It is still very early in the season but 13 year old Reid Lanpher of Manchester, Maine has picked up right where he finished his rookie season in NELCAR… up front.
Starting on the outside pole in his heat race at the season opening race at Unity Raceway, Lanpher led every lap and was a half a straightaway ahead when the checkers fell. Starting outside of Matthew Bourgoine for the feature, Lanpher made several runs and Bourgoine and was on his bumper several times but was not able to pass his friend from karting days and settled for a 2nd place finish.
This weekend at NHMS, NELCAR held its first of 4 races on the road course. This one was a National Qualifier and saw many out of state racers show up and compete in the 22 car field. Despite some car issues, Lanpher qualified in the 7th position and quickly found himself in the 4th at the end of lap 2. He held that position until lap 8 when he missed a shift and was passed by veteran Mike Alton. Lanpher said after the race that he was excited to have a drafting partner (Alton) but had to slow twice in an attempt to get around a lapper and settled for 5th.
The result left the 8th grader at Maranacook Middle School with a 5 point lead over Bourgoine. He will have to sit out this weeks race at Beach Ridge however as he is not yet old enough to race there or at Oxford Plains Speedway.
There was discussion before the season started of separating the Beach Ridge series from the overall NELCAR points so as not to discourage/eliminate the younger competitors before the season ever started. One NELCAR official commented that “none of them have a chance of winning anyway so it is irrelevant”.
It sure would have been nice to see how it played out but the opportunity was not offered and now the Ricci Race Cars development driver will have to wonder what might have been.
It should be noted that Lanpher has been working under the guidance of 4-time NELCAR Champion Bob Weymouth. The two clicked last year on the track and Weymouth realized that Lanpher ran some of the same “weird” lines that he did. He soon discovered that both had a strong background in motocross and the connection between professor and student was made.
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