His Pro Late Model racecar sits in the corner at Paul Turner Auto Repair, the family business in Picton. Every day, Adam Turner takes a break from his routine of working on other people’s cars to spend a little time with his new found passion.
Midway through the 2012 campaign, the 30 year-old second generation Prince Edward County speedster stepped away from the DIRTcar small block modified machine he’d been racing at Brockville Speedway and swapped the piece for the Late Model equipment he had steered on a limited basis and switched his Saturday night home to the 3rd of a mile clay at nearby Brighton Speedway, with selected starts on the Go Nuclear Late Model tour. The father of 2 – including a newborn daughter – says it was just time for a change.
“I loved the modified, but we didn’t really have the budget to be competitive with the front runners,” said Turner. “At this level, racing is supposed to be fun and while that attitude never really left our program, the feeling was even stronger after just a few starts in the Late Model. Things got much better when I was able to claim a main event win at Brighton late in the year. It gives us some muscle we hope to carry into 2013.”
Much like the sportsman car he drove prior to the modified, Turner says the crate motor program used by the Late Model division helps to create a level playing field and makes things more about a driver’s ability to read the changing track conditions to get the most out of their equipment, instead of the huge cubic dollars some teams would spend under the hood.
“I haven’t been around for as long as some of the guys – or girls – in the field, but I’ve learned how to judge what the track is doing and give that information to my Dad and the rest of the crew,” said Turner.
“Racing on dirt is a lot about rolling the dice and being willing to take a chance. A track that is tacky at the start of the night will go through a number of transformations during the course of the show. If you can’t fine-tune your car and tweak driving style, you’ll never make it to victory lane.”
Adam Turner’s first chance to dance comes when the new season opens – following a parade through Downtown Brighton – Saturday, May 4th. Late Model action will be in the spotlight during the first ever visit by the World of Outlaws Tour Thursday, June 20th and at the 3rd annual running of the Great Crate Race Saturday, September 7th. For full schedule details, visit www.brightonspeedway.com.
For 2013, the Team ATR #92 Pro Late Model will be supported by Paul Turner Auto Repair, Village Variety & Gas Bar, The Work Wear, Rez Boyz Custom Wheels, Tires & Accessories and Finish Line Web Design, with promotional assistance from Clarke Motorsports Communications.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com/ 613.968.6410 / 613.922.0654
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