Halloween For Racers

October 31, 2010 

Langford B.C.

Submitted by Ken Keating

The trick today was to beat Mother Nature and be treated to some hard nosed racing in the first of the winter races for the Steve Copp Construction sponsored Hornet Series. We had both. We had sun and some clouds and no rain and thirty-three cars on the starting grid for two hours or two-hundred laps of racing whichever come first. This field consisted of several seasoned pros already running the regular Hornet races such as Bill Peacey, a former Champion, Cody Aumen, Garrett, Rory, and Ryan Smith, Steve Copp, Laura-Ashley Grant, and many more. Darren Yates, from the WilRoc Sprint Car Series, Rob Haslam, who is very versatile and skilled in any race car, along with Daniel David, from the Bomber Series, and this year's Demo Truck Series Champion, Heath Cooper also joined in this race.

Todays race was without the use of modern technology, such as transponders for all cars, so it is difficult to keep track of laps and whose leading throughout however the first few laps were led by the #16 car driven by Rory Smith with Cody Aumen running in second. These first few laps also saw many cars spinning or running into the tires that make up the chicanes forcing cars in and out of the pits. Just a few minutes into the run, the #14 car slide into the tire bringing out a yellow flag. On the restart, Steve Copp held the lead as the field came around to the green flag. Copp managed to get a pretty good lead and had one of the faster cars all afternoon as was evident on subsequent restarts. The red flag came out once as Ryan Smith tagged the wall coming out of turn four thus ending his day with a badly damaged race car. Laura-Ashley Grant was also caught up and tagged the wall along the frontstretch. She was able to carry on. 

Copp again led the field around for yet another restart and gained the advantage to remain in the lead. Over the next several laps the yellow came out for various cars stopped or to rearrange tires for the chicanes and each time Copp got the advantage and remained in the lead. With time now becoming a factor, Copp ran into a rock that cut a tire bringing the leader into the pits. This put Bill Peacey into the lead followed by Cody Aumen. On a couple of restarts, Peacey had his hands full trying to keep Aumen behind him and he done a good job for several laps but going through turns one and two, Aumen got to the inside and passed the leader as the laps were winding down.

When the chequered flag waved, they had completed one-hundred ninety laps with Aumen taking the win followed by Peacey and Caleb Van Bree in a very entertaining event. Word around the track is they may go on a points system for the winter series similar to the regular race so that a winter Champion can be crowned as well as for the summer events. With the support of so many drivers that show up rain or shine for this type of racing to be called Champion at the end will mean a little extra. Watch for Cody Aumen to be driving in a Stock Car for 2011 as the purchased a car formally owned by Brent Morris and Kerry Steen. The next race in this Series is scheduled for November 21st rain or shine.