5/17/2014
Willamette Speedway
Second Willamette Kart Race Of 2014 In The Books
Second Willamette Kart Race Of 2014 In The Books
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc’s Photos)
It was a long but competitive night at Willamette Speedway on Friday May 16th as several teams from the Pacific Northwest were on hand for the second Kart race of the season. Nine different classes were ran during the course of the evening and each one of them provided some very exciting racing.
Taking the lead early in the Pee Wee main event and not looking back was “The Cowboy” Jayden Trupp from Coos Bay. The young driver from the scenic Oregon Coast lead every single lap to put his Nexdor Tobacco and More #72 QRC back in the winner’s circle for his second straight feature win.
Coming home in second, and making his Kart debut, was young Jonah Smith out of Albany driving The Knothole Market/Oregon Parts #99 QRC entry while behind him in third was the James Gang Pizza/Clayton’s Cornwell Tools/Rebecca’s Barber Shop #47 QRC of Makayla Patterson from Lebanon. Heat races were won by Jayden Trupp and Makayla Patterson.
In 5HP Intermediate action it was a barnburner with Cottage Grove’s Austin Sause, driving the Sause Racing #7 QRC, battling with Canada’s Benjamin Silliker. Silliker, who hails from Grand Prairie, Alberta, tried high and low to put his Black Dog Drilling/Silico Racing/QRC Karts #24 QRC in the lead but Sause was able to hold on for the victory.
Benjamin Silliker was a respectable second followed by the All Star Signs #21B QRC of Bridgette Imel from Tillamook in third. It was a clean sweep of the evening’s events for Austin Sause as earlier in the night he managed to win both heat races.
Young Conner Hanson of Creswell was the guy to beat in the 125cc feature. Taking the initial lead and having a couple of challenges Hanson, piloting the Hanson Contract Cutting/BC Motorsports/DT Motorsports #55H QRC, was able to dominate the feature and would pick up his first win of 2014. It was a huge victory for him and the whole team.
Ending the evening in second was Albany’s Trinity Pendley driving her Linn-Benton Insurance/A.A. Towing/James Gang Pizza #47 QRC while third place would go to the Big Sky Landscaping #T3 QRC of Talyn Roberts from Gresham. Completing the top five finishing order was the Checkered Flag Asphalt Paving & Sealcoating/Big Sky Landscaping/Kelly’s Café #6A QRC entry of Oregon City native Dustin Asher in fourth and Destiney Smith from Sutherlin in the Destiney Smith Motorsports #18S QRC mount in fifth.
It would be a clean sweep for Conner Hanson as he was able to win both heat races in Group B. Heat race winners in Group A were the Big Sky Landscaping/The Knothole Market/Bunce Equipment #02 QRC of Lebanon’s Kyle Roles and Talyn Roberts.
It was pure domination for Keizer’s Jerry Fonfara leading the entire distance of the Kid Speedway Kart feature. Despite not winning a single heat race he was able to take care of business come main event time. It was also the first visit for Fonfara and the Fonfara Racing #88 Trackmagic team to Willamette in 2014.
In the runner-up position was Callia Mott from Salem in her Mott Racing #16 Emmick followed by the Bob's OK Tire Store/G&S Machine Inc. #17 entry of Jaden Kimball of Keizer in third. Mott was able to win both heat races earlier in the program.
One of the best races of the whole night was in the 250cc main event. Eric Scofield of Albany and Harrisburg’s Tyler Thompson would duke it out for several laps with each of them running two different lines. The action was so intense that the battle for race lead would stay side-by-side for well over five straight laps and had the whole facility on their feet. Scofield would secure the lead on the final circuits and put his Scofield’s Karts & Parts/Big Sky Landscaping/Lassen RV #37 QRC Area 51 back in victory lane for the second straight race.
In the final laps it was three-race affair for the lead with Kyle Cormican of Vancouver, Washington, and recovering from an early race spin, placing his Schram Brothers Excavating/Xtreme Motorsports/RSS Racercraft/James Gang Pizza #113 RFC in second followed by the Village Green Resort/Bunce Equipment/BC Motorsports/Rocket Designs #77 RFC of Tyler Thompson. Duke Johnson of Portland was fourth in his Luck O’ Jonny/Old Black Daddy Foster Car/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop #151 RFC while the Black Dog Drilling/Silico Racing/QRC Karts #24 QRC of Benjamin Silliker was fifth. In heat race action Cormican and Thompson were the two heat race winners.
Dominating the KT Heavy/Light division all night long was Jonathan Brown from Lincoln City. Brown would lead every single lap of the feature and would pick up the victory for Kart owner Darren Brown and the Brown’s Lil’ Kart Shop/World of Karting/Pro Sound Audio Services #7 BKS team.
Brent Meyers of Newberg was second in the Brown’s Lil’ Kart Shop/Pro Sound Audio Services #63 mount followed by the Pfau Racing/Hegar 4 #47 Buller of Grand Ronde native Danny Provost. Jonathan Brown was the winner of both heat races to make his evening a complete sweep.
In the 5HP Open feature Carter Patterson of Lebanon was the driver to beat but as the laps clicked away Benjamin Silliker in the Black Dog Drilling/Silico Racing/QRC Karts #24 QRC managed to obtain the lead. Silliker would dominate the rest of the feature to obtain the victory.
Carter Paterson would end the evening in second in the James Gang Pizza/Clayton’s Cornwell Tools/Rebecca’s Barber Shop #47 QRC machine while Corbett’s Skyler Winebarger was third in the Discount Race Car Parts/Big Sky Landscaping #1W QRC. Patterson managed to win both heat races earlier in the night.
In the AKRA Speedway Kart division the feature was dominated by Greg Normandin from Albany. Normandin, driving the Blackstar Motorsports/T-Plus Fabrication #66 Phantom Phenom, lead the entire distance to pick up the win.
Dallas native Chris Hatch was second in the Blackstar Motorsports #89 Phantom Icon entry and ending the night in third was Steve King of Vancouver, Washington driving the Blackstar Motorsports/GKartingGrafixOnline.com #57 Phantom. In heat race action Hatch was the winner of both of them.
In the Open Kage Albany teenager Bricen James was the entry to beat. With loads of cautions and even a red flag stoppage James kept his James Gang Pizza/Lebanon Auto Body/Rainbow Rentals/Sign Express #13 SKE out in front to win his second straight feature. For James is was an extra-long day as he played a High School baseball game earlier in the day before making it to the track but he would end the evening with a clean sweep of the whole night.
Makenzie Thompson from Harrisburg was a respectable second in her Village Green Resort/Bunce Equipment/BC Motorsports/Rocket Designs #1W RFC entry while crossing the stripe in third was another young lady Casey Starr of Sherwood in her R.S. Race Products/Big Sky Landscaping/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop/Herz Precision Parts #13* RFC mount. The balance of the top five would consist of Brenden Waterman from Bend in fourth piloting his High Desert Hydraulics/Schram Brothers Excavating/Xtreme Motorsports/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop #29W RFC followed by the X-Factor Race Cars/The Storage Depot #49 QRC of Philomath’s Briley Pompe in fifth. Sweeping the heats in Group A was Bricen James while Makenzie Thompson and the Black Dog Drilling/Silico Racing/QRC Karts #24 QRC of Liam Ryan from Langley, British Columbia won one heat race each in Group B.
The next Kart event at Willamette Speedway will be Friday June 6th. For the latest information regarding anything Willamette Speedway log on to www.trophymotorsports.com.
Race Summary
Kart Race #2
Friday May 16th, 2014
Willamette Speedway
Lebanon, Oregon
Pee Wee
A Feature: 1. 72-Jayden Trupp; 2. 99-Jonah Smith; 3. 47-Makayla Patterson; DNS 24-Alex Silliker
5HP Open
A Feature: 1. 24-Benjamin Silliker; 2. 47-Carter Patterson; 3. 1W-Skyler Winebarger
5HP Intermediate
A Feature: 1. 7-Austin Sause; 2. 24-Benjamin Silliker; 3. 21B-Bridgette Imel
Kids Speedway Karts
A Feature: 1. 88-Jerry Fonfara; 2. 16-Callia Mott; 3. 17-Jayden Kimball
AKRA Karts
A Feature: 1. 66-Greg Normandin; 2. 89-Chris Hatch; 3. 57-Steve King
KT Heavy/Light
A Feature: 1. 7-Jonathan Brown; 2. 63-Brent Meyers; 3. 47-Danny Provost
125cc
A Feature: 1. 55H-Connor Hanson; 2. 47-Trinity Pendley; 3. T3-Talyn Roberts; 4. 6A-Dustin Asher; 5. 18S-Destiney Smith; 6. 27-Tyler Pagel; 7. 18-Jadan Walbridge; 8. 02-Kyle Roles; 9. 18M-Makayla Massey
250cc
A Feature: 1. 37-Eric Scofield; 2. 113-Kyle Cormican; 3. 77-Tyler Thompson; 4. 151-Duke Johnson; 5. 24-Benjamin Silliker; 6. 48C-Custin Jones; 7. T3-Talyn Roberts
Open Kage
A Feature: 1. 13-Bricen James; 2. 77M-Makenzie Thompson; 3. 13*-Casey Starr; 4. 29W-Brenden Waterman; 5. 49-Briley Pompe; 6. 2-Nick Tomlinson; 7. 4A-Anthony Imel; 8. 0-Kevin Towne; 9. 15-Cory Yeack; 10. 24-Liam Ryan
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage