Racers start motorcycle season undefeated
Four riders are undefeated heading into Week 5 of the ATV and motorcycle racing season at Welland County Speedway.
Pacing the pack, with six wins overall, is Chuck Graham of Embrun, Ont., southeast of Ottawa. He is 3-0 in both the Open ATV and ATV Production classes.
Right behind, with four 65 cc wins in as many starts, is Liam Caskie of Brantford in the 65 cc division. Seth Little of Welland has finished second each time.
Sam Manyon of Akron, Ohio, is 3-0 in the Vintage division, and he leads Rick Gunby of Minett, Ont., in the Muskoka region, 86 points to 75 in the Veterans class after racing his second win of the season, and second in a row, in last weekend’s feature.
Also 3-0 is Adrian St. Amand in 85 cc, but remarkably the Burlington rider enters tonight’s program third to Justin Ball of Rochester, N.Y., and Blake Silenzi of Welland in the points race, 73-70-69.
Like Graham and Manyon, Taia Little is setting the pace in two points races. With 89, the Welland racer leads Silenzi, 60, and Ball, 58, in Youth 250 novice on the strength of three firstplace finishes after starting the season in second.
In Open Novice, Little, winner of two in a row after starting the year with two third-place finishes, leads Welland’s Jacob Rainville and Rochester’s Ryan Scavuzzo by 10 points, 82-72.
Rainville’s first win of season after two second-place and one third propelled him to top of the DTX Novice standings with 81 points. Little and Scavuzzo are second and third with 75 and 74 points, respectively.
Last Saturday, Dustin Brown of Muskoka won the Open Expert feature for his first win of the season. With 71 points, he is third behind Welland’s Tyler Seguin, 81, and Port Colborne’s Don Taylor in the division standings.
Seguin’s fourth-place finish to Doug Lawrence of Mississauga wasn’t enough to drop him from the top of the DTX Expert standings. Seguin, who opened the season 3-0, leads Chris Evans of Jordan Station 85-72. Third, with 68, is Brown, two more than Taylor.
Wellander Dustin Lambert third win in a row in Open Intermediate moved him 10 points head of Chippawa’s Hunter Bauer in the standings, 87-77. Rockwood’s Logan Wilson is third, 73 points.
Bauer followed up three second-place finishes with his first win of the season in DTX Intermediate. With 83 points overall, he leads Lambert, 75, and Welland’s Justin Crumb, 64, in the season standings.
Topping the 50 cc, Chain-drive, division is Seth Parsons, now with three wins in a row after placing second to Jayda Brauweiler in the season opener.
Full-throttle action returns today, weather permitting. Gates open at 2:30 p.m., practice begins at 5 p.m., with heats for children's and regular racing classes getting underway at 6 and 7 p.m., respectively.
Welland County Speedway is located on Netherby Road, east of Highway 140, in Welland.
Bernd.Franke@niagaradailies.com
905-225-1624 | @TribSportsDesk