Watching cars race through the Saratoga Speedway on Vancouver Island set a 麻豆社国产driver on the path to becoming the youngest competitor in the Pemberton Stock Car Association.
Over this weekend, that path led to a reward.
Fourteen-year-old Finn Dallman of Garibaldi Highlands managed to capture silver in the youth division 鈥� the rookie hornet class 鈥� during the association鈥檚 third race of the season.
鈥淚t makes me feel pretty good,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 guess because I鈥檓 so young and everyone else is older than me, and I鈥檓 beating them.鈥�
Dallman, who was 13 the first time he first laid eyes on the Saratoga track, remembers seeing racers his age or younger jump into the driver鈥檚 seat.
鈥淭hey have 11-year-olds on the track,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 went with my family to watch, and I found out how young you can be to drive there, and I was instantly hooked.鈥�
At that point, Dallman decided that he鈥檇 take a course at the speedway and learn to get behind the wheel.
鈥淚 was drawn to it because everyone else there was around my age, so it wasn鈥檛 that intimidating,鈥� he said.
He took a course and competed in a few events at Saratoga, as he was still considered too young to race in any of the mainland tracks.
Dallman鈥檚 only been driving for a year, but his interest in cars goes much longer back.
Starting from the age of four, he鈥檇 shown an affinity for vehicles. A battery-powered ride-on Jeep was perhaps the first time he hopped behind the steering wheel.
He also amassed a collection of Hot Wheels and model cars.
When he was 10, he was given an old five horsepower Honda engine that he, along with his father and grandfather, turned into a Go Kart.
鈥淔inn still terrorizes neighbours driving it around the circuit he built in his yard,鈥� his family wrote in a news release.
Speaking of terror, Dallman鈥檚 racing career does come with some nail-biting moments, at least for his father, Dave.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always quite nerve-wracking for me to watch it,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e always wondering what鈥檚 going to happen.鈥�
The cars often get beaten up quite a bit during the races, Dave said.
Even though there are no-contact rules in his son鈥檚 division, the nature of racing in a dirt track means that crashes are an inevitability.
One example is during the recent race.
When Dallman passed a car, it lost control and wound up smashing into Dallman鈥檚 vehicle.
鈥淏oth the right side doors are completely smashed in,鈥� said Dave.
It wasn鈥檛 the only time his son had a rough encounter on the track.
鈥淲e鈥檇 spent a lot of time during the week fixing Finn鈥檚 car because it was damaged at the previous race in Agassiz,鈥� Dave said.
Talking with Dallman, however, it doesn鈥檛 seem to be something that phases him. He said that he hopes to advance to higher divisions and pick up a faster car in the future.
鈥淜eep moving up, I guess,鈥� Dallman said.
