(Photo by Malcolm White Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (Oct. 22, 2014) – Travis Rilat was a major part of the excitement at the 21st annual Trophy Cup during his debut last weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway.
“The last night we had it going good,” he said. “We used a different bar and shock combination than we run elsewhere. You have to be fast and run up on the fence. You have to have it loose enough to run on the fence. It’s finding that balance in the car to make that possible.”
Rilat did just that driving Richard Saumure’s sprint car on Saturday during the finale of the prestigious event.
“Unfortunately we put ourselves so far behind during the first two nights,” he said.
Rilat qualified 29th and 20th, respectively, on Thursday and Friday to kick off preliminary action. He then finished third in his heat race both nights, which relegated him to the B Main each time.
On Thursday, he advanced from 23rd to 20th and on Friday he placed 22nd in the consolation race.
“We tried everything we could to get it working,” he said. “On the last night we finally got it working. I could tell when we were packing the track that it was going to be good.”
Rilat started Saturday by finishing second in a D Main, which transferred him into the C Main. He then maneuvered from 11th to fourth place and used a last-lap pass to secure the final transfer position into the B Main.
He was forced to start last in the B Main and after charging from 24th to sixth place, which was only two spots out of a transfer, Rilat made contact with the wall exiting turn four coming to the white flag. He flipped down the frontstretch, which ended his event.
“You have to run the car right on the wall,” he said. “The best way coming off turn four was literally against the wall. I hit it a couple of times before. It was fine if you bounced the right rear off of it. I bounced the right front off it.”
Despite the slow start and the rough ending, Rilat said he wants to return to the Trophy Cup next season.
“I want to make that a regular part of the schedule,” he said. “It was an exciting event.”
Rilat will wrap up his season with Saumure Nov. 14-15 at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz., for the Cocopah Cup Challenge with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
QUICK RESULTS –
Oct. 16 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 29; Heat race: 3 (1); B Main: 20 (23).
Oct. 17 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 20; Heat race: 3 (3); B Main: 22 (15).
Oct. 18 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – D Main: 2 (1); C Main: 4 (11); B Main: DNF (24).
SEASON STATS –
34 races, 3 wins, 9 top fives, 15 top 10s, 17 top 15s, 23 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Nov. 14-15 at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz., for the Cocopah Cup Challenge with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.TravisRilat.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TravisRilat29
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Carlan Services
Established in 1997, Carlan Services operates an environmental cleanup business that transports contaminated and other materials as well as a variety of other services. For more information, visit http://www.Carlan.com.
“They do so much stuff I can’t even keep up,” Rilat said. “They are one of the major sponsors and we’re grateful for all of the help they provide.”
Rilat would also like to thank Xtreme Oilfield Technology, Shark Racing Engines, Northern Provincial Pipelines, Matt’s Oilfield Services, TriJet Manufacturing Services, Northern Lights Welding, Camex VP, Rob Wright Building Supplies, Scott Safety, Max Fuel, Jaron Water Hauling, Maxim, Factory Kahne, HRP, Ti22, Weld Wheels, Ben Cook Racing and Smiley’s Racing Products among others for their continued support on Richard Saumure’s No. 39c Maxim.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
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- Shawn Miller on Oct 22, 2014
- Article Date: 10/22/2014 by Inside Line Promotions