Connecticut State Police at Troop D in Danielson said Monday afternoon that no arrests have been made in connection to a brawl Sunday on the infield at Thompson Speedway during an Outlaw Modified division event.
A trooper said there is an ongoing investigation into the matter.
The brawl erupted near the end of the 100-lap Outlaw Modified feature Sunday.
On lap 85 of the event second place running George Bessette Jr. made a move under race leader Sam Rameau going into turn three. The pair made contact, with Bessette’s car driving over the front end of Rameau’s car and Rameau’s car spinning and wrecking hard into the wall.
Bessette was able to drive his car back to the infield and behind the pit wall area. Rameau’s car was towed off the track. The race was restarted and moments after the restart a brawl erupted behind the pit wall at the turns one and two end of pit road.
Videos posted online showed Bessette being confronted by Rameau and crew members from the Rameau Family Motorports team while Bessette was still sitting in his car behind the pit wall. Witnesses said Bessette was forcefully pulled from his car by members of Rameau’s team. Video shows an individual wearing a Rameau team fire suit striking someone with a helmet who was on their knees.
Bessette left the track in an ambulance. According to a social media post from a family member, he sustained no significant injuries.
Reached Monday evening, Rameau said he had no comment on the matter. Bessette also said he did not want to comment on what took place.
I have seen the videos posted by George’s sister and anyone thinking this was just a racing incident with some pushing and shoving you couldn’t be more wrong. I would strongly suggest checking them out. Jumping in the passenger window to sucker punch a driver who was just screaming over his radio for help and had removed his helmet is a gutless criminal offence. Not to mention the mob that attacked him once out of the car some with helmet which at that point is a weapon. Hope they gotta sell everything and fade away.
Rameau has been nothing but a POS trouble maker everywhere he goes. Lets hope he gets banned from every modified series out there.
Sam, I mean Scum strikes again……
What i would do if i was George is sue Rameau for both his cars, the hauler, and all the equipment and parts. Then instead of it being sold George would own all his teams stuff.
As mentioned by one have seen all the videos and in car camera his sister has posted and spoke to him on what happened. In this story it says George made a move under Sam going into turn well wrong George’s in car camera he is clearly alongside Sam coming out of turn down the straightaway Sam comes over 2-3 times rubbing side bars and as they entered the turn Sam just turns left right down in front of his right front tire causing the crash. The only move made right in camera is Sam coming down not George making a move sorry. But to the aftermath don’t care how mad upset you get but 4-6 guys on a maybe 150lb 20 year old screaming I’m going to f’n kill you (it’s on camera) and hitting him and uncle in head with a helmet just shows no class at all and just how much of a bunch of low life’s you really are. They have been suspended by MRS more then once for this but when car counts are low let’s open the gates to whoever. The entire Rameau team has Nascar licenses which should be revoked for life considering Noah Gragson gets suspended indefinitely for liking a meme while these losers use a helmet as a weapon to hit 2 people in the head gone period no reinstatement needed go back to logging. They also hurt a track worker or ems worker big tough guys 4-6 on one kid. Any track allowing these losers to race there is just as much a loser as them no place for this crap if drivers wanted to have words fine but to do what they did is cowardless. George and his family member will recovery but I would be pressing charges assault with deadly weapon and battery. And a deadly weapon is not a gun or knife but anything used to inflict harm or even death which was the helmet. Plus for Randy Rameau to hit a elderly man with his pit helmet while the guy was being held down on his knees shows you definitely are a loser and need help it’s not the first time. Just my opinion.
Driver X
Did you get your law degree at Dollar General?
Sammy Ram Rod, adiós ! U should not be allowed to race at any track in Connecticut or New England for that matter, and all his idiot crewmembers should be held accountable for their cowardly actions, go to jail do not pass go
The guy swinging the helmet should be charged with aggregated assault with a deadly weapon (blunt object). If indeed the guy on his knees is over 55 years old, it would add assault of an elderly person, which adds significant mandatory jail time.
This whole deal is so wrong in so many ways lucky nobody was killed, or permanently injured. Besides any legal charges the whole Ramue team should be banned for life at Thompson, as well as other tracks who wish to do so.
Ramue should be indefinitely suspended by Nascar for action determental to the sport, as well as any crew holding a Nascar license, including the car owner.
There is no excuse for what they did, and they don’t belong at a race track. Hopefully Bessettes and his crew aren’t caught in the fallout as it appears they were defending their helpless driver, as well as defending themselves.
This incident exploding everywhere now as well it should but at some point there will be decisions to make about the 06 team if they decide to continue to race. When NASCAR dominated the tour mod scene what they said was the final word that individual tracks were obligated to follow. With all the different promoters of races boy has that changed. SMART, ROC, NWMT, MRS, MMTTS, The Racing Guys, JDV Productions, Stafford, ACT/PASS…did I miss any?
There’s the criminal and civil legal end of this that’s in one bucket. Eventually the bucket containing all the various race promotional interests will need to decide what they will do. It would be nice to think they could all come together to agree on some kind of penalty or indefinite banishment for that matter but that’s probably not realistic. Seeing how the NWMT reacts will be particularly interesting. It wasn’t their race. Do they try to get ahead of this, make a statement about proper conduct at race events or wait to see how it plays out?
The contributors here that are saying this is different in my view will be proven to be correct. I’ve been trying to follow the local news outlets, seeing it being referred to as a “disturbance” but for the most part not really getting that much coverage. Is that good or bad?
The existence of future legal consequences has nothing to do with the standards of conduct of participants at race events. Since the 06 team has been a free agent racing in numerous different tour mod events by different promoters what each decides will be important. Even if the team ultimately decides to retire from racing, it would be nice to see promotional interests get out ahead of it and make a statement for the health of tour mod part of the racing universe.
Prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and banned from racing for life for the entire Rameau team.
100% agree with calzoey. If nothing comes of this it will happen again, and the next victim may not fair so we’ll. There is absolutely no excuse for what happened, and no room in racing for redneck hoodlums like them.
ACT just posted on their website that the entire Rameau team has been permanently banned from all ACT- and PASS-sanctioned events and tracks as well as all events at Thompson Speedway. So regardless of the state investigation, at least the sanctioning bodies have taken resounding action.
The reason why crap like this happens is because nothing is done to stop it. Therefore, the folks have to take matters into their own hands.
If the police, tracks, managements, sponsors, promoters, etc. do nothing to stop it, they are tacitly condoning it.
It will escalate. It most certainly will continue to escalate.