Episode 67
August 9, 2015
WAR Wins
The 15 year old Ellsworth High School student won his first Pro-Stock race of his career Saturday evening at Wiscasset Speedway. The Boss Hog 100 tested the youngster as he made his way through the field to hold a dominant position at race end.
Crew chief/Grandfather Bobby Alexander commented,
“It was a great night at Wiscasset Speedway for Team WAR and car 96. We worked during the week on maintenance items for the car, found a front shock that had been miss-adjusted and keeping the front end locked down. Cleaned shocks, rated springs, re-squared the chassis, etc.”
“In practice we focused on our race setup for the long run (100 laps) of the race ahead. We went with a full load of fuel and balanced the setup for what changes we expected from the fuel burn and track changes as the air temperature cooled down.”
“A lucky draw of the #8 cigar, in honor of the race’s name sake, Boss Hog, would see us starting in the 3rd spot of our heat. Wyatt raced well in the heat and finished 2nd which placed us P3 for the start of the feature.”
“We were allowed to purchase six tires for the event and would have to race the feature with the tires we ran in the heats.We picked our best 4 tires based on what we wanted for stagger, leaving the other two as spares. We could only change a tire if it was leaking air or cut down.”
“Wyatt ran up front for the first half of the race, choosing to fall back, running 5th at a comfortable pace, saving the car for the final 30 laps.”
“Around lap 68 a cut right rear tire caused the handle to go away. Luckily it was just a slow leak and Wyatt was able to hold on until at caution at lap 70 allowed him to pit. The crew quickly changed the tire and returned him to the track.”
“An incident with the leaders making contact brought out another caution taking out the leaders and placing Wyatt on the pole for the restart. With a fresh right rear giving us a little less stagger, the car was fast enough to pull away and maintain a half track lead on the rest of the field.”
“He was never challenged for the final 30 lap run to the checkered.”
“It was a very gratifying first win in the the Pro Stock class on one of the fastest tracks in New England for Team WAR. All of the hard work by the crew coupled with a lot of luck would give us the top spot we were seeking.”
“We are very grateful for all of the support from our great sponsors. friends and fans the allows us to compete in this great sport.”
“Plans for the rest of August are to race at Wiscasset again in two weeks and then head to Oxford Plains Speedway on the 28th, 29th and 30th in an attempt to qualify for the prestigious Oxford 250.”
Vinnie Miller of Michigan placed second and Scott Chubbuck of Bowdoin third. First place Alexander pocketed $3000 for his win.
Cumberland Motor Club Autocross at Loring a Big Hit
The sixth annual Cumberland Motor Club Autocross held at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone was a huge success with over 100 entries each of the two race days. Everyone I talked too had plenty of runs and already look forward to returning to Loring in 2016.
The high speeds combined with plenty of room make the venue a hit with participants. Cars range from daily drivers to purpose-built full blown race cars.
One such homebuilt car is the C-MOD racer pictured above. The car was built by Dave Armstrong and is currently owned by Scott Sinclair.
According to Wikipedia, “A Locost is a home-built clone of the Lotus Seven. The car features a space frame chassis usually welded together from mild steel 1x square tubing. Front suspension is usually double wishbone with coil spring struts. The rear is traditionally live axle.”
Armstrong utilized the book by Ron Champion, “Build your own sports car for as little as £250” to build the race car.
The two friends co-drive the car. Armstrong, the older of the two, says his age prevents him from being faster than Sinclair. Armstrong is 73.
Sinclair described the car, “It has a Toyota four cylinder powerplant. It weighs 1340 pounds and uses 10 inch Avon slicks”
“Everything is built in a garage with a drill press, MIG welder, and chop saw.”
Sinclair had this to say about Loring, “Loring is a great event. Very high speed compared to what we are used to up there (Maritime provinces) and more fun.”
“It is not as technical, but it is a lot more high speed. It gives you a different ride, different thrill.”
Returning to Restoration Performance Motorcars for Ferrari UpDate
Spud Speedway Super Late Model 150 Next Saturday Evening
Spud Speedway plays host to it’s second large race in less than a month when they host some of Maine and Canada’s Super Late Models next Saturday night under the lights. The race advertises a $10,000 purse with $2500 to win.
Promoter John Albert said that he had 14 Super Late Models lined up for the event including Ben Rowe in the Hal O’Neal car, Kirk Thibeau, Connor Thibeau, Shawn Martin and others.
Racers will be utilizing the Pro All Stars (PASS) Hoosier tires as well as PASS Super Late Model rules.
For more information Albert can be contacted at 813.319.9399 or on Facebook.
Let’s Go Racing!
Tom Hale
Soli Deo Gloria