Bart Hector spins, wins at Ephrata Raceway Park
EPHRATA - Eventually Bart Hector will get his due as one of the finest drivers to ever grace the central Washington short tracks. Certainly the legend grew Saturday night at Ephrata Raceway Park, as Hector survived a second lap spin that sent him all the way to the back of the sixteen car field and came back to win the 50 lap Pepsi Street Stock main event.
Picking off cars lap after lap, sometimes two at a time, the Othello veteran found himself right on JR Miner's rear bumper with laps starting to run out. Miner had a decent lead built up, but lapped traffic and a big bobble in turn 4 allowed Hector to close the gap.
On the 39th lap, Miner slipped up a couple of lanes in the corner and Hector rocketed underneath to take over the top spot. The race was dotted with five yellow flags, one turned into a full red flag to clear off the carnage from a front stretch wreck involving Rick Bretches and Daniel Hector.
Heat race wins went to Hector and John Marthini of Soap Lake. The trophy dash winners were Hector and Miner. Richie Micus (Renton) drove the Wild 1 to fast time at 15.54 seconds.
In the Ephrata Raceway Park Mini Stocks, substitute driver Sean Meyers of Ephrata drove Charles Larr's 44 car to the win. Meyers was the fourth different leader of the Mini Stock main which saw early race leader Joe Smith grenade a motor heading down the front stretch.
The trophy dash winners were Nick Gardner and Doug Brown. Winning heat races were Dave Macken and Chris McCart. The fastest lap in qualifying went to Smith with a 16.36 seconds.
Car counts are picking up in the Youth Hornet division as the season heads out of the school year and into summer. Jesse Hector ripped off quick time at 17.66 seconds. There were three trophy dash winners, Jatender Veenstra, Michelle Kennedy and Dallas White. White and Joseph Cariveau won the heat races. The 20-lap main event went to White, who hails from Othello.
The Big Cars had a field of 6 cars for its second race of the season at ERP. The divisions big winner was Josh Hector of Ephrata sweeping the evenings events. His fast time of 18.64 set a track record for the new class, along with the dash, heat and main mains.
The main event saw turns 3 and 4 get watered down and the FUN BUS towing a big tractor tire behind it as a jam vehicle. The crowd went nuts as cars beat and banged on each other, causing spins, mayhem and destruction. Ray Hahne was a hit in his International Travelall. The big tan van lumbering around the race track was quite a site.
During the evening race fans were treated to the high flying ramp to ramp Freestyle Motocross riding of Lake Stevens resident Torin McIntyre. McIntire flew his 250cc motorcycle 75 feet in the air from launch ramp to landing pad for over 10 minutes, treating the audience to just a sample of the aerial acrobatics expect this Saturday night.
This Saturday night, McIntyre and former X-Games Freestyle MotoX
competitor Beau "The Basher" Bamburg will soar through the air at Ephrata Raceway Park with even more complicated tricks and routines.
Along with the Freestyle MotoX show, the on-track racing features the Mini Stocks, Adult Hornets, Youth Hornets, Hobby Stocks and the Big Cars. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m. More information can be found online at www.ephrataracewaypark.com.
Saturday's results:
Kim Janke State Farm Agent Youth Hornets
Fast time: 08 Jesse Hector 17.66
C dash: 11 Jatender Veenstra, 6 Michael Olsick, 16 Taylor Blackburn, 72 Kelly Olsick
B dash: 61 Michelle Kennedy, 76 Cody Berry
A dash: 09 Dallas White, 68 Bart Hector Jr., 43 Damon Claibourn, 08 Jesse Hector
B heat: 61x Joseph Cariveau, 6 Olsick, 11 Veenstra, 16 Blackburn, 67 Riley Gates
A heat: 09 White, 68 Hector Jr., 61 Kennedy, 76 Berry
Main (20 laps): 09 Dallas White, 68 Hector Jr., 08 Jesse Hector, 61 Kennedy, 43 Claibourn, 6 Olsick, 11 Veenstra, 67 Gates, 16 Blackburn, 61x Cariveau, 76 Berry, 00 Dylan Adamson, 64 Sami Todd
Lap leaders: 61x Cariveau 1-2, 61 Kennedy 3-12, 09 White 13-20
Ephrata Raceway Park Mini Stocks
Fast time: 7 Joe Smith 16.36
B dash: 1 Nick Gardner, 8 Fred Moore, 41 Brian Hahne, 44 Sean Meyers
A dash: 81 Doug Brown, 78 Jeff Hector, 52 David Macken, 7 Smith
B heat: 6 Chris McCart, 41 Hahne, 18 Jeremy Razey, 65 Robert Martin, 55 Rod Whited
A heat: 52 Macken, 78 Hector, 1 Gardner, 81 Brown, 8 Moore
Main (20 laps): 44 Sean Meyers, 81 Brown, 78 Hector, 52 Macken, 6 McCart, 1 Gardner, 8 Moore, 41 Hahne, 19 Eddie Razey, 18 J. Razey, 38 Andrew Sonnenburg, 55 Whited, 65 Martin, 7 Smith, 71 Justin Dunagan
Lap leaders: 65 Martin 1, 18 Razey 2, 7 Smith 3-10, 44 Meyers 11-20
Pepsi Cola Street Stocks
Fast time: 1 Richie Micus 15.54
B dash: 68 Bart Hector, 64 Bill Rutherford, 81 Eric Hector, 7 Terri McCart
A dash: 29 JR Miner, 22 Dustin Hubbard, 4 Brad Morrison, 1 Micus
B heat: 5 John Marthini, 12x Rick Bretches, 8 Riley Sundberg, 24 Derrick Kapalo, 2 Nick Sieg
A heat: 68 B. Hector, 29 Miner, 4 Morrison, 81 E. Hector, 1 Micus
Main (50 laps): 68 Bart Hector, 4 Morrison, 29 Miner, 22 Hubbard, 81 E. Hector, 7 McCart, 5 Marthini, 1 Micus, 2 Sieg, 41 Sam Todd, 8 Sundberg, 24 Kapalo, 12x Bretches, 82 Daniel Hector, 12 Robert Sieg, 64 Rutherford
Lap leaders: 5 Marthini 1-2, 8 Sundberg 3-7, 29 Miner 8-39, 68 Hector 40-50
The Big Cars
Fast time: 84 Josh Hector 18.34
Dash: 84 Hector, 27 Billy Smith, X Robert Henderson
Heat: 84 Hector, X Henderson, 27 Smith
Main: 84 Josh Hector, X Henderson, 11 Ray Hahne, FUN BUS, 27 Smith, 22 Mike Stump, 21 Justin Winningham,
Lap Leaders: 84 Hector 1-2, 27 Smith 3-5, 84 Hector 6-12