By: Brad Buckler / WRKC.on.ca
The Waterloo Regional Kart Club (WRKC) staged its best-attended race of the 2014 season July 18.
The highlight of the evening was the racing action, which provided plenty of entertainment for the spectators that filled the grandstand.
Competitors in each class were presented with a gift card and race sponsor Fine Details of Milton issued a special challenge to participants: the first to win a final race after starting from the back of the grid would claim a cash reward.
Racing action got started with qualifying rounds for each class. In the Cadet class, Joey Woolsey clocked the fastest qualifying lap to earn the first starting spot for the pre-final race. Johnny Robillard was less than a tenth of a second behind Woolsey, Cole Quinton rounded out the top-three.
In the pre-final race Robillard grabbed the lead on the first lap and, despite a strong challenge from Christian Alger, earned the win. Alger settled for second, Woolsey was close behind in third.
Robillard started the final race from the pole position but Woolsey took the win. Quinton had the fastest lap but had to settle for third place. Quinton Murdoch was the second-place finisher. Ethan Slote finished in fourth place and Jordan Ramsbottom was fifth.
In the Novice class, the top seven qualifiers were less than a second apart. Liam Rhodes had the fastest lap. Tyson Wassink was close behind in second, Kyle DaSilva was third and Nathan Alger and Josh Bisschop rounded on the top five.
Rhodes was dominant all evening long, winning both the pre-final and the final races.
In the final, Wassink mounted a challenge for the lead. He started the race in third, then manoeuvred to get by both DaSilva and Rhodes on Lap 7, but his lead was short lived as Rhodes was back out front the next time they passed the start/finish line. Wassink finished in second, DaSilva in third, Josh Bisschop in fourth and Keidon Fletcher in fifth.
So far this season, the Junior Lite class has seen two drivers dominate the field: Ciarra Collison came into Race No. 8 with four wins, while Aaron Turnbull won the other three races.
Collison paced the field in the qualifier, earning the chance to start the pre-final from the pole position. She turned the pole position advantage and some quick laps into the pre-final win. Turnbull had the fastest race lap in the pre-final.
In the final, however, Max Wright had the fastest lap, converting it into a fourth-place finish. Collison was the winner, with Turnbull close behind in second place. Madison Colling had a good race, starting and finishing the final in third. The final podium spot was claimed by Peter Ditner.
The Junior Heavy competitors put on a great show.
Austin Bisschop started the night off by posting the fastest lap in the qualifier, edging out Kaitlin Neely. In the pre-final Neely took the win in a very closely contested race.
In the final race, Neely managed to lead from the start but on lap 2 Bisschop took the lead and held onto finish first overall. Neely was second, but had her hands full as third-place finisher Andrew Whelan was never far behind. Wesley Tobin claimed the fourth spot on the podium, while Kendra Cassidy was fifth.
The Senior Medium class had the largest field, with 31 karts registered. Tristan Gill was the class of the field. He had the fastest lap in qualifying, and led every lap in both the pre-final and the final.
It the final, Steven Murdock finished in second, T.J. Marshall wasthird and Ryan Brutzki and David Miller rounded out the top five.
In the Masters class, Brian Wilkinson had a dominant performance. At the time of writing this report the results were not official.
It was a great night for all the competitors. Prior to the start of the final races there was a drivers parade on the track. At the pre-race ceremonies, Erin Breen of Cap Stone Music in Burlington sang the National Anthem and the night was concluded with the grandstands full of competitors and spectators to watch a fireworks display.
Event sponsor Fine Details of Milton dedicated the race to the memory of Kimm Poirier-Fletcher who lost her courageous battle with cancer this past April.
As for the $500 Fine Details challenge, just a few drivers qualified for the prize, but all chose to keep their starting spot in the final rather than cash in to score valuable points needed towards the 2014 championship.
For more information visit www.wrkc.on.ca.
