Tillsonburg Outlaws June 15th Race Report
#39 Kate Courtnage Wows the Senior Class
Two weeks ago Mark Courtnage of Windham Center filled in for his daughter Bea who was on a school trip and I was ribbing him that he got beat by the slower of his two daughters. Either Kate took it personally or outdoing her dad gave her the new found confidence that if she could beat dad then maybe she could beat......the field. Kate is one of our newest Sr drivers and has been paying her dues starting at or near the rear of the field week in and week out. Having proved she could consistently stay out of trouble while running in traffic, she earned the chance to start up front. Well let me say, you don't have to ask Kate to dance twice. When the track went green she was outta there. Now it's not unusual for a rookie to run some fast laps for awhile but sooner or later they mess up a corner and the experienced racers pull past. Not only did Kate win the 10 lap sprint but she followed it up with a 25 lap main win and a 35 lap main 2nd. I will give you that she got to start up front but so have the others only to be roped in by #19 Cody Coburn. Cody was banging on the door but inches away was not enough when the car in front does not mess up anywhere. Finishing 3rd best was #37 Scott Kelly who is the other rookie in the field.
Once again the Beginners continue to amaze the fans how quickly these kids have adapted to both fast and slow karts on the track . Often two karts splitting a slower kart and running 3 wide and then back to 2 wide to continue the race with the original competitor. #52 Jacob Sheridan again ran wire to wire to take another overall and pretty well cement the deal of graduating to the Juniors in the summer after only six weeks in Beginner( he didn't have a kart the first week). Tired of letting the boys have all the fun, #9 Kassie Streng continues to improve and was consistent enough to overtake # 0 Cole MacDonald for the night when Cole traded a sprocket for the chance to beat up some tires. #93 Rayse Meyer continues to prove that with the right attitude and some practice, a 4 year old can have lots of fun on the race track as well. Keep an eye on Rayse because he is stuck in Beginner for 3 years until he is old enough to move up so in time you will be hearing about his string of wins. Newest rookie #57 Bryson Green is starting to show some speed and looks more confident each week. Bryson has been relying on Super Mom to look after the hauling and starting. Who says racing is a Father son thing. I am not sure how Stephanie has talked Mac into working so she can go to the races but it seems to have worked. Bryson told me he is going to have some cool new decals next week now that Grandpa has painted the body. Another team that uses 3 generations to put a racer on the track.
The Experts again saw # 34 Scott Chesterman back in form as he bested the field in both time trials and the 30 lap main. # 1 Holly Porter put in a fast time in the trials but spun late in the main which almost cost her the night but luckily ( for her),the racer that beat her had a slower time in the trials. That racer being senior pheonom(spell check can't seem to find this word, I must be making it up) Cody Coburn. #88 Devin Jarvis looks like he may be out for awhile as several spectators saw lots of sparks coming from under his engine. A blown chain would be a logical guess but it seemed fine on initial inspection. We will see.
#87 Brad Perrott showed the Juniors he means to race and shot out of the gate like a rocket. Only #47 Westbrook was able to catch Perrott in the 10 lap sprint. Several were wondering if Brad's throttle was stuck as Brad ran up front for a long time. This likely is only the first of many fast nights for Brad as he looked really comfortable driving his QRC chassis for only the 3rd time. Brad or no Brad, #20 DJ McRae was on a mission to show that given 25 laps he can put the hurt on anyone. Driving more aggressively than we have ever seen in the past, several racers were wishing they had not roughed him up in previous weeks as it seemed to have lit a fire in DJ that was only a smoke previously. No longer wanting to take a beating from those behind him, DJ is coming through and coming through now. One of the first racers to find out how rough is too rough, rookie #47 Dylan Westbrook put in a good nights showing, going 1-2-5 giving him a close 2nd. #8 Hannah Ferrell went into the night with a win or crash trying attitude and may well have pulled it off but some early contact in the 10 lap Sprint left her on the infield and at the back of the pack quickly. That was too much of a point deficit to come back from but did manage to follow up with a 3-2 finish in the mains which was enough to tie Brad Perrott for 3rd this week. It was less than a year ago that several parents thought I was nuts for saying these racers (last years Beginners) were ready for the Juniors this year. 7 weeks in they are running times equivalent to the Seniors with almost double the karts on the track. Don't look now unless you want to see some "Real Racing"
Next race Tuesday June 22 in Tillsonburg at Chesterman Power Products , 7 pm
#7 Dave Chesterman
Chesterman Power Products
Tillsonburg Indoor MX
www.chesterman.ca519-842-5977
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