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| February 19, 2009 News |
| EKN Awards 2008: Mechanic of the Year - Trevor Wickens |
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 | Mechanic of the Year - Trevor Wickens
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media) |
Success on the track is attributed to not only what you do on behind the wheel, but also back in the paddock and at home before heading to the track. There’s just as much work to be done off the track as there is on the racing surface. For many in the sport, the driver and the mechanic are in fact the same person, working seamlessly to produce the desired results. At the upper echelon of the sport, drivers work with their ‘right-hand man’ to make sure they both enjoy the spoils of victory. The EKN Mechanic of the Year category was added to the eKartingNews.com Awards in 2000 to help promote those who stand behind the success of their drivers. Today, there are a number of persons who work endless hours to help put their driver or drivers to the front of the field each weekend and EKN is proud to recognize Trevor Wickens as the Mechanic of the Year for 2008.
Wickens, the Team Manager and lead mechanic for the Cameron Motorsports squad out of Hamilton, Ontario, worked with Michael Vincec throughout the 2008 season. The duo went on to earn the Stars of Karting ICC National Championship thanks to consistency running at the front of the field and an impeccable streak of podium finishes. With the detailed prep work done by Wickens, Vincec made every session of every event on both the East and West divisional schedules - completing all the scheduled laps for the Stars season with the exception of the second Final at the Western opener where he was taken out on the opening lap.
Beginning their partnership at the Miller Motorsports Park event in Utah, the duo earned the pole position for both feature races. After the fifth place finish in the opening main, a turn one incident put Vincec on the sidelines in the second race. Moving on to the Mazda Race of the Americas event at New Castle Motorsports Park in May, the pairing continued to be in sync, with Vincec earning the victory in the opening feature race. A third place run after a heated battle in the second final put a cap on a strong weekend and positioned Vincec as the driver to beat for the championship.
From there, Vincec and Wickens added three runner-up finishes and a fourth place run at the divisional finales in Wisconsin and Washington to clinch the East and West crowns and lead the overall championship heading to the National Finals in Las Vegas. At the finale, the duo did what they needed to, running up front and staying out of trouble. Recording two third place finishes, Vincec and Wickens earned the Stars of Karting ICC National Championship. To close out the season at the SKUSA SuperNationals XII, Vincec came from tenth to fifth in the main event to stand on the podium on SuperSunday.
Aside from working with Vincec, Wickens also helped out numerous other drivers under the Cameron tent, including Cody Jolly at the Stars of Karting Eastern opener, where they went to the podium in his first Stars ICC race. In addition to several other drivers, Wickens also spun the wrenches for Michael DiMeo at the Canadian National Championships and in the Ontario Regional Karting Championships.
EKN would like to congratulate Trevor on his work done in the 2008 season and becoming the newest member of the Mechanic of the Year fraternity. To discuss the EKN Awards 2008, please visit the Official Discussion Thread and also visit the Official Awards Page.
Former Mechanic of the Year Winners
2007 - Jeff Robinson (Cody Robinson)
2006 - Greg Bell (Jordy Vorrath)
2005 - Mike Speed (Alex Speed/Ryan Phinny)
2004 - Kimball Williams (Alan Sciuto)
2003 - David Carpentier (David Jurca)
2002 - Terry Ventresca (Bobby Wilson)
2001 - Mike Speed (Scott Speed)
2000 - Todd Bellew (Joe Janowski) |
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