Even for the experienced runners who’ve been around the game for years, the sport of weekly short track stock car racing is all about learning. There’s no such thing as a perfect set-up and teams need to be willing to make the necessary changes to get the most out of their equipment. Saturday, September 3^rd, Bailey Jacobs wrapped-up his second season of action in the Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car division at Peterborough Speedway. The talented youngster from Warsaw, Ontario entered the year’s final event within striking distance of the overall point title and even though he finished second in the standings, the go kart racing graduate says he’s happy with everything he accomplished.

“This is a hobby for us, not a full-time job so we tried not to set any goals at the start of the year,” said the second generation racer. “Dad and I are still figuring out what it takes to make the car better and run consistently week-after-week. Every team that rolls through the pit gate is looking to achieve the same goals and level of success, so it’s a pretty level playing field. In many ways, what we’re doing comes down to a combination of preparation and luck.”

After a solid start to the season, the driver who was named rookie of the year in 2015 recorded his first career feature wins in back-to-back events near the end of July. The long-awaited trips to the winner’s circle helped boost the soft-spoken racer’s confidence level, as the group of supporters – wearing the black Jacobs Motorsports t-shirts and caps – shared in his on-track success.

“We spent a lot of hours working on the car through the week and that showed on the track,” admitted the driver. “From pressure settings to tire selection and where to run on the track, we’ve continued to learn throughout the last 2 seasons and as a team, we’re sure to document everything. My father and I talked about the car on the way to the speedway on Saturday nights and during the drive back home after the races.”

Bailey Jacobs says he learned the most when he had to work through traffic. No matter where he qualified, he couldn’t start any better than 10^th after his first feature win. With just 20 laps to get to front of the pack again, it was a new experience to find his way around other cars in the field and get back to the front for his second straight main event win.

With the regular season over, a number of teams will be looking toward the 24^th Annual Autumn Colours Classic, but a combination of work commitments and his second year of classes at Fleming College will keep the #60 machine parked until the first green flag of Peterborough Speedway’s 50^th anniversary season.

Bailey and Jeff Jacobs would like to thank Jay Peacock for all the help this year, along with their many friends, fans and followers; and especially sponsors Kawartha Kart Club, T.G. Quirk Towing, Bernardi Consulting, Chemong Home Solutions, Lakefield NAPA Auto Parts, Close Quarters Tree Removal, Dart Heating & Air Conditioning and Clarke Motorsports Communications for their support during the 2016 season.