February 12, 2023 – Delano, CA – WORCS round 2 took us to a new track that I had never raced
at before, American MX in Delano, CA. My team and I headed out on Friday morning and
arrived at the track that afternoon in time for practice. We got our pit set up, checked in at
registration, and then it was time to head to the start for unclassified practice. The track was
about 13 miles long and everything was super green. I had a great practice run and felt really
good about the car’s performance. After practice, we closed up the pit and turned in for the
night.
There was no racing for me on Saturday, but I went to the track and helped some of the RZR 170
racers. I enjoyed the day watching my friends race! I also did some final prep on my car, so I
felt ready to go for my race on Sunday.
After arriving at the track on Sunday, I checked my tire pressure and fueled my car. The SXS
Pro Stock class was the last race of the day, and when it was time, I headed to the start to line up.
The green flag flew, and we took off! I was running neck and neck with one of my competitors
for the hole shot, but I did not back down. As we charged up the hill and rounded the first turn,
we both went up on two wheels. I swung wide and was able to make my way into P1 as we
headed out onto the course! P2 was on my bumper and I knew there was going to be no room
for error, so I kept my head down and got focused. I was able to put a little distance between my
car and the rest of the pack in lap 1. Going into lap 2, I was feeling good, and my car was
running flawlessly. I picked up the pace and ran the fastest lap of the race, clocking an 8:54
minute lap! By lap 3, I was running 13 seconds ahead of P2. By lap 4, I had increased my lead
to 16 seconds ahead. Running through the hills, over the jumps, and the various terrain on the
course made it challenging, but also fun! I was having a great time, but I knew one mistake
could cost me the race, so I stayed focused. By lap 5, I had a 20 second lead so I made the
decision to back it down a little as I came through the timing chute going into the last lap. After
6 laps, I crossed the finish line in first place, 20 seconds ahead of P2! I was stoked that I had put
my car on top of the box again!
Thanks so much to all of these amazing companies and people that support my program: GBC
Tires, Elka Suspension, Benchmark Performance, Candle Motorsports, KMC Wheels, Crow
Safety Gear, Polaris RZR, Demon Powersports, PRP Seats, Rugged Radios, Maxima Racing
Oils, Tireblocks, JAMAR Performance, Race Team Sites, Crown Performance Products, Got
Sand Performance, Oceanside Driveline, Dirt Rider Designs, ECP Powder Coating, and my
parents who make this possible for me! Thanks to WORCS for putting on the series and Harlen
Foley for the awesome pictures! You can check out the Sims188 Racing team on Instagram
@csims_188, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/csims188/, or on my website at
www.sims188racing.com.