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Willamette Speedway Opens Up Strawberry Cup Weekend With Karts

Willamette Speedway Opens Up Strawberry Cup Weekend With Karts
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc’s Photos)
For the third time in 2014 the Karts were in action at Willamette Speedway and there would be a good crop of cars on hand for the Friday June 6th event. The race would also kick off the historical Strawberry Cup weekend at the historical Lebanon venue.

It was pure domination in the Pee Wee ranks with Jayden Trupp of Coos Bay taking care of business in his Nexdor Tobacco and More/Trupp Family Racing/Dave Foote Racing #72 QRC. It would be his third win of the season at Willamette in 2014.

The James Gang Pizza/Clayton’s Cornwell Tools/Rebecca’s Barber Shop/King Office Equipment #47 QRC of Makayla Patterson from Albany was second followed by Jonah Smith, also of Albany, in third driving the Oregon Parts/The Knothole Market #99 QRC entry. Crossing the stripe in fourth place was the P.G.H. Excavating/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop/R.S. Race Products/NW Auto Wraps #20 RFC of Buckley, Washington’s Taylor Thornhill in fourth while behind her in fifth place went to Tallon Dubisar from Coquille in his Lil’ Stinker Portable Toilets/Denny’s Pizza #14 QRC.

In 5HP Intermediate action Cottage Grove’s Austin Sause would have no issues at all. The pilot of the Sause Racing/Harbaugh Clutches #7 QRC would be untouchable as he won his third race of the season at Willamette. Finishing in the runner-up position was Colby Thornhill of Buckley, Washington in his P.G.H. Excavating/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop/R.S. Race Products/NW Auto Wraps #19 RFC.

Jerry Fonfara of Keizer was on a terror in his Fonfara Racing #88 Trackmagic entry. Fonfara would lead the entire distance despite a few challenges from Salem’s Callia Mott. It would be his second win of the season in two starts. Callia Mott in the Mott Racing #16 Emmick was second and third went to the Bob's OK Tire Store/G&S Machine Inc. #17 entry of Jayden Kimball from Keizer.

Despite several cautions Kyle Roles of Lebanon would the lead the entirety of the 125cc main event. It would mark the second win at Willamette in 2014 but his third consecutive feature victory in the last couple of weeks for the young man in his Big Sky Landscaping/The Knothole Market/Bunce Equipment/Clayton’s Cornwell Tools #02 QRC machine.

Ending the evening in second was Albany’s Trinity Pendley driving her Linn-Benton Insurance/A.A. Towing/James Gang Pizza #47 QRC while third place would go to the Intermountain Innovations #18 RFC of Jaden Walbridge from Portland. The balance of the top five would consist of Albany’s Brody Sim in the Lucas Oil Products/South Pacific Auto Sales and Service Center/Jerry’s Precision Muffler/Harbaugh Racing #04 QRC in fourth and Brightwood’s Tyler Pagel in fifth chauffeuring his Pagel Trucking/Begg’s Tire Factory/Pagel Towing #27 QRC.

In KT Speedway Kart action it was two in a row for Lincoln City’s Jonathan Brown. Brown would put the Brown’s Lil’ Kart Shop/World of Karting/Pro Sound Audio Services/Break The Chain Apparel/Intermountain Innovations #7 BKS in the winner’s circle once again for car owner Darren Brown.

In 250cc action it looked as if the Burke’s Metal Recycling #48C QRC of Custin Jones was going to be the big winner. The young Lebanon driver was fast and the cautions were falling his way but Vancouver, Washington’s Kyle Cormican made a pass work on the high side. Cormican would seize the lead once but would have to go back to second due to a caution.

Just a few laps later on the ensuing restart Cormican again would make the pass for the lead and this time would retain it as well as blazing the trail the rest of the distance. It would be the first win of the season at Willamette for Cormican and the Schram Brothers Excavating/Xtreme Motorsports/James Gang Pizza/RSR Racercraft/Jason and Wendy Wines Racing #113 RFC.

Custin Jones finished a very respectable second over Eric Scofield from Albany in his Scofield’s Karts & Parts/Lassen RV/Human Bean Coffee/Fastenal #37 QRC Area 51 in third. Crossing the wire in fourth would be Talyn Roberts of Gresham in her Big Sky Landscaping #T3 QRC machine while in fifth was Tyler Thompson from Harrisburg in the Village Green Resort/Bunce Equipment/BC Motorsports/Rocket Designs #77 RFC.

In 5HP Open competition Skyler Winebarger of Corbett would earn the lead on the opening lap and would show the way the entire distance to win the main event. It would be Winebarger’s first time visiting victory lane in his Discount Race Car Parts/Big Sky Landscaping/Absolute Auto Service/Frisbie Motorsports #1W QRC at Willamette.

Lebanon’s Carter Patterson was second in the James Gang Pizza/Clayton’s Cornwell Tools/Rebecca’s Barber Shop/King Office Equipment #47 QRC with Lane Taylor of McKenna, Washington finishing behind him in third in his P.G.H. Excavating/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop/R.S. Race Products #4L RFC. Completing the finishing order was Austin Sause in his Sause Racing/Harbaugh Clutches #7 QRC in fourth.

Last but not least was the Open Kage division. Casey Starr would set a wicked pace at the drop of the green flag in her R.S. Race Products/Oregon Outlaws Speed Shop/P.G.H. Excavating/Herz Precision Parts #13* RFC. Starr, out of Sherwood, would lose the lead though around lap three or four to Bricen James.

But she would not give up on giving him a good race for the lead. The two would stay within even stride for several laps until mechanical problems would force Starr to retire early. Although he would be challenged a couple of times, Bricen James would not give up the lead ever since seizing the position and the Albany youngster would pick up his third win of the season in three starts in his James Gang Pizza/Rainbow Rentals/Sign Express/Schram Brothers Excavating #13 SKE.

Makenzie Thompson of Harrisburg was the runner-up in her Village Green Resort/Bunce Equipment/BC Motorsports/Rocket Designs #1W RFC followed by Caleb Henderson from Philomath in a remarkable run in third in his Henderson Hot Rod Shop #007 QRC. The rest of the top five would consist of the Burke’s Metal Recycling #2 QRC entry of Lebanon driver Justin Jones in fourth while in fifth was Philomath’s Briley Pompe in his X-Factor Race Cars/The Storage Depot/Pompe Racing #27 QRC.

Willamette Speedway will return to Kart action on Friday June 20th for round four. For the latest news and information on Willamette log on to www.trophymotorsports.com.

Race Summary:
Kart Race #3
Friday June 6th, 2014
Willamette Speedway
Lebanon, Oregon

Pee Wee
A Feature: 1. 72-Jayden Trupp; 2. 47-Makayla Patterson; 3. 99-Jonah Smith; 4. 20-Taylor Thornhill; 5. 14-Tallon Dubisar

5HP Open
A Feature: 1. 1W-Skyler Winebarger; 2. 47-Carter Patterson; 3. 4L-Lane Taylor; 4. 7-Austin Sause; DNS 19-Colby Thornhill

5HP Intermediate
A Feature: 1. 7-Austin Sause; 2. 19-Colby Thornhill

Rookie Speedway Karts
A Feature: 1. 88-Jerry Fonfara; 2. 16-Callia Mott; 3. 17-Jayden Kimball

KT/Star Speedway
A Feature: 1. 7-Jonathan Brown; DNS 21-Jerry Patterson

125cc
A Feature: 1. 02-Kyle Roles; 2. 47-Trinity Pendley; 3. 18-Jadan Walbridge; 4. 04-Brody Sim; 5. 27-Tyler Pagel; 6. 18S-Destiney Smith; 7. 17-McLain Beaudoin; 8. 6A-Dustin Asher; 9. 19-Colby Thornhill; 10. 29-McKenzie Lockhart; 11. 55H-Connor Hanson

250cc
A Feature: 1. 113-Kyle Cormican; 2. 48C-Custin Jones; 3. 37-Eric Scofield; 4. T3-Talyn Roberts; 5. 77-Tyler Thompson; 6. 22-Tyler Goss; 7. 199-Christian Osbourne; 8. 99-Jared Lund; 9. 21-Alex Goss; 10. 151-Duke Johnson

Open Kage
A Feature: 1. 13-Bricen James; 2. 1W-Makenzie Thompson; 3. 007-Caleb Henderson; 4. 2-Justin Jones; 5. 27-Briley Pompe; 6. 15-Cory Yeack; 7. 7-Austin Jones; 8. 35-Kyle Fitch; 9. 42-Collen Winebarger; 10. 13*-Casey Starr

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