Luke Hiebert – At the End of the Day, I have a Great Day
photo by RPM
The Moat Mountain Legends Series returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) this weekend for another double header race. After having last weekend off from racing on the road course, Luke Hiebert of Bethel Maine, is all set to get back behind the wheel of the #32 legend car and take on the 1.6 mile road course at NHMS. “I am very excited to race this upcoming weekend. I found something at the last race and made huge improvements in both my lap times and also in my confidence. We finally figured out an issue that has been plaguing me this year. The weather looks like it is going to cooperate and make for some good racing.”
The road course at NHMS has long straight aways, hair pin turns and changes on elevation so what does Luke do to setup the car to account for all these variables on the track? “The road course set up that Bob Weymouth has hooked me up with has been very helpful to me this year. We set the car up different from last year and have made adjustments based on my driving and minimal adjustments if there is an issue the day of the race. The course has lots of different areas where you can gain or loose significant amount of time. My teammate Patrick Dillion helped me the last session in picking different areas to focus on and that has made a significant difference in the lap times.”
Patrick Dillion – “100% Focused for all Twelve Laps.”
Photo by RPM
Story by Chris Roy
Patrick Dillon of Portland, Maine is racing the #45 legend car in the MOAT Mountain Legend road course series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). “I raced the NHKA Racing Series (Karting) for two years. I loved the racing experience and the NHKA group, but at 240 lbs. I broke a lot of kart parts. After totaling my last kart, I decided to invest in a Legends car.”
The road course at NHMS has long straight aways’, hair pin turns, inclines and declines, so for the race teams setting up the race cars is a lot of work. Though Patrick has quite a bit of experience racing on the road course. “Time, team and the people in the paddock. Between NHKA, The 24 Hours of Lemons and The Moat Mountain Road Course Series, I have quite a few laps on the track, but I’m still learning the course. In five years on the track, I’ve been happy with my line through turn three only a handful of times.
I’m grateful to have Bob Weymouth and Jeff Gaudette set up the car.
I’m lucky to have a team that pulls together when there’s a problem.
When teammate Luke Hiebert’s motor blew, Luke, Steve and myself, were able to replace the motor in an afternoon due the support of the track and other people in the paddock. The competition on the track is transitioned into help and support off the track.”
Jordan O’Brien – “Taking the Next Step”
photo by RPM
Story by Chris Roy
This race season Jordan O’Brien is racing in the MOAT Mountain Legends Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I will be racing for rookie of the year this season, and hopefully I will be in the fight for the championship.”
Last year Jordan was racing in F1 Karts and now how has made the transition to legends, “Well last season I raced F1 style go karts at F1 Outdoors and at NHKA, and I absolutely loved them, but the minute I first got on the track with the legends car it was just a whole different level, it was amazing.”
So what made Jordan decide to race Legends cars this season on the road course at NHMS?
“Well, I have always had a passion for road course racing and my dream has always been and will always be to someday get a drive in formula one. I always thought legends cars were extremely cool and I thought it was time to take the next step, so then I started the ranting on dad. We got introduced to Bob Weymouth through Alex and George Vorrilas, and we started talking to Bob about the possibilities of getting a car. Then Christmas time came around, and one day we happened to be in the area of Bob’s shop.
Mike Alton – On Lap One, I Knew I had a Great Car!
Story by Chris Roy
photo by RPM Photography
Mike Alton driver of the #99 Legends car had a roller coaster of a ride this past weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) as the MOAT Mountain Legends Series returned to race a double header on the 1.6 mile road course. “Saturday started off not so great, rainy and wet for qualifying and, the feature, I did not have rain tires so I qualified poorly, and held on to a 7th place finish. I was very disappointed but glad I finished with the car in 1 piece. On Sunday we made some last minute changes to car and had one of my best races, came from the back to 3rd and moved into 2nd for points.”
One of the big obstacles in last weekend’s races was the rain. Unlike some racing series the MOAT Mountain Legends Series races rain or shine. The drivers change the set up in the race car and put on rain tires then head out on to the track to take the green flag. So how did the rain affect the #99 legend car, “A lot for me, I don’t have rain tires, and no rain driving experience, not a big fan of racing in the rain so far.”
Alex Vorrilas – “Boston Strong”
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.”