Last Saturday, Canadian Flat Track legend Doug Lawrence added to his resume at Welland Country Speedway – a real achievement given his success over the years at his home track. Lawrence took the wins in both the Feature race and the Pro 450 class, aboard a newly developed Honda prepared by the Lawrence family. As well, Lawrence promoted the event, putting together a solid Pro purse for an event that served as an unofficial warm-up for the pending Flat Track Canada National Series.
During a lovely afternoon and evening that ended up cool and very dusty, the focus was on the visiting American competitors, and specifically former works Harley-Davidson and Indian racer Sammy Halbert, the top billed American taking on the Canucks on home ground. Halbert was piloting Lawrence’s long serving “original” Honda DTX racer, a bike with many successes at Welland.
Perhaps the most impressive American attracted by the $8,500 purse (some classes paid in U.S. dollars!) was 26-year-old Justin Jones, fresh from a race in Wisconsin the night before and on his way to an event near home in New York on Sunday! Jones was defiantly comfortable riding close with the locals, and his Husky was a change from the armada of Honda CRFs or Honda-powered framers.
In the main event, held a little after 11 pm, Lawrence moved into the lead early and stayed smooth to win on an almost blue-grooved surface. His major challenge came from Doug Beattie’s Honda, an on-form Beattie moving up form fourth to catch Lawrence. Beattie wasn’t quite close enough to make a move, although he applied serious pressure late in the race.
Behind runner-up Beattie, Dustin Brown had a typically aggressive race, netting third on one of Kurt Beiger’s immaculate Hondas. A close fourth, and top American, was Jones, while Halbert got muscled early and then hung in for a very respectable fifth at the finish – two bikes in the top five for race promotor “Team Lawrence.”
On a high pollen count night that troubled many, Lawrence was close to speechless, due to allergies. Later, “Fresh” admitted he was “swamped, my thing was to try and let things roll on race day, not get too involved once things got started. The club knows how to do it.
“I was aware how the show was going,” explained Lawrence after his first event as a Promoter. “I knew there were a lot of people there, I was keeping an eye on the grandstand, so that’s a good start. This race is like every race, there are so many variables – the surface, the wind, weather, everything comes into play – you can’t ever really completely manage things.
“I did the best I could, tried to give everyone as much information as I could pre-race, I knew how busy I would be.”
“I raced, but with everything going on, my allergies, Dad and I looking after Halbert’s bike (and Halbert was very much hands on in the paddock – Ed.), it would have been much easier if I stayed of my motorcycle. I can’t believe I won the race; I had some issues, we were trying to get Sam comfortable, there was just so much going on.
“Halbert did a great job, he pushed the race, posted some great videos, and just represented so well. He is at a great point in his career, checking things of his bucket list. He has lots of good stories. He looked racy, handled himself well, and he has lots of followers!”
Concerning his success in his own event, Lawrence confirms that “it’s defiantly an awkward feeling, winning the race – that was strange. Looking back, I will try to change some things, but I want to do it again. I have lots of ideas, and I want to see what we are capable of.”
- From Colin Fraser
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