VI RENTALS STOCK CARS, MINI STOCKS and DWARF CARS April 12th, 2008 Tuff Start To Stock Car Season: Langford, BC. April 12, 2008.                 The V.I. Rentals Stock Car Series got off to a ruff start to the 2008 season Saturday night at Western Speedway. Before one lap was complete several cars spun going through turn three and four but everyone made it through with no caution flag.                  Earlier in the evening, Brandon Carlson won the B Dash while Brian Clutchey won the A Dash, Carlson also won the B Heat with Ray Anderosov winning the A Heat. I.M.S. 4 Mini Stock winners were Glen Percival and Matt Mansell winning the B Dash and A Dash respectively. Heat race winners were Robert Orr and Aaron Willison. Dwarf Car Dash winners were Dave Emmerson and Miles Maxie while Heat race winners were Emmerson and Emmerson.                 Overshadowed by the tuff Stock Car Feature was a great performance by Dave “The Hammer” Emmerson. Dave has not raced in several seasons but is a former Sprint Car driver, on the dirt at the old Cassidy track, a former WilRoc Champion. Saturday Emmerson took over the driving duties in the #10 Dwarf car and there was no rust evident as Dave promptly won the Dash and followed that with the win in the Heat race. He also joined the back of the field for the second Heat and promptly made his way to the victory in this one too. Starting sixth in the ten car field for the Feature, Dave took only three laps to get to the front and never looked back. Bruce Garside built a comfortable lead in second and held that position until lap eighteen. Jeremy Stevens started way back in ninth and started to move through the pack trying to run down the leaders. He and Gord Kraus had a good battle going for several laps until Stevens finally got by on lap fifteen. Stevens continued his march forward and finally got by Garside with only two laps left. No one could catch Emmerson this night as he took the win followed by Stevens and Garside in third. In a post race interview Dave said this season he is not interested in the points, he just wants to race for the fun of it.                 Fourteen cars lined up for the start of a thirty lap I.M.S. 4 Mini Stock Feature with Robert Orr and Chad Dobranski sharing the front row. Orr got out to the early lead followed by Matt Szauer and Chad Dobranski. Back in the pack, Matt Mansell, driving the #14 truck, was making his way forward as was Lois Pollard Grant. Mansell used the outside groove and by lap five had moved into third and two laps later taking the second spot and passed Orr for the lead the next lap. Pollard Grant also used patience but steadily made her way forward leaving little doubt she is taking up where she left off last season. On the twelfth lap she was running in the forth spot putting pressure on Ryan Patterson in third. She made that pass on lap twenty and set sights on Orr. Three laps later she completed that pass to take over second and follow Mansell to the checkered flag with Szauer coming in third. This race actually went green to checkered with no caution flags with some three wide racing on occasion.                 Jim Steen had the pole with Dave Reside on the outside front row for fifty laps of Stock Car racing. The action began early and often as drivers diced for position throughout the seventeen car field. It took only one lap for Anderosov to gain the lead from his seventh starting position followed by Shane Scott and Aaron Wilkie. It only took one more lap to bring out the caution as Brian Clutchey and Kirk Peacey got together going through turn one. Clutchey thought he had a bit of a whole to dart to the inside of Peacey but that quickly closed and caused both cars to spin out. Clutchey was able to continue but Peacey had to pit for a tire. Anderosov remained out front with Scott dogging his every move over the next several laps. Meanwhile Robbie Haslam, driving in place of Ryan Wade was on the march from deep in the field. By the twelfth lap he was all the way up to seventh and still pushing forward. There was a fifteen to twenty minute red flag condition as Josh Reaume blew a motor and Steen blew a water hose dumping oil and water through turn one mid race.                 Anderosov got a great start on the green flag but his rear view mirror still had Scott right there. Haslam had a great battle with Mike Dibblee and eventually got tires and fenders locked together. They both got free but it did cost Haslam a few positions. On lap thirty one, Reside spun out going down the front stretch collecting Peacey who slammed the front wall pretty hard ending a miserable night for the former Stock Car and Demo Car Champion. After the caution, Anderosov again lead Scott and Wilkie. Clutchey, who had to work his way forward after the collision with Peacey earlier, was on the march taking over the fourth spot on lap thirty seven and then passed Wilkie for third on lap forty two. He would finish third. Scott kept the pressure on Anderosov over the closing laps but just couldn’t get by. Those two drivers battled hard for their respective positions almost from the drop of the green flag putting on a great show.   DWARF CARS: B DASH:  Dave Emmerson; James Dore; John McNabb; Bruce Garside A DASH:  Miles Maxie; Jeremy Stevens; Bob Pridge; Gord Kraus HEAT #1: Dave Emmerson; John McNabb; James Dor'e; Bob Greenway HEAT #2: Dave Emmerson; Bruce Garside; Gord Kraus; Jeremy Stevens MAIN:  Dave Emmerson; Jeremy Stevens; Bruce Garside; Gord Kraus; John McNabb   IMS4 MINI STOCK CARS: B DASH:  Glen Percival; Chad Dobranski; Mike Derepentigny; Chris Thompson A DASH:  Matt Mansell; Sean Constantine; Lois Pollard-Grant; Ryan Patterson HEAT #1: Robert Orr; Mike Derepentigny; Glen Percival; Chad Dobranski HEAT #2: Aaron Willison; Gord Percival; Gilles Parenteau; Matt Mansell MAIN:  Matt Mansell; Lois Pollard-Grant; Ryan Patterson; Gord Percival; Robert Orr   STOCK CARS: B DASH:  Brandon Carlson; Andrew Noullette; Rory Smith; Joshua Reaume A DASH:  Brian Clutchey; Shane Scott; Marc Parkinson; Robbie Haslam HEAT #1: Brandon Carlson; Aaron Wilkie; Kirk Peacey; Rory Smith HEAT #2: Ray Anderosov; Robbie Haslam; Brian Clutchey; Marc Parkinson MAIN:  Ray Anderosov; Shane Scott; Brian Clutchey; Aaron Wilkie; Rory Smith