Catamount club disbands after successful test season
WEST HAVEN, Vt. – Management from Devil’s Bowl Speedway and the Catamount Mini Sprint club have jointly announced that Devil’s Bowl will officially welcome winged 500cc Mini Sprint racecars as an official “home track” division in 2018. Mini Sprint racing returned to Devil’s Bowl in 2017 after a long absence, running under the Catamount banner.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway officials will manage the Mini Sprint class as one of its own divisions in the 2018 season. Minimal changes, if any, are expected for the technical rulebook. The division will continue to use the same chassis, wings, tires, 500cc engines, and other components that were used in 2017. Devil’s Bowl Speedway will release information regarding licensing, schedules, and other items in the near future.
The Catamount Mini Sprint club will be dissolved, effective immediately, following a highly successful first season. The organization was formed in the fall of 2016 to oversee the “test run” 2017 season at Devil’s Bowl. The club was spearheaded by competitors Sean Beinhaur, Bob Griffin, and Nadine Coates, along with volunteers including Kristin O’Brien, Cil Matthews, Ernie Griffin, and others.
The Catamount Mini Sprint club competed at Devil’s Bowl on 10 event dates in 2017 and saw a wide range of competitors. Drivers came from Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York with varying levels of racing backgrounds and experience. Both males and females competed regularly, ranging in age from 12 years old to nearly 50. The division also saw on-track participation from multiple members of several racing families.
Fifteen year-old Austin Chaves of Chester, Vt., won two races and the season championship as a rookie, having moved up from the go-kart level. Aaron Mulready joined the division in late July after returning home from the U.S. Marine Corps and promptly won five races, while other winners during the year included Coates, Beinhaur, and two-time winner Griffin.
“We’re proud to have the 500cc Mini Sprints as one of our own divisions in 2018,” Devil’s Bowl Speedway promoter Mike Bruno said. “The Catamount club served an important purpose in getting Mini Sprint racing back at Devil’s Bowl, and my thanks go out to the officials and volunteers who made it a success. We’re looking forward to the future and we welcome all competitors from near and far to come join us on the new dirt track in 2018.”
Devil’s Bowl Speedway will host an informational meeting for the 2018 racing season for all divisions on Saturday, October 14 at American Legion Post 49 in Fair Haven, Vt., beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, Vt., four miles north of U.S. Route 4, Exit 2. For more information, visit www.DevilsBowlSpeedwayVT.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at @DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @DevilsBowlSpeed; follow the action using the hashtag #DevilsBowl.