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David Hebert and Team One — A Potent Combination
David Hebert, a name associated with Team One for the past twenty years, has produced a record of winning unchallenged.
I spent some time with the team at Autodrome Granby this season and got an inside view of the working of this winning combination.
The now 44-year-old began racing back in the late 80s in the four-wheeler class, which was very popular in Quebec at the time. He then progressed directly into the Sportsman Modified by 1993.
That first season in the Sportsman Modified class, David picked up four wins, defining where he wanted to go in racing.
Over the next several seasons, it was a bit of a hit and miss when it came to victories. Hebert had also moved up to the Modified class, campaigning his own car throughout the Northeast region.
The real change in David’s path in racing came in 1999 when a long-time race team “Team One” approached him to drive their car for the 1999 season.
For team owners Serge Desjardins and Gaetan Beauregard, this was a decisive move that would not only enhance their presence in the Quebec racing world but also would also give David the opportunity to shine as one of the best drivers in the region.
By 2004, this partnership proved its presences by winning both modified championships at Autodrome Granby and Drummond along with 12 total wins that season.
For the next eight seasons, Hebert continued to rack up the wins along with track championships
It was the 2012 season that really set the bar for the Team One, winning a total of 14 feature races and taking home the champion at LE RPM Speedway and Autodrome Drummond.
The 2013 season saw once again another track championship at Drummond, but it was the four-year run of Mr. DIRT titles that began in 2014, which stands out as one of David’s best achievements.
I asked David about his exceptional moments in racing. “For sure winning the Mr. DIRT title was one of those achievements especially four times in a row, but I think the 7th place finish at the 2011 Big Block feature race at Super Dirt Week ranks right up there as well,” David explained.
He went onto explain. “Probably the most exciting moment though was setting a new track record at the 2003 Super Dirt Week. It was 20 minutes of sheer exhilaration, if you think of it, me a Quebecer from the small town of St-Damase, being the fastest driver ever at the Moody Mile.
“For the next 20 minutes, drivers took their time trials at the mile and finally Billy Decker surpassed my record, as did Brett Hearn. But to end up having the third-fastest time that year was still an amazing run for me and the team owner.”
As I previously mentioned, David went on to capture the Mr. DIRT title four years consecutively from 2014 to 2017. During that time, he also captured four more track championships.
In 2017, there was a team shake-up where long-time team owners Serge Desjardins and Gaetan Beauregard decided to slow down their involvement with the Team One, passing ownership to a consortium of players.
Alexandre Voghel, David Hebert, Claude Arel, and Stephane Levesque became the primary stakeholders, with Serge and Gaetan still helping with the crew when available.
This season, Kevin Verville came onboard to the group of stakeholders. The team also added Mario Clair to their driver roster, piloting the 22 car at RPM Speedway.
For all the changes that have come about in the past few years, David kept his focus on driving the car even though David is back in the role of the car owner in part.
This season, Hebert not only picked up 23 more feature wins, but he also won the track championship at both Granby and Drummond. Of recent, he also won the Bullringer 110 at the Brockville Ontario Speedway’s Fall Nationals, one of David’s biggest wins, showing without a doubt that the team with all its changes is still on track.
David and Team One have compiled a total of 17 track championships over the years along with 154 wins. It is clear the team has accomplished much over the years and will strive even further in the future.
Co-owner Alexandre Voghel explained. “With David, we plan to race Granby, Drummond, and RPM speedway all season. We will also be heading to Super Dirt Week and capping off the season once again at the Brockville Ontario Speedway’s Fall Nationals.
“David will also have Mario Clair back as a teammate for next season but, as yet, the schedule for Mario has not been set as of yet.
“Finally our biggest goal in the next two years is to add a Big Block car to our stable.”
David and the team celebrated 20 years together this season and with new ideas and stakeholders coming forth, it’s clear that David Hebert and the Team One have a bright future ahead.
I would like to thank co-owner Alexandre Voghel and the team along with David Hebert for this inside view of the team’s workings. I would also like to thank Dominic Lussier along with his team at Autodrome Granby.