Page 4 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 11

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Cliff Merpaw Feeds His Need For Speed

By Gisèle Grignon long way since his days down on the
farm. “Now if you have enough money
f the first step to recovery is admitting you can pick up the phone like calling

Iyou have a problem, then Cliff Wal-Mart or Sears Catalogue store and
Merpaw is well on his way. The real order a race car with a race engine and
issue is that he’s not in a hurry to be all the parts and have it all shipped to
free of his particular addiction. Cliff Merpaw you and set up to run how you want it,”
“Racing is an addiction. Like he says.
everything else, once it’s in your blood… That’s a stark contrast to scavenging
There’s that sense of competitiveness, at the junkyard in search of spare parts
even though you spend every cent you Sound risky and expensive? Merpaw
own on it,” admits Merpaw. “You never is the first to admit the sport’s not

get a return on your money. It’s just the intended for the feint of heart. “It’s like
love of the sport. But it’s no different taking a brand new corvette and putting
than having a hundred thousand dollar it into a demotion derby. That tells you
motor home to go camping. But with a how deep the addiction goes.”
racing car, every time you go out, you Still he’s not about to quit. “There’s
take the risk of wrecking it.” nothing you wouldn’t do to fix the car

He comes by his self-proclaimed Cliff Merpaw has been around racing long enough to know that success or get it ready for the next race. It’s like
addiction, honestly. His dad, Cliff comes from having a strong team. This photo is of Cliff and his driver, a family at the track. Everybody helps
Merpaw Sr. bought his first race car Bill Mullin celebrating a good night. Photo supplied by Cliff Merpaw. out and if you need a part, you just go

when the family farmed in Bonville, car and raced on asphalt. However, a years, “and then I realized how to the next trailer and they’re more than
and raced in the 60’s and 70’s, in transfer to Trenton, and two four-year expensive it was.” That combined with happy to help you, even thought you
Alexandria, Maxville, Fort Convington, postings to Germany, put the brakes on his demanding career in Cornwall’s might get out there and beat you on the
N.Y., and of course at the Cornwall his racing ambitions. Transit Department, “put a crimp” in track.”
Speedway when the track was built in But when he retired from the armed things and so he returned to being a “You might have five bad races in

the late 60’s. forces in 1989, the “addiction” resurfaced. spectator of the sport for another half a row and then you’ll have that one
He never had a lot of money to race, “I watched the races back here in Cornwall dozen years. good night where you might win the
then Cliff Jr. joined the army at 17 and and kept saying, ‘I’d like to do that, I’d Recently he hired longtime driver, checkered flag and that just seems to

was gone for 45 years. There was the like to do that,’ says Merpaw. “So after Bill Mullin to drive his latest purchase: erase all the bad nights. And all of a
exception of a brief stint in the 1970’s about five years of watching, I went out a modifi ed sportsman, sealed crate sudden you’re Jeff Gordon again and

when he was stationed in Ottawa, when and bought a race car.” motor from General Motors. He admits you think you’re going to win every
Merpaw managed to buy his own race weekend again.”
He raced pro stock for about five the car purchasing process has come a

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Athlete of the Month ESTIMATES

SATISFACTION

Name: Ethan Da Silva GUARANTEED
Age: 11 www.seguinflooring.com • Residential

School: Ecole Ste. Lucie • Commercial
Favourite Sport: Football • Industrial

Ethan eats, breathes and lives football. Ethan first joined the Wildcats

Football Club in the spring of 2012. He finally found a sport that he
could use his size to his advantage. During his first season on the

Wildcats, Ethan won Offensive Lineman for his Tyke team. In the fall
NCAFA league, he won MVP for the Tyke division. His love of the
sport even spilled over into school. His teacher, Madame Micheline,
was so impressed with his enthusiasm that she allowed Ethan to help
teach football in gym class. On and off the field, Ethan can be seen

encouraging his teammates and helping them out. Keep up the good
work!!
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