Thursday Night Thunder
With the season winding down and championship points tightening, the Brighton Speedway Kart Klub rolled out the clay carpet for another Thursday Night Thunder showdown. Methanol poured and machines fired up, fans packed the fence line, and the stars of tomorrow delivered a night full of drama, speed, and storybook finishes.
Box Stock 1 first to the grid – The green flag dropped and it was Hudson VanDyk in the JMK Homes #41 who found the bite first, launching off corner 4 and into clean air. #12 Emmett Ferguson wasn’t far behind, working the cushion and keeping the pressure on. Roslin’s #17 Keaton Chatten made a slick move mid-race, hit the catfish lane and slid into 3rd. A late caution bunched the field, but VanDyk stayed composed and #ParkedIt for the win. Ferguson held strong for 2nd, Chatten 3rd, followed by #100 Bauer Cochrane, #36 Rowan Rosborough, #8 Hudson MacMullan, and #88 Ryker Ostrom, a very smooth race for our yung guns.
Rookie 1 division had the LCC #41 of Peyton Lambert on point and jumping out to take the early lead with a hard charging #05 Liam Baldwin waiting for a chance to get the top spot. A crazy race with multiple shake ups and spins had our scoring teams pens smoking. 10 laps in – checkers in the air – lets play a game of 52 pickup. Winner on the night #11 Bentley Fulton finding his way back to the top spot with a last lap pass over #37 Ella Wannamaker, #13 Vayda Dayton 3rd, #05 Liam Baldwin 4th, while #92 Race Turner #41 Peyton Lambert and #91 Kara Veenstra rounded out the order in a race that tested patience and precision.
Junior Sportsman 1 with 3 karts making the call – #29 Lily Walters dialed it in and has a flawless season thus far and continued to put down clean laps on the smooth clay for another night. #15 Charlotte DeWal in the Vanderlaan Building Products kart kept Walters in sight but that was all settling for 2nd. #77 Max VanDyk in the JMK Homes ride ran a clean race and held on for 3rd. A smooth, green-to-checkers feature with Walters adding another W to her season tally.
Box Stock 2 next up with Norwood Auto Wreckers #22 Jackson Gregory jumping to the early lead and leading until the halfway mark, when trusting the go fast pedal a little too much and ending up facing the wrong way on a one way street. 9th place starter #79 Luke Cuthbertson had the setup and the speed, charging through the pack and dodging traffic like a pro lucked out and put the #79 atop the leaderboard with Gregory’s misfortune, fending off charges and putting it in victory lane – Cuthbertson with the win. #39 Lucas Wannamaker threaded the needle for 2nd, while #7 Reese Kerr and #44 Nora Grant with a smooth race ended up 3rd and 4th, #01 Keely Patterson recovering from early action to finish 5th. #68 Gunner Ellis, #22 Jackson Gregory, and #9 Paislee Delbianco rounded out the field.
Rookie 2 – 10 laps the distance – #101 Jase Patterson found the fast groove early running the cushion on the opening drive to get ahead of pole sitter #48 Knoxin Wells and never gave it up, cruising to victory lane. The Madoc Rocket #48 Wells made a strong push for 2nd, while #87 Weston Mitts held off #10 Alyssa Nolasco in a tight battle for 3rd. #47 Colton White, #86 Sawyer McFadden kept the fans entertained with some close racing, #07 Connor Vancott took it behind the wall early in the night. Patterson with the win, Wells 2nd, Mitts 3rd.
Junior Sportsman 2 – up front and in command #10 Hanna Merry hailing from Baltimore to the early lead with a hungry #7 Tate Black keeping the draft close and looking for daylight on the inside for a few laps, until finally a break sliding the JB Painting ride by on the inside. Black going back to the playbook from earlier this season locked it down and drove it straight to victory lane from there. #08 Lilly Ray in the Raycam kart gave chase, closing the gap with each lap but never quite getting the bite she needed ending up 2nd, #01 Blake Gregory in a backup kart made a late-race push to put it on the podium. #2 Liam McPeak and #10 Hanna Merry to finish the order.
Junior Restricted lit the fires to burn some methanol – #01 Reagan Grimmon back to the top spot in a very tough group of 4. Grimmon in his Brad’s Float Service sponsored ride held off charges lap after lap without fault from both #11 Teegan Grosse and #14 Chase White and was able to secure the win on a slick track. #11 Teegan Grosse with a close 2nd, #19 Bentley Davidson scored 3rd and #14 Chase White shuffled back to 4th after race review from the tower.
Blue Plate Clone with 7 karts winding it up – #89 Kolby Ellis up front for a few round-d-rounds until shuffled out of the mix, new leader #99 Bryce Massey and Campbellford’s Finley Mahoney throwing his hat in the ring as well. Massey up for a few before a fast #629 Thomas McGale entered the ring on his debut night, a few bump n’ runs and the #629 atop the scoring tower as the checkers fall. Under race review from upstairs – Finley Mahoney awarded the win, #9 Ryhs Massey squeezing into the 2nd place on the podium, #629 awarded 3rd for his efforts, #99 Bryce Massey, #89 Kolby Ellis, and #88 Jase Fargey rounded out the field in a feature that had horsepower, heart, and a whole lot of hustle – a great race to watch. Mahoney with the win, Rhys Massey 2nd, McGale 3rd.
One more night to go – Thursday, September 4 – and the championship battles are hot. Don’t miss the finale! The only thing better then reading StoryTime is seeing the action in person. StoryTime – by Zeke McKeown.
