story by Chris Roy
photo by RPM Photography
This past weekend the MOAT Mountain Legends returned to NHMS to race on the 1.6 mile road course. Alex Vorrilas was last season’s rookie of the year qualified 3rd for the feature with a lap time of 1:24.034. “I’m not sure how the racing was because we didn’t do any wheel to wheel racing. Last weekend at NHMS was a pretty typical weekend for us. It seems like we either break or get on the podium, and we started off the season right back on that path for 2014. It’s discouraging to say the least. Our goal for the first race weekend was just to finish, because with no drops this season is all about consistency. Unfortunately the axle broke on the formation lap, and we were unable to even start the race. Things break, and unfortunately in motorsports it happens a lot. The car is already fixed and back together, but this is an opportunity to take a break from the roller coaster ride we have had the past season into this season and see where we want to go from here.”
So what has Alex been doing in the off season? “We don’t really have an off season. After last season ended at NHMS we headed to Summit Point in West Virginia for a weekend of testing before heading to the World Finals in Las Vegas. We finished 2nd in the World Finals race in Vegas which secured the World Semi-Pro Road Course Championship as well as State semi-pro road course title for Massachusetts in our first season racing legend cars. It was a busy and long season, but we have been spending a lot of time working with our karting customers at ApexKartSports making sure they are all ready for their season opener on the 26th of April, as well as working to make our car better. Jeff Gaudette sacrificed so much time and energy helping us get the car together all winter. Without him I am confident we would not have even been on the grid for the first race. I know he wanted us to win in that car as badly as my dad and myself did, and I really cannot express the gratitude we owe him for his help and support this off season, he rocks.”
The first race of the season is always a diffcult, how is the car going to run, what is the track like? “The car has honestly never felt better. We only got a handful of laps around full speed due to all of the cautions in qualifying, but from the few laps we did get the car seemed fast, predictable, and consistent. Again a lot of this credit needs to go to Jeff and my dad for taking the time to put the car back together all winter and make it as fast as possible.Our motor blew up with 4 races remaining last year and that ended our NHMS season for us, but Chad at the US Legend Car engine shop got it back together for us for the 2014 season and it seems like its way better than last year’s engine so far.”
The road course being so big with long straight a ways, left and right turns, hills and valleys. The 1st practice for the drivers it was sunny, then for the 2nd practice it was cloudy, and then for the feature it was partly cloudy so does this have an effect on the race track and the handling of the race car? “Yea absolutely, the conditions of the track were changing all day. I would have to say that the cars were the fastest in the second practice session, and after that the track got slower. It was pretty evident in the lap times as well. Not sure if it was the weather or the other types of tire compounds being put on the track by the other series racing that day, but the track definitely got slower in my opinion. With weather constantly changing its tough to predict what the track conditions will be like, you just really need to hope you have your setup down and the weather stays fairly consistent.”
The Boston marathon was held this past Monday, Alex a native of North Reading, MA showed his support for the race and all the runners by placing “Boston Strong” decals on his race car. “Bostonians and Boston sports teams have been showing their support with Boston Strong decals and patches since last year at this time. We thought it was time we get some of that support to the race track by running a handful of decals on the car this past weekend. I really couldn’t think of a better way to show our support for all of those running in the marathon, and for all of those affected by the tragedies that ensued last year. While I had no family directly affected by the tragedy we still wanted to show our support for all of those whose lives were lost, those still recovering, and to all those running in the marathon. It’s hard enough for me to race 26.2 miles on a racetrack behind the wheel of a car, let alone running. All of those who ran are warriors and deserve as much support as we can show them.”
The MOAT Mountain Legends return to NHMS for a double header weekend racing on Saturday and Sunday. “Unfortunately we will not be racing at NHMS this upcoming weekend. With no race drops this season we are in a pretty big hole in the points standings after just one weekend of racing, and have chosen to suspend our legend car program for the remainder of the season. It’s a good opportunity for us to regroup and decide which direction we want to head with our race program in the future. The car is more than capable of getting to victory lane on a weekly basis, and I know given enough time to properly dial in the car’s setup and motor we would be able to battle with Shaun for our first win. Shaun is fast, and he sets the bar each time out on the track. Catching him was the goal going into the season. Obviously catching someone and actually passing them are two totally different things. We had lofty hopes of being able to race with the TSM cars for a win by the seasons end, and I am confident we would have got there at least once given more testing. The motor is fresh and just broken in, so we figure rather than put wear and tear on the motor/car all season for a pretty insurmountable shot at a top 3 spot in the MOAT standings we have chosen to focus on next season and keep money in the race budget.”
Sponsors are a big part of racing, “While we have no financial sponsors other than my dad and myself I really can’t thank Jeff, Bob, Steve, Patrick, Luke, and all the new comers to Team Apres Ski Racing this season for their encouragement and support from last season and into this season. You guys are like family, so thank you all. Cheers.”