Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Mother Nature Intervenes

Mother Nature made her presence known at the Rock this past week. After dumping an inch and a half of rain there on Friday, the one-eighth mile clay oval became extremely tacky. Track Prep crews had a difficult time getting the track into raceable condition. But, they were able to keep working at it until it was at least good enough to allow the Micro Sprints to race on it. Unfortunately, the track was deemed unsafe for Kart racing and entrants were reimbursed.

The 600 Open feature was also affected by Mother Nature as rain began to fall right at during the 600 Sportsman Feature, shortening that race. Kyle Coffey, son of World of Outlaw Late Model driver, Vic Coffey, won the first of 3 heats with Danny Knoll III racing hard for the win. Heat Two produced some amazing racing between Canandaigua's Matt Smith and LeRoy's Brandon Goetz. The two drivers raced side-by-side for several laps before Smith edged Goetz out for the victory. Heat Three saw Pete Lute dominate the 10 lap race. John Kreckman placed second with Dan Knoll, Jr. showing Third. The 30 lap Feature will likely be made up this coming weekend.

In the 125 class, the night belonged to Cole "FasDass" MacDonald. The impressive young man swept both the Heat and Feature events, extending his lead in the championship. Jacob Lewczyk took second spot in the Feature with Jordan Noody coming home in Third. A tough break for last year's leading ladies in the class. Missy Clauss of Wyoming, New York, had difficulties with gearing and lost some time, eventually finishing in fifth. Clauss did, however, correct the issue during a caution brought out by Defending Class Champion, Kennedy White. Crateresque dips in Turns Three and Four caused White to control of her car and hit the Turn Four wall and knocked her out of the Feature.

The most taxing class of the night came at the expense of the 450 Super Sportsman class. Jeff Clauss defeated Jim Austin during the Heat event. Jim's brother, Joe, had his left rear wheel come off thanks to a broken cotter pin. The rough track would also plague Jim in the Feature as he was the first driver knocked out. Shane O'Grady showed some muscle as he and Clauss battled for the lead, eventually getting into each other and causing a caution. That put Joe Austin out front and he never looked back, claiming his first victory of the season.

A little more than halfway through the 600 Sportsman Feature, rain fell on the speedway. Out front at the time was Chad Richey. He came away with top points on the night as he finished second behind Josh Farnsworth in the Heat. Farnsworth failed to finish the Feature thanks to a blown fuse. Farnsworth later stated, "It was a blast to drive, but man was it rough out there." Jacob Szymkowiak had a strong showing as he came home in second with John Farmer continued his string of good runs with a third place finish.

Mickey Ciliberto dominated the night's racing action in the 600 Wingless class. He swept both the Heat and the Feature, topping John Colaprete, Jr. for the win.

Jacob Callan continues to dominate the Quad class as he swept the night's action over Paul Andrews.

Next week it's autograph night along with the Power Wheels race. See you on Race Day!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Knoll Gets First Of 2012

The first weekend in June brought in some cool, wet weather to Western New York. Limerock, however, remained dry and primed for an exciting night of racing. As the night went on, the track rubbered in and got slicker for the drivers. Brandon Goetz, a 600 Open driver from Le Roy, NY explained what the track was like. "As the track rubbers in, it feels like you are driving on ice. What I do is to aim for the tacky stuff on the inside of the track. That extra grip on the left front helps me get through the corners that much better on a night like tonight."

Goetz did use that to help him win the first of two Heats for the 600 Open class while Pete Lute took the top spot in the second Heat. Both ran strong in the 30 lap Feature but could not hold off the hard-charging Danny Knoll III or Tyler Walker in the Pizza Logs machine. Knoll cruised to the victory with Walker finishing second and Goetz taking the final spot on the podium.

Austin Shaw continued his dominance in the JR2 Clone class. He swept the Heat and the Feature for the night with Anthony Natrigo coming home in second in the "Duece". Hannah Weltzer ran her Gold Plate entry with the JR2s and took home the overall victory.

The Senior Clones saw Jody London dominate the night, taking the Heat and Feature victories easily. Gary Smith finished second and Guy Ellinwood rounded out the field.

In the 125 class, Jacob Lewczyk and Missy Clauss hoped their Heat wins would carry momentum for them into the Feature, but the fastest man on track for the night was Richard Johnson in the 43j. Johnson ran away from the field with Clauss being the only one that could match his pace as she finished second. Cole MacDonald finished 3rd after taking two victories in a row for the 125 Feature.

Jeff Clauss continued his 450 Supersportsman domination as he grabbed victories in both the Heat and Feature events. The wins, however, did not come without a little contact with Joe Austin in the Heat race. Austin's Left front made contact with Clauss' right rear, causing Austin to get loose. He overcorrected and nailed the Turn 4 wall, ending his night.

John Farmer improved on his strong run in the 600 Sportsman division with a sweep of the nights action. Josh Farnsworth ran second, but complained of handling issues. He found that his W Link Straps were bent after tearing down his car.

Jacob Szymkowiak started the evening strong with a Heat win in the 600 Wingless class. However, the Feature belonged to Pete Resch as beat Szymkowiak and Kyle Pierce to the line to claim the win.

Many thanks to the Hurricanes from Starlight Speedway for producing some great racing action at the Rock.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Goetz Upsets, MacDonald Surprises

In a stunning turn of events, Brandon Goetz won Saturday night's 600 Open Feature at Limerock Speedway.

Danny Knoll III held the lead for much of the second half of the 30-lap race until the lapped car of Alex Trautman had a mechanical failure in Turn 4. Knoll, who had already been given the white flag. elected to take the high line around Trautman. Unfortuantely, the loose clay at the top of the track slowed Knoll down and allowed Goetz to pass and claim the victory. After and unfortunate incident involving Knoll and Wayland's Eric Wise, Danny Knoll III finished second, with his father, Dan Knoll, Jr. finishing 3rd. Wise would finish 10th out of 14 entries in the feature.

In the 125 class, Canadian Cole MacDonald drove the wheels off of his Microsprint to win both the Heat and the Feature for the class. MacDonald was able to pass 2011 class champ Kennedy White early in the feature to get his first ever Microsprint victory. His father, Robert MacDonald, made a bold statement after the race. "He's only going to get faster."

In the JR2 Clone class, Austin Shaw continued his dominance. Shaw padded his points lead by sweeping both the Heat and Feature. Dansville's Hunter Patterson held off Anthony Natrigo in the Heat but couldn't hang on and finished 4th in the Feature.

The 450 class saw Jeff Clauss and Jim Austin have a titanic battle for supremacy as the two ran away from the field in the Feature event. Austin was able to hold off Clauss for the Feature victory, but Clauss was victorious in the Heat. Both drivers are now tied for the lead in the Class Championship.

The 600 Wingless stardom belonged to John Colaprete Jr on Saturday night. He swept his Heat as well as the Feature, taking the victory over the other 600 Wingless Heat winner, Pete Resch. Resch holds a 3 point lead over Colaprete Jr in the Championship.

In the 600 Sportsman class, the night belonged to Josh Farnsworth as the "Tampa Terror" romped his way to sweep the night over John Farmer and Jerry Moon.

Gary Smith swept the night in the Senior Clone kart division over Guy Ellinwood. Jacob Callan was the only entry for the Quad division as he used the night as a test session. The 270 class also had one entry for the night.

The next event at Limerock Speedway will be this coming Saturday. Gates will open at Four in the afternoon. Practice starts at Six O'Clock and Heats begin at Seven. The highlight this weekend is the Schneider Memorial 40-lap race for the 600 Open class. Tickets are just $3 for General Admission and $12 for Pit Entry. See you at the Rock!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Let The Dirt Fly!

Opening night at Limerock Speedway saw the dirt fly Saturday Night. 50 Microsprints, Karts and Quads showed up ready to get the 2012 season underway.

In the JR2 Kart division, Anthony Natrigo dominated the Heat race until Austin Shaw made an incredible last-corner-last-lap pass for to grab the victory. Shaw also took the victory in the Feature leading Natrigo and Dansville's Hunter Patterson coming home in 3rd. Senior Clone Kart competion saw Gary Smith dominate both the Heat and Feature over Caledonia's Guy Ellinwood.

Jordan Noody grabbed the victory in the Sportsman 125 Microsprint Heat over Byron's Kennedy White. The Defending Champ would then dominate the Feature to beat Batavia's Johann Hausfelder and Nick Reff. Hausfelder was substituting for Wyoming, New York's Missy Clauss as she attended her High School's Senior Prom. An Honorable Mention is in the works for Cole McDonald. The young Canadian drove fantastically in his first ever race at the Rock, and hopes that after taking a few weeks to learn the track, he can turn up the heat and take it to the class' leading ladies.

Perhaps the most exciting class of the night belonged to the 450 Super Sportsman division. Both the Heat and the Feature presented the side by side action that is ever present at the Mighty Eighth. South Byron's Jim Austin took home top honors in the Heat, but Defending Champ Jeff Clauss showed he was still a force to be reckoned with as he took home the victory in the Feature.

The newest class at the Limerock Speedway is the 600 Sportsman Division. With a wing angle restriction and a stictly stock motor, the class was designed for the closest competition at the track. Chad Richey took home top honors in the Heat over Josh Farnsworth. However, it was the Tampa Terror claiming the win in the Feature Event.

The 600 Wingless class is always fun to watch at Limerock. Lots of passing paired with the difficulty of driving a Microsprint with a 110-plus Horsepower engine without the Aerodynamic assistance of a wing on top of the car makes the class quite challenging. Pete Resch and Jim Lafler grabbed victories in their respective Heats. Both Resch and Lafler ran away in the Feature as Resch took home the Victory and came away with Optimum Points on Opening night.

The 600 Open class was the biggest class of the night with an impressive 17 car line-up for Opening night. Brandon Goetz, last year's runner-up in the 600 Open Class, got the win in Heat One. In Heat Two, Diane "G-Ma" Hausfelder took the top spot over Canandaigua's Mat Smith. And Wayland, New York's Eric Wise took his Wiser Racing machine to top honors in Heat number Three. Wise would later cruise his 41w to the Feature Win after a late race pass over Lockport's Pete Lute.

"Overall, it was a very successful night," stated Tri-County Racing Club President, James Mitchell. "Everyone raced cleanly and we all had fun, which is what Limerock is all about."

This Saturday is Armed Forces Night at the Rock. Grandstands are Free for all Past and Present Military personel. Don't forget to bring your Child's Bicycle to the track as there will be a Bicycle race on track during Intermission.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Ready for 2012

Car Show season is gone. Racing Season is here! Among the tracks starting it's season shortly is Limerock Speedway.
Located right on the Livingston-Steuben County Line, "The Rock" has played host to several exciting Microsprint and Kart races, as well as playing host to a couple of New York Dirt Kart Series races. After a successful 2011 season, 2012 looks promising as Tony Chiruck, Jeff Clauss, Josh Farnsworth and Kennedy White look to defend their respective Championship Titles.

A possible challenger for White is Missy Clauss. She lead the class in the Win department with 8, and looks to build on that this season as well. Let's not forget about Jordan Noody and the rest of the 125 Sportsman class as they pursue the 2012 crown.

In the Solid Surfaces, Inc. 450/250 Supersportsman class, Jim Austin leads the field against Jeff Clauss, with Joe Austin looking to be in the hunt as well. Unfortunately, "The Dominator" Dan Muench will not be racing in the 2012 season as he helps his son, Jake, pursue success in the 305 class over at Canandaigua. Best of luck to both of them.

The 600 Wingless class produced some highly competetive races in 2011. Farnsworth looks to hold off Jacob Szymkowiak and "Frankie J" Frank Jarkiewicz. Cicero, NY's Chris Stockham also looks to build on his 2011 success as he looks to compete in a number of races this season.

Brandon Goetz will lead the charge against Rochester's Tony Chiruck at the "Little Track with a Big Heart". Chiruck's teammate, Darryl Pierce and Eric Wise were also hightly competetive last year and each look to build on their Limerock Resumes. Also looking to make their presence known in 2012 are Pete Resch, Pete Lute, Diane Hausfelder and James Mitchell.

The Tri-County Racing club look forward to seeing you at the Mighty Eighth in 2012.