Lee Vernoy column: Pat LaMere loves the competition

Sometimes, when you have to get your car to navigate a left turn on a dirt track, you have to turn the steering wheel in the OTHER direction.

Pat LaMere should know. The Great Falls driver has been doing just that since he was 13 years old.

And in 19 years of driving, he’s seen a lot of good things happening, both at the Electric City Speedway and in dirt-track racing in general.

“The sport is really growing a lot now,” the 32-year-old WISSOTA Super Stock driver said. “I don’t know if it’s the economy or what, but there are a lot of new faces and new cars.”

LaMere, who pushes around 400 horsepower in his car, finished third in points at the Great Falls track last season, and got to race at “The Big Show” of dirt-track racing, the WISSOTA 100 Championships in Huron, S.D.

“I finished second in state, and I made it into the second night,” LaMere said. “And I did pretty well over there until we got crashed out.”

His father raced at the Speedway “for years and years,” and the younger LaMere learned at an early age that “sometimes you have to turn right to go left.” Indeed, those front wheels really do go to the right during a left-hand turn.

And it is intentional. “We have all our cars set up so it’ll pull the car down into a left turn,” LaMere added. “If you’re turning right when you’re coming out of a corner, you’ve got a good handling car.”

LaMere also said that raceways that have traditionally had banked tracks have been going by the wayside.

“We’ve been losing those banked turns since I’ve been around,” he said. “They just keep adding dirt and keep working with it.

“But these tracks right now — dry slick — is what I like.”

Look for LaMere to keep coming back to the Speedway every year ... not so much for the wins, although “everybody wants a few wins” in their career.

“It’s more about the fun of the sport, the camaraderie,” he added. “And I love good competition.”

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, the Speedway will have their annual Tribute To MOMS, with Streets, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and ‘A’ Modifieds racing on the 3/8-mile oval. Gates open at 6, racing starts at 7:30. Then the Sprints come to town the next weekend.

Next Monday, we’ll head out to the Rainbow Motosports Complex as the MotoCross and SuperCross dirt bike season get into full swing.

Tribune Sports Writer Lee Vernoy writes a weekly column focusing on the personalities of local motorsports. He can reached by calling 791-6569, or emailing him at lvernoy@greatfallstribune.com.