COLDWATER, ON- Jordan Latimer and the Ridge Road Racing team survived a rough outing at Barrie Speedway on June 7th, suffering their first DNF of the season – along with a litany of cosmetic damage, after a mid-race incident that affected a number of contenders.
“I think we’ve had just about enough of this bad luck, now”, smiled a disappointed Latimer post-race. “It’s a lot like I said last week – there’s going to be nights like this and there’s just no sense in being mad at it”
The third-generation driver entered the 30-lap feature after earning his first career heat race qualifier victory earlier in the evening.
“It’s important to remember how good of a night we were having before we ended up in the wreck”, insisted Latimer, “because these guys work so hard on this car, to get it to where we need it to be”
“My team did a phenomenal job tonight. We were fighting a loose car through practice and the first round of qualifying, but the guys never quit. They just kept making it better and better, and we ended up with our first checkered flag of the season”
Latimer appeared poised to make a run to the front of the field in the feature event, until an early-race caution jumbled the field up.
“We had a good car at the start of the A Main, and it felt like we had a good enough piece to get to the front”, explained Latimer. “But we got stuck behind a couple of guys on the outside after the first caution, which left us pretty deep in the field”
“I was working pretty hard to get back to the front again – because I know how wild it can get at the back – when we got caught up in someone else’s mess”
“It was happening in [turns] 3 & 4, while I was heading down the back straightaway”, continued Latimer, “so, I started to slow up and just about dodged the whole wreck when I got hit from behind and shoved into it”
Even as the 15-year old catalogued the damage done to the front end of his Ride Road Racing No. 10, he managed to do so with an air of positivity.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we’ll be back better than ever. I’m proud to have some of the best guys in the industry behind me. I can’t say enough about the cars they give me week after week, and I can’t wait to come back and get them some finishes that they deserve”
“This streak won’t last”, continued Latimer. “We’re going to shake off this bad luck, get our car put back together and get ready to be back racing at the front”
The Ridge Road Racing team will enjoy a well-earned weekend off, before returning to competition on June 21st. Race details can be found at www.BarrieSpeedway.com
Jordan’s efforts would not be possible without the unwavering support of KICX 106 FM, The DOCK 104.1, A/C Electric, Creetures Designs of Orillia, T&C Construction & Welding, Progressive Waste Solutions, Cookstown Auto Parts, Tax$mart of Orillia, Get Jack @ Re/MAX, Krueger Electric, K&K Racing Karts,Kitchen Tire and Shepherd Trucking.
Be sure to check out the JL Motorsports page on Facebook, and follow Jordan on Twitter @LatimerJordan.
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