Seekonk Speedway Race Magazine August 25 & 26 | Page 51

After a season where leading the race might signal Mike Lefort’s motor to detonate – he has lost a few of them at mid-race – this time everything held together and Lefort was able to use his speed and skills to forge a well-earned victory in Sport Fours. He outran Cliff Avila to the finish while last week’s winner of the Phil’s Triple Crown, Alexander Manuel, came home in third, followed by Chris Pacheco and points leader David Westgate.

Owing to his DNF count, Lefort was handicapped inside Joey Morissette in the second row, behind Christine Simpson and Matthew Smith. At the green, Lefort was immediately looking to go underneath the leaders, but could not. Instead, he went to the outside and got past Simpson on the first circuit.

Lefort then gained to Smith’s outside and they went wheel-to-wheel across the stripe. He began to edge ahead and secured the lead in turn three. Avila came up to third behind Smith with Michael Gland and then Simpson in tow.

The field was already strung out by lap three and remained unchanged until lap eight, when Simpson ran alongside Glad, looking for fourth. He was able to hold her off as Manuel waited behind them for an opportunity to pass. Again, the field wound through two laps, single file until Manuel got past Glad into third behind Avila, who had been running second since lap two.

Westgate, who had started thirteenth, was moving up into a tight pack near the front and battled through the tight knot.

Lefort was moving effortlessly at the front, a half-straight ahead of Avila as Manuel took over third on lap 15. Glad did not go back to fourth easily, and brawled it out with Manuel, but was unable to retake the position. The indignity was not over as Chris Pacheco came up to steal the spot.

With two laps remaining, Manuel looked outside Smith, found the going not very conducive and then dropped under to grab third behind Avila as Lefort headed for the finish line. Positions did not change over the white flag lap, and Lefort rocketed home for the win with his engine still turning over. Avila came home second, head of Manuel, Smith and Pacheco. Westgate came home in sixth, followed by Glen Leduc, Simpson, Glad and Samantha Mattera.