Mat Williamson News: May 2012

Sunday 27 May 2012

Seventh Place Finish at Merrittville Concludes Less Than Stellar Weekend

By Dave Sully - (Thorold, Ontario) Following a disappointing run on a one lane track on Friday at Ransomville, which relegated them to a tenth place finish, the Williamson Racing Team was anxious for some home cooking, but it wasn’t to be, as Mat ended up seventh. Starting eleventh on the grid, he seemed poised to make things happen, but a combination of factors doomed the effort.

First, and foremost, the car was once again a tick off, and in the highly competitive field of modifieds at Merrittville, even a tick can relegate a car from being a contender to a pretender. Not that the seventh place finish didn’t have some benefit, as Mat picked up a few points on Pete Bicknell, who finished tenth, but it wasn’t the finish they had hoped for.

Second, the race, which was a dandy at the front, highlighted by a battle between winner Mike Bowman, Tim Jones, Rick Richner, and Travis Braun, went caution-free, usually not a good thing when you’re starting outside the top ten. A caution or two are needed to stay in contact with the leaders. With the green flag flying throughout, Mat was faced with watching the race ahead of him and then suffering the indignity of seeing Ken Cosgrove steal sixth place away in the closing moments.

Mat talked about his night, observing, “The track was really slick. That was surprising. I thought it would have more bite, but we just missed the setup again a little bit. It’s a fine line to get the “Ws” here. When you’re on it, you’re on it. We kind of experimented, trying new stuff. If it pays off, you win, but when you finish seventh it doesn’t really help.”

The car was really good, but it was missing just a little bit. I wasn’t able to catch (Tom) Flannigan there in the closing laps and Kenny (Cosgrove) passed me with one to go. He kept digging down low and finally got by. We were a fifth place car. It would have been nice to be up there battling with the leaders, but with no cautions, it’s tough. By the time I got by the cars that I could, it was ten or fifteen laps to go, and I just couldn’t close. The racing was good tonight, and I hope we put on a good show for the fans.”

As of this race, Mat lies third in points, six behind the very fast Tim Jones, and eight behind leader Pete Bicknell. It’s still early, and the fun has just begun.

Saturday 26 May 2012

Tenth Place Finish at Ransomville an Exercise in Frustration for Williamson

By Dave Sully - (Ransomville, NY) As if starting seventeenth wasn’t bad enough, a hard-baked single lane race track, which rubbered over early, turned the Memorial Weekend 50 lap Modified Feature at Ransomville Speedway on Friday, May 25^th, into a tough night for Mat, who was the point leader going into the race after a brilliant win the previous week. With the handicapping system employed at most dirt tracks, based on money won, forcing the faster cars to start back in the field, it’s a challenge to move up under ideal conditions. However, when the track is only one lane, the task is even more difficult.

While the lead cars sped away at the front, Mat was just trying to survive, picking off cars only after long struggles over many laps. Usually a caution or two helps keep the faster cars in contact with the leaders, but the race this night went 37 laps before the first caution, with mostly single file racing. Mat’s move to the front was compromised by that, ultimately leading to a tenth place finish, which, under the conditions, wasn’t too bad, but it left the driver clearly frustrated, as he had to watch Danny Johnson win the race on the last lap.

Mat, reacting to the events of the evening, declared, “I’ve got one word to describe it- horrible. The car was good. I felt really good, but when it gets rubber down like it was, there’s minimal passing. I don’t know what it is, whether the street stocks running the American Racers (tires) laying the rubber down. I think they need to grade this place, chop it up a little bit and get rid of that rubber. We can come back next week and have a race. It’s only May 25^th, and we’re getting rubber down already, and it’s boring racing. Hopefully it’s not like this all year. Getting the water on it later at night (apparently the water truck broke down) and the hot weather might have had something to do with it, but we burned off a right front and a right rear. They’re going to have to do something to make it more competitive, or open up the tire rule and let us run 500s and 400s on the left rear, the right front, and the right rear. They’ll have to so something to make it a race track or the fans are going to stop coming.”

As for the race itself, Mat continued, “It was tough. We tried running the outside there to go around people, tried to go to the bottom, but nothing was faster than that rubber line, and it’s no fun. That’s not racing. We needed a caution. When it finally came, we stuck it out and ended up with a top ten. The car was good. If the track had been race-able we might have ended up in the top three, maybe even won this thing, but not when it takes rubber that early.”

The good news is that it’s still early in the season and despite the hit in the points, Mat is still very much in the hunt. There’s no time to fret, as it’s back to Merrittville on Saturday.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Williamson’s Fourth on Victoria Day Concludes Successful Four-day Run

By Dave Sully - (Thorold, Ontario) The Williamson Racing Team capped off a grueling four day stretch consisting of 30 laps at Ransomville, 35 laps at Merrittville, 100 laps at Cornwall, and 100 more at Merrittville, with a fine fourth place finish, which put an exclamation point on the early season effort. With a first at Ransomville, a second at Merrittville, and two fourths in 358 Series events at Cornwall and Merrittville, the team sits in first at Ransomville, second at Merrittville, and unofficially second or third in the Series, pretty heady stuff at this point in the season.

Monday night started out very well, as Mat was victorious in the first heat of the evening, after time trialing fourth. From there, he proceeded to the redraw, from where he ended up starting eighth. The early part of the race was plagued by several cautions, while Mat bided his time. By the midpoint of the race, he was slotted fifth, while Brett Hearn and Chad Brachmann battled for the lead.

He was able to get past the fast running Mark D’Ilario for fourth and then had a spirited battle with Pete Bicknell and third place runner Jimmy Phelps before settling for the fourth place finish.

Of the overall effort, Mat declared, “Tonight it didn’t go as planned. I really wanted to win tonight. It’s my ballpark here, and this is one of the places I’d like to get a Series win. I couldn’t do it. The car was a little tight in and loose off. We just missed the setup. It’s such a fine line in a Series race if you’re going to win or lose. You’ve got to be on your game, and tonight we missed it just a little bit.”

On his late race battles with Pete Bicknell and Jimmy Phelps, he commented, “I saw Pete underneath me once or twice, and I didn’t know whether he was going to get by me or not. I thought I was a little better than Jimmy. He would get the drive out of two that I couldn’t get. I could get up to him in three and four, but I couldn’t complete a pass. I was hoping we’d have a few more laps, but I knew he was holding Pete up on the bottom and as long as I stayed on the outside of Jimmy that Pete wouldn’t get by me. It was good racing.”

A true racer, Mat concluded, “It was a good weekend. Not being out of the top five is pretty good, but I really wanted that win tonight.”

Impressive Run for Williamson in 358 Series Opener at Cornwall

By Dave Sully - (Cornwall, Ontario) Mat Williamson opened his quest for the Dirtcar 358 Modified title with an impressive fourth place finish at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 20^th. Crew chief “Dipper” Windeatt noted that the car was fast right off the trailer and the team felt poised for a good run, but in racing there are no guarantees.

After finishing third in his heat behind Dale Planck and eventual feature winner Danny Johnson, Mat went out and took the lead on the eighth lap and set the pace for 30 circuits before surrendering the lead to Johnson in lap traffic. He continued his strong run, but fell prey to Brett Hearn and, toward the end, Planck, whom he had passed earlier in the event, resulting in the fourth place finish.

Finishing fourth in any Dirtcar Series race is heady stuff, especially when the drivers ahead of you are legends like Johnson, Hearn, and Planck. Mat talked about the race, noting, “We were really good. We led until around lap forty (actually 38) and then Danny (Johnson) got me in lap traffic. I tried to keep up with him. I sealed my tire over and started fading back and finished fourth, but the car was really good.”

Regarding the lap traffic, he added, “I was a sitting duck. The car was so good that I knew I’d be hurting later on. In situations like that, it’s better if you’re not active in the beginning and you’re better at the end, but we were too good too early. I went to the bottom, while Hearn and Planck kept plugging around the top and both of them got by me that way.”

Cornwall Speedway is a tight quarter mile, different than most of the tracks the drivers are used to. Mattalked about racing there, declaring, “It is pretty small. It was tough going through lap traffic. You never know where anybody’s going to go. It’s a neat little place, though. The track was good last night. It just took rubber early and that hurt us.”

With a first at Ransomville, a second at Merrittville, and a fourth at Cornwall, the holiday weekend has been very profitable for the Williamson Racing Team, with Monday’s Victoria Day 100 lapper topping it off.

Monday 21 May 2012

Williamson Earns Runner-up Spot At Merrittville

By Dave Sully - Following a great win the his new car on Friday, May 18^th, Mat came back the next night to take second in the 35 lap Mod Feature at Merrittville, a finish which didn’t seem likely during much of the race.  As Chad Chevalier left the field in his wake, Mat, who started fifteenth, was basically holding his own during the early laps, swapping positions with several cars before beginning to inch his way forward.

On lap 29 the complexion of the race changed when the caution flew for the first time, as Rob Pietz suffered a broken torsion arm. After that caution and another one on lap 30, the No. 6 came to life. Mat, who had moved up to fourth by the second restart was slotted on the outside behind Pete Bicknell, who had seized the lead from Chevalier on the first restart, Chevalier, who was now second, and Tim Jones.

At the drop of the green, Jones spun his tires allowing Mat to claim third, and then on lap 32, he got past Chevalier.  He tried to catch Bicknell over the final laps, but was unable to close the gap enough to challenge for the lead.

Mat explained the late race change in fortune, noting, “It was tough. Up until those cautions came out, I was no good. I like the cautions.  I don’t know what happens, but after a caution comes out, I get better and better.  We were just there at the end. We were lucky to be there.”

Double file restarts helped Mat gain positions, but it can be a double-edged sword. Mat explained, “It’s nice to have a double file restart. It makes more of a race out of it, but sometimes it’ll hurt you.  Jonesy spun his tires, and I was fortunate to get him on the bottom. I would have liked to see it go 50 (laps). I think I could have given Pete a pretty good run for his money.”

All in all, it’s been a good start for the four race holiday weekend, with Series races coming up on Sunday at Cornwall and Merrittville on Monday.

Williamson Racing Team Debuts New Car With Big Win at Ransomville

By Dave Sully - Any time a race team puts a new car on the track, there is great anticipation, but also a degree of trepidation as well because there is no guarantee that the car will perform as advertised. A brand new BRP chassis, with a brand new ERD motor, was rolled out for the first time at Ransomville on Friday, May 18^th and it passed with flying colors, as Mat drove the car to a hard earned victory in the 30 lap Modified Feature.

Mat declared, “I can’t say enough for my crew. These guys thrashed all week to get this thing out. We went practicing Wednesday, and to win the race feels really good.”

Starting fourteenth in the tough field of cars, Mat was on the gas from the start, while four cautions in the first nine laps kept the leaders from getting too far out front. The race went caution free from the lap nine restart, with Rick Richner, Mat, and Chad Brachmann the big movers, with Richner taking second behind Boyd Mactavish on lap 22, while Mat, who had claimed third on lap 12, kept pace.

When Richner took the lead on lap 22, Mat grabbed second on lap 23, and the race, as they say, was on. Mat quickly closed on Richner and the two diced for several laps as Mat worked the bottom, while Richner tried to protect it. Mat observed, “It was fun racing. The track took rubber in the middle. I was able to roll out of one and two like nobody else.” Indeed the pass for the lead, on lap 27, came as the two roared out of turn two.

Once he cleared Richner, Mat was able to put some distance between them over the final three laps.

In Victory Lane, Mat commented, “We got lucky on the restarts. We were outside on a couple of them and that was the lane to be in. This new car is unbelievable. To come out with new stuff is always good, but this one’s special.”

On his race with Richner he added, “I had a good race with Ricky.We raced each other clean before I finally got by.” Richner observed, “It was exciting. Mat had a real good car. He had a lot of side bite. I was lacking side bite through the corner. He got under me and away he went.”

The race was the first in a grueling four races in four days, which also includes Saturday at Merrittville, Sunday, a 358 Series race at Cornwall, and Monday, another 358 Series race back at Merrittville on Victoria Day. Hopefully, winning the first one is a harbinger of things to come.

Sunday 13 May 2012

Disappointing Finish for Williamson at Merrittville

By Dave Sully - (Thorold, Ontario)  Following a gutsy performance at Ransomville on Friday, where Mat fought back from adversity to salvage an eighth place finish, Saturday at Merrittville started off bad and got worse.  Starting twelfth, Mat, the point leader after his opening night win, hoped to give his mother a win for her birthday, but the car went nowhere at the start, spun on lap 15, with a little help from another car, and then battled for his life from the rear, ultimately salvaging an eleventh place finish, which despite the disappointment, keeps him in the thick of the early season point battle.

Mat explained, “We just missed the setup. We decided to change some stuff after we won last weekend and it was definitely not the right call.  It just wasn’t our night. I wish it would have rained (it was in the forecast) at 7:00.”

After the spin, he set out to get the best finish he could, noting, “You can’t give up. I hate losing though. I really HATE losing. It would have been nice to win tonight, but you can’t win them all.”  On the car’s overall performance he added, “ Sometimes the race car will come in, like after the first yellow I figured we’d be all right, but it just got worse and worse.  Then, at the end, I was just kind of hanging on, struggling to get what I could get.  It definitely hurt us with the points, but it’s only the second week. It’s going to be hard all year. This is a tough field.”

Asked if they would change everything on the car back to the way it was, he quipped, “The first thing Monday morning!”

The No. 6 will be back.

Williamson Makes Comeback From Adversity at Ransomville

By Dave Sully

(Ransomville, NY) Mat started at the back of his heat at Ransomville on Friday night, May 12^th, but was able to fight his way to a fifth place finish to qualify for the feature. Starting fifteenth on the grid in the main event, he was battling with Justin Wright on lap ten, when potential disaster struck, and he found himself parked in the moat on the front stretch. After a quick trip to the pits, he went back out and soldiered to an eighth place finish.

Mat explained, “It was just a racing deal. We were going down the front straightaway and Justin’s car broke. I went to go around him. He was going to the moat and we kind of got crossed up and I wound up with a right front flat that put me in the wall. After that I got out to see if the car was okay. There was just the right front flat. You can’t win the championship by coming into the pits and sitting there watching the race. We came in, and the crew did a great job getting me back out there on the lead lap. We got up to eighth. We could have been 24^th, so from 24^th to eighth is pretty good.”

After the mishap, the car was stout, and Mat scratched and clawed his way forward. He noted, “I had the mentality that we’d go to the front once we got into the pits. I was kind of upset that we ended up in the pits in the first place, but my mentality changed. I wish it were a hundred lapper. We were good.”

Just after the restart Mat avoided potential disaster when a three car wreck, involving Todd Burley, Scott Kerwin and Pat Vigneri occurred just in front of him, but he was able to squeeze around it. At the end, he battled veteran Rich Vinson and fellow Canadian Tom Flannigan before settling for a well-earned eighth.

Two top ten finishes in the first two races definitely keeps Mat in the hunt at the Big R.

Sunday 6 May 2012

Big Win in Merrittville Point Opener Caps Successful Weekend for Williamson Racing Team

By Dave Sully - (Thorold, Ontario) Having made the Merrittville Modified Championship the prime goal of the 2012 season, the Williamson Racing Team got off to a perfect start, with Mat prevailing in a stirring battle with Pete Bicknell in the first point race of the season on Saturday, May 5^th, following a solid sixth place finish in the Ransomville opener the previous night.

After last week’s disappointment after perhaps giving away a win by being a little over aggressive, Mat, who went off fourth, used an early caution to make some changes on the car and then capitalized on some good luck for him and bad luck for Bicknell in the form of lap traffic to get close enough to make the winning pass.

Mat explained, “ The first couple laps I didn’t think I had the car to do it. I made some adjustments when we had that red flag (on lap 2). I changed the car from the cockpit a little bit. After that, we were pretty good. I got some breaks with the lap cars. I came near Larry (Lampman) once and figured I was moving backwards. Once we got that long green flag run, things worked out. When Pete got into lap traffic and the car kicked in and the tire (the new right rear that crew chief Rick Windeatt suggested) got a little better, I knew if I didn’t get by him when I did, I wouldn’t have won the race. I figured I had to capitalize on it. I knew how he was feeling. It was like last week, a sitting duck. You’re waiting. You don’t know where anybody is. I figured if I showed my nose too early he’d take my line away. He didn’t, and I was able to capitalize when I did. Then I had to lay down some solid laps once I got in front of him. I think it was only two or three laps. I can’t say enough for Pete. It was an awesome race.”

One of the keys to the win was the early race battle with Larry Lampman Jr, while Mat was running second. Lampman made a charge down low over several laps and actually drew even a couple of times, but Mat was able to hold him off and solidify this position. After that, he was able to concentrate on catching the No. 42 of Bicknell.

Bicknell’s last shot was on lap 34, when he saw an opening in turn three and made a bid down low, but as he had done to Mat the week before, Mat was able to shut the door to preserve his lead and the crowd-pleasing win.

Williamson Sixth in Ransomville Opener

By Dave Sully - (Ransomville, NY) Despite winning his heat and having the third starting spot at Ransomville Speedway on Friday, May 4^th , the Mat Williamson wasn’t able parlay that into a top five finish, but still finished a respectable sixth in a highly competitive field. He fell back a little at the start and was cruising along in fifth for most of the race, but he was unable to duplicate the performance of the top four of Ryan Susice, Mike Bowman, Erik Rudolph, and Scott Kerwin.

Later in the race, he engaged in a spirited high/low battle with defending Ransomville champion, Chad Brachmann, which ended when Brachmann suffered a right rear flat. Mat explained, “Chad and I had a great race. He kept pinching me off on the front straightaway, a really good race. I kept seeing him trying to slide job me in turns one and two. He had enough to get by me, so I got back underneath him. we rubbed going down the back straightaway, and that’s why he got a flat tire.”

Just when it appeared that he would salvage a top five finish, Danny Johnson cruised by him on the bottom on the last lap to relegate him to sixth.

Mat observed, “We missed the setup a little bit. We were good early. We needed a little side bite, and then when that caution came out I dropped the panhard bar to get the side bite. We got it, but I sealed my tire over under yellow. It could have been better. Danny (Johnson) got by me on the last lap. He came out of nowhere. I almost got Kerwin (earlier), but he was a little better than I was.”