WATERLOO, ON- The last three weeks of racing have carried a wide variance of emotions for 13-Year Old Jake Watson and his family-owned Mini Stock team. After earning a Sunset Speedway career-best 6th place finish on July 19th, ‘The Derringer’ has been saddled with mechanical problems and handling issues in back-to-back sub top-10 finishes on July 25th and August 1st. Tomorrow night, Watson will be back at Sunset Speedway with the goal of pulling out of his brief mid-summer slump.
“We’ve hit a bit of a rough spot in the last two weeks. I’m not really sure if there’s any other way to explain it,” says Watson, displaying poise and maturity well beyond his years. “Between flat tires and handling problems, we’ve just had a hard time with the car. I’m not sure it’s because of anything that we’re doing or not doing. It’s just the bad luck that you have to deal with every once in a while”
And though Watson’s team is working overtime to rid themselves of their recent hardship, it’s understood that a reversal of fortune is always right around the corner in a division as tight as Sunset’s.
“It’s a long season. There aren’t a lot of nights off for the Mini Stock division, especially when you get into this part of the schedule, so you’re going to have bad nights,” offers Watson. “Every single one of us is going to work through some rough weeks every now and then. It sucks, but we’re doing everything we can to work our way out of it”
“The last two Saturdays have definitely reminded us of how tight this roster is,” continues the third-generation racer. “Three weeks ago, we were a 6th place car, then we developed a small push and immediately fell to 15th. There’s just no room for mistakes. There’s nowhere to hide out here if your car isn’t working right. You’re going to get exposed and left behind. It’s a tough lesson, but it’s great to use for motivation”
With race day less than 24-hours away, Watson displays a glimmer of the positive mindset that has made him such an amiable presence amongst fans and fellow competitors.
“When we get to the track on Saturday, we forget all about anything negative that’s going on. That’s always been my Dad’s rule,” explains the teenager. “Saturday’s a new day. We’ve worked hard on this car all week, and we’re ready to get back to the top-10”
“We’re going to focus on the things that we have control over, and not get frustrated with the things that we don’t,” adds Watson. “That’s our strategy.”
Details for August 8th’s event at Sunset Speedway, including gate times and advanced ticket sales, can be found at www.SunsetSpeedway.ca.
Jake Watson’s 2015 season is proudly supported by Spira Fire Protection, Race2way.ca, Hype Energy Drink, London Recreational Racing, GUNK, Wix Filters, The Landing Strip of Toronto, Academy Construction, TSS Top Shops, SMG Motorsports, OKTANE Productions, Fast Eddie Racewear, Glencoe Automotive, For Your Eyes Only, Protein2O, AquaHydrate, Stewarts Root Beer, The Wurth Group, AR Bodies, Falken Tire, Artik Ice, Dominion Sure Seal, Chetty’s Hot Sauce, Cloverleaf Farms, Lucas Oil and Expressway Ford.
Fans can stay up to date with Jake via his official ‘Jake Watson – WWR’ Facebook page and on Twitter @JakertWatson.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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