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Adams Dethroned

Published By Bruce AKRA     September 30, 2017    
Delmar, DE - Get Directions
Report from the second Maxxis Tires Battle at the Beach Series

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Adam’s Dethroned

 

 

Story by Bruce C. Walls

Action Sports Photos by

Bruce C. Walls and

Susan Taylor-Walls

 

            DELMAR, DE-Lately Stephen Adams has been the runaway King of US-13 Kartway’s Maxxis tires ‘Battle at the Beach races’ money series and Cody Hopkins Memorial Race. Last Saturday (September 9th), young gun Austin Banker, of Emporia, VA, ended Adam’s reign. Adams was on course to repeat his performance in the first ‘Battle at the Beach’ where he went seven for seven earning him $3,000.00.

 

Adams, of 4-Oak, NC, got off to a good start winning the first race of the day, Flat Head Points. He followed with three more wins in the first of two segments. Then the winds of change began blowing in the second segment.

 

The ‘pot of gold’ at the end of the rainbow was in race’s 20, 24 and 28. Banker earned two of those poles; Clone Heavy Points and PRO Clone Heavy Warm Up. Lap times of 10.520 and 10.397 seconds, on the 1/8-mile dirt oval, secured him those privileged starting positions.

 

With Adams very close behind, Banker’s Premier Racing Chassis led a field of Clone Heavy Points racers wire-to-wire. Adams was 0.689 seconds behind Banker’s P&P Speed Shop powered Premier kart when the crossed the stripe for the final time. Garret Himminghaffer, Makayla Johnson and Nick Brobst made up the rest of the top five of 10 entries.

 

PRO Clone Heavy Warm Up was another Banker vs. Adams battle. This time, Adams got a little loose at the top of turn two before trailing Banker by 0.881 under the checkered flag. Makayla Johnson was third across the stripe followed in the top five by Brobst and Jimmy Tyre.

 

“They said he (Adams) slipped a little bit over there. That’s unfortunate thing about track position you start up front you know you’re able to get out there. So, hopefully he won’t do that in PRO again, he’s starting on the pole in PRO so hopefully I’ll get up there to him I have a few extra laps so hopefully I can get up there and win this thing,” said Banker who started PRO Clone third behind Adams. “The Premier Kart was great and the P&P Speed Shop engine was great. Everybody at the shop and everybody here worked hard, it’s a team effort. I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because without him none of this would be possible. I want to thank everybody that makes this possible for me, Hermie Sadler and Robin Bradshaw we’ve got a good group, we’ve had a good year so hopefully we can keep it up and win some of these big races.

 

With $1,500.00 waiting at the end of 30-laps Adams and Tyler Reed led the field to the initial green flag.   Caution waved before the first lap was complete. When racing resumed Banker quickly grabbed second from Reed and on lap five he took a never surrendered led to the stripe where he was comfortably 2.309 seconds ahead of Himminghoffer. Further back Adams crossed third 3.581 seconds behind the winner. Shane Forest and JP Gates finished fourth and fifth.

 

“We’ve come down here the last four or five times and Stephen has been good. He’s been beating me by a straight away then three quarters of a straight away and half a straight away and then last time I had a quarter of a straight away. So I’ve gotten better every time we come here. We just had to keep working harder and stay up with him (Adams). He’s been having a phenomenal year. My hat is off to those guys over there Bryan Bradford, Stephen and Kyle and Ryan and those guys work hard too. We finally broke through. He swept us in the first segment. I felt I had better tires in this segment and luckily it worked out for us. This $1,500.00 ‘Battle at the Beach’ has been haunting me. I’ve won a few races here at Delmar, but never won this one yet and I had to go three for three and that’s a big deal to us.”

 

Banker bagged the evening’s first feature Flathead Points, pole with an 11.068 seconds run that was 0.095 seconds faster than the 11.163 fast time lap Adams turned. The initial green flag was followed by the first of four caution flags. When the green flag flew again Adams quickly got a nose on Banker and blew by under him.

 

Adams led a lap before caution waved. When racing resumed Adams stretched out his lead while racers battled for second behind him. Georgetown, DE racer Ashley Hayes got by Banker as Adams continued building a very comfortable lead over the eight-racer field.

 

Banker had just recaptured second on lap 14 when caution returned. That put Hayes behind Adams when racing resumed. With just six laps left Banker blasted by Hayes again and headed for Adams. Adams opened a narrow 0.493 seconds finish line advantage over Banker. Behind them John Davis beat Hayes to the stripe for third, followed by Josh Hare for the top five.

 

“It was a good run. I think Austin (Banker) slipped a little getting into (turn) three, but I got around him and I was pretty good after that,” Adams described. “I’ve just got to thank everybody that helps me Harrill Wiggins, Phantom Racing Chassis, P&P Speed Shop, Jonathan Cash, Bryan Bradford Racing, Ryan O’Conner, my brother, Chip Shockley and Ryan Nester.”

 

Adams earned PRO Flathead’s pole with a 10.875 top Fast Time lap. Jared Maske was second fastest qualifier with a lap time of 10.875 seconds trip. Starting behind them in row two were Banker and Shane Forrest. With Hayes in tow Banker battled his way to second, closed in on Adams in the final laps, but was 0.425 seconds late at the stripe. Hayes followed Banker across the finish line with Forest and Maske behind her.

 

“I think the racetrack’s coming in more to my favor now finally,” Adams described. “It’s been slick all day and now it’s getting some grip in it. Hopefully that works out for me.”

 

Adams spun a 10.995 seconds lap for Animal Heavy Points’ pole. From there he was flawless running wire-to-wire comfortably crossing the stripe with a 2.854 seconds ahead of Macey Thompson Crossing behind Thompson in the field of four were Brobst and James Joiner.

 

The foursome finished PRO Animal Heavy in the same order. Adams earned the pole with a 10.690 seconds effort followed by Thompson who turned a 10.756 seconds top-qualifying lap. This time Adams stretched his lead over Thompson by 4.967 seconds.

 

Trent Reed. Of Denton, MD, was one of three double winners that night.

Reed’s first win came in Junior 3 Points where he started 5th in a field of nine. Pole winner Zach Fields led the early going showing the field through four cautions before five laps were complete. Once they got some laps in the record book Reed started picking off competitors on his way to the front. Another caution put him closer to Fields who surrendered the lead to Reed two laps before mid-race.

 

Reed extended his lead, but lost all he’d gained over Fields when the race’s final caution waved with 2 laps left. Fields slipped back a few spots leaving room for Spencer Warren to take second in the final laps. Warren kept the pressure on Reed who prevailed with a 0.167 seconds finish line advantage.

 

“I went by them and it worked out,” said Reed after his first win. “ The Phantom Recon kart was fast. I mean it was really fast. The track was perfect all night. I just want to thank my engine builder, Huffy, my dad who worked on the kart all week getting it ready and my mom for all of her help and support.”

 

Jesse Rogers was the fastest of nine PRO Junior 3 qualifiers. Rogers earned the pole with a 10.505 seconds lap on the 1/8th-mile dirt track. Fields was second fastest with a 10.582 seconds rounding that was 0.077 seconds off the pace. Reed and Hunter Heck were behind them in row two with times of 10.702 and 10.729 seconds.

 

It took two tries to get the field rolling, but when they did Reed stayed low and stole the lead, which he never surrendered on his way to opening a very comfortable 2.255 seconds lead over Cisneros at the stripe.

 

“I want to dedicate these two wins to my Uncle Bob Reed who pass away recently. I know he’s looking down on us tonight,” Reed said after his second win.

 

Snow Hill, MD speedster Logan ‘Chubbs’ Shockley led the way in Junior 1 Points and PRO Junior 1. In the first race Shockley had pole winner, Georgetown, DE native, Racyn Hayes (11.228 seconds) trailing him by 0.423 seconds. Jarrett Edwards trailed in third and was followed by Chase Carter and Jason Torlish.

 

Shockley spun the PRO race’s top qualifying time in 11.042 seconds. Edwards started next to him with a best qualifying lap that was 0.004 seconds off Shockley’s lap. Shockley shot into the early lead as Edwards tried to catch him. Shockley stretched his lead to 0.936 seconds over Edwards. Further back Carter crossed third followed by Hayes.

 

From their poles 12-year-old Carter Langley commanded Junior 2 points and PRO Junior.   Langley blistered the track in 10.647 seconds for the Points pole and turned a 10.711 seconds trip for the PRO pole.

 

Kyle Nester got the jump on Langley when the green flag waved for the first time. Caution waved again on lap three. Nester led the restart. Langley recaptured the lead on lap five and was slowed by the race’s third caution. Caution quickly returned for an incident in turns three and four and was back on lap six. Langley held the lead through a lap12 caution before taking the final flag with a comfortable 1.242 seconds cushion over Nester.

 

“I just let off the gas in the corners and let it roll so I wouldn’t get sideways,” is how Langley, of Clayton, NC, said he stayed out of trouble on the track. “The Premier kart handled good and the P&P Motor was fast,” he added.

 

William McConnell crossed third followed by Colin James and Jerrett Edwards.

 

Langley led PRO Junior 2’s qualifying with a 10.586 seconds lap. He rocketed off the pole and pulled ahead of the field fighting for positions behind him. Edwards held onto second crossing 1.169 seconds behind Langley. Nester was third, Edwards followed in fourth ahead of Clayton Peters who capped the top five.

 

Two racers were single winners that night. From its pole, Shane Forest won Semi PRO Clone and Brandon Gallo grabbed Semi PRO Clone Points win. Forest put down the fastest qualifying lap in 10.527 seconds.   Millsboro, DE based Premier Racing Chassis Sadler Karting factory driver Zach Bullis was second fastest at 10.536 seconds, just 0.009 seconds off pace. Feature positions matched qualifying positions with Bullis trailing Gallo by 0.273 seconds across the stripe. Hayes and Maske took third and fourth.

 

Forest was also Semi PRO Clone’s fastest qualifier, this time with a 10.527 seconds lap. Bullis was 0.009 for the outside pole. Hayes and Matt Dail started in row two behind them. Forest rocketed off the pole. Behind him racers battled for positions behind him. From the sixth starting position Josh Hare threaded his way to second, trailing Forest by 1.324 seconds.

 

Matt Dail drove across the finish line in the number three spot, Maske followed in fourth and Jimmy Tyree took fifth.

 

The ‘Battle at the Beach’ is usually a five event series. This year bad weather took out three of the five so US-13 Kartway officials are scrambling to find make up dates for those races.

 

Battle at the Beach 2

Photo Captions

 

Please Credit:

Action Sports Photos by

Bruce C. Walls and

Susan Taylor-Walls

 

 

C1-C5 accident series Brandon Gallo gets upside down in Semi PRO Clone Heavy.

 

DSC_0052-#54 Racyn Hayes chases down 048- Logan Shockley in PRO Junior 1

 

DSC_0131-PRO Junior 2 5-Carter Langley leads #27 Colin James

 

DSC_0140-PRO Animal Heavy #92 Stephen Adams leads

 

DSC_0143-Animal Heavy 07-Austin Banker-92-Stephen Adams

DSC_0155-Austin Banker wins PRO Clone

DSC_0173-PRO Clone #99 Zach Bullis leads #54 Brandon Gallo

DSC_0176-PRO Clone #01-Shane Forest and #99 Zach Bullis on a restart

 

DSC-0193-#88-Jesse Rogers, #98-Jacob Maske and #27-Hunter Heck get tangled up in turn two.

 

DSC_0240-Austin Banker wins PRO Clone warm up

 

DSC_7040-PRO Junior 3 winner Trent Reed with his parents Kelly Blackstone Reed and Shelby Reed

 

DSC_9680-#54-Racyn Hayes leads PRO Junior 1

 

DSC_9794-#17-Trent Reed and #27- Hunter Heck battle side-by-side in PRO Junior 3

 

DSC_9812-#17-Trent Reed leads Junior 3 Points

 

DSC_9818-#17- Trent Reed lead #26-Spencer Warre under Junior three’s checkered flag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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