First Kart Klub night of the 2026 season!
The Brighton Speedway Kart Klub revved up the 2026 racing season this past Thursday evening, a huge turnout saw 48 high powered race karts roll through the back gate and prep for action as friends, family and fans packed the infield grandstands ready for a night of fun on the little oval. Drivers from the age of 5 to 16 split up into 6 classes based on age and experience, hot laps and heat races were completed and the track crew prepped the clay race surface for feature racing action.
Box Stock 1 division was split up into 2 feature events as offical’s attempted to control the chaos and let our youngest group of racers have a little extra space to get the feel for the speed. Feature 1 had #11 Kane McBride and #95 Jackson Bosma on the front row of 4, green flag in the air and gas pedal down. McBride got the jump on the low line as Bosma kept pace on the outside searching for bite up top while #48 Emerson Clarke and #07 Carter Phillips battled it out for the 3 spot. Kane McBride held a nice steady low line throughout the 10 lap contest and picked up the win, an eventful night for Jackson Bosma picking up 2nd place honors after testing the limits of his #95 ride, Stirling’s Carter Phillips made the podium in a photo finish with Emerson Clarke narrowly missing out. Feature 2 rolled out with #36 Rowan Rosborough and #8c Karson Connell hard on the gas out of turn 4, Rosborough to the lead as 4th place starter #11jr Max Sopaz slid his way into 2nd place and caught the draft of the smooth #36, #88 Ryker Ostrom kept the trio in sight. A few caution flags slowed the race but, restart after restart Rosborough planted the right rear on the cushion and foot on the gas as he put the #36 in victory lane, Max Sopaz settled for 2nd place in his #11jr after multiple attempts to get the W, #88 Ryker Ostrom made the podium in 3rd and #8c Karson Connell had to take it behind the fence early with mechanical issues.
9 karts in the Rookie 1 class thundered out onto the speedway – #68 Gunner Ellis and #92 Race Turner lit it up as they ran down the frontstretch and into corner 1, Ellis with the top spot as Turner drove it hard out of 2 and was able to get to the inside of the Apex Graphics #68, putting the #92 to the front. The Ideal Lawn Care #92 was the kart to beat on the night as the laps clicked off, Turner smooth and steady on the low line as hard chargers #23 Austin McBride and #05 Liam Baldwin made gains and reeled in on the Turner machine after the last restart, too little too late – Race Turner with the win, Austin McBride 9th to 2nd, Liam Baldwin 3rd, #4 in 4 Kason Sager back up to 4th after a midrace tussle with the frontstretch soft wall. 5th through 9th – #7 Carter VanDenBeukel, #68 Gunner Ellis, #44 Nora Grant, #01 Keely Patterson and #39 Lucas Wannamaker.
Box Stock 2 next up with #12 Emmett Ferguson hailing out of Picton and #17 Keaton Chatten of Roslin on the front row – Ferguson with the bite on the low side made it stick and pulled into sole possession of the top spot with Chatten catching the draft and keeping it close. 7 karts on the track and some high speed front runners saw lapped traffic at around the halfway mark, The Vinyl Solution #12 navigated through the slower karts as #17 Chatten and #7 Reese Kerr were able to gain ground and look at taking crack at the top spot, a few laps later Ferguson skipped a beat in all the action and left the door open for Chatten – #17 to the lead! 2 to go, Chatten on the cushion, right foot heavy, Ferguson peeking up the inside, Chatten a little to hard on the Go Fast pedal – victory lane donuts 2 laps too early – caution out. Ferguson back to the top spot for a Green White Checkered finish, this time no mistakes – Emmett Ferguson with the Win, #22 Jackson Gregory with a hard charge at the end to pickup a 2nd place, #7 Reese Kerr 3rd, #41 Hudson VanDyk, #17 Keaton Chatten, #8 Hudson MacMullen and #10 Abel Kiltz rounded out the running order.
Rookie 2 was the next to charge out of the gate with #13 Vayda Dayton and #88 Jase Fargey up front – Fargey made the hard charge from the outside and put the #88 atop the scoring tower before a early race yellow slowed the field and Dayton took the #13 pitside for a quick check by her crew and back out to catch the back of the pack as the green flag was in the air again. Fargey had the setup on the night as the sun began to set behind the main grandstand, the Harmony Homes sponsored #88 was on a rail, gas pedal down and put it on lock, Jase Fargey drove it straight to victory lane to pick up win #1 on the season, #37 Ella Wannamaker held off a determined #13 of Vayda Dayton for 2nd, #91 Kara Veenstra and #86 Sawyer McFadden finished 4th and 5th respectively.
9 karts in a rockin’ Junior Sportsman 2 main event – Madoc’s Knoxin Wells and Odessa’s Alyssa Nolasco on the loud pedal as they hit the start line. #48 Wells temporarily to the top spot before losing an edge and ending up facing the wrong direction out of 2. Restart green in the air – #10ax Nolasco in the lead with 3rd place starter #29 Lily Walters looking to the inside, a few good laps for the pair as they put some distance on the pack chasing behind. 4 laps in and Walters saw the light, hard to the inside off corner 2 and even with the #10ax down the backstretch, inside line advantage and #29 to the top spot. A slick track tested drivers skill and patience in the 10 lap show, fans were treated to more donuts then Tim Horton’s llikely sees on a Saturday morning. Restarts did not faze Walters and clean air was the key, Lily Walters holds on for the win, Alyssa Nolasco kept within striking distance but settled for 2nd place, #11 Bentley Fulton was the hard charger coming from 8th to 3rd, #101 Jase Patterson 4th, #48 Knoxin Wells, #41 Peyton Lambert, #10 Ayden Gordon, #77 Max VanDyk and #15 Charlotte DeWal rounded the running order.
Last of the night, Stock Lite under the lights – #01 Blake Gregory and #7 Tate Black down past the green and into corner 1, Gregory with the fast inside line and the 1 spot, Black slams it down to lock into 2nd as they put a little distance on the pack. 15 laps of action with a very fast field of drivers, very little room for error – Blake Gregory keeping the dust off the inside line brushing the inside tires, lap after lap – Tate Black waiting and watching for a mistake. Only a couple yellows slowed the pace but Gregory held strong – no mistakes, in the Scott’s Haulage #01 for the win, Black just shy, but happy with a 2nd place showing on opening night in his JB Painting sponsored ride, #72 Chase White battled through for a podium finish on the last few laps. 4th through 10th in order – #11g Teegan Grosse, #18 Sterling Bent, #70 Finley Mahoney, #47 Colton White, #19 Bentley Davidson, #93 Kaden VanGemeren, #10 Hanna Merry.
Thursday June 11th the Brighton Speedway Kart Klub is back in action on the little track. Come out and see the stars of tomorrow battle it out. Check out www.brightonspeedway.com<http:
