NEW HAMBURG, ON- Less than a week removed from a top-15 finish during the Mini Stock portion of Sunset Speedway’s ‘Velocity 250’ weekend on Sunday, September 28th, Jake Watson will return to Flamboro Speedway for two days of racing at the annual Oktoberfest Classic.
The rising star will be back at his one-time home track, looking to continue the momentum generated by a season’s worth of impressive results in weekly competition at Sunset.
“It’s always nice to go back to Flamboro,” says ‘The Derringer’. “Our family has raced here a long time, and it’s special to be part of the third generation that has competed here”
“Some of the fans at Flamboro aren’t able to watch me race when I’m at Sunset or somewhere else out of town, so I always like being able to come back and show them how much I’ve learned”
The thirteen-year old strung together an impressive sophomore campaign at Sunset, managing a 10th place in final points standings competing in one of the consensus best Mini Stock divisions in the province.
“The level of competition we have at Sunset is beyond anything I’ve ever raced against,” explains Watson. “There’s so much veteran talent there, I learned a tonne racing there this season. Most nights there are more than 24-cars, and you have to race your way into the feature through the qualifiers”
Watson will join what is expected to be a healthy field at Flamboro’s 2-day Oktoberfest weekend, and with features on both days of competition, is well aware that strategy will come into play.
“Racing both days definitely has an impact on how hard you push the car,” says the well-spoken teen. “If you drive over your head on the Saturday, there’s not much chance you’ll have anything left to race with on Sunday”
“We just want to come into the weekend, be smooth and take what we can get,” continues Watson. “We don’t have a big team – it’s just me and my Dad working on this car – so the less work we create for ourselves through the week the better”
Still, Watson knows how prestigious of an event the Oktoberfest Classic is, and would like nothing more than a defining performance to remind the Flamboro regulars just what he’s capable of.
“This event is a big deal every year, so of course we want to bring our very best. A top-5 would be like a win for me. Some of the best cars in Ontario are going to be there, and if we could come home with a strong finish both nights, I think our whole family would be really happy”
Details for this weekend’s event can be found at www.FlamboroSpeedway.net.
‘The Derringer’ Jake Watson’s 2014 season is made possible thanks to Spira Fire Protection, HYPE Energy Drinks, Fast Eddie Racewear, Process Group, Race2Way.ca, Expressway Ford, Cloverleaf Farms, Stewart’s Equipment, Artik Ice, WIX Filters, Gunk, Chetty’s Hot Sauce, Cambridge Source For Sports, Oktane Productions and Lucas Oil.
Fans can follow ‘The Derringer’ on Twitter @JakertWatson and be sure to visit the all new Jake Watson – WWR page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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