FRASERVILLE, ON- Two-time Canadian Tire Motorsport Park champion Willy Howells returned to competition on June 15th, once again turning in an impressive performance at Kawartha Speedway, with a 5th place finish against a bevy of top-shelf competition.
“This is our third time competing at Kawartha this season, and we’ve improved each time”, said Howells post-race. “That’s an awesome feeling, because this place is brand new to us”
“When we came out on June 1st for the [Mini Stock] Nationals, we didn’t really know what to throw at the car, in terms of set-up”, continued Howells. “So, needless to say, we were a little off and didn’t get the finish we were looking for. It was a disappointment, but we knew all we had to do was go back to the drawing board and put something else together”
The Oshawa, ON driver is quick to admit that the step-up in competition and venue was not an easy adjustment early on.
“Kawartha is as intimidating a speedway as I’ve ever been to”, explained Howells. “You are absolutely flying around here in a Mini Stock, and there is absolutely zero room for error. It’s a driver’s racetrack, which definitely come with a lot of pressure”
“The drivers here are top-notch, too. The learning curve isn’t just limited to the speedway itself, it’s figuring out a whole new roster of guys, and ways to beat them. It was a tough couple of weeks to start out, but now that I can see our program is heading in the right direction, it’s a huge reassurance”
As Kawartha’s 2014 schedule begins to heat up, Howells feels as though his Team Blue/Dibello Towing No. 19 will be in the thick of the championship hunt by season’s end in August.
“Our team knew, heading into this season, that Kawartha’s short schedule didn’t allow for much of a ‘feeling out’ process”, said Howells. “Now that we have a handle for the track, and we’re making grounds on our week-to-week setup, I’m confident we’ll have what it takes when the time comes to make a late-season push”
“Three straight championships would be an absolute dream. I know it’s a tall order, given the competition that we’re up against at Kawartha, but I can promise this team is going to try like hell for it”
Willy Howells will return to competition this Sunday, June 22nd at Kawartha Speedway. Gate times and ticket prices are available at www.KawarthaSpeedway.com
Willy Howells’ 2014 season is made possible thanks to Taunton Tire, Sanford Auto, Durham Autoworks, Roughley Insurance, Oshawa Community Credit Union, DiBello Towing, Auto Accessory World, Team Blue and Hobby Revolution.
Follow Willy on Twitter @19WillyHowells
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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