News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By LeRae Haynes

Two local race car drivers in the ARCA West Sportsman Series were on hand to meet fans and autograph photos yesterday at Canadian Tire. Garnet Grimard and Ryley Seibert gave shoppers, fans, old friends and new ones the chance to meet two Williams Lake drivers who have put their home town on the map.

With one race to go in the series, points standings indicate that #52 Garnett Grimard is in first place with a total of 240 points and Ryley Seibert is in 4th place with 207 points.

They have one race left in Vernon on Saturday September 11. “We’re leading in points right now, but one wrong move and that all can change. A guy that’s in 4th place might think he doesn’t have a chance, but if three of us have a bad night, he’s a champion,” Garnett said.

“The season has been excellent, overall. We’ve been on the podium three times and in the five races we haven’t been in any major crashes---we’ve been staying out of trouble and finishing all the races. That’s the main thing and we’re really happy.”

He said that the number of enthusiastic fans in the stands seems not to have changed much, and that fans from the Cariboo follow the series throughout the season, wherever the races are held. “A lot of people who aren’t doing a lot of long-distance traveling due to the economy are staying close to home in the province and doing things like following car racing,” he explained. “It’s really nice to see.”

Ryley Seibert, who started racing at age 14, said that he ran at #1 for half the ARCA West season. “I got unlucky and caught up in a couple of wrecks,” he said, adding that there was a huge learning curve this year for him. “I was in Street Stock for several years and everything was second nature to me. You have to really step up your game to race with these guys,” he continued.

Garnet said that in Vernon, Ryley was right behind him and would have beaten him, but his engine quit. “I started 21st there and worked my way up to 4th and I got by him, and with two laps to go my engine started stuttering,” Ryley said. “Last lap, three of them got by me.”

He said when he was younger he watched Garnett race and that it was an inspiration to him. “I remember standing up on the wall and saying, ‘Whoa, those guys are fast.’

“Racing in the series was a dream, but every step is another dream,” he said. “I want to get into NASCAR now and everything takes time—I need to start winning races here before I move up.”

Garnet said that one of the challenges on the track in moving up from Street Stock to the ARCA series is visibility. “You cannot see---to find yourself in a pack of two to five cars at high speed, you really need people to spot for you and tell you where you are,” he explained. “The only time you know how close people are in front of you is when your fenders start to buckle up.”

 He said that, for the racers, the crew and the spotters are enormously important, and Ryley agreed. They also both said that during their off-season, driver work on their cars. Ryley said that he also spend time fighting fires this summer.

Canadian Tire is a major sponsor for Garnet, but Canadian Tire owner Brian Stefan takes it another step closer to the action. He is enjoying first-hand, close-up specialty-car experience in his second year as part of the pit crew that travels with Garnett throughout the series. “I think it’s great that we have two local racers in the series battling it out---an 18-year-old and a 58-year-old,” he continued.  

“I’ve never done anything like this and am really enjoying it----you’re right down where the action is. It’s a great fraternity and a strong camaraderie. You really get to know all the cars and all the crews and drivers. It’s important for everyone, from the pit to the track to put on a great show for the fans.”

| More...