Young Racers Stand Out On Tracks And Courses

From the flat, hard-surface tracks to the ramp- and jump-filled dirt courses, several car and motorbike racers from Newtown, or with Newtown ties, had standout seasons in 2011.

Kelsey Danuszar earned six wins to capture the Junior 1 division of the Nutmeg Kart Club this past summer. Cole Latte and Megan Latte also competed in the Junior 1 class, and Cole was second in the overall standings.  Morgan was fifth.

Stephen Kopcik captured the Junior 3 title at the Nutmeg Kart Club by piling up seven wins.

Newtown had strong representation in the Clones class, led by overall champion Evan Latte with four first-place finishes under his belt. Ken Canfield came in fifth, and Joe Tavella, grandfather of the youngest Kopcik racers, was sixth. Nicholas Kopcik earned a trio of wins to garner second-place accolades in the Lites division, and Morgan Danuszar earned sixth in Lites. Jonathan Kopcik participated in the Kid Kart division.

Kenneth Canfield Jr was in the Nutmeg Kart Club Jr Rookie class this year, which is an exhibition class, and his dad, Kenny Sr, raced in the Sr Clones class this year.

Mike Gervais Jr had a memorable campaign racing his 430 horse power SK Modified at Stafford Motor Speedway. He placed tenth among 46 competitors in the overall standings, and earned Most Improved Driver of the Year honors. Gervais was assisted by family members and the Kopciks.

Joshua Williams has competed in motocross for two years. He races KTM 65 XC in the 60cc 6-9 year old class and a Kawasaki KX85 in the Junior Mini Class. Races are held at various tracks in New York and Williams competes in the Metropolitan Sports Committee Motocross Championship. He finished third overall in the 60cc 6-9 class.

Harrison Schreiner and Robert Koloski both compete off road as part of the New England Trail Riders Association. They both competed in the Hare Scramble Series, Junior Enduro Series, and National GNCC Racing Series.

Damian Buccieri competed in his first 65cc race this past fall and finished seventh among 12 racers at Walden MX track in Walkill, NY. Buccieri finished second overall in the 50cc spring race series at Winchester Speed Park in the 7-8 class and fourth overall in the 50cc open class. He continues to practice at Milford Riders Club in Milford and practices at Long Island Motocross in Yaphank, LI.

Grant Untiedt won a Nutmeg BMX State Championship by capturing the  13-year-old rookie age group title.