11/10/2015
Inside Line Promotions
Rilat Highlights 2015 by Winning Features in Australia, Canada and United States
(Photo by Malcolm White Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – FORNEY, Texas (Nov. 10, 2015) – Travis Rilat won a sprint car feature in three different countries to highlight a successful 2015 campaign.
Rilat finished the season with six triumphs, including one in Australia, one in Canada and four in the United States (three in Montana and one in Washington), which is the most wins he has earned in a season since 2012.
“I’d say it was a very good year,” he said. “We were able to win a few races, including a couple of big ones.”
Rilat kicked off the season last February in Australia by claiming his second straight Tyson Perez Memorial, which honors his longtime friend and crew member. Rilat, who was driving for George Smetona with Phil Seymour serving as the crew chief, set quick time during qualifying before he recorded heat race results of second and sixth, respectively. Rilat then charged from his third starting position to take the lead approximately a quarter of the way through the main event.
“The Australia win was definitely a bonus,” he said. “That was special to spend some time with Tyson’s family and race in honor of him. To win the event was the icing on the cake. We are planning to go back next year and hopefully we can make it three in a row.”
Rilat picked up his first triumph of the season in North America on July 3 at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where he led the distance of the 61st annual Gold Cup preliminary night while driving for Richard Saumure.
Rilat and Saumure were also victorious on July 24 when the team charged from 12th to win a preliminary night of the 26th annual Bob’s Burgers & Brew Summer Nationals at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash.
“It’s always tough to win at the Gold Cup and Summer Nationals,” he said. “There’s a lot of tough competition at both events so you have to put together clean, strong nights to end on top and we did that both times.”
Rilat’s final three wins of the season came in Montana, where he and Saumure posted three victories, two runner-up finishes and one fourth-place result during six races with the ASCS Frontier Region.
“We had a good time doing that,” Rilat said. “Those are different tracks we don’t normally run. We had a great time and made some new friends.”
Overall, Rilat earned a top-five finish in more than half of his races.
“I want to thank all of my sponsors for their support as well as Frenchie and Lana for the opportunity to race with them,” he said. “It was a fun year and I can’t wait to get 2016 underway.”
SEASON STATS –
37 races, 6 wins, 19 top fives, 20 top 10s, 23 top 15s, 30 top 20s
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TravisRilat.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TravisRilat29
VIDEO –
Here is a link to watch highlights of Rilat’s victory at the Tyson Perez Memorial in Australia on Feb. 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPYKg2nfSNw
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Shark Racing Engines
Located in Sedro-Woolley, Wash., Shark Racing Engines has been building high-performance racing engines for more than two decades. For more information, visit http://www.SharkRacingEngines.com.
“It’s kind of funny how I met (Shark owner) Marc Huson when I went up there to Washington for an ASCS National Tour race,” Rilat said. “I was wandering around talking on my cell phone and saw a sprint car next door. I walked over, looked around and introduced myself.
“He’s been a great friend. He was instrumental with a support group for me and my family when I was in the hospital up there. He and his wife helped us out in a hard time. As far as his engine skills go, he’s one of the best in the country. There’s only a handful of great engine builders across the country and I consider him one of the best.”
Rilat would also like to thank Shop the BOSS, MDS Boring & Drilling, Weld Wheels, KSE Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Hoosier Racing Tire, HRP Wings, Goodrich, Penske Racing Shocks, All Star Auto Reconditioning, and everyone who has partnered with his No. 29.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller
