AUSTIN REED TAKES 3RD AT LEMP/M4SX

Source: Dave Reed Racing
Date: 02/19/2008

COTO DE CAZA, California -- Austin Reed, driver of the #14 Ringers Gloves, Approved Memory, Dirt Bagz, Fox Shox, JDA Hose and Fittings Trophy Kart in the Junior 2 Class, started his racing season the same weekend as the NASCAR super bowl in Daytona. With the start of the 2008 year in the M4SX/Dirt Alliance at Lake Elsinore Motocross Park on Saturday February 16th the weather was great and the new totally reconfigured race track was in awesome shape. The track was wide, fast and technical in a few areas that made for great side by side racing. The crowd was a huge and parking was almost sold out. This series is really growing fast.

The first practice Troy Karakas/Car Chief and Dave Reed Spotter/Dad wanted to make sure Austin was not out to race the other drivers rather to really get a handle in learning the new track. Austin says, “we all walked the race track and talked about where I needed to be on every place on the track. It worked out really well as I felt the truck was really good in every place on the track. Troy told me to roll in and out of the gas over the spread out whoop de doo's. I wanted to hammer it down but as I lifted out of the gas over each one I noticed it was way faster and I figured out a few things I can’t mention as I don't want to give up any secrets.”

Austin started second in the heat race and immediately took the lead coming out of the first corner. He and Conner Hart in the 50 All Power truck battled clean and hard swapping the lead two or three times a lap. The crowd was going crazy, as this was one of the best races so far. Austin took the white flag in first place and with a lap to go something went wrong with the clutch as it felt like the motor revved out like it was in neutral. All but 2 racers passed him as he sat on the side of the race track with the motor running and all the sudden it took off again as he raced it back to the checkered flag in 9th place. The trucks don't have any shift-able gears and use a centrifical clutch.

With his finish in the heat race, Austin started the main event in 9th on the inside lane three rows back from the leaders. On the green flag he made a great move and went right to 5th place and went to work on the leaders. Within the first lap he passed the 4th place truck and set his sights on the 3rd place truck. The next lap he made his move in a technical area and made the pass to move into 3rd place. Austin worked his way up to the 2nd place truck but ran out of laps at the end with a solid 3rd place finish. This was a great start of the year for us and as a team with the DeJongs. Mitchell won his heat race and in the main got shuffled to the back with a truck that drove him up the track on the start. He worked his way up from the back, racing his way back to a 3rd place finish.

Trophy Karts are smaller versions of the Trophy Trucks and have a Subaru 15 horsepower spec motor. Austin's Kart is prepared by DeJong Off-Road in Temecula, CA and is a teammate to Mitchell DeJong.

Austin Reed 14 year old 8th grader attends Norris Middle School in Bakersfield, CA and is the son of Dave Reed former NASCAR championship car owner in the Southwest Series. For more information please check out Austin's web site www.austinreedracing.com and http://dirtalliance.com/# or contact Dave Reed dreed@approvedmemory.com.

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