Former points champ goes distance in enduro
Rob Goulding knows his way around a dirt track, all the way to the bank.
On Sunday, he drove to victory in a $3,000-to-win enduro race in a car worth a fraction of that.
The 75-lap war of attrition was among the highlights of the Dawn of Destruction matinee at New Humberstone Speedway, Goulding’s hometown track in Port Colborne.
Winning on the clay oval is nothing new to Goulding, and not just in junkers en route to the scrapyard.
He is a former points champion in Humberstone’s Mini Stocks division and has competed in 4-cylinders as well as in Sportsman at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold. Goulding finished 13th in points at Merrittville last season.
The Dawn of Destruction treated fans to a fun-filled afternoon of races they wouldn’t otherwise see on the speedway’s weekly Sunday night program.
In addition to a battle of the beaters in the enduro, Sunday’s show featured Steven Moore outracing John Cote in a Figure 8 event, and Billy Bleich Jr. holding off Cote and Dave Murre in an Auto-Cross.
Tyler James won a backwards over Devon Germain, while Rodney Rutherford has the last vehi- cle moving in a demolition derby.
Dawn of Destruction wrapped up a weekend that started Saturday when nearly 30 stock cars participated in a pre-season thunder test session.
Weather permitting, weekly racing at Humberstone gets underway Sunday, May 20.
The 59th season opener, sponsored by Seaway Mall in Welland, will feature two firsts: the debut of newly created North East Late Model Alliance and Round 1 in the inaugural Insta-Panels Duel of the Dirt Series for mini stocks.
Late Models and Mini Stocks race regularly at the Port Colborne speedway, as do Sportsman, Thunder Stocks, the new name for the Street Stock or 8cylinder division; and 4-cylinder trucks. On opening night Humberstone plans to get a head start on Victoria Day celebrations with a fireworks show following the final race.
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. with racing starting two hours later.