story by Chris Roy
After 6 races this season, Bob Weymouth, is the current points leader in the NELCAR Legends Series which is where he finished the 2010 race season. The legends cars just raced at Unity Raceway last weekend where the 399 picked up its fifth top 3 of the season. Though he is still looking for that first checkered flag of the season, maybe this weekend when they return to Unity. Though his thoughts are focused else where as his father became ill and is at Maine Med.
Weymouth, got interested in legends racing after, “I saw these cars at a Monster Truck and M/C ice race show I raced at Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, I loved the concept of M/C powered race car. I raced dirt bikes with the NESC, when I broke my knee in 96. I sold some of the bikes, and in 97 bought my first legend car.”
I always ask what the drivers would do to improve the safety of racing this is Bob’s suggestion. “I think they (US Legend cars) should build a COT type legend cars for the bigger drivers. They should have a little more protection in the front. That being said they are a very safe race car with very strict rules package.”
Legends cars have two options when it comes to the Yamaha engines, “I use the FJ1200 motor right out of a motorcycle, I am a factory trained Yamaha tech. I can work on my 1200 but the 1250 sealed motor you can’t touch anything.” Another difference in the 399 car then the other race cars is inside the cockpit, “When I was a rookie I had all the stuff then I started to talk to people from all over the country and most fast guys didn’t have much for gauges. So when I rebuilt my cars I left the gauges out. Less to go wrong also.”
The 2011 NELCAR Schedule is a busy one this year with 11 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the TNT races at BRMS, the Unity races and one race at Seekonk. Though the legends wont be returning to Speedway 95 or Lee Speedway they maybe back in 2012. Bobs view on this years schedule, “Our schedule changes year to year, this is a touring series that races thru out northeast. A few to many in NHMS with this being the first year and fuel prices what they are. It would be nice to go to other tracks, but they need to have room on their nightly schedule for us. Both Lee and Bangor are good tracks for these cars, I do wish we went there. There are other tracks here in Maine that we could go to as well.” Though NHMS has 2 different course the short oval and the 1.6 mile road course. “I like the road course just because it’s a little different, But the little oval is real challenging.” But Bobs favorite race track is the Bullring, in Las Vegas, NV.
One of the changes this season in NELCAR is the 2 through away races, “I thought 1 was enough, but we are amateur racers with lives out side of racing that can get in the way of point racing. So it’s alright.”
