A dodge was as important as a dash in the main events last Saturday at the Lakeport Speedway as the over 111° heat made for a slick and tricky track. Jimmy Sorrels from Ukiah led only four surviving cars out of ten Guy Strohmeier Auto Center Bombers through the checkers to win the main event. Matt Preston from Kelseyville, substituting for Mitchel Preston, avoided a last-lap spin to win the Mini-Stock main event.
The WestCar Late Models were back for their second event this season with 20 competitors. Second-in-points Gary Glenn from Orangevale won the main event just ahead of first-in-points Shannon Mansch. Chris Monez set the fast time of 12.613s, won the trophy dash, and after the 75-lap main event jumped into the #75 L.A. Cruiser and drove his first-ever Lakeport Speedway Boat Race.
“Code-3” Sam Cookson Wins the “Eve Of Destruction” Boat Race Lakeport CA, 2006-7-22 – What could be better than racing in record heat during the day? Water cannons and Boat Racing at night. The second of three Boat Races was run last Saturday at the Lakeport Speedway and packed 21 cars dragging boats all on the ¼ mile water drenched track.
As always, the object is to knock boats off from behind cars on a track flooded by an around-the-track sprinkler and a mid-field reciprocating water cannon. The field was full of Cruisers and clunkers from stationwagons to retired police cars.
When the field was given the green, it was maritime carnage on the high asphalt. Cars ran into, ran around, and even ran up onto other boats to try to destroy or dislodge them. As cars lost boats, they circled the track like hungry sharks looking to pick up another so they could continue to hunt. Some cars got trapped atop a boat, spinning their wheels and sending up clouds of tire smoke.
Though sometimes cars had to be untangled and hauled to the infield, there was action on all parts of the track. The accumulating debris started to take it's toll on the cars and thin the field. Andrew Snider lost a wheel and threw sparks all around the track. Scott Sabol actually managed to catch fire in all of this water. It was quickly extinguished and he was able to battle on. Eventually the once-mighty armada was scuttled down to an embattled few.
These three survivors were lined up in front of the grandstands. The #75 driven by WestCar Late Model driver Chris Monez towing the “Quack!”, the mean-green #16 of Ken Moeller, and the #14 out-of-retirement Lakeport police car (with working whoopee-lights) of Sam Cookson hauling “Timber's Yacht”.
The winner is always chosen by the cheering of the fans. Maybe it was his daring and “hot-pursuit” skills, or maybe everyone just loves wet fuzz, but the fans closed this case by declaring Sam Cookson the winner. Moeller was given second and Monez third.
The last “Eve of Destruction” Boat Race for this season will be held during the Marlene Baker Memorial Bomber Bash #11 on Septemeber 16.
N.C.R.A Mini-Stocks The Mini-Stock main event, led to the green by David Coyne and Rich Schramm Jr., immediately saw Brad Laird take to the infield with radiator damage and smoking suffered in the earlier heat race. Schramm and Preston quickly took the lead with Preston working hard and trying many lines on the heat-slicked surface to pass Schramm.
David Coyne, in lap seven, broke loose low in turn one sending him into the turn two dirt and raising both a huge dust cloud and the first yellow. Preston restarted outside of Schramm trying to hold that outside line, but fell back behind him.
Refusing to give up, Preston tried several times to pin Schramm to the inside behind the lapped cars of “Fast Freddie” Schmidt and Coyne, but each time Schramm managed to dart to the outside before Preston could close the door. On lap 15, Coyne again broke loose into the turn two dirt bringing out the second yellow. Again Preston tried to aggressively hold that outside line, but could not pass Schramm.
By lap 28, Schramm and Preston were again about to lap Coyne. At the white flag, Schramm moved to the outside but got a little wobbly in that slick groove and Preston saw his one-and-only chance. Preston moved quickly on the inside just behind Coyne hoping to gain the outside ahead of Schramm. On the backstretch Schramm tried to close that opening while regaining control, broke loose and nosed into Coyne. This turned Coyne up into the turn three wall.
Racing to the yellow and checkers, Schramm regained control and crossed the line ahead of Preston but, because his contact with Coyne caused the yellow, he was set back in the field. This gave the win to Preston, followed by Schramm, Coyne, Schmidt, and Laird.
Schramm set the fast time of 13.964s and won the trophy dash, and Mitchel Preston won the heat race.
Guy Strohmeier Auto Center N.C.R.A Bombers Ron Portlock and Adam Oubre led the ten-car Bomber field to the start. Dave Jones could not start due to a heat race spin into the wall. The slowed Oubre went high to allow the pack to safely pass putting Robert Byers into second and Wendy Ray Pierce into third, while George Abella and Jimmy Sorrels took advantage of the shuffling pack to move up to fifth and sixth behind Andy Norton.
Pierce blew her radiator, dropping water all around the track, until she broke loose on the frontstretch into the wall. She retired and, after cleanup, Portlock and Norton led the restart. However, with the addition of water to the oils brought up from the track by the record heat, the slick conditions changed dramatically.
As the pack started to fish and shuffle a lot more, Norton got loose up high in turn three allowing Sorrels to take second, and Byers and Abella suffered the same and were passed by Mike Bray and Jon Waner. Sorrels advanced on a now smoking Portlock, worked him hard, and finally passing him by lap 13. Abella had just worked his way past Waner and Byers to fifth behind Norton and M. Bray when Oubre spun into the turn two infield.
The lap 14 restart was short lived as Portlock broke loose inside of Abella causing Abella to swerve and then spin. Sorrels and Norton restarted the field in 15. Richard Bray and Oubre both retired to the infield.
Sorrels and Norton again led the lap 15 restart and, two laps later, Norton fished on the backstretch causing Portlock to swerve to avoid. However, Portlock overcorrected and broke loose into Waner sending him into the turn three wall. Both Portlock and Waner retired.
This left us with only four cars at the restart led by Sorrels and Norton, followed by Abella and Byers. Abella pressed hard for second but could not make it past a very loose Norton and they all finished in the same order. The rest placed Portlock in fifth followed by Waner, M. Bray, R. Bray, Oubre, and Pierce.
Abella set the fast time of 15.082s, Norton won both the trophy dash and heat race, and Oubre won the other heat race.
Coming Up July 29 Auto racing continues at the Lakeport Speedway this Saturday night with the Thunder Roadsters and the Pro-4 Modifieds, as well as our own Modifieds, Mini-Stocks, and L.A. Cruisers. For more information, browse “http://www.LakeportSpeedway.com”.
Picture by Kolene Potter
pic1.jpg Jay Cookson runs up and into the boat of Ken Moeller during the Boat Race.
pic2.jpg Dave Jones spins in turn 3 in front of Ron Portlock.
pic3.jpg Mat Preston substituting for Mitchel Preston wins the Mini-Stock main event.
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2006-7-22 Lakeport Speedway Results WestCar Late Models Time Trial - (12.613) Chris Monez, Gary Glenn, Shannon Mansch, Randy Reeves, Byron Gonzales, Michael Clarke, Troy Shirk, Zane Lovelace Jr., Craig Swim, Bobby Hodges, Scott Chappell, Chet Danburg, Rusty Robinette, Richie Crowell, Dan Cherry, Jay Bradley, Brian Koski, Todd Carnahan
Trophy Dash - Chris Monez, Shannon Mansch, Gary Glenn, Randy Reeves
A-Main - Gary Glenn, Shannon Mansch, Chris Monez, Randy Reeves, Chet Danburg, Craig Swim, Bobby Hodges, Byron Gonzales, Zane Lovelace Jr., Rusty Robinette, Jay Bradley, Brian Koski, Todd Carnahan, Troy Shirk, Richie Crowell, Michael Clarke, Scott Chappell, Dan Cherry
N.C.R.A. Mini-Stocks Time Trial - (13.964) Rich Schramm Jr., Mitchell Preston, David Coyne, Brad Laird, Fred Schmidt
Trophy Dash - Rich Schramm Jr., David Coyne, Brad Laird, Fred Schmidt
Heat 1 - Mitchell Preston, Rich Schramm Jr., David Coyne, Brad Laird, Fred Schmidt
A-Main - Matt Preston, Rich Schramm Jr., David Coyne, Fred Schmidt, Brad Laird
Guy Strohmeier Auto Center N.C.R.A. Bombers Time Trial - (15.082) George Abella, Jimmy Sorrels, Jon Waner, Andy Norton, Mike Bray, Wendy Ray Pierce, Richard Bray, Robert Byers, Adam Oubre, Ron Portlock, Dave Jones
Trophy Dash - Andy Norton, George Abella, Jimmy Sorrels, Jon Waner
Heat 2 - Adam Oubre, Robert Byers, Ron Portlock, Dave Jones, Richard Bray
Heat 1 - Andy Norton, Jimmy Sorrels, George Abella, Jon Waner, Mike Bray, Wendy Ray Pierce
A-Main - Jimmy Sorrels, Andy Norton, George Abella, Robert Byers, Ron Portlock, Jon Waner, Mike Bray, Richard Bray, Adam Oubre, Wendy Ray Pierce
Boat Race / L.A. Cruisers
A-Main – Sam Cookson, Ken Moeller, Chris Monez
