Cole Tanner is all amped up. The 13 year old, Grade 7 student from Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia can’t wait to fire up his machine and take to the track for the 2012 racing season. Wade Wilson, Speedway 660 announcer, recently had a quick chat with Hanwell Village Mart Bandolero driver Cole Tanner.
Cole Tanner won the 2011 Canadian Outlaw INEX Championship. Cole received the INEX championship trophy at the famous Speedway Club, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina. (photo courtesy of Pat Healey and the Weekly Press)
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Wade: Hey Cole, how’s it going? I’ll bet you can’t wait for the 2012 season to start at Speedway 660.
Cole: Yes, I am looking forward to coming back and seeing all the other Bando drivers, the staff and all of the great fans at Speedway 660! It’s an awesome place to race and I really can’t wait to get back there for the start of the season.
Wade: I hear you were busy during the off-season. Tell us about the National Canadian Outlaw Bando Award that you received down south.
Cole: I won the Canadian Outlaw INEX Championship in 2011, based on the points I earned at Speedway 660 and Scotia SpeedWorld. I also got to go down to North Carolina, to accept my INEX trophy, at the Speedway Club, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. That was a great trip and a huge thrill.
Wade: That’s incredible! Congratulations. You must really be proud of this accomplishment.
Cole: Yes, I think I did really good in my rookie year. We did a lot of travelling and a lot of hard work was put into the race cars to make sure we were ready every weekend.
Wade: Success in racing doesn’t happen without hard work and a lot of support. Most people know racing is a family sport and I’ll bet your family helps make it possible for you to drive fast and make left turns.
Cole: Yes, it is a lot of work, my dad and I put in a lot of hours working on the car to make sure it is where we need it to be when we get to the track. My mom and brother Austin, can’t always make the long trips with dad and I, but my family supports me a lot in my racing and I couldn’t do it without their help.
Wade: Speedway 660’s Hanwell Village Mart Bando division is strong. You finished 8th in points here last year. What’s it going to take to move up in the standings in 2012?
Cole: It’s going to take some practice, hard work and a little luck to run up front this year. After a pretty successful rookie season, I am more confident now and hope my experience in the seat pays off.
Wade: Cole Boudreau, Alicia Mowat, Ryan Messer and Dana Hamm, the 2011 Bando champ, are just a few of the young talented drivers in your division. Great competition like that really raises the bar for the rest of the field.
Cole: Yes, they are all great drivers and a lot of fun to race with. I’ll have to work real hard to get to victory lane this year against all of that talent in the Hanwell Village Mart Bandolero Division.
Wade: You’ve been hanging around Speedway 660 for the last few years. Who do you really like to watch wheel a car around the track in some of our other divisions?
Cole: I like to watch Dave O’Blenis and Kenny MacKenzie in the sportsman division. I also like to watch Dave O’Blenis and Lonnie Summerville, in the pro stock divison. I really like racing during SpeedWeekend and want to thank Speedway 660 for letting us be part of the show. And of course I really like watching the AutoValue 250.
Wade: Who do you like in NASCAR and why?
Cole: I like Jimmy Johnson because he is always prepared. He always has a good car and he doesn’t get mad when things don’t turn out right for him. I think he is a great driver and a positive role model for young racers like me.
Wade: Kids are allowed to dream big, so what would you like to do in racing in the future?
Cole: I would like to keep racing Bando’s for the next few years and get better as a driver. Down the road, I want to move up to another division and eventually maybe someday do it for a living.
Wade: Thanks for doing this Cole and good luck in the upcoming season.
Cole: Thanks Wade for your interest, I would like to thank all of my sponsors, supporters and fans as we head into the 2012 season. I look forward to seeing you all at Speedway 660 and encourage you to check out my sponsor’s links on my website www.coletannerracing.com
