Sophomore driving up steep learning curve
A need for speed isn’t the primary driving force when Donny Lampman races a stock car on a dirt track.
Like all drivers, the 14-year-old from Vineland wants to go home with a checkered flag, though not if throwing caution to the wind means ending a race on the back of a tow truck.
As the son of a racer, the Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School student appreciates more than most the hard work and hard-earned money that goes into maintaining a car for a season of racing.
While the karting graduate’s top goal in his second season racing 8-cylinders full times is “going faster,” right now he is satisfied finishing with the car in one piece and getting all the seat time he can.
“I’m trying as hard as I can without spinning or causing a wreck,” the son of Jim Lampman said. “Going fast is good, but not causing a wreck is good as well.
“I kind of try to balance those two.”
Lampman, who this season intends to compete Fridays at Ohsweken Speedway and at New Humberstone Speedway two nights later, learned a lot in his first year between the wheel of the No. 28D Cutlass.
“I feel like I am getting better, slowly but surely.”
The learning curve remains steep, however.
“There is still a lot to learn,” he
‘‘ “Going fast is good, but not causing a wreck is good as well. I kind of try to balance those two.” DONNY LAMPMAN 14-year-old stock car racer
said. “For the most part, I feel more comfortable than I did last year when I first started off.
“But definitely there is still a lot that I can improve on.”
Lampman’s education in becoming a competitive dirt track racer isn’t limited to lessons behind the wheel. Thanks to his father, he is also learning the sport from behind the wrench.
Lampman said spending time in the garage preparing for another weekend of competing at the track gives him a better appreciation of what goes into setting up the car for racing.
“If I’m out on the track, if the car is tight or if the car is loose, if something is wrong with the car, I can come and say this is what’s going on,” he said. “Then I can know generally what we have to do.”
As they did last year on a regular basis at Merrittville Speedway, the father-and-son team once again will be racing in matching bright orange Cutlasses.
“I feel like both the cars are great cars, but he’s better,” said
Lampman, whose best finish racing head-to-head with his father came in a qualifying heat.
Father and son placed fifth and sixth, respectively. So far this season the younger Lampman has finished all the features he has entered. Sunday night at Humberstone he placed 14th in a field of 15 and 19th out of 29 cars at Ohsweken two nights earlier.
First-time winners
There were no repeat winners when Humberstone hosted its second program of the season Sunday night in Port Colborne.
Cody McPherson of St. Catharines took the checkered flag in Sportsman after overtaking co-pole-sitter Justin Sharp after a restart at the midway point of the 25-lap feature.
McPherson, a one-time Humberstone track champion, had to hold off Port Colborne’s Adam Leslie over the final 10 laps.
“I could hear Adam behind me,” McPherson said in his postrace comments in victory lane.
Rob Pietz of Gasline raced to a victory after sharing the pole for the 20-lap Late Model feature with Adam Ferri. Pietz overtook Ferri for the lead 11 laps in and held off a hard-charging Chad Homan, the Week 1 winner, the rest of the way.
Hagersville’s Dave Bailey, the two-time defending Thunder Stock champion, won his first 8-cylinder feature of the season by using the top of the track.
“The outside of the track had really good bite tonight,” Bailey said in victory lane after overtaking Jason Fontaine on the 10th lap. “Last week I gave Justin Ramsay the top because I wanted to protect the bottom and (Jason) did that tonight.”
It was Bailey’s second win of the weekend. He also set the pace for the second week in a row Friday night at Ohsweken.
Kyle Rothwell of Welland went flag-to-flag for victory in Mini Stocks. Rothwell, who shared the pole with Twisted Metal Racing teammate Tyler Lafantaisie, also of Welland, led all 15 laps despite encountering lap traffic.
Welland’s Mitch Dumont took the lead away from pole-sitter Terry Ronning seven laps in pulling away for the win in Pro 4 Trucks.
Jeff Larmet held off Mark Shadwell, the early front runner, for the win in Vintage Cars. Terry Larmet won the lone heat.
Pit bits: A total of 91vehicles were pitside for Sunday’s program … More than 150 students, teachers and parents from St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School Port Colborne were in attendance as the first school in the track’s Buckle Up Buddies program … The St. Joseph’s school choir performed the national anthem.