The age-old expression “good things come to those who wait” proved itself to be true as Rick Warnes scored his first career feature win, leading from start to finish in the Ontario Modifieds Racing Series, presented by GEN-3 Electrical main event – Friday, October 6th – at Peterborough Speedway.
With Randy Hollingsworth starting alongside Warnes showed his strength from the initial green flag, pushing his familiar No. 90 ride into a strong lead during the early stages of the 25-lap affair. Even in control of the field, the run to his inaugural checkered flag was far from a walk in the park, as fan favourite John Baker Jr. moved into the runner-up spot with just a couple of circuits complete.
Try as he might, ‘JBJ’ couldn’t find his way around Warnes. Meanwhile, Tyler Bouillon and reigning OMRS champion Alex Cuzzilla closed ranks on the lead duo with about 10 laps on the scoreboard. Baker Jr. continued to hunt high and low in his search for an advantage, but Warnes held off the challenge as the pack worked through lapped traffic in the closing stages of the headline event.
Racing close together in a tight bunch, push could have easily turned to shove. As the race wore on, Warnes managed to step-up his game and keep John Baker Jr. in his review mirror to pick-up his first ever main event win in a racing career that began more than 4 decades ago with starts in at venues in Canada and the U.S.. John Baker Jr., Tyler Bouillon, Alex Cuzzilla, Shane Pollock, Bob Franks, Randy Hollingsworth, Rob Warnes and Andrew Massey completed the running order.
“It was a very emotional event to win with both my sons there to witness it,” Rick Warnes said after the initial victory lane interview. “I must thank my family, friends and fans for their support and encouragement. Also, OMRS sponsors GEN3 Electrical, Bourque Transmission, AWESOME Racewear, TNT Performance Parts, Clarke Motorsports Communications,
All or Nothing Brewhouse, Sterling Tire, ELS Ltd. Clintar Outdoor Services, Peterborough Speedway and Staff.”
Like most in the sport, Warnes inherited his racing passion and the No. 90 car number from his father Doug Warnes who scored many feature wins across Ontario and in the Maritimes. His cars and crew were always immaculate, earning him the nickname ‘Mr. Kleen’. Running various divisions throughout his career, Doug Warnes captured season titles at Westgate (now Peterborough) and Sunset Speedways.
The 2023 Ontario Modifieds Racing Series Awards banquet is slated for Saturday, November 18th at the Black Diamond Golf Club. Additional details will follow.
Discussion about this post