Tillsonburg Outlaws-- Summer Series complete
It was 12 weeks in the making. Racing every Tuesday night. Racers learning, racers improving, and racers having fun. Mixed in with were lessons of frustration, disappointment, joy and excitement. Friendships were forged off the track and enemies made on the track. Thus is the life of a racer. Put on the helmet to accomplish a mission. With it comes the RACE FACE, its me against them mentality. Try to get to the front of the group while the group is trying to do the same thing. Simple enough but wars have been started over far less. In the end it is a worthwhile pass time for not only the racers but also the volunteers who run the program, the parents and pit crews who make sure their driver has the best chance possible to do well, and the Grand Parents who get to spend time with their kids and grandkids. Every week the parking lot is more like a recess at the local school yard then a competition. Friends catching up on the last weeks events. It has been a wonderful summer with a lot of racing action. Now that the series is complete, the results can go into the record books. It is almost time to put away the karts for the winter. Last event remaining is the final race,just for fun and bragging rights, The 100 lap Thanksgiving final endurance run, held Sat. Oct 8 2011, rain or shine. That is also when we have a Pot Luck dinner afterwards. All are welcome. No penalties for eating too much.
The Beginners wrapped up the season with some incredibly close racing action. # 66 Colby Bennett was looking to sweep all three races again this week but # 78 Dylan Watson was having none of it. In the final race the pair crossed the line in a photo finish. The transponder scoring system gave the nod to Watson. Despite this it was Bennett in first overall with # 01 Jamie Hall in 2nd and # 57 Bryson Green in 3rd. Oddly enough, that is how the series finished up as well.
During the summer we introduced several new drivers to the sport of racing Outlaws. Part of their journey was the simple act of driving a motorized vehicle. Throw into the mix a flagman throwing in multiple commands, other drivers doing things they didn't expect, and procedures that seem confusing at first glance. All the beginners performed well under the pressure of the season, improving each week. And so went the 2011 Summer Series.
When a driver graduates out of Beginner, they are not too sure what to expect when they hit the Juniors. This group is a mix of experienced young drivers usually 7-10 years old. Mix into this some 11-13 year olds that are just starting to race but were too old for the first group. The older kids learn fast but the younger drivers have already learned their lessons in previous years. Overall, the Juniors run faster then the Beginners, partly because they have an extra 2 horsepower but mostly because they never slow down. Wall to wall, corner to corner, they ask everything out of their ride in hopes of getting to the front. Some had to learn to slow down to go faster, some needed to be braver when it comes to running in traffic. Each driver had his own demons that needed to be conquered and over the 20 races we had this season, the group came together and have become a very competitive group of kids.
Did I say competitive? That is an understatement. The series had # 52 Jacob Sheridan leading with a small 6 point cushion over # 48 Andrew Marshall. That was unlikely to change until Marshall had his best night of the season at the same time Sheridan ran so so. Normally the two have karts set up similar and they drive around the corner rather then power slide and thus maintain momentum. The two often finish one - two. Well something happened and Marshall was spot on with setup and Sheridan just was not able to match the speed, so the series boiled down to the last race of the year as Marshall moved into 1st with Sheridan taking a very close 2nd. The race for third for the night and the series was just as close with # 77x Alex Hill and # 10x Cameron Davidson both trying to stay in or move into 3rd. Hill managed to keep her third but she had to do it the hard way. Hill while racing with Davidson was forced to run the outside in an attempt to pass the 10x car. The pair went up high coming out of the back corner and Hill tackled the wall. End over end she went, coming to rest with wheels in the air. Shook up but with true competitive spirit, she fought the urge to pack it in for the race and possibly the night and rejoined the group for the restart. That grit and determination let her work back up to 2nd in the 25 lap race and with a decent finish in the final earned enough points to tie Davidson in 3rd for the night.
I honestly don't know where to start with the Seniors. The series was up for grabs going into the night. # 87 Brad Perrott had a good lead but not an safe one. Second to fourth was anyone's guess as they were basically tied for 2nd. So how did it play out? Perrott was fast but not fastest. # 39 Kate Courtnage had some great starting positions, ended up upside down in one race but was able to move back up to 2nd in the same race for a good night. # 10 Blake Westman had the series runner up in his grasp but just couldn't make it happen. # 51 Matt Anderson came out guns a blazing and also had a good night with a win and two other decent finishes. # 20 DJ McRae had zero luck in the 10 lap sprint but was the man in the 35 lapper as he worked his way to the front in the final, also had a good night. Missing from the list of drivers who had a good night was # 79 Bea Courtnage. Bea managed to get caught in what seemed like every wreck and just could not make progress in trying to get to the front. The final 35 lap race for the Seniors took forever with every driver thinking they were going to win the last race of the year. Several seemed to panic in frustration and tried some manoeuvres that just did not work and usually ended with a caution flag. Despite the bent bumpers, every racer finished the race which if you were watching was an accomplishment in itself. So after mentioning several drivers who had a good night, who won anyway? How about a 3 way tie for first? Kate Courtnage, Matt Anderson and Brad Perrott were tied for 1st with 39 points each. That's a first in the history of the club. I would have to say that my series prediction "this is going to be close" was right on the money.
The Expert program fell into place nicely as this week we had three different winners. # 1 Holly Porter won qualifying with a time that did not break the 8 second mark. # 19 Cody Coburn broke out his first win with a 500 in the 10 lap sprint while being hounded by # 34 Scott Chesterman who later went on to win the 30 lap final. When the points were added up It was Scott Chesterman, Holly Porter and myself, Dave Chesterman in 3rd. Please note that I had to pass # 37 Scott Kelly about 5 times before we finally stopped trading positions in the final. I will go on record here saying I beat all the teenagers in the race, and at 50 years old some of the parents think I am too old. Ha. The kids got the last laugh though as # 37 Scott Kelly took 3rd in the series behind # 34 S Chesterman and # 1 Porter, and # 19 Coburn, who had a rough summer series still managed to beat me, taking 4th. That left me in 5th with the rest of the drivers missing too many races to be in contention. It was sure fun racing them though when they were able to come test their speed.
There you have it. All the hype, all the action , all the fun. 2011 Summer Series is done. (Notice that rhymed?)
Next big day is the Thanksgiving 100. Saturday Oct 8 2011, bring your mittens.
Awards Banquet Saturday October 22 2011
Chesterman Power Products
Tillsonburg Indoor MX
www.chesterman.ca519-842-5977
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