New Hope for a New Year

So much has happened since the last post on Sept 5th, 2010.

At that time Targa was only days away and the energy and excitement of the upcoming race was all around us. Ray, Dale, Julie and Chad had an excellent two days of training on Bell Island with fellow Targa Competitors from around the world. The wonderful residents of Bell Island shut down part of their town so that we could race through it at high speeds. At the end of the day we were met by a mob of eager townspeople who braved the rain, looking to meet some drivers and get autographs and photos. The exhilaration of that moment was amazing, and just a taste of what the week would bring.....or so we thought.......

Less than 12 hours later our world was turned upside down when our son Jesse phoned to tell us his brother Walter passed away suddenly in a car crash. Everything after that was just a blur.

We decided to drive the Shelby and Mustang to the Remax Center for the many fans who would be expecting to see the cars. We had the unpleasant task of informing Targa officials and competitors that we would not be competing and why. We later learned that they had a moment of silence for Walter, as all the cars left the stadium to begin the first day of racing.
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Now here we are four months later, living in our new normal with a very big void in our lives and still in a state of disbelief. We have begun our plans to return to Targa Newfoundland 2011. The first day of racing will be on the anniversary of our son's death. Which we all know will be a very emotional day.

We have made some changes to our cars. The Shelby is getting a new custom built engine. A possible paint job is on the horizon for the Mustang. But the biggest noticeable change will be the disappearance of the famed puzzle pieces with names. After much discussion and thought we have decided to stop the puzzles. They are very costly. But, the greatest reason is because it is extremely time consuming to collect the names, answer emails and create the puzzle images to get ready for printing. Our family time was suffering because of the time spent on the computer handling the puzzle requests. And, now more than ever we realize how precious and important family is.

We will still carry on our message about autism awareness and make public appearances for our many fans.

See you all at Targa Newfoundland 2011!

Targa is almost here!

Targa is almost upon us. Ray and Dale will be on Newfie Soil Tuesday morning.

There are only 4 days before we go to Targa Training School. As of this moment the Shelby is still at Ford awaiting repairs. A previous mechanic improperly installed parts that are now causing problems. The team at Avalon Ford are trying to get the Shelby ready to race. We will keep you updated as we know more.

Please check out the link on our home page to get the full schedule of event for the Race week. Includes times for the nightly Car Shows.

Come out and support Autism Awareness and see all the wonderful cars and teams from around the world!

Racing for Autism to Attend the NSMA 2010 Fastest Street Car Shootout

Racing for Autism Driver, Ray Halleran, will be competing in the NSMA 2010 Fastest Street Car Shootout. Newfoundland's most prestigious annual drag race, with potentially 100+ cars competing for the coveted title of the fastest car in Newfoundland.

For details on the race or how to become a competitor please visit
www.nlstreetmachine.com

Qualifying is tomorrow (sunday August 15th) from 10am-12pm.
Races scheduled to begin at 1pm
Admittance fee is $10 for adults and $2 for Children.

Come out and cheer Ray on as he races in his 2010 Shelby GT500.

We will have Racing for Autism T-shirts for sale, as well as tickets on a chance to win an Autographed Sydney Crosby 2010 Olympic Jersey, Model Shelby Car - Autographed by Carroll Shelby, and an portrait of the "Golden Goal" for Team Canada's win at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. (prizes can be viewed on our website homepage www.racing4autism.ca )

See you at the races!!

Racing for Autism at Island Speedway, Cape Breton, NS

The Autism Society of Cape Breton together with Racing for Autism will host an event at Island Speedway in Sydney, NS.

Island Speedway

Grandlake Road

Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada

Time: 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Saturday May 29, 2010

The Racing for Autism team will be giving rides to children and adults on the autism spectrum.

At this event, we will be giving out three awards for the car show.

1. Children's Choice Award

2. People's Choice Award

3. Racing for Autism Choice Award

There will also be free hero cards and stickers.
A chance to get up close and personal with members of the Racing for Autism Team.
Photo opportunities with the cars and team.
Racing for Autism merchandise.
Draws on Gift Bags from the Racing for Autism team.


Please join us, along with the Autism Society of Cape Breton, in this wonderful event to raise Autism Awareness.

www.islandspeedway.ca

www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=119921124698817

Racing for Autism to visit Nova Scotia

The Racing for Autism Cars will be in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
May 28-30, 2010

We are planning to meet with the family of James Delorey.

The entire Nation desperately glued to the media in December 2009 as we hoped for a miracle.
James Delorey an autistic 7 year old child wandered from his home and spent two nights in near freezing temperatures. Sadly James succumbed to hypothermia shortly after being found - just over a kilometer from his home. The family dog, Chance, stayed with James the entire time and would not leave his side until the very last moments.

www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/12/08/ns-delorey-dies.html

This tragedy really hit home for us. Our own daughter is the same age as James, and she too is a run away, constantly wanting to explore the outside world. We know all too well the constant fear and worry that most of us live with on a daily basis. Because of this connection we felt the need to help. Ray set out to do fundraising to help the family and raised over $5000 to help with some of their expenses.