Walters Dominates Limited Late Model Invitational

August 3, 2003 - It could be said that the biggest battle at Sunset was the one with Mother Nature, as two rain showers caused brief interruptions in the program this past Sunday. But we won the war in the end, and were rewarded with some of the very best racing in the region. The Canadian Vintage Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Thunders Cars and a Demo Derby filled the program, and what a show it was.

24 fast cars took the green in the Limited Late Model 50 lap Invitational - Tom Walters once again proved his tremendous ability, starting ninth and winning the feature by a straightaway. Walters was set up perfectly for the changing track surface, doing the majority of his overtaking on the high side. It wasn't a runaway right from the start though, as a heavy lead battle in the early going with Brendan Adams and Chris Morrow had to be decided first. Morrow ran high on Adams and could dive deep into the corners, but just couldn't get the bite he needed on the way out. Vic Parsons was fast too, and managed to work his way forward from eighth to get the second finishing position. Ken Bemrose also had a quick machine, checking in with third for the feature. Adams and Lambert Yake completed the top five.

The Canadian Vintage Modifieds also put on a fantastic show, with 21 machines taking the green flag. Brian Watson started fourth and took the lead early, pulling to a decent advantage on the field. A few cars worked their way up from deep in the field, but no one was a match to the quick Watson machine. The Mods were having trouble ealry hooking up to the track, with plenty of action in the heats.

Our Thunder Cars were on tap with a regular points event - Amanda Connolly made a huge move on a caution restart to grab the lead and eventually take the checkers. Doug Harvey hounded her for the better part of the feature, with Frank Davey coming through traffic behind him. Davey would finally catch Harvey and get the second spot, Harvey would snag third. Ernie Fumerton made a smooth run for fourth, and Mark Adams hung on for fifth. There was one spectacular wreck in particular - Mike Norris got loose in turn three and spun going into the front stretch, causing the field to check up behind him. Mark Zacchigna got hammered from behind by Gord Matt, causing extensive and terminal damage to his Mustang. All drivers were okay after the melee.

A Demolition Derby capped off the night, with a soaked down infield and a full compliment of car sizes and types. Rick Clarke made the trip from Lindsay and put on a fantastic show, having a seemingly never ending battle with the second place car for the last third of the event. Don Turner Jr., one of the Mad Dog Racing/Gravenhurst Towing team, picked up the cheque for Best Show in his 28-14 machine. It was late in the evening before these guys hit the track, but the stands were still full to catch the action. Great job guys!

A big thanks goes out to Bayfield Appliance, our generous sponsor for this special event. And a big call has to go out to the tenacious drivers and staff who worked diligently to get the track back to race condition after each shower. And, of course, who could forget our fantastic fans - they stuck it out and were rewarded with a memorable show!