2010 Class RULES and other FORMS are now availible

~Updated Jan 28

Lakeport Speedway hosted the Marlene Baker Memorial Bomber Bash #14 last Saturday. Featured were all of the Bomber-style classes: Bombers, Mini-Stocks, and the Jammers. The efforts of the NCRA to help the Bomber class and racers through trying financial times were vindicated as, once again, the car count increased. For the first time in six years, the Bomber main event started with 20 cars.

A special feature was held for the Super-Modifieds. Modifieds with up to two wings on the top for additional down-force, and a side-board for turn-force. This allows more of the massive power of a Modified to be applied to the track for better grip, handling, and faster speeds.

The night was topped with the fourth “Fiberglass 500” Boat Race. This was the last event to qualify for the October Classic NorCal Boat Race Nationals.

Boat Race

The water truck dumped its load around the track, the perimeter sprinklers were flooding the track, the central water-cannon was fired up, old boats were set in place as obstacles and reefs, and the track was filled with cars dragging boats when the green flag fell on the fourth “Fiberglass 500” Boat Race of 2009.

Fans were on their feet when the pack promptly tangled in turn two into a massive pile-up of boats and cars that seemed destined to bring things to a quick stop. However, the slower speeds due to the slippery track keep car damage to a minimum. The fans were amazed to see this gigantic mass keep moving like a pod of whales through turn tow and into the backstretch where it untangled and broke up into individual racers.

Throughout the race, you could see Lauren Snider (187) from Lakeport darting in and out like a super-charged barracuda. No matter what trouble he got into or which cars he got trapped between, he always managed to emerge with far less damage than the others.

The top marks for separating boats from cars went to Charlie Collins (67) from Lakeport. Cars would get together, spin around, come apart, and there was Collins ready to dive in between boat and car to snap the tether. His Moray Eel style skills earned him “Best In Show”.

However, the accolades for pure single-minded destruction, like a gator in a bunny ranch, went to Joel McCabe (500) from Upper Lake. His simple yet effective strategy seemed to be running through boats until there were no more to run through. An example: A car got turned on the backstretch and wound up facing forward with their own boat facing backward between them and the wall. McCabe whipped the sea-horsed and dove between car and wall through the boat. With nowhere to go, the boat just exploded in a cloud of fiberglass bewildered barnacles.

When things finally wound down, the grandstand crowd, as always, got to vote by cheers for the winners.

Ukiah Speedway hosted the last “King of the Hill Challenge Series” event last Labor Day weekend. Featured were the Legends Cars of the Pacific, Airport Auto Brokers Late Models, Pro-4 Modifieds, and the Bandoleros. King of the Hill racing included Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Bombers.

Three King of the Hill champions were crowned last Sunday:

• Modifieds Dustin DeRosier

• Street Stocks Mikey Snider

• Bombers Dylan Rose

The Ukiah Bandoleros champion was also crowned: Darrin Silva.

Lakeport Speedway hosted the next “King of the Hill Challenge Series” event last Saturday. Featured was a Jammer Road-Course Rally. “King of the Hill” racing included the Modifieds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks, and Bombers.

A memorial was observed before the main events for Mike “Bubba” Silva who had passed only a little more than a week ago. Mike has been involved in racing for a long time and was currently the flagger at the Ukiah Speedway. The cars that night all had silver ribbons which was Mike's racing color. Everyone from the pits gathered in the infield holding white balloons printed with checkered flags, while a track full of cars, also holding those balloons, performed a double-file memorial lap. When the cars reached the backstretch, everyone released their balloons into a giant cloud of checkered flags that faded into the night.

Jammers

This was a special night for the Jammers, one everyone had been anticipating all season. No more ovals with all left turns or right turns. Two chicanes were created with giant tires for both the front and back stretches creating a peanut-shaped road course. The racers had to turn into and through the infield dirt instead of the stretches, and then back out onto the asphalt for the turns. Right and left turns, dirt and asphalt, all in one tight 20 lap course.

Kelsie Kennedy and Daryl Levier were on the poll row when the green flag fell for their standing start. Levier led Kennedy through the turns as Mike Sullivan, Carl Gronroos, and Randy Portlock shuffled Eddie Klein on back.

The trucks, with their light back-ends, were having a terrible time with the tighter turns and slippery dirt, but Corey Crawford was somehow holding it all together in seventh. Johnathan Tims had apparently given up and was blazing his own trail.

Kennedy started to slow and was passed by Sullivan. Levier led Sullivan into the back chicane when they came up on a spun-out Nolan Forsythe. Levier dodged inside into the nose of Sullivan. Sullivan dug in and turned the rear of Levier around to pass for the lead. Levier recovered and gave chase.

In lap seven, a red was thrown (no yellows in Jammers) when Kennedy stalled out inside the back chicane. She retired and the field was restarted from where they had stopped.

Portlock and Gronroos shuffled Levier on back but, when they came up upon Forsythe spun out in the front chicane, Levier pinned Gronroos and got by. However, Klein followed and swung around Levier through the chicane to take third. One more red was thrown when Forsythe stalled in the entrance to the front chicane.

As the race ground on, Sullivan still led but Portlock and Klein succumbed to the track. Scott Sabol had made his way to the rear of Sullivan to challenge for the lead. In turn three, Sullivan came up upon the lapped car of Anthony Esberg who had just broken loose and started to spin. When Sullivan tried dodge up high, Sabol was already there and clipped the rear of Sullivan, turning him sideways.

Sullivan whipped his tail back around, dug in, and shot up the track into the rear of Sabol in turn four, spinning both. Sabol quickly recovered and surged forward just inside Sullivan which pinned Sullivan behind one of the giant tires. When Sullivan was clear, he accelerated back into the chicane, gave Sabol a friendly whack on the rear bumper that sent Sabol outside the chicane tires. By the time Sabol got back in, Sullivan had reclaimed the lead.

With only a few laps to go, Forsythe stalled on the turn four apron, but there was plenty of room to get around him so no flag was thrown. Sabol was eventually forced to retire. At the checkers, it was Sullivan, Levier, Gronroos, Crawford (the top finishing truck), and Sweeney.

The Jammers distinquished themselves in their inaugural season with a total count of 21 cars, up to 18 cars in a main event, and some really popular and unusual racing. They have become so popular that, in 2010, they will be split into two divisions: Pro and Junior.

The Jammer class was designed to be a transitional class for the growing crop of young drivers advancing out of Kart racing into a full sized track and for new or inexperienced drivers. These are racers who will be the future of classes like the Bombers, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks, Modifieds, and Late Models. The cars are inexpensive to build, simple to operate, and maximize safety. The races are run more for fun than for competition with rally-style standing starts, no yellow (only reds), and different events like racing in the opposite direction or on a road course.

The cars are so easy to race that Lakeport Speedway created a raffle for the grandstand fans run at every event for a chance to drive the Jammer #67 in the next Jammer race. This has become an incredibly popular raffle. Many of the winners have gone on to create their own Jammers. They receive so much training and advice from other Jammer drivers that, on June 20, first-time racer Daniel Barrett actually won the main event.

The class has become so fun and popular that experienced and veteran racers have been joining in with the kids. Names like Noel McCormack Jr., Scott Sabol, Rick Tommila, and Andy Norton. Some of the racers have learned so much so quickly that they are not only out-pacing most of the field, but are running even with these veterans.

This is why, in 2010, the Jammer class will be split into two divisions: Pro and Junior. Those drivers who are experienced racers from other classes, or who demonstrate a level of expertise beyond the Junior class, will be advanced to the Pro class (along with any accululated points). Any driver 18 years or younger, or who is new or inexperienced, is welcome in the Junior class. This allows the more experienced and competitive racers to flex their skill and have some fun, while preserving the original concept of a transitional class for the younger and less experienced drivers to learn and enjoy.

As always, the class will be constantly watched over and tinkered with to keep things fair and fun by the class promoter David Furia.

The Vintage Classic Show scheduled for September during the post-season has been cancelled due to the economic climate. There just aren't enough cars ready this year to make the trip with the effect the economy has had on everyone's pocketbooks.

We hope that conditions improve enough in the following years to make more shows like this possible.

Something is new at the Lakeport Speedway. You want to watch the exciting racing, and you want to chow down on the delicious Snack Shack food, but since everyone else has the same idea you can not do both.

Well, now you can. A large plasma monitor has been installed above the Snack Shack that will be connected to Video Joe's live coverage of the racing. Never again miss a moment of the on-track action while loading up on your favorite goodies.

And what about you beer drinkers? Yes, there is another monitor above the beer booth so that neither snacks nor suds will keep you from a moment of the racing at the Lakeport Speedway.