Results April 14th Goldstream Gazette Demo Cars, Demo Trucks, Mini Figure 8’s and Claimers Wakelin Sweeps Season Opener Cold temperatures and a threat of rain greeted fans opening night at Western Speedway. This is the first race for 2007 as the planned race last weekend was rained out. The new management team of Darrell Midgley and Harold Corbett have improved the face of Western by adding more interior lighting under the stands, some new paint, and handicapped ramps for seating with even more improvements on the horizon. Brian Wakelin, last year’s Claimer Champion, wasted little time visiting Victory Square by winning the first Trophy Dash. Troy Tarbuck was the winner in the Demo Cars Dash and Kevin Knight picked up the win in the Figure 8 class. Dennis Smith had a clean run and won the first Heat Race for the Figure 8 series. The A Heat race provided some thrills as Gavin Aitken and Kevin Knight got together on the front stretch. Aitken got turned the wrong way and Kevin literally drove up on the driver’s side of Aitken’s car. Kevin tried to drive back down onto the racing surface but he couldn’t get enough traction, as the wheels were too high up and high centered on the side of Aiken’s car. J.J. Taylor took the checkered flag in this race. Scott Tabbernor won the B-Heat race for the Claimer Class. Brian Wakelin started last in the A-Heat and drove from fifth to second with a great move going through turn one on the second lap. By lap three Wakelin took over the lead and never looked back taking his second checkered flag in as many races. Darren Thibault was victorious in the B-Heat for the Demo Cars while “Smokin” Joe Liberatore took the checkered flag first in the A-Heat. Brad Smith, driving the #11 car, glanced off the turn two wall while dicing for the lead with Joe. George Haywood tried his hand at taking out the Smokin one before the race finished but also failed when he went high on turn four. Joe opened a good lead over the last few laps for the win. Ten Figure 8 cars took the grid for fifteen action packed laps to decide a winner. Shawn Conneraugh, returning to this class, held the early lead but under a challenge from Brad Watkins. On lap five, Watkins took over the lead. Kail Beck, Watkins, and Shawn diced back and forth with several cars banging and crashing for the other positions. Watkins slammed hard into Kail Beck at the crossover but survived long enough to take the checkered flag and the win. Brian Wakelin found himself at the rear of the pack for the start of a twenty lap Feature Event for the Claimer class. Scott Tabbernor held the pole position and got the early lead and worked to about a quarter lap on the field. Several cars including Wakelin, and Eric Fornier, used a great deal of patients and waited for the field to spread out before they could mount a challenge. On lap ten Wakelin had cleared the traffic jam in the pack and began to reel in Tabbernor. On lap thirteen Brian moved to the inside of Tabbernor taking over the lead. Brian drove to a pretty big lead but a yellow on lap sixteen closed the field. On the restart, Brian drove away and completed the first “Clean Sweep” for 2007. He was followed by Dennis Stewart in second and Eric Fournier in third. The Figure 8 cars tried out the full oval in a reverse format. This proved to be an adventure for Kevin Knight as he, Kyle Ridley, and Sean Conneraugh were battling for position up front, Knight slipped in turn two, (normally three) and flipped his car a couple of times. His car came to rest on the wheels and he was unhurt in the crash on lap six. Kyle had the lead on the restart but was challenged by Conneraugh and held for the checkered flag by a car length. Jim Young got the lead early in the Demo Car Feature. Doug Richens and George Haywood were bumper to bumper each taking a shot at Young. After a yellow on lap seven, Young had Richens try for the pass going into turn two but he wound up against the wall. Haywood tried also to take out Young but he failed as well when he went high through turn three and four. Darren Thibault got into the fray and he also went high trying for a pass on the leader. This allowed Richens back in the second position. Again he tried to take out Young. On the white flag lap, Richens pulled up door to door on the leader through turn three. As the two drivers exited turn four, both cars were in a four wheel drift side by side and bumper to bumper. Richens had the more power down the front stretch and crossed the line first by just a foot Unofficially, Young is the winner as Richens could have been a lap down from the earlier tangle with the wall. For the brave souls who dared the cold, the finish was exciting to watch as the young gun Richens, and the old veteran Jimmy Young, pulled out all the stops in side by side racing.   Photos and Story by Ken Keating, Illusion Photography