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Jeff Allen
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KORRBC September 2013
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Jeff Allen
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KORRBC September 2013
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Jeff Allen
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Jeff Allen
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Jeff Allen
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Jeff Allen
By Jennifer Loucks - Photos by Jeff Allen – Fat Kid Photography
“What is the definition of a perfect race day?” a KORRBC fan asked me at our traditional Saturday night bonfire before the September Slam. I paused, and then replied, “It depends on who you ask.”
In the eyes of the officials, a perfect race day is one with good car counts and full bleachers. It’s having a well-groomed track that is neither muddy nor dusty. It’s having Mother Nature play along, to keep the participants comfortable and the track in the proper condition.
For the spectators, it’s witnessing lots of carnage. Seeing the bumping and the rubbing. Catching that spectacular crash. It’s the close calls, and wicked recoveries. It’s seeing a close competition between two or three drivers, and cheering their favourite to victory.
When it comes to the racers, it’s having their vehicles perform reliably. Avoiding the crashes and the close calls. It’s making it through the race day without destroying body panels or running gear. It’s being able to trailer their rig, under its own power, at the end of the day.
The reality is, however, that racing is not a perfect art. Someone’s expectations are going to be challenged, and sometimes that can be a tough pill to swallow. However, as I told my new friend on Saturday night, I think that the key to a perfect race day is reveling in the good, and finding the humour in the bad.
The third race of the KORRBC season was full of thrilling neck-to-neck racing, amazing, (and horrific,) crashes, and some surprising upsets. The spectators bounced with glee throughout the day, while the racers and the officials watched with jaws agape, and hearts pounding. The September race at KORRBC is always a double points race, with the completion points being doubled for both heats, and quadrupled for the main event. With huge points on the line, racers push themselves, and their competitors, even harder than they usually do, as was the case on September 8th.
The afternoon began with the Limited Lites, followed by Mike Strange in his Pro Buggy. It was a small class, with only 2 competitors, but they put on an incredible performance. Both Blake Jensen and Derek Carson were struggling with intermittent engine troubles, and they swapped positions over and over through out the day. Carson had spectators on their feet when he went in the fourth corner and suddenly found himself on two wheels. He hovered there for a moment, before recovering, and the crowd erupted in cheers. At the end of the day, Carson’s struggles with his truck took him out of the race, and Jensen drove away with the victory.
Next up were the Production 1000 UTV’s, with eight rigs at the starting line. The first heat began without a hitch, and Kirk Long, in # 57, took an early lead. He held his own for the first three laps, before snapping a tie rod coming off a jump, and being forced to park his UTV. Mike Skiba, in # 67, had a spectacular roll over in the first heat, and again in the second heat, flipping his UTV on its lid multiple times. The crew set him back on his wheels, and he was able to complete both heats. The second roll over caused some damage, and he was unable to complete the main event. Travis Squair, # 171, Dennis Beebe, # 15, and newcomer DJ Humenly, # 77, were all neck and neck through out the heats, and had the spectators cheering loudly as they edged each other out over and over. At the end of the day, Squair took first, Beebe second and Humenly third.
The Outlaws competed next, with rookie drivers Machyla and Cael Carter taking turns in their father, Lane Carter’s pro truck, # 609. They were up against Troy Monsees (# 44,) Troy Armstrong (# 69,) Stewart Wright (# 99,) and Derek Carson (# 104.) Monsees and the Carters raced hard throughout the day, pushing each other faster and harder. Monsees won both heats, with Machyla Carter right on his wheels, and seemed to be the sure thing for the main event. However, his truck had other ideas, and allowed Machyla to sail to victory in the main, giving her enough points to claim the first place prize.
The Pro Production 1000 UTV’s were up next, competing for their sponsored cash payouts. Cecil Sinow (# 22,) continued to be plagued by demons in the first and second heats, completing only a few laps in each event. Sinow pulled it together for the main, and came in second place for that heat. Travis Squair, Mike Skiba and Dennis Beebe, who all competed in both UTV classes, performed strongly, though Skiba’s flips in the Production class took him out of the running, forcing him to not complete the main. The 6 UTV’s in the Pro class raced hard through out the afternoon, with Al McBeth (#357,) Rob Bouchard (# 1965,) and Travis Squair (# 171,) competing wheel to wheel. The pack remained tightly knit, with McBeth taking the win in each heat. At the end of the day, McBeth took home the $1250 cash payout, Squair the $750, and Bouchard the $500.
The last group of the day, and the class that delivered the most heartbreak, was the Pro Truck class. Seven rigs lined up for the first heat, and only two finished the day. In the first heat, a flat tire plagued Dave Warner, in the # 4410 rock crawler. Warner and Ryan Munden (# 11,) tangled in the middle of the track, with Munden’s box side taking the brunt of it. Warner and newcomer Kevin Lyons (# 76,) then tangled in the back straight, causing Lyons to have a jaw-dropping roll over. His 800 HP pro truck danced like a pirouetting ballerina, before coming to rest on its side. Lyons climbed out of his mangled truck, and waved to the crowd, and was given a standing ovation. Unfortunately for Lyons, the roll caused too much damage, and he was forced to the sidelines for the rest of the day. Kris Fraser, in his newly built rock crawler (# 604,) pushed his buggy hard. So hard, in fact, that he did a complete 180 in the middle of the track. He recovered, but did some damage, and was also forced out for the remainder of the day. Munden, Jim Jensen (# 74,) and Lane Carter raced wheel to wheel around the carnage that was their class. Jensen became part of the carnage after the second heat, when mechanical problems forced him to trailer his truck. Ultimately, Munden won first place, Carter second, and Jensen third.
September showed us, yet again, that anything could happen on the racetrack, both good, and bad. However, at the driver’s meeting at the end of the day, every single person in attendance was grinning from ear to ear, because, honestly, that’s racing. For more information, or to get involved, check out www.korrbc.ca