Blake Wilkey takes on the Freedom 200 Cup at Glen Helen Raceway
Rahmi Doğucan E.
The Pedal Commander Team headed out to Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA to meet up with our sponsored driver Blake Wilkey. Blake was competing in The Freedom 200 Cup. Glen Helen is a world-famous dirt racetrack nestled in a southern California desert valley. Blake was competing in the “EMPI Class 11 Shootout.” The shootout consisted of two races, restricted to stock Volkswagen Beetles.
The weekend of racing started Friday evening with the first of the class 11 races at 6 pm. Blake fought hard through the evening sun and came out of the first race with a well earned First Place. The Bug pushed through but needed some light repairs to be ready to run again less than twelve hours later in the second race.
The second race of the shootout began bright and early Saturday morning at 6 am. With the impending desert heat rising and the morning sun beginning to peek over the tops of the surrounding mountains, the track was alive with the rumble of Beatle boxer motors. Blake pushed his beetle hard battling for the first place position including a few bumps into the edge of the track and other competitors. Through the dirt and the dust, Blake pulled out second place. Even without first in the second race, Blake’s point total gave him First overall and the trophy.
Watching the original Beetles move around the track was awesome. Even with just 53 horsepower and a top speed of 82MPH on asphalt, the bugs were battling back and forth for positions. The race got so intense even the Pedal Commander Team couldn’t help but cheer on Blake, as he was neck and neck for first, in the last few laps.
The next set of races weren’t until later in the day, when Terra Crew’s Mike Rennick took on the class 10 trucks in his off-road buggy. This was another tough race and Mike was able to pull out a podium finish taking third place.
Although The Freedom 200 was closed to spectators this year due to the increasing worry over coronavirus, this didn’t mean that the drivers brought any less of their competitive spirit. Hopefully in the near future spectators will be able to rejoin live motorsports.
