Fans and race teams alike enjoy the thrills and excitement that come with a head-to-head battle for the win. When it happens once, it’s a good thing. If there is a season’s worth of that type of performance, it creates a buzz through the entire motorsports community.
The 2021 fight for the Late Model track championship at Peterborough Speedway wasn’t decided until the final night of the regular season. When the dust settled, on the strength of a pair of main event wins local favourite Dan McHattie had clinched the crown by a slim 3-point margin. The Cavan, Ontario racer says he enjoyed coming away with his 6th championship at the hometown raceway.
“I race to win and never pay much attention to the point standings,” admitted McHattie. “Like everyone, we had some ups and downs – including a night where the car needed to be cradled back to the pits because of a rear end bracket failure – but it’s the low points during the year that make you work harder to make sure they’re few and far between.”
Dan McHattie would like to thank his family, friends and fans, along with team sponsors J.J. Stewart Motors, Douglas Automotive, Sidey Auto Supply, Barry McClennan Masonry, Crowe’s Gas/Crowe Karts, Shane Michael’s RV, Webb Transmission, Foxon Alternator/Starter, Praxair Peterborough and Kawartha Hydraulics for their continued support of the No. 71 team.
In the final tally, Bryan Mercer was 2nd and Tim Batty 3rd, only 11 markers behind. Steve Powell – who claimed his first career main event win on the final night on the year – was 4th, with Mark Gordon 5th in the standings; 36 points back of McHattie. Tyler Junkin, Robert Cousineau, Brandon Feeney, Sean Walker and Gary Hannah completed the top 10 in the overall Late Model standings.
Even with memories of the most recent edition of the Autumn Colours Classic still fresh in everyone’s mind, the promotional team has already started working on plans for the 2022 season at Peterborough Speedway. With provincial regulations relaxed to allow outdoor sports facilities to host crowds of 100% capacity, the venue is tentatively looking to return to its traditional Victoria Day Weekend opening date.
“We have our sights set on putting together an exciting schedule that will see the return of our weekly divisions, along with some special guests,” said track owner/promoter J.P. Josiasse. “This will mark our 55th consecutive season of Saturday night racing and we’re already counting the days until the first green flag of the year.”
Fans can head to www.peterboroughspeedway.com to find the latest news and schedule updates. Details are also available on the track’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media profiles.
