MILLGROVE, Ontario — Speed, survival, perseverance, determination, avoidance, minimizing damage, and being there when it matters at the end.

Those are the keys to being successful in every single race, but seem to shine through even more when it comes to Enduro events. After all, you’re racing 250 laps against 100 fellow competitors who have the same goal in mind.

On Saturday at Flamboro Speedway, Dylan Sharpe had all of these qualities en route to winning the Halloween Enduro and taking home the $5,000 payday. Starting middle of the pack, he was able to avoid the incidents that happened ahead of him in the opening laps, finding his way to the front past the halfway mark. From there, he would lead over 100 laps en route to scoring the victory, three-quarters of a lap ahead of the field.

Known for being successful at drifting and behind the wheel of a Mini Stock, Sharpe’s success is no surprise as he has shown a knack of this style of racing. After all, he is a past winner of the Enduro in 2019, followed by a runner-up last season.

Nic Ramsay put the icing on the cake for his stellar Pure Stock season that saw victories across the province en route to a runner-up on Saturday, ahead of 2020 APC Auto Parts United Late Models Series Champion Jo Lawrence. Chris Meidllinger and Ryan Carr rounded out the top-five.

Considering the event took two hours and 16 minutes to complete 250 laps, the top-10 were only separated by 10 laps despite several drivers finding themselves with damage, spinning out, and having to encounter mechanical issues. Dave Lynch placed sixth, followed by Gillian Hils, Steve Lovie, Ryan Hillar, and Dan Dos Santos.

Jonathan Ayrton fought overheating issues en route to 11^th, followed by Brad Webb, Matthew Gould, Tyler Junkin, Steven Hils, Dan Varey, Joshua Munro, Vincent Pagnotta, Ryan Egger, and Jordan Willms. Jack Dixon finished 21^st, followed by Paul Boundy, Darren Zumpe, Nathan Mitchell, Karl Sault, Jim McTavish, Ronin Martin, Mike DiFrancesco, Daniel Kaite, and Cody O’Gorman.

The event was not all sunshine and roses, as several drivers found themselves requiring a tow as a result of getting caught up with someone else, or mechanical issues. Mini Stock regular Matt Young and Past Enduro winner Rodney Rutherford found themselves out of contention in the opening 10 laps due to separate incidents, while 2021 Sunset Speedway Mini Stock Champion Josh Bullen made significant contact with the backstretch wall on Lap 16.

You can watch a video of the Halloween Enduro at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4HX6VoHMPA.

You can also the watch the Demolition Derby at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TrIU7WcTJ4.

Thanks to Derek Smith (http://www.racepulse.com), Peter Anderson (pandersonphotos@gmail.com), and Shaun Lumley (Zoompics.com) for their images of the racing action each week.

Thanks to Ingrid Hartman for filming each week. Be sure to check out her videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/petalpower51/videos.

Closing out the 2021 season is a Monster Truck Show on October 30, hosted by Wadded Up Monster Truck Tour. You can check out ticket sales at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/wadded-up-monster-truck-tour-at-flamboro-speedway-tickets-170375497700?aff=ebdsoporgprofile.

Be sure to keep up with the latest by checking out Flamboro Speedway’s website at http://www.flamborospeedway.ca. You can also keep up via your favorite social networking website by following the speedway on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FlamboroSpdwy and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/flamborospeedway. Fans are encouraged to like the speedway’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Flamboro-Speedway-Authorized-Page-102328664646735/.

By: Ashley McCubbin