By Peter Turford - Southern Ontario Sprints.com

It is always difficult to find good strong candidates for volunteer organizations. That is why it was such a pleasant surprise when Mike Ferrell put his name forward to run for the position of SOS President. Ultimately Mike was successful. Some of you may be familiar with Mike as the driver of the SOS number 15. This past year though Mike, wife Loree as well as his mom and dad (Ron & Judy) have been very active off the track, helping to keep the show on the road. Here is an opportunity for all of us to get to know Mike a little better........

1: Tell us about yourself - career, family, racing background etc?

Well, I live in London with my wife, Loree, and our son, Ryan, who people may have met at the SOS merchandise booth at the races. He likes to help hand out posters and programs. I'm an Architectural Technologist by profession and design buildings for a living to support my other passion in life which is sprint car racing. I started racing 440 Micro Karts in 2000 at Wonderland Speedway just outside of London and in 2003 moved up to the 600cc Micro Sprints. I raced in that class at tracks in Michigan, Ontario and Limerock Speedway in New York State. At the same time I was helping out a couple of my friends that had moved up to Sprint Cars and in 2006 I convinced Loree that we could make that last step. I bought a roller from Adam West and with the gracious help of the Turfords I was able to get a car running just in time for the 2006 Canadian Nationals. Where I promptly went out and tipped it over in hot laps! Not a spectacular start to my Sprint Car career!

2: What the heck were you thinking when you accepted the nomination for President?

Honestly? That I could help out the club and take some of the pressure off the other board members that have worked hard for a long time. We need their experience but at the same time some fresh faces help out a lot. I've got huge shoes to fill taking over from you Peter Turford. You did an amazing job in your time as SOS president and I know the club is better for it. I think we've got a great group and want to see it continue to thrive.

3: Is there a racing group, or organization you would like to model the SOS after?

No not really. I think the SOS is a unique group. I mean sure, we can look up to the World of Outlaws, they are the pinnacle of our form of motor sport. However they are a professional full time organization. I'm not looking to take anything to the proverbial “next level”. 

4: What is your number one priority as SOS pres?

To make sure everyone that comes out to the races has a good time, both fans and race teams.

5: I know it is barely a month since you were elected, but any shocks or surprises so far?

Nothing yet, but like you said it’s only been a month. Being a board member for the last couple years has given me some insight as to how things work, so far no real surprises.

6: Very tough question here - With weekly Ohsweken racing, frequent races by US series at various tracks in Ontario, ESS, ASCS SOD, ASCS Patriots is there still a need for the SOS?

Absolutely YES. The SOS gives the racer in Ontario an opportunity to travel to different tracks to test themselves on all sizes and surfaces of track against racers from across the province and our freinds from the northern United States. The SOS champion at the end of the season has proven they can compete anywhere they go and haven't just mastered one particular track. I also think that a big part of what makes the SOS great is what happens off the track, the social aspect of racing. With travelling to the different tracks, a lot of teams choose to camp out after the races and have a great time. Warren Mahoney is one of the funniest guys I know around a campfire. April Wilson and her dogs are total sweet hearts. Ray Ballantyne, Jamie Collard’s car owner, knows more about racing than I ever will. They are just some of the great people I've gotten to know through the SOS. Forget Twitter and Facebook, I think the SOS is the greatest social network out there!

7: Do you have any thoughts or goals related to lower the cost of the sport?

I'm not sure you can ever get racer to stop spending money. The only thing you can try and do is minimize the impact of that money and keep the competition fair. I think the hard right rear tire is one thing the club has done right in an effort to keep things in line. I like to think that we're also a series where the smaller budget racers still have a fighting chance.

8: In 2009 the SOS dropped the handicapping system, which basically rewarded loyalty, but discouraged outside participation. This move was made in an effort to improve car count - what are your thoughts on this?

Honestly I don't think in the end that it really helped car count at all. That being said the handicapping was one thing that people perceived as been a negative thing about coming out to race with the SOS occasionally and we changed that. I really liked the opportunity it gave us to get our drivers out in front of the fans for the redraw at our Labour Day Finale this year and I want to make that a part of all our races in 2010. I also think the changes that are coming to the year end points fund payout will better reward the drivers that do make the effort to come out to race with the SOS on a consistent basis.

9: Your parents took on the job of looking after the SOS souvenirs this year with great success - any thoughts of changes or improvements in that area?

The line of racing themed jewellery we added this year was a great hit. We'll be expanding that a bit for next year and looking at some other items we can add. We'll of course have a special 15th season line of T Shirts for 2010 as well. When you’re at an SOS race, stop by the booth and say hi to Ron and Judy.

10: Where do you see the SOS in 5 years?

In its 20th Season! 

11: 2 part question - You have a wide ranging interest in Motorsports beyond sprint cars - a: Is there any "big time" driver do you think would get a comeuppance if they ever got the cajones to sit their butt in a sprint car?
b: Is there a driver that you feel never raced a sprint car - that would probably hop in one and be fast right off the hop?

Dario Franchitti comes to mind right away as a supposed “big time” driver that I think would wet himself if he ever got in a sprint car. Whereas, I imagine John Force, who reminds me a lot of Rick Wilson, would probably do just fine turning right to go left.

12: Back a few years ago the SOS experienced a huge rise in the number of competitors almost to the point of being unwieldy - lots of non-qualifiers, high costs for tracks etc. - do you ever see that happening again?

No I don't. For one thing we've changed our contract to make it more manageable for the tracks. As a touring group we work hard for all the tracks we visit to make the show run as smooth as possible. As for the spike in SOS car count, in my eyes it was just a rise in interest in sprint cars at the time. There was some unrest in the dirt modified scene and I think there were a number of drivers who looked at sprint cars as something fast, exciting and easy to get into equipment wise, so they gave it a try. If you look at the last couple years now, we've been on the downward side of that spike. Guys have gone back to the modifieds or retired from racing all together. Ohsweken decided to try weekly sprints and some guys just wanted to race close to home. The spike in fuel prices and combined with the drop in the economy really restricted peoples discretionary spending, taking some teams off the tour. Everything in life is about balance. The economy is getting better and last year we had some great new drivers joining us, so I think we're seeing balance returning to the SOS car counts. 

13: You are a tech savy guy - Any chance of live webcasts of SOS races - or anything along that line - eg. Twitter

No “live” webcasts anytime soon. However I know we're looking to get video interviews and highlights added to the website for 2010. Anyone can follow me on Twitter @sossprint15. I try and post things from the track when I can. Reading or listening to something on the net sure isn't like the feel, smell and sight of being there in person!

14: In general has the "net" helped or hurt the sport?

I think it has helped for sure. It’s almost impossible to get main stream media to report on anything to do with sprint cars or short track racing. The internet has made it possible for fans of sprint car racing to get more information on the sport than ever before. I can only see that as a good thing.

15: Will you be returning to the track at the wheel of the #15, or is this whole Presidency thing enough to keep you busy?

The President position is a lot of work and I'll give it my all. But that's not going to keep me out of the race car. It’s just to much FUN!