassett, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6, +1:41.060 (Novice)
9. Michelle Dagenais, Ottawa, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, +1 lap (Novice)
10. Michelle Tennier, Trenton, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, +1 lap (Novice)
Did Not Start
Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, QC, Honda CBR600RR (Expert)
Fastest Lap: 1:32.946 by NCP on lap 8