Peter Thickett Wins Reliable Welding And Speed Late Model Rookie Of The Year Honors At Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Of all the drivers who have won a Reliable Welding and Speed Rookie of the Year title at Stafford Motor Speedway in years past, 2011 Late Model Rookie of the Year Peter Thickett has perhaps the strangest path taken to that outcome. Thickett originally hails from High Wycombe, England, and after a racing career full road course racing, Thickett took to a full bodied car on an oval for the very first time this season at Stafford. The result was a Rookie of the Year campaign that saw Thickett and the #33 Siemon Company team post their lone top-10 finish of the 2011 season in the final race of the year.
“This was a totally new experience for me,” said Thickett. “This was the first time I had ever raced on an oval track, my background is road course racing in single seater cars. I got started in karting and then I drove some amateur Formula 3 and I did some endurance racing in a Porsche 911. I enjoyed oval racing a lot more than I thought I would, it was a great experience. I’ve never been so close to other cars and touching other cars without having a massive crash.”
After making one start during the first half of the year, Thickett and the #33 ran 9 of the last 10 races and posted a best finish of sixth in the CARQUEST Fall Final feature. Thickett finished the year in 18th place in the points standings and says a shock change made a big difference in the team’s performance.
“We took a little time to get going this season, we had to fix the car and get the car setup to my driving style,” said Thickett. “We were pretty realistic with our goals, most of the guys at Stafford have decades of experience and they really know what they’re doing. Our goal was to get a top-10 finish this season and we got a 6th at the Fall Final. The turning point for us was with 3 or 4 races to go, we made a big shock change and that really helped the car. We had gotten within half or three quarters of a second of the top runners, and then we stopped gaining time. That shock change we made cut a half second off straight away, so that was exciting for us. The car was always really comfortable to drive and I have to thank my sponsors Siemon Company, Mantz Automotive, and AVI Big Pumps.com for their support this year.”
Thickett is looking forward to another season of oval racing armed with the knowledge and experience he gained this season at Stafford.
“Our main goal was to try to set ourselves up for a full season next year,” said Thickett. “I think we showed that we can run with the front runners at the Fall Final and we had a lot more fun as we got closer to the front of the pack. Our goal for next year is to pick up where we left off this season. We had a very successful season, we had a game plan, we stuck to that plan and it’s going to be game on for next season.”
Thickett will officially be crowned the 2011 Reliable Welding and Speed Late Model Rookie of the Year at the 42nd Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 18 at the La Renaissance Banquet Facility in East Windsor.
Tickets to the 42nd Annual Stafford Motor Speedway Champions Awards Ceremony are $45 per person and can be ordered by calling the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or by downloading an order form by CLICKING HERE and mailing the form to the track office.