Will Gerrits is slowly but surely asserting himself as a front runner in MSA 360 competition, and were it not for some returning gremlins for the 99 of Tyler Brabant, it seems he would be as well. A strong weekend made from seemingly nothing by Gerrits while Brabant’s car was sidelined for most of it with engine issues definitely supports that theory.
The weekend began on Saturday night at Plymouth, with both cars once again suffering poor pill draws resulting in 7th and 5th starting spots for Will and Tyler in the same heat race. Will was able to advance one place but none further, as he was unable to find a way past Tyler for 5th, and the two BGR cars finished line astern in 5th and 6th. This result unfortunately sent both drivers to the B Main.
Before Brabant could worry about making the feature though, his car suffered a catastrophic engine failure and the Axel Racing 99 would be a scratch for the rest of the night.
As the crew was already beginning to pull the 99’s engine for a quick turnaround for Sunday’s race at Angell Park, Gerrits was rolling to the green in the night’s B Feature. Starting 5th, Gerrits quickly found himself fighting for a transfer spot with Austin Hartmann and Chris Clayton. After a yellow, Gerrits drove into turn one to try and pass for 3rd, but was punted from behind by Hartmann’s 87 car, sending the Ditto 21 into a spin, and more importantly, sending Gerrits to the rear of the field with limited laps to go.
Gerrits found another gear after that. Restarting 12th, the Waupun native rocketed to 5th by the checkered, locking into the night’s A Main, but the Ditto 21’s torrid pace didn’t stop there.
Starting a distant 21st on a rubber down, mostly one lane track isn’t usually seen as an opportunity to make moves. Gerrits apparently didn’t get the memo.
Following the 35 of Ben Schmidt’s lead, Gerrits moved to the middle lane of the speedway to pick off cars, one by one. He’d move back down low to pick off cars that were trying the high side, and then move right back to the middle once he was clear. Patient and surgical, Gerrits advanced all the way to 8th by the checkered, a fantastic result after what could have easily been a lackluster evening for the BGR team.
“Saturday was fun for the 21 camp.” Gerrits said. “After we got dumped in the B, we clawed our way back into the A and passed a ton of cars. It was fun to do that well on a rubbered up track for sure. Tyler had some motor issues but the guys got the backup engine in overnight and we were ready for Angell Park.
An iffy weather forecast should have deterred fans from attending the first event at Angell Park Speedway since 2019.
Not these race fans.
Angell Park was a packed house for the MSA, Badger Midgets and Legends show on Sunday, and Gerrits shone bright once again. A heat race win at his favorite track delighted the “Flying Dutchman,” even if the motor issues returned for his teammate.
“Tyler had even more issues on Sunday.” Gerrits said. “He may have been done for the night, but we won’t know for sure until we strip it down and get a better look at everything. I was just happy to visit Angell Park victory lane for the first time since 2015. It’s absolutely my favorite track I’ve ever raced on and I’m ecstatic that it’s back.”
The remaining portion of the night was cancelled due to weather, but a solid weekend for the 21 car kept the team’s spirits high.
With this weekend’s finishes, Will Gerrits moved into 8th in PDTR 360 Sprint points, and 8th in the overall MSA standings, while Brabant sits 17th in MSA points.
The MSA tour will head back to The Dirt Track at Plymouth in Plymouth, WI for a regular PDTR Program on Saturday. Tickets will be available at both tracks this weekend.
You can follow Will Gerrits Racing on their social media’s, on Facebook at Brabant-Gerrits Racing, Instagram @brabantgerritsracing and on Twitter @brabantgerrits, along with Box3 Media on Facebook at @box3_racing and Twitter @box3_racing.
Brabant-Gerrits Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors for their continued support throughout the 2021 season.
Ditto
Axel Racing
NAPA MPEC
A.Glewen and Sons Excavation
The Rock Golf Club
Anything and Everything Home Maintenance
Amramp
Rock River Eyewear
Aaron Gerrits Rhemody Foundation
Box3 Racing
Horicon Bank
Edward Jones
Shawn Mueller/Casey Bollig Photos
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