THE 'JET' FLIES AT BRIGHTON

Bill Oldroyd


Brighton Speedway – July 30, 2005


Perfect race conditions and a packed house greeted the Southern Ontario Sprints as they returned to Brighton Speedway for round 12 of the 10th Anniversary tour. Local favourite Rick ‘Joyceville Jet’ Wilson, thrilled the fans when he captured his 13th career SOS Feature win with his usual ‘on-the-edge’ driving style. Many times during the race Wilson would pull wheel-stands exiting the corners on the grippy surface of the Brighton oval.

Charlie McCann and John Watson paced the 18-car field to the green but the caution would fly before the field cleared the first turn. Watson, who is currently the SOS leader for Rookie of the Year, brushed the front stretch wall at the start of the event and was forced to retire for the evening.

When the racing action resumed, Daryl Turford, who has been coming on strong lately, would take the early lead. He would hold down the top spot for several laps followed by McCann, Bob Crawford and Jim Porter.



However the focus quickly shifted to Rick Wilson, who started the feature in the tenth position and was very rapidly making his way to the front. On lap six, Wilson drove around the outside of Turford coming off turn two to take the lead and immediately opened up a gap on the field.

At the mid-point of the race it was Wilson leading, followed by Turford, Porter, Adam West and Crawford.

On lap fourteen Porter, who was coming off his first career feature win last week, got together with another car in turn two causing him to flip violently several times. Fortunately, Porter was not injured in the crash however, his sprinter was severely damaged. One lap later another red flew when Turford and Gary Evans tangled in the same corner. This time it was Evans going for a wild ride. Both Turford and Evans would take the restart, however Evans would pull off one lap later as his top wing had been totally destroyed in the crash.

With only a handful of laps remaining, Wilson was still in the lead but current SOS point’s leader West, was now in second and poised to make his move. Glenn Styres was also on a charge and running in the third position. During the last two laps, West made several attempts to overtake Wilson but to no avail. Wilson crossed the line to claim victory with West and Styres close behind. Rounding out the top five were Brad Knab and Dick Mahoney.



Preliminary action saw McCann taking his first victory in several years when he won his Heat race with the other Heat race going to Turford, his second in as many weeks. The Fan-Dash for Cash was sponsored by McCann for this event and was won by Wilson who was joined by fan Kimmus Segriff for victory lane photos.


The SOS will now take a brief brake while some of our competitors are headed west to compete in the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa. When the action resumes, Ohsweken Speedway will be the site for round 13 of the 10th Anniversary tour. With only four points races remaining on the schedule, Adam West has a strangle hold on the championship with a 173 point lead over past SOS Champion Glenn Styres. But one slip could change all that as a maximum of 172 points are available for each event. To stay current with all the latest SOS news, be sure to visit the SOS Web Site at www.southernontariosprints.com.



Results: 18-car field



Leaf Racewear Heat
1. #17m – Charlie McCann, London, ON; 2. #26 – John Watson, St. Thomas, ON; 3. #0 – Glenn Styres, Ohsweken, ON; 4. #27h – Tom Huppunen, Fenwick, ON; 5. #10 – Bob Crawford, Sutton, ON; 6. #38 – Brad Knab, Delevan, NY; 7. #12c – Fred Cade, Niagara Falls, ON; 8. #12 – Willy Northcott, London, ON; 9. #8 – Brian Lee, Kitchener, ON



Pennzoil Heat
1. #93 – Daryl Turford, Mitchell, ON; 2. #30 – Adam West, Ridgetown, ON; 3. #79 – Dick Mahoney, Newmarket, ON; 4. #42 – Rick Wilson, Joyceville ON; 5. #22 – Jim Porter, Grand Island, NY; 6. #17 – Gary Evans, Thorndale, ON; 7. #25 – Warren Mahoney, Lefroy, ON; 8. #16k – Kyle Wilson, Joyceville, ON



Charlie McCann Dash
1. #42 – Rick Wilson; 2. #16k – Kyle Wilson; 3. #0 – Glenn Styres; 4. #38 – Brad Knab; 5. #12 – Willy Northcott; 6. #17 – Gary Evans



Wiseco Feature
1. #42 – Rick Wilson; 2. #30 – Adam West; 3. #0 – Glenn Styres; 4. #38 – Brad Knab; 5. #79 – Dick Mahoney; 6. #71 – Craig Downie; 7. #10 – Bob Crawford; 8. #93 – Daryl Turford; 9. #17m – Charlie McCann; 10. #12 – Willy Northcott; 11. #25 – Warren Mahoney; 12. #8 – Brian Lee; 13. #17 – Gary Evans; 14. #22 – Jim Porter; 15. #12c – Fred Cade; 16. #16k – Kyle Wilson; 17. #27h – Tom Huppunen; 18. #26 – John Watson



Leaf Racewear Award – Brad Knab

Inside Canadian Racing “Newsmaker of the Race” Award – Charlie McCann