If I’m gonna be in the pits on Race Day, I wanna be there early, and, early I was, on St. Paddy’s Day, 2018, for Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed Races at New Smyrna Speedway. Weather was shaping up to be just about perfect…sunny and warm!!!
I love to watch the last minute tuning of those 100 year old motors, nestled in a special, handmade frame, with no clutch, tranny, or brakes to make it easy!!!
I believe it takes a special kind of rider to take command of one of these ornery machines…hard to start, and hard to stop too!!
BUT, long about 1PM, after tuning, warm-up laps for both engines and tires, the first heat blasted off. It was the stock 45’s, followed by the stock 61’s, and then, the HOT 61’s…a kind of “souped up” class!
You could see the tell-tale wear on the tires because of that steady “left-hand turn”. The actual speed wasn’t blinding, but, it was fast enough to make you NOT wanna go down!! And, the sound…..well, I can’t even describe it!!
Thanks to the track staff, and my tape recorder, I was able to capture the names of all the winners of the heats, semi, and the finals…I THINK I got them all, if not, I am truly sorry…I tried!!
- Heat #1-45’s…Go Takamine
- Heat #2-45’s…Doug Young
- Heat#3-61’s…Ken Curtis
- Heat#4-61’s…Mark Hanna
- Heat#5-Hot 61’s…Jody Perewitz
- Heat#6-Hot 61’s…Matt Walksler
- Bonus heat…Xavier Muriel…with Rick Petko
- Semi…Dan Rose…(This was all I could get)
- Final 45’s…Doug Young
- Final 61’s…Kevin Clark
- Final 61’s HOT…Matt Walksler
No spills, but, lots of chills and thrills!! A big thanks to Buzz Kanter and Bubba Blackwell for their between, AND during runs chatter, and helpful information about this fabulous sport. Bubba showed us his expertise with a big dresser, and, Buzz was very informative concerning nearly every aspect of this type of motor racing.
Also, for those interested…the 2018 Cannonball Run will be held in Sept…8th. to 22nd., starting in Portland, Maine, and finishing in Portland, Oregon….Don’t miss it…!
I just wanna thank Billy Lane for his hospitality, and, the Speedway kitchen for making the best “track-burgers” I ever ate!!! It was a good day all around, and, I’m certainly looking forward to the next Sons of Speed event…stay tuned…stand up for your country, and vets, and…GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Miserable George
